It's Friday Night Again, So Microsoft is Again Shelving (Under Weekend Lull) Nightmare News for XBox Staff
It did the same thing when the chiefs of XBox got canned.
41 minutes ago by Joelle Daniels:
Microsoft boosters have mentioned this, but more reputable sources say, "it sounds more like Microsoft is thinking about making difficult decisions on video games it’s building and the studios making them. Microsoft has a vast network of first-party developers, even before you factor in all the Bethesda and Activision Blizzard studios. Could those "hard choices" have to do with cancelations?"
As in, layoffs?
Kotaku thinks so: "My first reaction is that this might be the first time I’ve ever seen an executive try to explain the meaning of an all-caps rebrand. The second reaction is a question. What exactly does Sharma mean by “hard choices”? In c-suite speak, it’s often code for cuts and layoffs. Pulling money out of what’s not working and re-investing it in what is might sound like Business 101, but the devil is always in the details."
To quote the new chief: "Growth slowed down and subscriber loss accelerated after the pricing and SKU changes last year" (that can only mean one thing, can't sugarcoat the impact).
Remember that many chiefs left XBox in recent months - more than the media talks about.
Earlier today: Silent Layoffs at Microsoft in 2026