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Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Microsoft cancels three 3 games as layoffs impact Xbox team and its gaming studios
Microsoft, on Wednesday, July 2, announced that it is laying off approximately 9,000 employees, which is around 4 per cent of its global workforce. Many of these layoffs are also impacting the company's Xbox division as well as other gaming studios, leading to some upcoming games being cancelled. In January 2024, Microsoft's gaming division had about 20,000 employees. While the tech giant hasn't clarified how many people were impacted in the Xbox division, the cuts seem to be widespread and significant and happen to be the fourth major layoff in the last 18 months. As part of the recent layoffs, at least three upcoming video games have been cancelled. In an internal email published by Variety and later confirmed by Microsoft, Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, said, 'We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio. As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative.' The Initiative was working on a reboot of the classic FPS series – Perfect Dark. The upcoming sci-fi espionage title has been under development since the studio opened back in 2018. Another title that is now cancelled is Everwild, a game that was under development for more than a decade by Sea of Thieves maker Rare. Founded in 1985 and acquired by Microsoft in 2002, Rare is known for games like Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Kinect Sports, Kameo and Banjo-Kazooie. Zenimax Online Studios, the developer of the popular massive multiplayer online game Elder Scrolls Online, is also impacted by the layoffs. As a result, the studio is also doing away with its upcoming MMORPG game codenamed Blackbird. According to Engadget, citing 'a developer with knowledge of the situation', at least five employees at Halo Studios have been fired as part of the latest layoffs. The gaming studio currently has somewhere between 200 to 300 employees and is working on multiple games, including the next major Halo instalment. Forza Horizon developer Turn 10 Studios also reportedly laid off more than 70 people. Stockholm-based gaming studio King, which Microsoft purchased back in 2023 as part of its Activision Blizzard acquisition, is reportedly cutting 10 per cent of its staff. Known for making Candy Crush, a report by Bloomberg citing people familiar with the plans suggests that the recent round of layoffs impacted around 200 jobs. Some layoffs are also taking place at Raven Software, a studio known for making hit titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Singularity, Quake 4 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
Express Tribune
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Microsoft cancels Perfect Dark and Everwild after Xbox layoffs
Microsoft has announced widespread layoffs across its Xbox division, leading to the cancellation of several major game projects, including Rare's Everwild and the long-awaited Perfect Dark reboot. According to a report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, hundreds of Xbox employees were let go, with layoffs impacting multiple studios under Microsoft's gaming umbrella. Among the hardest hit was The Initiative, a recently established studio responsible for developing Perfect Dark. The studio has now been shut down entirely. Rare's Everwild, originally announced in 2019, has also been scrapped after years of uncertain development. Rare is best known for titles like Sea of Thieves, and Everwild was one of its most anticipated upcoming releases. In addition to these cancellations, other Microsoft-owned studios including King (developer of Candy Crush), the teams behind Forza Motorsport, Call of Duty, Halo, and ZeniMax Online Studios (creators of The Elder Scrolls Online) also experienced job cuts. ZeniMax reportedly canceled an unannounced online project. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty confirmed in an internal memo that the restructuring was part of a 'broader effort to adjust priorities' and 'focus resources' amid a shifting industry landscape. These layoffs follow Microsoft's recent price hikes for Xbox Game Pass and come after multiple billion-dollar acquisitions, including Activision Blizzard. The move signals a major realignment in Microsoft's gaming strategy. The company has not disclosed the total number of layoffs, but reports suggest the number is in the hundreds.
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Xbox Games Cancelled as Microsoft Slashes 9000 Jobs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Microsoft has reportedly cancelled Everwild, an in-development game from UK-based Sea of Thieves developer Rare, and potentially other projects amid a round of layoffs that will see the company lose upwards of 9000 employees. The layoffs were first reported by Bloomberg, which revealed that 10% of staff at Candy Crush developer King – recently purchased by Microsoft alongside Activision and Blizzard – were set to be laid off. Further reporting from the outlet revealed that 9000 employees would be laid off at the software giant, with many of those layoffs coming from within the Microsoft Gaming and Xbox banner. Four characters look up at a picture of a deer drawn in the night sky with magical lights in a 2020 trailer for Everwild. Four characters look up at a picture of a deer drawn in the night sky with magical lights in a 2020 trailer for Everwild. Microsoft In a memo to Xbox staff obtained by IGN, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the company would "end or decrease work in certain areas of the business" in an effort to "increase agility and effectiveness." The full memo can be read here, courtesy of IGN: Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft's lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today's notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days. I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we're seeing currently is based on tough decisions we've made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come. Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental — it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams. HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review. Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey. Phil Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier also confirmed on Bluesky that Rare's project Everwild had been cancelled, saying that the news is "coming in drips" and to expect more news of project cancellations and job cuts in the coming hours and days. The full scale of today's Xbox layoff is not yet clear, but you can expect more news of project cancelations and job cuts as the U.S. west coast wakes up. Some studios are planning meetings within the next two hours. — Jason Schreier (@ 2025-07-02T14:42:49.219Z It comes after multiple rounds of layoffs for the software and gaming giant, with over 6000 employees laid off from the company earlier this year in May. The company similarly laid off 10,000 employees in January 2023. Everwild started development in 2014, and was officially revealed in November 2019. The game was said to be a third-person action-adventure game, with multiple high profile creatives taking on leading roles in the game's development. The game was reportedly scheduled to launch in 2023, before being rebooted and entering development hell, although comments from Spencer in 2024 suggested the game was still on track for a release.
Engadget
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic is laying off over a dozen staff
Playtonic, the creators of Yooka-Laylee , is laying off some of its staff, the developer and publisher announced on social media. The post doesn't mention how many members of Playtonic will be effected, but does credit the layoffs to the company's struggle with "a period of profound change in how games are created and funded." Based on a LinkedIn post shared by Playtonic brand manager Anni Valkama, the layoffs include staff members who worked in production, various art departments, game design, narrative design and UI/UX design. Playtonic only lists around 50 staff members on LinkedIn, but given the studios growth into a publisher and its upcoming release of Yooka-Replaylee , its possible the actual team is a bit larger. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. While Playtonic likely isn't safe from the problems of funding and selling games that other developers have, hiring up for a new project like Yooka-Replaylee and then laying those new hires off before the game is released is a fairly common practice. There's no way to know if that's the case here without more information, but it's worth stating. Yooka-Laylee was pitched as a spiritual sequel to Banjo-Kazooie and other character-focused action-platformers when it debuted on Kickstarter in 2015, perhaps unsurprising given that Playtonic was founded by former developers from Rare, the creators of Banjo-Kazooie and newer hits like Sea of Thieves . In fact, many of the games Playtonic has published under its "Playtonic Friends" publishing label fall in that Rare sweet spot, whether its the cute action-adventure game Lil Gator Game or the difficult platformer Demon Turf .
Digital Trends
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
I'm already having a blast with FBC: Firebreak's creative co-op action
As I fought a giant sticky note monster deep within the executive offices of the Federal Bureau of Control, I found quiet solace in the fact that Remedy Entertainment hadn't lost any of its quirky, wildly creative charm with its new cooperative first-person shooter FBC: Firebreak. Whenever a studio known for excellent single-player adventures branches out and tries something different, it always feels like a toss-up as to whether or not it'll succeed. Situations like Rare and Sea of Thieves stand as success stories, while disasters like Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League serve as cautionary tales. Fortunately, after going hands-on with the game for three hours, it feels like FBC: Firebreak is going to be the former, not the latter. Recommended Videos The studio's lack of experience with the genre can be seen in things like UI clarity, but for the most part, this is a cooperative shooter that thrives thanks to satisfying gun play and creative mission design that takes full advantage of Remedy's wacky connected universe. FBC: Firebreak is a game I already want to go back and play more of, which is a good sign after just a few hours of hands-on. In FBC: Firebreak, players control volunteers clearing out supernatural threats that have overtaken The Oldest House. Players complete different jobs in teams of three, completing special mission-specific objectives before returning to the elevator and leaving. It occupies the same space as games like Left 4 Dead and Deep Rock Galactic, which is a smart move for Remedy rather than trying to make a name for itself in the competitive extraction shooter or battle royale spaces. Each player can equip a different kit associated with a different element. I used the Jump Kit, which centers around electrocuting enemies. A good team composition would also include a kit that could get enemies wet, as that increased the area of effect for my electrical abilities. Different situations in each of FBC's levels impact the elements at play. A fiery grenade can set off a sprinkler, staying near a furnace for too long can cause heat damage, or holding radiated leech pearls for too long could poison me. A lot of the fun in FBC comes from the interplay of all these elements, and I was cheering when my squad could pull off a devastating enemy combo. The gunplay of FBC also feels tight so far, with the machine gun becoming a favorite of mine due to how the gun animated as I fired it. As someone who was disappointed by only being able to wield a pistol in Control, I appreciate that FBC lets me use some of the other weapons I've seen in that world. FBC is at its strongest when it leans into the Remedy of it all. Exploring the furnace from a new angle made me more intimately familiar with the area, while level conceits like sticky note monsters or growths on a wall that drop radioactive pearls are supernatural in a way that only quite works in Remedy's Connected Universe. I'm also grateful that this hands-on affirmed that FBC has strong mission design. The weakness of many co-op shooters, like Suicide Squad, is that missions often just boil down to killing a certain number of enemies and moving on. FBC is never quite that simple, having players move a shuttle along a track as they collect pearls or run around the furnace activating generators as hordes of enemies charge at players. The objectives change as players increase the difficulty, which should add some more replay value. FBC isn't like other cooperative shooters, and that's its greatest strength. It's also why I hope it'll allow me to overlook some of Remedy's growing pains as it enters the multiplayer space with a new interpretation on the world of Control. During my time with FBC, there were some UI and UX clarity issues. For instance, I had trouble understanding which enemies were damaging me. One objective, which had my team filling barrels with a substance before throwing them into a giant furnace, was confusing because it wasn't completely clear which barrels were filled or where we could fill them. In a debrief before my demo, Remedy said it was working on making features, systems, and UI clearer, so hopefully some of that will be resolved before launch. If it can clean all of that up, though, Remedy has what could be a gem of a multiplayer shooter on its hands. As someone subscribed to both of the services FBC is launching onto, I'm eager to give it another shot when it comes out. FBC: Firebreak launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on June 17 and will be available from day one as part of the PS Plus Premium and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate catalogs.
