"DOOM" and "Bloodbath": the State of Microsoft and XBox
Microsoft Corp is trading in the red today. It is shaking and quivering as there is growing panic over slop "panic" or "hype" (yes, panic begets more panic) and shareholders have doubts, set aside the soaring debt, the mass layoffs, the lost "value", and the lawsuits which Microsoft loses.
As more whistleblowers or disgruntled insiders speak out it turns out that Microsoft shuts down entire operations [1] and guts popular teams that work on popular games [2,3].
Related/contextual items from the news:
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Media: Microsoft has closed the Polish branches of Xbox and Bethesda
According to their information, Microsoft has completely disbanded the local XBOX division along with the Bethesda Game Studios office, laying off all employees who worked there. The exact number of people who ended up laid off is not specified.
Additionally, CD-Action noted several LinkedIn posts from former branch employees seeking new jobs. Most of these are PR specialists. However, CD-Action emphasizes that the posts themselves do not confirm the actual closure of the offices—it is quite possible that only layoffs occurred.
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Two thirds of remaining Doom (2016) devs laid off during latest round of Xbox cuts
During a recent livestream to mark the launch of Doom: The Dark Ages expansion Revelations, id Software co-director Hugo Martin denied the studio has been left on life support following the latest round of mass layoff at Xbox.
"There's been reports that we've been nerfed into the ground and gutted and we have 50 people, and that's not true," said Martin (thanks, Eurogamer). "We're the size we were when we made Doom (2016) and id Tech is very much alive and well."
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Two thirds of remaining Doom (2016) devs laid off during latest round of Xbox cuts
Microsoft's latest round of Xbox layoffs has landed at id Software, where two thirds of the remaining Doom (2016) developers were reportedly let go. That makes this one of the sharper cuts inside a studio still carrying a flagship shooter brand, and it raises immediate questions about how much live support, maintenance, and institutional knowledge remains on the project side.
For game developers, the practical concern is less the headline number than the loss of experienced staff from a team that already had a long tail of production history. When a studio trims that deeply, the impact usually shows up in slower iteration, thinner support for existing tech, and more pressure on the people who remain to absorb systems, tools, and content responsibilities.