Xbox hit hard with layoffs: from cancelled games to a shuttered studio

On July 2nd, Microsoft announced sweeping layoffs affecting as galore arsenic 9,000 employees, and they had a large interaction connected the company’s Xbox studios. Microsoft cancelled Perfect Dark from The Initiative and closed the studio. Rare’s Everwild, announced in 2019, was cancelled, too. And Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios volition suffer more than 70 employees.

“We indispensable marque choices present for continued occurrence successful aboriginal years and a cardinal portion of that strategy is the subject to prioritize the strongest opportunities,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said successful a memo to employees. “We volition support what is thriving and ore effort connected areas with the top potential, portion delivering connected the expectations the institution has for our business. This focused attack means we tin present exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.”

A rumor was circulating that Spencer was readying to discontinue aft Microsoft launched its adjacent procreation of Xbox, but the institution tells The Verge that Spencer isn’t retiring arsenic the main of Xbox “anytime soon.”

Here’s each of our sum of the layoffs.

• Microsoft’s Xbox cuts person deed cardinal areas.
• Phil Spencer isn’t retiring arsenic the main of Xbox ‘anytime soon’
• Microsoft cancels its Perfect Dark and Everwild Xbox games
• Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport developer deed hard by Xbox cuts