As the dust settles from Microsoft's big summer layoffs, many of those impacted are still enduring. Whether it's visa expiry countdown timers, supporting their families, paying bills, etc., the gaming industry in general has a variety of problems, and it's more often than not workers and developers paying the price.
For whatever reason, Microsoft seems to be disproportionately targeting Bethesda and ZeniMax for this layoff round. Hundreds of staffers from teams like ZeniMax Online Studios were laid off, and it looks like Arkane Lyon might end up being spun off to another publisher or taken independent. A lot of the alarm among the gaming community has focused on id Software, whose penchant for consistent quality and stewardship of the legendary DOOM IP has, in my view, represented a highlight of Microsoft's general gaming output.
