Reports indicate that Microsoft has conducted another round of layoffs affecting its gaming, security, and sales divisions. The exact number of employees impacted remains undisclosed. Importantly, these job cuts are separate from previous layoff announcements made earlier in January and more recently.
The gaming industry has experienced significant workforce reductions in 2024, with numerous companies, including Microsoft, implementing substantial layoffs. This trend has affected both large studios and smaller independent developers. Recent examples include layoffs at IllFonic (Predator: Hunting Grounds) and People Can Fly (Outriders), and earlier cuts at Rocksteady following the release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Microsoft has been streamlining its Xbox workforce since the beginning of 2024. A significant reduction of 1,900 Xbox division employees occurred in January, encompassing staff from acquired companies like Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax. Further cuts in September impacted 650 corporate and support employees at Activision Blizzard.
According to a Business Insider report (via GamesIndustry.biz), another round of layoffs has reportedly occurred. While a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the cuts, the precise number of affected employees remains unconfirmed and described as a "small number." These latest reductions are distinct from earlier cuts targeting underperforming staff, unrelated to the Xbox division.
Microsoft's ongoing layoffs are particularly noteworthy given its recent acquisitions of major game publishers like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, and its achievement of a $3 trillion market valuation shortly after the January 2024 layoffs. The initial wave of layoffs drew scrutiny from the FTC, which attempted to use them as a reason to block or reverse Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Previous Microsoft restructuring affected Xbox's retail teams, a large portion of Blizzard's customer service, and internal development studios such as Sledgehammer Games and Toys for Bob. The cancellation of Blizzard's unannounced survival game, codenamed Project Odyssey, also followed these job cuts.
The impact of this latest round of layoffs on the Xbox gaming division remains uncertain, pending confirmation of the number of employees affected.
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