Blizzard fires 50 employees in live events as pandemic roils business

March 16 (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI.O unit Blizzard has fired about 50 workers engaged in running live events, a company spokesman said on Tuesday, as the COVID-19 pandemic clamped down on gatherings.

Video game developers and entertainment firms typically host numerous live events every year that attract thousands. Over the last year, however, the health crisis has forced them to cancel, postpone or host them virtually, causing their advertising and on-premise revenue to take a knock.

"The esports team, much like traditional sports, entertainment, and broadcasting industries, has had to adapt its business due to the impact the pandemic has had on live events," Activision said.

Meanwhile, Activision's videogame business, whose key franchises include online role-playing game "World of Warcraft" and combat game "Overwatch," has been buoyed by stuck-at-home people seeking entertainment. The company said in February it planned to hire more game developers this year.

The company's e-sports division will look to get back to live events to some extent when possible, Tony Petitti, president of sports and entertainment at Activision Blizzard, told the Sports Business Journal on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

((Praveen.Paramasivam@thomsonreuters.com;))