Xbox continues layoffs, hands Halo development to Activision
The company announced its plans to eliminate 3,200 jobs in July.
On Tuesday, Xbox announced it had laid off 268 employees as part of a major company reorganization, according to an internal memo from Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty. The cuts are a continuation of Xbox's plan to eliminate a total of 3,200 positions. Among the studios impacted are Ninja Theory (Hellblade), Double Fine (Psychonauts), Compulsion (South Of Midnight), and Undead Labs (State of Decay 3).
Bethesda will take over Obsidian for their new Fallout game, while King will absorb Microsoft Casual Games, including Solitaire and Minesweeper. Playground will merge with Turn 10 to create a new Forza team. The most notable hit among these layoffs is Halo Studios, which will no longer develop the next mainline Halo game for Xbox.
Instead, the franchise will be overseen by Activision, publisher of the Call of Duty series. Activision president Rob Kostich expressed his excitement about welcoming Halo, Rare, and World's Edge to Activision, stating their goal is to make the greatest Halo game ever while staying true to its legacy.
Written by urgent.news from The A.V. Club's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
