Nintendo of Korea has laid off 80% of its staff

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Korean game site GameMeca is reporting that Nintendo’s South Korean operation has been hit with layoffs. The Korean division was founded in 2006 and according to the report, the decision to cut staff was made in January when the division employed around 60 people. Nintendo of Korea has been offering an early retirement program and now only houses ten employees.

According to the report, CEO Hiroyuki Fukuda will remain thanks to his popularity among Koreans for his Nintendo Direct appearances. The report suggests that the downscaling efforts were spearheaded by Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima, who made the decision to downsize after reviewing regional branches of the company. The Wii U was also never released in South Korea, either.