It didn’t take long for XBOX to step on a rake following the massive news that it stepped in and saved Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT.
Once again, the video game landscape was shaken, but not by good news. Coming off the sugar high of announcing its partnership with Hideo Kojima, XBOX announced another round of layoffs, just two months after giving 1,600 employees their pink slips and selling off studios.
These new changes are part of Xbox’s reset as Asha Sharma continues to reshape the company after taking over following Phil Spencer’s “retirement.”
The latest changes will see Call of Duty publisher Activision bring Halo and Sea of Thieves under its umbrella, plus Age of Empires.
Unfortunately, there will be more layoffs, with roughly 248 employees losing their jobs. Halo Studios’ cinematic director, Josh Daniels, who was recently promoted, was laid off, along with The Coalition’s story director, Juan Vaca, on the heels of Gears of War: E-Day’s release next month.
Halo Studios was significantly impacted by today’s restructuring and layoffs, with a small team remaining to support existing titles like Halo Infinite and Halo: Campaign Evolved, but Activision will develop a new Halo game.
Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty said in an internal memo, “Activision will also be developing the next Halo title, led by a new, purpose-built team that is separate from ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty. A small team at Halo Studios will continue supporting the Halo community and games in-market.”
Ninja Theory Is Headed Towards Closure
But that’s not the only bad news: Ninja Theory, the innovative studio behind the Hellblade franchise, is heading towards closure after failing to secure a deal.
“Unfortunately, two separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through. We will now begin consultation with employees on a proposed closure while continuing to explore other paths forward. Consultation with Arkane remains underway and is expected to continue through the end of the year,” Booty said.
Other moves include Obsidian moving over to Bethesda to work on a new Fallout game and Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games merging into a single studio to focus on the future Forza Horizon and Fable.
It seems there is no end in sight, with more layoffs possible in the future.
The video game world is buzzing after this latest news. You can see those reactions below.
