From Cancelled Games to Closed Studios, There’s a Trail of Carnage in the Wake of Microsoft’s Layoffs

[Peter_Brosdahl]

Microsoft's layoffs have littered the gaming landscape with cancelled projects, studio closures, and veteran leaders are leaving their companies.

See full article...

 

[Brian_B]

It was always a matter of when, not if, with Microsoft

I feel sorry for those involved, and hopefully it’s clear now - if you get acquired by Microsoft, if you get any buyout cash or severance offer, take it and run. If you don’t, get your resume polished up and start hunting immediately

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

Sad, but true.

 

[MadMummy76]

1. Buy every studio possible
2. Close them down before any project is completed

What was the strategy here, scorched Earth?

 

[Denpepe]

It was always a matter of when, not if, with Microsoft

I feel sorry for those involved, and hopefully it’s clear now - if you get acquired by Microsoft, if you get any buyout cash or severance offer, take it and run. If you don’t, get your resume polished up and start hunting immediately

It's not something I have picked up upon with MS, usually it's EA that's famous for pulling crap like this.

 

[Uvilla]

1. Buy every studio possible
2. Close them down before any project is completed

What was the strategy here, scorched Earth?

Who knows, IP hoarding?
Executives are likely planning a future of fast and cheaper AI fueled development.
What we will get is a bunch of cookie cutter games, full of corporate beige.

 

[MadMummy76]

It's not something I have picked up upon with MS, usually it's EA that's famous for pulling crap like this.

EA only shut down studios after they released a game, not before they even had a chance.

 

[Brian_B]

It's not something I have picked up upon with MS, usually it's EA that's famous for pulling crap like this.

9000 this go

6000 employees one month ago

The carnage with the gaming studios is legendary:

Microsoft has never been good at running game studios, which is a problem when it owns them all

The latest Xbox layoffs are about a long history of mismanagement as much as recent overexpansion

www.polygon.com

Last year they shuttered 4 studios, including one that had a breakout hit

This page hasn’t been updated in a couple of years but:

Microsoft - Layoffs

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

I actually have a total of ~27,000 total over the last two years referenced in this post.

Microsoft Lays Off Another 9,000 Employees, Bringing Its Two-Year Job Cuts Total to Nearly 27,000 as It Invests in Building AI Infrastructure

Microsoft has announced yet another round of layoffs following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard amid heavy investments in AI.

www.thefpsreview.com

 

[Grimlakin]

Microsoft is done caring about making a billion all at once... they want RMR. Expect more live services investment from them with subscriptions tied to it.