Nintendo of Europe lays off 320 workers
190 were "temporary agency workers" in the localisation department.
Nintendo of Europe is making 320 of its staff redundant this week.
According to a statement by Nintendo of Europe obtained by Kotaku, this glut of layoffs is comprised of 190 based in the Germany office's localisation department in addition to a separate 130 affected in the shutdown of the Großostheim, Germany office we reported on last June.
Nintendo's statement noted that this latest batch of 190 were only "temporary agency workers," but sources at Kotaku said they worked exclusively for the publisher and many had been there for years.
Here's Nintendo of Europe's full statement regarding the downsizing:
"As previously communicated in June 2014, approximately 130 permanent employees will be released by Nintendo of Europe (Germany) at the end of August 2014 as part of a set of measures to better enable the European business to adapt to the rapidly changing business environment.
"As a separate measure, Nintendo of Europe is reorganizing its European Localisation Development (ELD) department, where it currently uses a number of temporary agency workers in translation and testing activities, in order to increase flexibility and cost-efficiency in the long-term. It is intended that there will be an increase in outsourcing future translation and test activities to third-party companies on an as-needed basis, and very sadly this has meant having ended the contracts of 190 temporary agency workers, who were formally notified of this decision in June 2014."