Microsoft has today made significant layoffs to gendut 188 its gaming division, per a memo sent to staff by Xbox boss Phil Spencer and reviewed by IGN. Paste Media has launched a new website, Endless Mode, that’s dedicated to “games, anime, theme parks, and interactive entertainment,” according to a press release. A former Microsoft Game Studios executive producer has released a video discussing the future of Xbox. This is where you’ll find all of TheGamer’s – get this, right – game news. We cover big, breaking stories and smaller, viral ones, on everything from triple-As to indies to streaming.
Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey. The gaming layoffs come as part of an eye-watering round of cuts across Microsoft that amount to 4%, or roughly 9,100 of employees, losing their jobs. Diablo 4 Season 9 starts to paint a surprisingly clear picture of what players can expect from the next expansion, with one trend likely to continue. If you’re looking for something to play on PS Plus this week, while ignoring your back catalog, here are a few great gaming recommendations.
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Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams. Microsoft has made a huge number of cuts to its gaming business since acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest video game news from Hold to Reset.
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Insider Gaming reports that multiple studios at Activision working on Call of Duty are also impacted, including Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, sent an email to all Microsoft Gaming employees regarding the layoffs, which was obtained by Windows Central and confirmed as authentic by Microsoft. We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio. As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape. We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment.
Updated Here are the upcoming Switch 2 games releases for you to look forward to in 2025, including Donkey Kong Banaza, Metroid Prime 4 and The Duskbloods. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft’s Stockholm-based King division, famous for Candy Crush, is laying off 10 percent of its staff, representing roughly 200 jobs.
Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or a casual player, we have something for everyone. Last week, it was rumored that Microsoft was getting ready for a major round of layoffs within the Xbox team. Bloomberg is now reporting that employees in the company’s gaming division were informed of job cuts Wednesday morning. The PC giant has been on a cost-cutting mission lately, announcing it would let go of 3 percent of its global workforce earlier this summer, and announcing a further 9,000 job cuts on Wednesday. “I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before,” Spencer wrote.
PlayStation’s tweet has given us the reminder that HDR exists on the PS5. Let’s talk about the firestorm that just exploded in the Marvel Rivals space. Going against every odd, team Sentinels has been given the title of number one team… It looks like Epic Games basically thrilled FNs players with the abysmally blurry thumbnail shot for a Festival “Deep End” emote in the item shop. The whole VALORANT community is abuzz with talks regarding the new map, Corrode, and the agents that dominate on these chaotic grounds.
Version 1.0 doesn’t have a release date, but it will add the rogue-lite’s true ending and polish all of the current content. The next update to the „unstable” version of Project Zomboid brings quite a few improvements to the zombie spawning system, animations, and visual effects. Moreover, the possibility of extending the day has been introduced, which comes with additional chances, but also makes survival more difficult. People Can Fly recently canceled two major games, one of which is supposed to be Outriders 2. The Nintendo Switch 2 appears to have sold 5 million units, according to a now-removed post from Nintendo. The developers responsible for the realistic life simulator have managed to solve the mystery of disappearing newborns and Zois abandoning their chores.
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Variety has confirmed the number of staff impacted is under 4% of Microsoft’s global workforce, which totals approximately 228,000 employees. A source told IGN that Candy Crush developer King was hit hard, but the layoffs affect other parts of the gaming business. IGN understands parts of Microsoft-owned Bethesda, including its London office, were also affected by the cuts. Rare’s long-in-development Xbox game Everwild was canceled as part of the round of layoffs. A CNBC report says today’s layoffs are part of yet another round of cuts at the company that will put roughly 9,000 people out of work.
Sony is set to release a major update for the PlayStation 5 Pro in 2026, which is expected to significantly improve performance. EA’s leadership has reportedly set a target of 100 million players or more over a set period for the next mainline Battlefield. In its statement, while Techland didn’t confirm its cancelled projects, it did mention that none of its developers had been laid off.
I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously.
While Metal Gear is known for breaking conventions, it was created to compete with one game in particular, and the similarities are obvious. Xbox Game Pass is full of hidden gems, but there’s one truly terrifying sci-fi horror adventure that fans of the genre won’t want to miss. Naturally, Spencer also said putting thousands of people out of work will “increase agility” at Microsoft, because of course he did. All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards. Mario Kart World players are suggesting an interesting change to the iconic Blue Shell that would make it more useful for some racers.