Latest news with #MicrosoftGaming
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft CEO channels inner Fallout boss to say 9,000 layoffs are no big deal because "we're investing more," then AI brain hits: "Imagine if all 8 billion people could summon a researcher, an analyst, or a coding agent at their fingertips"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Weeks after Microsoft insiders claimed the company had the choice to either reduce its spending on AI technology or obliterate its workforce, CEO Satya Nadella seems to be defending its decision in a new memo sent to employees. According to a blog posted on the Microsoft website, Nadella assuages remaining workers that – despite the fact that 9,000 people, including thousands at Xbox, lost their jobs to this month's layoffs – "Microsoft is thriving." "We're investing more in [capital expenditure] than ever before," he writes. "Our overall headcount is relatively unchanged, and some of the talent and expertise in our industry and at Microsoft is being recognized and rewarded at levels never seen before," echoing Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's awkward admission to laid off employees that "our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger." "And yet, at the same time, we've undergone layoffs," admits Nadella. This, apparently, is "the enigma of success," and it must be encountered to get to Microsoft's true love – AI. "Just imagine," Nadella writes wistfully, "if all 8 billion people could summon a researcher, an analyst, or a coding agent at their fingertips, not just to get information but use their expertise to get things done that benefit them. "And consider how organizations, empowered with AI, could unlock entirely new levels of agility and innovation by transforming decision-making, streamlining operations, and enabling every team to achieve more together than ever before." Oh, God. Microsoft reportedly doesn't include lost first-party game sales when calculating Xbox Game Pass profits, but the subscription service is apparently earning money regardless.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
微軟旗下 Candy Crush 開發團隊大裁員，員工爆料是被自己開發的 AI 工具取代
Microsoft Gaming 近期大規模裁員波及知名手遊《Candy Crush》的開發工作室 King，多名負責遊戲敘事、使用者體驗、關卡設計及用戶研究的員工被警告工作不保，原因竟是其多年來協助開發與訓練的 AI 模型，如今可更快完成同樣任務。「即使公司整體表現亮眼，但為了效率和利潤就以 AI 工具取代人力，實在太噁心。」一位不願具名的員工向 表示。此外，倫敦 Farm Heroes Saga 的文案團隊也面臨縮編半數的危機。 據該名員工估計，Microsoft Gaming 本月的裁員總數或超過 200 人，此數字與 Bloomberg 最初報導的範圍相符。裁員衝擊不僅限於 King，Engadget 記者 Jessica Conditt 採訪 Halo Studios 員工時，至少有五名開發人員在收到 Phil Spencer 的全員電郵恭賀 Xbox 盈利之後，被告知失去工作。另一名 Halo 開發者控訴，並指出公司正大力推動 Copilot 工具在內部使用：「我真的很生氣，他們正盡全力用 AI 代理來取代我們」。 更多內容： Laid off Candy Crush studio staff reportedly replaced by the AI tools they helped build 微軟裁員 3%、約 7,000 人，主力精簡管理架構 Xbox 團隊或面臨「大幅裁員」，最快下週官宣 Xbox高管建議被裁員工「用AI緩解負面情緒」，遭網友痛批缺乏同理心 緊貼最新科技資訊、網購優惠，追隨 Yahoo Tech 各大社交平台！ 🎉📱 Tech Facebook： 🎉📱 Tech Instagram： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 社群： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 頻道： 🎉📱 Tech Telegram 頻道：
The Star
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Microsoft makes deep job cuts across Xbox division, cancels games
Microsoft Corp's gaming division laid off hundreds of employees on July 2, part of a broader culling at the software company as it seeks to control costs. An Xbox spokesperson declined to confirm how many people were impacted, but the cuts were widespread and significant. Subsidiaries across the gaming organisation were told that they would be affected by the layoffs. Microsoft's Stockholm-based King division, which makes Candy Crush, is cutting 10% of its staff, or about 200 jobs, according to people familiar with the plans. Other European offices, such as ZeniMax, also began cutting employees early Wednesday, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the press. News of further job cuts trickled out slowly as other units of Microsoft Gaming, such as Call Of Duty studios Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games as well as Halo Studios and Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios, also announced workforce reductions, according to the people familiar. The company canceled several projects that had been in development for years, including the fantasy game Everwild, in development at UK-based Rare Studio, and an original new online game from ZeniMax Online Studios, the maker of The Elder Scrolls Online. Both of those studios will cut jobs as a result of the cancellations, according to the people. Xbox also cancelled the planned reboot Perfect Dark and shuttered The Initiative, one of the studios behind it. In an email to staff, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said that the studio shutdown and project cancellations "reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape.' Microsoft announced July 2 that it's eliminating 9,000 workers companywide in its second wave of layoffs this year. The cuts will have an impact across teams, geographies and tenure, and are being made in an effort to streamline processes and reduce layers of management, a company spokesperson said. The terminations follow an earlier round of 6,000 job cuts in May that fell hardest on product and engineering positions. The company's gaming units were expected to be told throughout the day how many jobs would be cut at each office. The division had about 20,000 employees as of January 2024. "To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft's lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness,' Microsoft Gaming chief executive officer Phil Spencer said in an email to staff seen by Bloomberg News. Spencer didn't share specific numbers but said that impacted employees will be "given priority review' if they apply to open jobs elsewhere within the company. He wrote that Microsoft's "platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger,' but that "we must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities.' Employees at Xbox had been bracing for the job cuts since May, when Microsoft began conducting companywide layoffs and speculation mounted that the gaming division might be impacted. This is the fourth mass layoff at Xbox in the last 18 months. The gaming division has been under pressure to boost profit margins since Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard for US$69bil (RM291.11bil) in a deal that closed in October 2023. – Bloomberg
The Verge
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Phil Spencer isn't retiring as the chief of Xbox ‘anytime soon'
Microsoft says that Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO and the head of Xbox, isn't retiring 'anytime soon.' The company has responded to rumors of Spencer's retirement, which have spread online today following Microsoft's major layoffs. 'Phil is not retiring anytime soon,' says Kari Perez, head of Xbox communications, in a statement to The Verge. The denial comes after Call of Duty leaker GhostOfHope claimed 'Phil Spencer will be retiring from his role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming after the launch of the next generation Xbox' and that Xbox president Sarah Bond would be taking over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. While Microsoft's comment doesn't address the rumor fully, it makes it clear Spencer isn't retiring imminently. Separately, Microsoft communications chief, Frank Shaw, took to X to claim that at least part of the rumor was made up. Spencer originally assumed leadership of the Xbox division in 2014, a promotion from his role as the boss of Microsoft Studios. As the boss of Xbox, he's overseen many big initiatives, including the launch of the Xbox Series X / S, a huge push into Xbox Game Pass, acquisitions of major companies like Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax Media, bringing more Xbox games to platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. While Spencer isn't retiring anytime soon, Microsoft is continuing its big cuts today that have affected Xbox studios and employees. Perfect Dark and Everwild have been cancelled, while Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios will be letting go of more than 70 staffers. Zenimax Online Studios also reportedly canceled a new MMORPG codenamed Blackbird that had been in the works since 2018.
WIRED
02-07-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Xbox Hit With Layoffs and Game Cancelations as Microsoft Cuts 9,000 Jobs
Jul 2, 2025 1:33 PM 'These changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before,' said Xbox head Phil Spencer in an email to staff. Major layoffs are rolling across Microsoft today, impacting game developers within Xbox across several studios and the projects they're working on, even as an executive at the company told staff more gamers are playing Xbox than ever before. According to The Seattle Times, 9,000 employees, or 4 percent of Microsoft's workforce, are affected by the cuts, which started Wednesday morning. The full scope of layoffs within Microsoft's gaming divisions are still unknown. 'We continue to implement organizational and workforce changes that are necessary to position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,' Microsoft spokesperson Emily Pirt told WIRED. The company says that although gaming is impacted, it does not make up the majority of layoffs, and these cuts will affect people in different regions, tenure, and teams. In a message to staff seen by WIRED, CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer said Xbox is following 'Microsoft's lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness…I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before.' Employees whose roles are being eliminated are being encouraged to apply for other positions across Microsoft gaming, 'where their applications will be given priority review.' Spencer added that the company will 'protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business.' Gaming teams across Microsoft are still learning how their roles will be affected, with some sources saying they have staff meetings scheduled later today. Windows Central reports that Perfect Dark developer The Initiative will close as part of the reductions sweeping the company, and its revival of the 2000 first-person shooter game has been canceled. VGC reports that Rare's Everwild , an action-adventure game that's been in development for over a decade, has been canceled, as employees continue to be informed of layoffs across other studios such as ZeniMax and King. Everwild , which was expected to launch with Game Pass for Xbox Series X/S and PC, was a new, original title from Rare. Few details about the game were available, though development had been troubled; in 2021, the project was 'restarted from scratch.' The game was officially announced in 2019 with a brief trailer. In February, during an interview with XboxEra, Spencer cited Everwild as a game release he was looking forward to. 'It's nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they're making,' Spencer said at the time. According to Bloomberg , The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios is canceling a new MMORPG project due to the cuts. The outlet also reports layoffs of roughly 200 people at Candy Crush maker King and that layoffs are also taking place at Call of Duty developer Raven Software. Spencer's full message to employees is below: Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft's lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. 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. 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. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come. 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. HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review. 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. Phil
