Microsoft has today made significant dismissals in his game ward, according to a note sent to the staff by the head of Xbox Phil Spencer and reviewed by IGN.
The source informed Ign that the Candy Crush King developer was heavily hit, but the exemptions affect other parts of the game industry. Ign understands that the parts of Bethesoft belonging to Microsoft, including her office in London, were also affected by cuts. The long development of Xbox Game Rare Everwild has been canceled as part of the exemptions round.
Games exemptions appear as part of Scanned cuts in Microsoft This means 4%, or about 9,100 employees, losing work. Microsoft has over 228,000 employees around the world.
In the note, Spencer has not confirmed the details, saying to the staff “all organizational changes will be made available by the team leaders on the coming days.”
The following message from Phil Spencer has been made available today to all game employees:
Today we share decisions that will affect our colleagues from our entire organization. To position the game for indefinite success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will complete or reduce work in some areas of activity and we follow the Microsoft leader in removing management layers to boost agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those affected today, detailed information on today’s notifications and any organizational changes will be made available by the team leaders in the coming days.
I understand that these changes appear when we have more players, games and hours of games than ever before. Our platform, equipment and a map of the way of games never looked stronger. The success we are currently observing is based on arduous decisions that we made earlier. We must now make choices for further success in future years, and the key part of this strategy is discipline to determine the priorities of the strongest possibilities. We will protect what blooms and focus on areas with the greatest potential, while implementing the expectations that the company has for our business. This targeted approach means that we can provide unique games and experiences for players for the upcoming generations.
Prioritizing our capabilities is necessary, but this does not reduce the importance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are without time, energy and creativity of those whose roles affect. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity and dedication of the involved people. Our rush is not accidental – this is the result of the years of the effort of our teams.
HR cooperates directly with employees affected by affected employees in order to provide benefits for severance pay (in accordance with local regulations), including remuneration, health care insurance and job resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles have been eliminated are encouraged to discover open positions in Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will receive a priority review.
Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products and our community. We proceed forward with deep recognition and respect for everyone who contributed to this journey.
Phil
Microsoft employees who want to remain anonymous to protect their career, said Ign that employees prepared for dismissals, fearing the worst.
Microsoft has made a huge number of cuts in its game industry since the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $ 69 billion. In January 2024, he laid 1900 employees, and then performed further cuts only a few months later, when he closed the developer Redfall Arkane Austin and Tangi, Tanga of Worm. In September 2024, Microsoft cut another 650 employees from activities in the field of games. And in May this year, Microsoft reduced 6,000 employees, i.e. 3% of all working strength. Today’s exemption round is the fourth, which hit the Microsoft range in 18 months.
Talking to IGN in June 2024, the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, said: “I have to run a balanced business in the company and develop, and this means that sometimes I have to make difficult decisions, that honestly, they are not decisions that I love, but the decisions that someone must make.”
The cuts are scorching with Microsoft confirmation that it plans to release a novel generation Xbox consoles and has a powerful presence in Game Gamescom games.
Wesley is a director, news in IGN. Find it on Twitter on @św100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpole@ign.com or confidentially at spine@proton.me.
