Microsoft XBox is Dying as More Retailers Stop Stocking It and Massive Layoffs Planned Again
Some months ago we relayed credible reports that some retailers and even entire countries/religion had quit stocking Microsoft XBox consoles. Microsoft didn't quite deny it... or it simply did a very shoddy job, in effect "denying" it poorly (a non-denying denial).
Here we go again.
History goes in cycles, sort of.
So more XBox layoffs are planned (we don't doubt it; see everything we've said this past week about Microsoft XBox) [1] and, to make matters worse, there are reports that production of Microsoft XBox has been halted altogether [2-6], rendering Microsoft's "XBox" little but an orphaned brand or some virtual 'store' for games (Steam is already a lot bigger).
In some places people can no longer buy XBox. The pipeline is incomplete already.
Microsoft is circling down the drain. Skype is dead, GitHub has been folded inwards, LinkedIn is shrinking fast...
See from yesterday: Microsoft's XBox is Practically Dead Already
That was in the sister site last night; it raises an important point from an associate, who insists that it should be repeatedly pointed out that XBox was less about games and more about being a testbed for DRM on commodity hardware.
However, it does not seem like Vista 11 will inherit XBox's place. Its adoption has been slow and poor, its performance falls short of GNU/Linux (even for games that demand expensive GPUs), and Windows in general faces an uncertain future of more buzzwords than substance. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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Massive Xbox Layoffs Expected Again in Q1 2026, Likely as Big as the Last Round
Microsoft’s gaming division has been on a downward trajectory for almost two decades now, and 2025 marked its lowest point. However, the gaming giant is expected to fall even deeper into the pit hole with more dark days expected soon.
New reports suggest that Xbox is soon to be hit with another massive wave of layoffs going into Q1 2026. To give a hint, this round of workforce reduction will be just as substantial as the most recent one during the summer.
Why it matters: The gaming industry has been hit with layoffs after layoffs, with millions of dollars worth of projects cancelled, studios shut down, and worse things happening.
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Microsoft Reportedly Considering Turning Xbox into a Full-Time Publisher
Xbox could completely give up on hardware and become a pure publisher, according to insider SneakersSO, who has accurately revealed Microsoft’s third-party plans in the past. He also claimed that we could expect another major round of layoffs in early 2026, along with big changes for the next generation.
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Next-Gen Xbox Hardware Plans Are Allegedly “Up In The Air”, More Retailers To Stop Selling Xbox Consoles
Plans to build next-gen Xbox hardware are now “up in the air”, as more retail stores will soon be backing out from selling Xbox consoles.
Known insider SneakersSO, who previously leaked accurate information about Xbox’s third-party strategy, took to the NeoGAF forums to share some rumblings that recently came from Microsoft regarding the future of its gaming division. According to the leaker, following the most recent wave of layoffs at Microsoft, internal discussions have taken a surprising turn, one that leaves the company’s next-gen Xbox hardware plans “up in the air”.
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RUMOR: ‘The Future of Xbox is Software Publishing’ as Next Console Generation Faces Doubts
It has been claimed by a reliable insider that Microsoft is planning some intense changes for the Xbox brand in the coming months. First, it has been suggested that there will be a massive round of layoffs heading into Q1 2026 (which is hardly a leap), and that the once concrete plans for the next console generation are now ‘up in the air’ and might never materialize.
The claims go on to suggest that the future of Xbox is in games publishing and not hardware, with the brand focusing on the top-performing IPs within its portfolio and no longer worrying about manufacturing traditional consoles.
Before diving in, it should be stressed that this is a pinch of salt discussion, but the insider was given gas by The Verge’s Tom Warren during the most recent episode of the XboxEra Podcast, suggesting the source ‘knows a lot of what goes on internally.’
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Several Insiders Claim Next-Gen Xbox Console Is "Up In The Air"
Following the 50 percent price hike for Game Pass, haemorrhaging Call of Duty sales costing Microsoft over $300 million, and retailers like Costco pulling consoles from store shelves, insider SneakersSO claims that there might not be a next-gen Xbox.
"The ramifications of the CoD GP gambit not working out were just starting to get properly measured, but the thing that really stuck out to me was that suddenly, really concrete plans for actual [Microsoft] Xbox [hardware] went from being definitive, to up in the air, which was really startling given that this thing was meant to be out relatively soon," they posted on NeoGAF. "The future of Xbox is software publishing, with a significantly honed-in focus on profitable IPs".
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Microsoft Xbox could be dead: rumors suggest 'hardware production has ceased' on Xbox consoles
Microsoft reportedly ended Xbox hardware production, canceling plans for a next-gen console initially set for 2027 to compete with PlayStation 6. The company now focuses on software publishing, profitable IPs, cloud gaming, and expanding Xbox Game Pass as the primary platform across multiple devices, signaling a major shift in Xbox's future.
Microsoft has reportedly killed off its Xbox hardware business according to new rumors, with reports that the "hardware production has ceased" on any future Xbox consoles.