Overview
- Microsoft announced a wide Xbox reset that immediately eliminated roughly 1,600 roles and said about 1,600 more will be cut through the coming year as part of a plan to improve margins.
- Players have mobilized on Microsoft’s Xbox Player Voice portal, where a top post demanding an end to studio closures and a two‑year no‑layoffs pledge has thousands of upvotes and detailed demands for transparency and executive accountability.
- Reporting from multiple outlets and anonymous staff accounts says id Software and core platform teams lost large shares of their staff, producing what employees call a staggering loss of institutional knowledge that could threaten work on the id Tech engine and ongoing projects.
- A WARN filing and company notices show hundreds of roles removed at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters and remote positions tied to it, while several studios have been spun off or sold and Arkane is negotiating an exit in France.
- Remaining employees describe secrecy, short one‑way briefings, revoked access for laid‑off staff, and ongoing fear about the unspecified second tranche of cuts, raising questions about Xbox’s ability to deliver future games and sustain teams long term.