Microsoft lays off 650 more Xbox employees

Microsoft is laying disconnected astir 650 employees successful its gaming part today. The latest cuts travel months aft Microsoft laid disconnected 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, and aft the closure of respective crippled studios, including Redfall developer Arkane Austin.

For the past year, our extremity has been to minimize disruption portion welcoming caller teams and enabling them to bash their champion work. As portion of aligning our post-acquisition squad operation and managing our business, we person made the determination to destruct astir 650 roles crossed Microsoft Gaming — mostly firm and supporting functions — to signifier our concern for agelong word success.

I cognize that this is hard quality to hear. We are profoundly grateful for the contributions of our colleagues who are learning they are impacted. In the US, we’re supporting them with exit packages that see severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services to assistance with their transition; extracurricular the US packages volition disagree according to location. 

With these changes, our firm and supporting teams and resources are aligned for sustainable aboriginal growth, and tin amended enactment our workplace teams and concern units with programs and resources that tin standard to conscionable their needs. Separately, arsenic portion of moving the business, determination are immoderate impacts to different teams arsenic they accommodate to shifting priorities and negociate the lifecycle and show of games. No games, devices oregon experiences are being cancelled and nary studios are being closed arsenic portion of these adjustments today.

Throughout our team’s history, we person had large moments, and we person had challenging ones. Today is 1 of the challenging days. I cognize that going done much changes similar this is hard, but adjacent successful the astir trying times, this squad has been capable to travel unneurotic and amusement 1 different attraction and kindness arsenic we enactment to proceed delivering for our players. We admit your enactment arsenic we navigate these changes and we convey you for your compassion and respect for each other.

Phil