The company first laid off around 1,900 employees in gendut188 January 2024, mostly from Activision Blizzard King. Following that, three ZeniMax Media studios were closed in May 2024, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, although the latter was purchased by PUBG owner Krafton and revived in a last-minute deal. Finally, another 650 employees were cut in September 2024, again mostly from Activision Blizzard King. Additional details regarding the Microsoft layoffs and which divisions have been impacted (sources tell Variety that the cuts in gaming do not make up the majority) are expected to be shared later Wednesday. “We continue to implement organizational and workforce changes that are necessary to position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” a Microsoft spokesperson said Wednesday.
Robert Smith created an alternate version of the iconic Whac-A-Mole arcade game for the generation that both remembers arcades and knows why the save icon looks the way it does, as spotted by Hackaday. It’s being co-developed by Aniplex Inc and Joycity Corporation, and we’ll find out more when the trailer drops at 6PM ET on July 10th, including whether it’ll tie into next year’s Resident Evil Requiem. The company announced through its X account that its Ultimate 2 Wireless, Pro 2, and SN30 Pro Bluetooth controllers are now optimized to work with Steam and SteamOS on desktop and handhelds.
They’re also putting together another FPS called “The Cube,” the developers are describing as an MMORPG set in the Atomic universe. Expected to be based on the Z2 Extreme, Kennan is Microsoft’s first partner device under the Xbox brand. Microsoft typically saves Xbox Showcase events for games specifically, but there’s not really a better time to put eyeballs on a brand new piece of kit. In case you missed it, Black Myth Wukong has been officially dated for Xbox, set to launch this August.
“I’ll need a lot more confirmed information before I boycott the sequel to my favorite game of all time.” Capcom goes on record to condemn ‘customer harassment’ following severe backlash to Monster Hunter Wilds, threatening legal action. The PlayStation 5 version of Palworld continues to suffer from a serious issue, and the problem will not be fixed this weekend.
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. As well as Rockville, Maryland in the U.S, though the exact scale isn’t known at this time. Microsoft confirmed the layoffs are part of a wider round of 9,000 employees targeted for a pink slip, with every division at the firm reportedly impacted.
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. “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 Jeff Jones 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. Following rumors of reductions that first began last week, Microsoft is set to lay off more than 9,000 employees worldwide Wednesday, including some in the Microsoft Gaming/Xbox division.
An Unannounced Mmo From The Elder Scrolls Online Developer Has Been Canceled By Xbox After Seven Years Of Work
Video Games Europe voices opposition to Stop Killing Games movement as it clears threshold to become an EU Citizens’ Initiative. News Latest update also adds a party system and “improved erosion”. PlayStation fans are worried Helldivers 2’s Xbox port is going to “devalue” the platform’s brand.
Capcom Announces Resident Evil Survival Unit Mobile Game From Aniplex
You don’t have to wait for a sales window to grab a gaming bargain – the best free Steam games are all available to download and play without charge. Valve is launching the first version of a new tool for Steam to measure performance in games. The first, as the company plans further improvements to the feature. One of my favorite action games of all time, which is heavily inspired by the John Wick movies, is on sale now for less than $10 on Nintendo Switch. Having Druckmann focused on making killer video games is probably the right move for Sony. According to developers who worked on the project, via VGC, Everwild has been in development in some form for over 10 years, but struggled to nail down a clear direction, even after a recent reboot.
Bungie confirms that Tower vendors in Destiny 2 are seeing major changes within The Edge of Fate, including the weekend exotic merchant Xur. Recent developments at Microsoft deal significant damage to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service that will be felt for years.
Last year, Microsoft slashed almost 2,000 jobs from its gaming division, affecting employees across Xbox and Activision Blizzard. In the same year, it also shuttered a trio of ZeniMax game development teams after having acquired the video game holding company in 2021. This will be the fourth round of cuts at Xbox in the last 18 months. These layoffs come against the backdrop of Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023. As part of today’s layoffs, several games, including Rare’s Everwild, have been cancelled and The Initiative, the Xbox studio which was producing the Perfect Dark reboot, has been shut down. From the latest consoles to PC gaming and mobile games, we cover it all.
Switching To This Optic Changed Call Of Duty: Warzone For Me
A canceled spin-off to one of the worst video games ever made leaks after 12 years. So, strap in, ladies and gentlemen, because this big update is just around the corner, 11 days away. And judging from online reactions, it looks like this will… Fortnite players, prepare to lose a few bucks in the coming days, as the Item Shop is crazy with activity!
The boundaries between console and virtual reality gaming have just been spectacularly… Season 3 of The Last of Us is confirmed, but not everyone’s staying on board. Love and Deepspace’s new event boasts a companionship system overhaul. Anthem will be removed from the EA Play library on 15 August, 2025, ahead of its full server shutdown in January 2026, EA has confirmed. The revamped ESL Pro Tour aims to provide structured competition for Dota 2’s Tier 2 scene. PlayStation has opened up a thrilling opportunity for the convenience seekers of gamer land by announcing Apple Pay as a payment method in the PlayStation Store.
That somewhat will-they-won’t-they build-up inspired Insomniac Games to set explosive nostalgia in motion on Twitter…. How to Watch Bournemouth will be missing at least two top players for the match against Leeds today. Nintendo and Koei Tecmo are once again teaming up to bring a new entry into the Hyrule Warriors franchise. Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive that’s due for release in ‘Winter 2025’.
Even a product lead for Xbox Family and child safety has been laid off. Approximately 9,000 employees have been laid off today at Microsoft, including within the gaming division. 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.
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.