Yesterday, despite posting $26 billion in profits and outperforming Wall Street forecasts in the last quarter, Microsoft began its latest round of restructuring with a targeted goal of laying off 9,000 employees. Many of those cuts have affected the Xbox gaming division, leading to cancellations of projects like Rare's Everwild and an unannounced Zenimax MMO, and studio closures for teams like The Initiative, which had been developing the now-cancelled Perfect Dark reboot.
Microsoft has now laid off over 20,000 people since the start of 2023. On social media, game developers from solo indies to triple-A studio staff and everything in between have shared their dismay over the continued turmoil affecting their peers and colleagues.
