Microsoft announced in a company-wide memo released overnight that it will lay off another 650 employees in its Xbox gaming division. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stressed that the latest round of cuts did not result in new games being canceled or studios closing.
the executive wrote in the memo, the full text of which is provided by game files, IGNand Othersthe layoffs are part of the ongoing integration with Activision Blizzard. call of Duty and other large franchises, which Microsoft acquired for $69 billion last October after a lengthy regulatory battle. Spencer said the 650 positions being cut “are primarily corporate and support functions.”
“In addition, as part of business operations, other teams will also be affected as they adapt to changing priorities and manage the life cycle and performance of the game,” said the person who oversees A multi-year acquisition spree Games Studio Sand Publisher writes. “As part of today’s changes, no games, devices or experiences have been canceled and no studios have been closed.”
This contrasts with the 1,900 job losses Announced at the beginning of the year Game developers at various studios have been slashed, including the cancellation of an unannounced fantasy survival game from Blizzard. Then in May, Microsoft revealed Hi-Fi Audio Sprint ProducerTango Gameworks and prey Manufacturer Arkane Austin will be shutting down, along with two other teams owned by Bethesda. tango games studio Recently resurrected Developed by Korean game publisher Krafton.
have It is said Microsoft’s internal Xbox unit is under increased pressure to make more profits after a lengthy and expensive acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 next month. “We run a business,” Spencer In an interview last month, he said. “It’s true that within Microsoft, our standards are very high in terms of what we have to deliver back to the company because of the level of support we get from the company, and it’s just amazing that we’re able to do that. .