First, we are eliminating 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the XGS management and central functions layer. The actions completed since July, inclusive of the studio divestitures, bring us roughly three-quarters of the way through previously announced restructuring.
Activision will expand its remit to World’s Edge, as well as Rare. Activision will also be developing the next Halo title, led by a new, purpose-built team that is separate from ongoing development and plans for Call of Duty. A small team at Halo Studios will continue supporting the Halo community and games in-market.
Bethesda will expand its remit to include Obsidian, which will continue its current projects, including Grounded, as well as the new Fallout project made in collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios.
King will expand its remit to include Microsoft Casual Games, uniting our two global leaders in casual game design and live operations.
Playground and Turn 10 will come together as one studio focused on the Forza and Fable franchises. These two studios have been creative and franchise partners for over a decade, and today’s changes will formally move their work into one team.
Third, an update on our studio divestitures: In August, Compulsion and Double Fine returned to management with their IP, back catalogs, and runway funding. Undead Labs has now successfully transitioned on similar terms and, with a new publisher, will release State of Decay 3 day one on Game Pass. Unfortunately, two separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through. We will now begin consultation with employees on a proposed closure while continuing to explore other paths forward. Consultation with Arkane remains underway and is expected to continue through the end of the year.
Never in a thousand years did I think we'd get Call of Halo. Obsidian being under Bethesda feels like a slap after Interplay/Black Isle couldn't keep Fallout, and Black Isle reformed mostly as...
Never in a thousand years did I think we'd get Call of Halo.
Obsidian being under Bethesda feels like a slap after Interplay/Black Isle couldn't keep Fallout, and Black Isle reformed mostly as Obsidian, but it makes sense, as long as Obsidian can keep doing its own thing when they aren't stuck babysitting Bethesda properties. They had finally gotten to a point of not doing licensed IPs.
I'm surprised at only 268 more layoffs, sounds like management head cutting and redundancies as they lock in the new structure. Not that I like any layoffs, my heart goes out to these folks entering an already strained gaming labor market.
Never in a thousand years did I think we'd get Call of Halo.
Obsidian being under Bethesda feels like a slap after Interplay/Black Isle couldn't keep Fallout, and Black Isle reformed mostly as Obsidian, but it makes sense, as long as Obsidian can keep doing its own thing when they aren't stuck babysitting Bethesda properties. They had finally gotten to a point of not doing licensed IPs.
I'm surprised at only 268 more layoffs, sounds like management head cutting and redundancies as they lock in the new structure. Not that I like any layoffs, my heart goes out to these folks entering an already strained gaming labor market.
Halo is going to be so bad