Xbox will sell the studios Ninja Theory (Hellblade) and Undead Labs (State of Decay) to undisclosed buyers. Both studios will continue working on their current game projects, Senua and State of Decay 3, with Xbox.
Two other studios, Double Fine (Psychonauts) and Compulsion Games (South of Midnight), will be spun out and return to private ownership under their founders. Sharma wrote that these two studios will receive runway funding and full ownership of the intellectual property they have developed, including their catalogs of previous games.
Xbox will also begin a consultation process with Arkane Studios (Blade), based in Lyon, France, to “review potential strategic options” in the coming months in hopes of selling or spinning out the studio. Unlike the other four studios, this process has not yet started and will take longer than the others due to stringent French labor laws.
Bit surprising to see only Blade mentioned for Arkane Lyon, considering they also did Deathloop and the Dishonored series! Really hope they get treated like Double Fine and Compulsion did, since...
Bit surprising to see only Blade mentioned for Arkane Lyon, considering they also did Deathloop and the Dishonored series! Really hope they get treated like Double Fine and Compulsion did, since those look like some pretty surprisingly good outcomes for those studios.
Also once again shows why strong labor laws are a must. I'm sure they would have gone the way of the Austin branch if Lyons wasn't based in France. It's a shame it's such an uphill battle with...
Also once again shows why strong labor laws are a must. I'm sure they would have gone the way of the Austin branch if Lyons wasn't based in France.
It's a shame it's such an uphill battle with other working fellows just to understand this concept, though. Crabs in a bucket.
For the little I know about the specifics, the strong labor laws in France only prolong the inevitable for Game Studios. But maybe from an US point of view, navigating the ins and outs of the laws...
For the little I know about the specifics, the strong labor laws in France only prolong the inevitable for Game Studios.
But maybe from an US point of view, navigating the ins and outs of the laws in France would be too much a hassle to do it the french way of firing people expediently.
Like Ubisoft that put in place very lenient remote working conditions, only to remove it 1 or 2 years after and used that to fire people that no longer can rejoin the physical workforce because they moved under the lenient conditions.
Certainly. There's no labor law that can indefinitely keep someone's job forever. But time is our most valuable asset and having months to prepare for the worst is better than waking up one day...
the strong labor laws in France only prolong the inevitable for Game Studios.
Certainly. There's no labor law that can indefinitely keep someone's job forever. But time is our most valuable asset and having months to prepare for the worst is better than waking up one day and realizing you cannot log into your workstation anymore.
I'm assuming Microsoft wanted to try, but ultimately realized they had no standing to really do so in a quick fashion. Because no, a profitable company shouldn't be able to quickly fire its workers.
Damn, so instead of just getting it all out of the way at once we have a 50/50 of instant layoffs and a slow roll of the rest over 2026/7. And then another 3200 in Microsoft as a whole. Then...
Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox plans to eliminate 3,200 jobs, or around 20% of its staff over the next year
At Xbox, 1,600 jobs will be eliminated on Monday, the rest over the next 12 months, according to the letter.
Damn, so instead of just getting it all out of the way at once we have a 50/50 of instant layoffs and a slow roll of the rest over 2026/7. And then another 3200 in Microsoft as a whole. Then implications of more to come.
At least some studios managed to spin out of it instead of being shut Down. Though having Ninja Theory being sold to an "undisclosed buyer" isn't exactly reassuring these days. That just screams "vulture capitalist private equity firm" to me. Hope I'm wrong.
Guess we now know that Xbox has, or had, about 16k employees. Now down to 12.5k or so.
Perhaps, but I wish more people would draw any line whatsoever. Take my game dev brother. He's intelligent and competent. Obviously he's technologically savvy. And he's in the industry that...
Nobody has ever loved Microsoft; it has only been tolerated, and increasingly less so with its embrace of AI and enabling of genocide in Gaza.
Perhaps, but I wish more people would draw any line whatsoever.
Take my game dev brother. He's intelligent and competent. Obviously he's technologically savvy. And he's in the industry that Microsoft is treating like this. But even he can't (by his own admission) be bothered to let go of Windows and other such platforms. Hell, it's difficult for me, too - I've made efforts in that direction, but I feel like I could be doing more, too.
How can we expect people in different industries will ever care enough, if we don't? Sure, Gaza is horrible, but Microsoft have a long history of being shitty. I don't ever bring up the subject with friends, but when once in a blue moon they do I keep my mouth shut because I know they will dismiss out of hand anything I have to say on the subject, which always feels terribly insulting of my expertise.
I feel this way about Twitter. It's insane to me how many people I know from all walks of life are still using that platform despite the fact that it's 1) rife with bots, 2) owned by a Nazi, and...
I feel this way about Twitter. It's insane to me how many people I know from all walks of life are still using that platform despite the fact that it's 1) rife with bots, 2) owned by a Nazi, and 3) has an official bot that produced CSAM.
If people aren't willing to drop it after all that, it ends up feeling like nothing could ever be enough reason. Elon could personally shoot their dog and they'd just tweet angrily about it.
This isn't literally true, of course. There's the concept of the trust thermocline. But damn if that point shouldn't have passed years ago!
I've made efforts [to let go of Windows]
I'll have you know that I'm making a very serious effort to not immediately begintelling you what my favorite distro is!
14 layers? Jfc. They might literally be rivaling -- and beating -- the government with that many layers of approval. Obviously not all decisions require that, but short of like selling the...
We know that great technology gets better when it gets simpler, not bigger. Today, in some parts of the company, work passes through as many as 14 layers of management. Our platform teams are 40% larger than they were at the start of this generation, even as our player base and playtime have declined. That complexity has slowed decisions, blurred accountability, and made it harder to deliver for players. As we reset XBOX, we will simplify.
14 layers? Jfc. They might literally be rivaling -- and beating -- the government with that many layers of approval. Obviously not all decisions require that, but short of like selling the company, what the hell could require that much approval? Sounds like micromanagement to the max or no one wants to take final responsibility for decisions. Or both.
For about 18 months, my job was working in document management for a very small agency in the US federal government, and just getting a letter to a constituent or public stakeholder signed and...
For about 18 months, my job was working in document management for a very small agency in the US federal government, and just getting a letter to a constituent or public stakeholder signed and delivered took 8 layers of approval and review at minimum. Double that for anything that needed to go through the department's secretary, and anything that went beyond that had layers I couldn't even see. It was insane.
I work for the government currently. I don't think there's 14 layers between me and the president! And I'm just another nameless, faceless government drone! Though obviously processes like what...
I work for the government currently. I don't think there's 14 layers between me and the president! And I'm just another nameless, faceless government drone!
Though obviously processes like what you're talking about are where things get bogged down and sent into bureaucratic hell. I mentioned in another comment last month the amount of work and approval from everyone under the sun that a coworker needs to get so we can spend a measly $15k is mind-boggling.
But I get that for the government. To an extent.
But in a private company? I thought they're all supposed to be quick and agile! That's why government needs to be more like the private industry! ::eyeroll:: I've worked on the private (or at least non-profit) side for most of my career. Non-government can be just as slow when it wants to be. Still, 14 layers does seems a teensy bit much!
At the end of the day, it all depends on the company’s culture. I am also a part of a hierarchy of 8 layers at my work; however, when it comes to my direct responsibilities, my word is usually...
At the end of the day, it all depends on the company’s culture. I am also a part of a hierarchy of 8 layers at my work; however, when it comes to my direct responsibilities, my word is usually final.
There’s a very limited set of circumstances when I need to seek my manager’s approval, even more higher up the chain.
Funnily enough, the only time I had to go up multiple layers for an approval was when I wanted an extra computer monitor at my desk.
Can't say if this is the E.T. moment that has been foretold in the prophecy. But, with Premium gaming imploding and self-foot shooting, this is the moment the Unleaded gaming has been waiting for,...
Can't say if this is the E.T. moment that has been foretold in the prophecy. But, with Premium gaming imploding and self-foot shooting, this is the moment the Unleaded gaming has been waiting for, especially now that so many laid-off developers have finally received the ultimate inspiration to open their own studio.
As seismic shifts go, this won't happen just by the collapse of AAA gaming. Indie studios need to step up their A-game, committing to their artistic visions instead of going the safe route that doomed the bigger studios. More than that, we consumers need to choose wisely and support the change we want to see in the world. But this will be the hardest thing of all to change as corpo-branded wage slaves have earmarked their meagre salaries to plan for the next-big-thing, and FOMO is too strong to ignore for collection-happy branded merch hunters.
Please, Double Fine: Indiemaxx your next game by making it focus-group-abhorrent levels of twee. Fellow connoisseurs: Vote with your wallet and go Larian on unfettered game studios. We owe it to ourselves to bring the change we deserve.
With what investment money? The same investment money that's currently being thrown into the bonfire that is A.I.? Or perhaps another attempt at sportswashing? Just because the old is crumbling...
especially now that so many laid-off developers have finally received the ultimate inspiration to open their own studio.
With what investment money? The same investment money that's currently being thrown into the bonfire that is A.I.? Or perhaps another attempt at sportswashing?
Just because the old is crumbling doesn't mean that what comes after is going to be new and exciting.
Minecraft prints money even though Mojang has like a grand total of 30 developers who make content slower than a 16 year modder who barely knows how to program and juggles it with college...
Minecraft prints money even though Mojang has like a grand total of 30 developers who make content slower than a 16 year modder who barely knows how to program and juggles it with college applications. It's fine.
I can totally see MS deciding they need to milk harder as it's one of their only big titles these days. At least we will always have old java versions should that go down!
I can totally see MS deciding they need to milk harder as it's one of their only big titles these days. At least we will always have old java versions should that go down!
Bit surprising to see only Blade mentioned for Arkane Lyon, considering they also did Deathloop and the Dishonored series! Really hope they get treated like Double Fine and Compulsion did, since those look like some pretty surprisingly good outcomes for those studios.
Also once again shows why strong labor laws are a must. I'm sure they would have gone the way of the Austin branch if Lyons wasn't based in France.
It's a shame it's such an uphill battle with other working fellows just to understand this concept, though. Crabs in a bucket.
For the little I know about the specifics, the strong labor laws in France only prolong the inevitable for Game Studios.
But maybe from an US point of view, navigating the ins and outs of the laws in France would be too much a hassle to do it the french way of firing people expediently.
Like Ubisoft that put in place very lenient remote working conditions, only to remove it 1 or 2 years after and used that to fire people that no longer can rejoin the physical workforce because they moved under the lenient conditions.
Certainly. There's no labor law that can indefinitely keep someone's job forever. But time is our most valuable asset and having months to prepare for the worst is better than waking up one day and realizing you cannot log into your workstation anymore.
I'm assuming Microsoft wanted to try, but ultimately realized they had no standing to really do so in a quick fashion. Because no, a profitable company shouldn't be able to quickly fire its workers.
Damn, so instead of just getting it all out of the way at once we have a 50/50 of instant layoffs and a slow roll of the rest over 2026/7. And then another 3200 in Microsoft as a whole. Then implications of more to come.
At least some studios managed to spin out of it instead of being shut Down. Though having Ninja Theory being sold to an "undisclosed buyer" isn't exactly reassuring these days. That just screams "vulture capitalist private equity firm" to me. Hope I'm wrong.
Guess we now know that Xbox has, or had, about 16k employees. Now down to 12.5k or so.
In the past few years "undisclosed buyer" instantly makes me assume that they are now owned by Saudi Arabia.
I really appreciated Aftermath’s response.
Perhaps, but I wish more people would draw any line whatsoever.
Take my game dev brother. He's intelligent and competent. Obviously he's technologically savvy. And he's in the industry that Microsoft is treating like this. But even he can't (by his own admission) be bothered to let go of Windows and other such platforms. Hell, it's difficult for me, too - I've made efforts in that direction, but I feel like I could be doing more, too.
How can we expect people in different industries will ever care enough, if we don't? Sure, Gaza is horrible, but Microsoft have a long history of being shitty. I don't ever bring up the subject with friends, but when once in a blue moon they do I keep my mouth shut because I know they will dismiss out of hand anything I have to say on the subject, which always feels terribly insulting of my expertise.
I feel this way about Twitter. It's insane to me how many people I know from all walks of life are still using that platform despite the fact that it's 1) rife with bots, 2) owned by a Nazi, and 3) has an official bot that produced CSAM.
If people aren't willing to drop it after all that, it ends up feeling like nothing could ever be enough reason. Elon could personally shoot their dog and they'd just tweet angrily about it.
This isn't literally true, of course. There's the concept of the trust thermocline. But damn if that point shouldn't have passed years ago!
I'll have you know that I'm making a very serious effort to not immediately begin telling you what my favorite distro is!
Statement that Asha Sharma sent to all Xbox employees
14 layers? Jfc. They might literally be rivaling -- and beating -- the government with that many layers of approval. Obviously not all decisions require that, but short of like selling the company, what the hell could require that much approval? Sounds like micromanagement to the max or no one wants to take final responsibility for decisions. Or both.
For about 18 months, my job was working in document management for a very small agency in the US federal government, and just getting a letter to a constituent or public stakeholder signed and delivered took 8 layers of approval and review at minimum. Double that for anything that needed to go through the department's secretary, and anything that went beyond that had layers I couldn't even see. It was insane.
I work for the government currently. I don't think there's 14 layers between me and the president! And I'm just another nameless, faceless government drone!
Though obviously processes like what you're talking about are where things get bogged down and sent into bureaucratic hell. I mentioned in another comment last month the amount of work and approval from everyone under the sun that a coworker needs to get so we can spend a measly $15k is mind-boggling.
But I get that for the government. To an extent.
But in a private company? I thought they're all supposed to be quick and agile! That's why government needs to be more like the private industry! ::eyeroll:: I've worked on the private (or at least non-profit) side for most of my career. Non-government can be just as slow when it wants to be. Still, 14 layers does seems a teensy bit much!
At the end of the day, it all depends on the company’s culture. I am also a part of a hierarchy of 8 layers at my work; however, when it comes to my direct responsibilities, my word is usually final.
There’s a very limited set of circumstances when I need to seek my manager’s approval, even more higher up the chain.
Funnily enough, the only time I had to go up multiple layers for an approval was when I wanted an extra computer monitor at my desk.
Can't say if this is the E.T. moment that has been foretold in the prophecy. But, with Premium gaming imploding and self-foot shooting, this is the moment the Unleaded gaming has been waiting for, especially now that so many laid-off developers have finally received the ultimate inspiration to open their own studio.
As seismic shifts go, this won't happen just by the collapse of AAA gaming. Indie studios need to step up their A-game, committing to their artistic visions instead of going the safe route that doomed the bigger studios. More than that, we consumers need to choose wisely and support the change we want to see in the world. But this will be the hardest thing of all to change as corpo-branded wage slaves have earmarked their meagre salaries to plan for the next-big-thing, and FOMO is too strong to ignore for collection-happy branded merch hunters.
Please, Double Fine: Indiemaxx your next game by making it focus-group-abhorrent levels of twee. Fellow connoisseurs: Vote with your wallet and go Larian on unfettered game studios. We owe it to ourselves to bring the change we deserve.
With what investment money? The same investment money that's currently being thrown into the bonfire that is A.I.? Or perhaps another attempt at sportswashing?
Just because the old is crumbling doesn't mean that what comes after is going to be new and exciting.
I wonder if Sony catching heat for abandoning physical media this week made Microsoft think that they had the cover to do this.
RIP Minecraft, it was fun
Minecraft prints money even though Mojang has like a grand total of 30 developers who make content slower than a 16 year modder who barely knows how to program and juggles it with college applications. It's fine.
I can totally see MS deciding they need to milk harder as it's one of their only big titles these days. At least we will always have old java versions should that go down!