MTV layoffs leave game guys alone

Trouble is afoot at MTV. The media giant with a growing appetite for game-related properties this week laid off 250 staffers. As games represent the company's new approach toward audience development, it would have been surprising if any of the game divisions had been affected (those divisions include GameTrailers.com, Xfire, and the electronic gaming division out of New York, which recently green-lighted the $175 million acquisition of Guitar Hero developer Harmonix). As expected, no game-related staffers were affected by the cuts, a source within the company told GameSpot. Media blog Paid Content posted the text of MTV boss Judy McGrath's e-mail to staffers defending the cuts: "We will be fine-tuning how we operate in each of our groups--Music and Logo; Kids and Family; Entertainment; International; Sales and Strategic Services--in ways that will allow us to better share resources across our brands, and to invest in our linear channels and other key growth areas."