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Metro
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Here's every game cancelled by Xbox after devastating job cuts
Microsoft's latest round of layoffs has ended development on a number of games, ranging from Everwild to an unannounced sci-fi shooter. While Microsoft is no stranger to mass layoffs, its latest round of job cuts have been particularly detrimental to its gaming division. Earlier this week, the company laid off over 9,000 people across Microsoft's global workforce, which is estimated to be around 228,000 people. Something less than half of these cuts were at Xbox, which suggests around 4,000 people within the gaming division may have been affected. A number of studios have reportedly been affected by the cuts, including Call Of Duty developers Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, and High Moon; along with others like Halo Studios, Rare, Blizzard, Turn 10, and The Initiative – the latte of which has been shut down entirely. As part of the layoffs, several projects have been axed across the affected studios. While many other unannounced games have also likely been shelved, which we'll probably never hear about, here's all the confirmed and reported cancellations we know about so far. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. As confirmed in a memo to staff from Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty, the reboot of Perfect Dark from developer The Initiative has been axed. The first-person shooter was last shown off at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2024, but has been marred by development issues for years. The Initiative in its entirety has also been closed down. In the same memo to staff, Booty announced Rare's Everwild has also been cancelled. The action adventure title was originally announced in 2019 but little has been seen of it since, and it was reportedly rebooted in 2021. According to VGC, Everwild's director Gregg Mayles has departed Rare after 35 years, in the wake of the game's cancellation, along with producer Louise O'Connor. Mayles is one of the team's most celebrated developers, having directed Sea Of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata, and others. While a new Banjo-Kazooie has never been confirmed, reliable insider NateTheHate claimed a project related to the IP did exist in January last year. However, in a post on ResetEra, after the layoffs, he wrote: 'I'd assume it was shelved at this stage.' It's unclear when exactly the game was cancelled, but with the departure of Banjo-Kazooie co-creator Gregg Mayles at Rare, the chances of a new game in the series have never been more slim. Microsoft's cuts have impacted studios beyond the house of Xbox. Romero Games, the studio founded by John and Brenda Romero, revealed that the publisher of its previously announced untitled first person shooter was in fact Microsoft, and that they had cancelled funding of the project amid the layoffs. According to reports, the studio has been shut down entirely as a result. ZeniMax Online Studios, the creators of The Elder Scrolls Online, were apparently working on a sci-fi 'third person, online looter shooter' codenamed Blackbird. According to reports, the game made a huge impression on Xbox executives in March this year. But that didn't stop them cancelling it and laying off all the developers. At the same time as the layoffs, Blizzard announced it will no longer support free-to-play mobile strategy game Warcraft Rumble with new content. While the layoffs aren't directly cited as the reason why, it's very likely connected, with the developers noting that it 'struggled to find its footing relative to our ambition for its long-term success'. Turn 10, the studio behind Microsoft's long-running racing series Forza Motorsport, has also been severely impacted by the layoffs. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, nearly 50% of staff have been laid off as part of the cuts. More Trending As noted on Reddit, former employees have since claimed the studio will remain open but as a support studio for Forza Horizon, which would mean an end to any future Forza Motorsport projects. Activision has a history of doing this with its internal studios and, as in many things lately, Microsoft seems to be taking inspiration from them in this instance. According to Windows Central, Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele's upcoming Xbox exclusive OD is still in development, despite the cuts. 'At least for now,' the report notes. Every game in June's Xbox Games Showcase is also in the clear, according to Variety. This would include Clockwork Revolution, DoubleFine's Keeper, Grounded 2, The Outer Worlds 2, and Gears Of War: Reloaded. The status of other games are still unclear, namely Contraband which recently had its trailer pulled from YouTube (although reports suggest this might be due to a music licensing issue) and the long-delayed State Of Decay 3. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Games Inbox: Are video games too expensive for young people? MORE: The 10 best video games of 2025 so far – half year report MORE: Video game spending has dropped almost 25% amongst young people
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft to lay off 9,000 employees: List of games and studios that may be affected by latest job cuts
Microsoft announced significant layoffs, affecting as many as 9,000 employees across various divisions. These cuts are also deeply impacting the company's gaming studios, with a report indicating that over 70 people will be let go from Turn 10 Studios, the developer behind Forza Motorsport. Not only this specific studio, several other game projects and studios under the tech giant's umbrella are reportedly facing significant setbacks. Citing a source familiar with the situation, The Verge reports that the layoffs at Turn 10 Studios were communicated in a call with Microsoft HR representatives, impacting the 'vast majority' of the studio's staff. The cuts are reportedly strategic, leaving enough personnel to ensure Forza Motorsport remains operational. Other game projects that are said to be impacted by the layoffs include: Rare, that has reportedly canceled Everwild, a game first announced in 2019. Zenimax Online Studios, which has canceled a new MMORPG, codenamed "Blackbird." Microsoft is also reportedly canceling its Perfect Dark game, which was unveiled in 2020 and saw gameplay footage shown during the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. King, the studio behind popular mobile titles, witnessed approximately 10% of its workforce laid off. Similarly, Raven Software, a key developer for the Call of Duty series, was also impacted by these reductions, the report added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Birla Evara 3 and 4 BHK from ₹ 1.75 Crore* Birla Estates Learn More Undo Microsoft says strategic shifts and prioritisation as reasons for job cuts Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer addressed the changes in a memo to employees '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,' he stated. OnePlus Nord 5 and OnePlus Nord CE 5: Unboxing and first look AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Microsoft layoffs: Why Perfect Dark reboot was canceled and The Initiative studio closed
In a major development, Microsoft has decided to cancel two of its upcoming video games, including a 'Perfect Dark' reboot and fantasy title Everwild, as part of trimming down the Xbox division. An internal memo to employees from Xbox president of game content and studios, Matt Booty, stated that the company was shutting down The Initiative, the studio behind Perfect Dark game, sources told IGN. Microsoft canceled Perfect Dark reboot(X) On Wednesday, Microsoft announced its decision to lay off thousands of workers, marking its second mass layoff in months as well as its largest in over two years. Without mentioning the total number of people who would be laid off, the tech giant has started sending out notices. The layoff heavily impacts Xbox video game business and other divisions. The company said that the latest round of layoffs comprise less than 4 per cent of the workforce it had a year ago, The Associated Press reported. Microsoft had nearly 228,000 full-time workers as of June last year, the last time when it reported its annual headcount. This means that its latest layoffs would be about 9,000 people, reports said. Microsoft has decided to shut The Initiative studio, which was developing the Perfect Dark reboot. The game was in the works for nearly seven years. This was the only studio that has been shut at Microsoft Gaming and Xbox, Variety reported. Interestingly, the company has not closed the studio behind the now-scrapped Everwild game that was being developed for almost a decade now. Microsoft is not the only company in the video game industry that has announced layoffs. Its major competitor, Sony's PlayStation, has already been through five rounds of trimming down the total strength in the last two years, besides shutting down three studios, according to Variety. In his memo, Matt Booty said that there 40 projects in active development at Xbox. As per reports, all the games featured during the Xbox Games Showcase presentation in June are moving ahead with their production. Announcing the latest decisions, Booty said it "reflects a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape." Candy Crush maker King and Bethesda's London office are also believed to have hit hard with the layoffs, IGN reported. Those who have been affected directly will be provided support, "including severance, career transition assistance, and where possible, opportunities to explore roles on other teams," Booty stated. FAQs 1. How many employees were laid off by Microsoft in May? In May 2025, the company cut 6,000 staff, which was roughly 3 per cent of its workforce. 2. Who all are impacted by the latest layoffs at Microsoft? This includes the Xbox video game business, sales and other key divisions. 3. How many people have been removed by Microsoft now? The company stated that the latest layoffs will cut about 4 per cent of its workforce, or nearly 9,000 people.
Engadget
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
The Blood of Dawnwalker developers share a look at gameplay from the upcoming vampire fantasy RPG
One of the games that really caught my eye during the Xbox Games Showcase at the beginning of June was The Blood of Dawnwalker , a dark fantasy action-RPG from Rebel Wolves, the studio co-founded by Witcher 3 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz . First teased earlier this year , The Blood of Dawnwalker is a single-player open-world game set in a version of 14th-century Europe that's crawling with vampires. The first two trailers gave us a bit of a glimpse at what the gameplay will be like, but the developer has now shared an in-depth look in a 21-minute video. It looks pretty sick — but keep in mind that this footage is from the "pre-beta" game, so there's still a lot of polishing to be done. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. In The Blood of Dawnwalker , "You play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker, forever treading the line between the world of day and the realm of night. Fight for your humanity or embrace the cursed powers to save your family." It's slated to hit PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Google CEO Sundar Pichai's advice to professionals: ‘It's important to listen to your…'
Sundar Pichai recently advised young professionals to work with others who are better or more skilled than them if they want to grow. Speaking at the Lex Fridman podcast recently, Pichai said 'Get yourself in a position where you're working with people who you feel are stretching your abilities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It's what helps you grow. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations. I think often you'll surprise yourself'. During the podcast, Pichai also highlighted the need to enjoy one's work: He said 'It's important to listen to your heart and see whether you actually enjoy doing it.' 'I think it's tough to find things you love doing, but I think listening to your heart a bit more than your mind [helps] in terms of figuring out what you want to do,' he added. Sundar Pichai on his sleep goal Pichai recently offered a rare peek into his personal routine, revealing his personal approach to navigating a demanding schedule as the leader of the tech company. When asked about fitting rest into his packed schedule, he candidly shared, "Of course, sleep is important", adding that he aims for a consistent six hours of sleep. When asked about the possibility of finding time for sleep amidst his daily responsibilities, Pichai offered a relatable response. "Look, I mean, of course you know sleep is important," he said, adding, "I try to get 6 hours that's my goal. And I, you know, I think I average around there." Sundar Pichai on next Google CEO Speaking at Bloomberg's Tech conference in San Francisco, Pichai quipped that "whoever is running it will have an extraordinary AI companion" when asked about qualities the public should expect in Google's next CEO. The comment reflects Google's deepening integration of AI across its operations, even as Pichai pushes back against fears that the technology will replace human workers. The CEO announced plans to expand Google's engineering workforce through 2026 while viewing AI as a productivity amplifier rather than a job killer. Xbox Games Showcase 2025 Highlights: Biggest Game Reveals, New Consoles & More!
