Xbox lays off 1,900 employees, including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda and internal teams

As reported by IGN USA, Microsoft has laid off around 1,900 employees from its gaming teams. All this is accompanied by a statement from Phil Spencer himself, head of Xbox, to the employees. It seems that all teams are affected, including those of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the various Xbox teams.

Spencer states that those affected by these layoffs will receive all the support required by law for this transition phase. For the moment we don't have a clear idea of ​​how the layoffs are distributed within the various companies in Microsoft's gaming division and it seems that not even the employees know: a comment from the well-known journalist Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reveals that Microsoft developers do not know if they are among those 1,900 fired, at the time of writing.

The layoffs also caused the cancellation of a Blizzard game, as well as the departure of some historic names.

Phil Spencer's full statement

There full statement by Phil Spencer indicated by IGN USA reads as follows:

“It's been just over three months since the teams of Activision, Blizzard and King have joined Microsoft. As we move forward into 2024, Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard leadership are committed to aligning on a strategy and execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the entire growing business. Together, we have set priorities, identified areas of overlap and ensured we are all aligned on the best growth opportunities.”

“As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approx 1900 roles out of 22,000 who make up our team. The Gaming Leadership Team and I are committed to managing this process as thoughtfully as possible.”

“The people directly affected by these reductions have all played an important role in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they have accomplished here. We are grateful for all the creativity, passion and dedication they bring to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those affected during the transition, including severance pay under local labor laws. Those whose roles will be impacted will be notified, and we ask that you treat your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that aligns with our values.”

“Looking at the future, we will continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world. While this is a challenging time for our team, I am as confident as ever in your ability to create and nurture the games, stories and worlds that bring players together.”