The news opened up virtually every digital gaming and tech media outlet Microsoft had announced a plan to lay off 10,000 people. This was followed by Google and Amazon, and a few other big techs. The sector is undergoing major restructuring and these giants are the ones with the largest number of employees.
As for Xbox, it didn’t take long for us to find out who the first hits were, 343 Industries. The study in charge of Halo has suffered the biggest staff reduction in its history. Although Bethesda and other studios have also seen their ranks dwindle. I think it can never be good news that someone loses their job, so whatever the reasons, all my solidarity from now on with these people.
More layoffs within Xbox
The fact is that we were only aware of the first phase, keep in mind that these layoffs were not all sudden, they are happening in stages. And what’s terrifying here is that those who are fired don’t know they’re fired until they know about it; so you can imagine the work environment not knowing if next week will be your turn.
The American media Bloomberg, found Now that the second phase is already underway, and as far as we are concerned as media dedicated to Xbox, we already know which divisions will be affected. The first of these is Marketing, it has long been heard that the division has suffered a major budget cut., well, maybe these layoffs confirm that. The second division involved is the Gaming Ecosystem Group, a part of the company dedicated to ensuring the Xbox ecosystem is consistent across all platforms, they also support second party and studios like Xbox Game Studios Publishing.
The employees learned of their dismissal last Thursday; however, there are few details. However, we do know that Phil Spencer has sent an email to all employees informing them of the situation and showing solidarity with those laid off and those who remain. This is a fragment saved from the mail.
I encourage everyone to take the time and space to process these changes and support your colleagues.
Of course, it’s not over yet, there is at least one phase to go. We also don’t know the reach in numbers, so as soon as we have more news, we’ll let you know.
