Microsoft is laying off 9,100 employees, Xbox division hit hard
10 months ago
- #Xbox
- #Microsoft
- #Layoffs
- Microsoft is laying off up to 9,100 employees, about 4% of its workforce.
- The Xbox division (Microsoft Gaming) is heavily impacted, with exact numbers unknown.
- Phil Spencer announced strategic cuts to focus on growth areas and increase agility.
- Microsoft-owned King (Candy Crush) is cutting 10% of its workforce (200 employees).
- ZeniMax and Turn 10 (Forza Motorsport) are also affected, with game cancellations like Perfect Dark and Everwild.
- The Initiative, the studio behind Perfect Dark, is closing down.
- These layoffs follow earlier cuts, including 6,000 employees in 2023 and 305 in June 2024.
- Microsoft laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees in January 2024.
- Additional job losses occurred in May and June 2024, including HoloLens and Azure cloud teams.
- Phil Spencer emphasized the need for tough decisions to ensure future success and thanked impacted employees.
- HR is providing severance benefits, including pay, healthcare, and job placement support.