Xbox lay off 268 people as Activision take over Halo and Rare, while Obsidian become part of Bethesda, plus Forza and Fable studios merge
Well, there you go . Xbox have enacted a second round of layoffs and internal upheaval this year, following July's initial shooting of 1600 staff into the sun and parting ways with multiple studios. This time, 268 staff have been let go, while a bunch of studios still under the Xbox umbrella have been folded into or underneath each other. Meanwhile, the Halo series has been handed to Activision.…
Xbox has announced a second round of layoffs, this time removing 268 employees from various studios under their umbrella. The Xbox chief content officer, Matt Booty, detailed the restructuring in a message to staff, stating that they aim to strengthen their franchises and games by reducing the number of business units. Halo, previously managed by Xbox, will now be handed over to Activision, while Obsidian, the developers behind The Outer Worlds and Avowed, will join Bethesda.
Additionally, Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios, responsible for the Forza and Fable series, have merged into a single studio. Mobile gaming giant King also acquired Microsoft Casual Games, creators of popular solitaire and mahjong apps. Meanwhile, former Halo developers Rare and the Age of Empires franchise are now under Activision's control.
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- Next major Halo game being developed by Activision, as Halo Studios all but closes as part of Microsoft's Xbox restructuring eurogamer.net
- More Xbox Layoffs Hit as Massive Reorg Continues; Activision to Make Next ‘Halo’ Game hollywoodreporter.com
