Age of Empires studio World's Edge reportedly lose nearly half their staff and a new game project in mass Xbox layoffs
Further details have emerged of the impact that Microsoft’s Xbox consolidation and job cuts programme is having on affected workers. World’s Edge, the studio that effectively manages strategy megaseries Age of Empires , has allegedly been hit hard, with an unnamed but verified creative director posting on industry forum ResetEra that "just under half" of all staff had been let go in the process…
Microsoft's Xbox consolidation and job cuts program has reportedly left the studio responsible for managing the Age of Empires series, World's Edge, suffering significant staff reductions. World's Edge, which has been a steward of the strategy game franchise rather than a primary developer, has reportedly lost nearly half of its staff.
An unnamed creative director on industry forum ResetEra revealed that the studio had lost staff in its transition from direct Xbox control to Activision's management. This aligns with claims from LinkedIn posts by World's Edge creative director Adam Isgreen, who confirmed 268 staff were among the latest round of redundancies at Xbox.
Isgreen expressed disappointment at the end of his time with the studio and Age of Empires, hoping the remaining team can succeed in future projects. Senior software engineer Andrew Martz also confirmed his layoff and that a new game project was cancelled as a result of the Activision move. World's Edge mainly served as an overseer for Age of Empires and its spin-off Age of Mythology: Retold, collaborating with other studios for development.
Despite these layoffs, the studio remains in control of the Age of Empires series. Former developer Earnest Yuen shared condolences with affected staff, emphasizing the personal impact of the changes. The 268 job cuts are part of a broader reset of Microsoft's games business encompassing over 1,600 workers laid off in July, with total job cuts potentially reaching around 3,200.
Written by urgent.news from Rock Paper Shotgun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
