{"id":623982,"date":"2026-09-22T15:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T15:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/623982\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T15:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T15:26:10","slug":"xbox-lay-offs-continue-activision-to-develop-next-halo-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/623982\/","title":{"rendered":"Xbox Lay Offs Continue; Activision to Develop Next ‘Halo’ Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tXbox<\/a> has laid off an additional 268 employees this week as part of its previously announced job-eliminations plan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe new cuts primarily affect Halo<\/a> Studios, other first-party studios and the XGS management and central functions layer, Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty said in a memo to staff Tuesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmid the cuts, the Microsoft-owned gaming company has also undergone a studio reorg that will see teams combine under the goal to \u201cstrengthen our franchises and games by operating fewer business units, aligning groups that already work closely together, and focusing our publishing expertise,\u201d per Booty.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom here on out, Activision<\/a> will oversee studios World\u2019s Edge and Rare and will also be developing the next \u201cHalo\u201d title. According to Booty, this \u201cHalo\u201d game will be \u201cled 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOther studio changes include Bethesda adding in Obsidian, King combining with Microsoft Casual Games, and Playground and Turn 10 merging into one studio focused on the \u201cForza\u201d and \u201cFable\u201d franchises. <\/p>\n

\n\tAs part of its first round of layoff announcements in July, Xbox also announced plans for divesting some of its studios, beginning with Compulsion and Double Fine. Per Booty\u2019s Tuesday announcement, Undead Labs has now successfully transitioned and is partnering with a new publisher to release \u201cState of Decay 3\u2033 day one on Game Pass. Booty says \u201ctwo separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through,\u201d and Xbox is now in talks with Ninja Theory employees about a \u201cproposed closure while continuing to explore other paths forward.\u201d Xbox says consultation with French studio Arkane \u201cremains underway and is expected to continue through the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn July, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced the company planned to reduce its workforce by up to 3,200 employees \u2014 or 20% of total staff \u2014 over the next year in the \u201cmost significant restructure\u201d in the Microsoft division\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe actions completed since July, inclusive of the studio divestitures, bring us roughly three-quarters of the way through previously announced restructuring,\u201d Booty wrote. \u201cI am deeply grateful for what our colleagues have built, and I know how difficult today will be for those leaving and the teams around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to welcome Halo, Rare and World\u2019s Edge to Activision. It\u2019s an honor and a responsibility that we do not take lightly,\u201d Activision president Rob Kostich said in a statement. \u201cThese teams and their games have inspired fans around the world for decades. For Halo, our goal is clear: make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy, while staying true to what made players love it in the first place. It is a bold ambition, one that this franchise deserves. We have already begun assembling a purpose-built team, unique in capability and talent, ready and excited to deliver this next chapter with the community. To the World\u2019s Edge and Rare teams, we can\u2019t wait to get to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRead Booty\u2019s message to staff and the Xbox community, which was shared on Xbox\u2019s official Xbox Wire blog<\/a> Tuesday, in full below.<\/p>\n

\n\tTeam,<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m writing to share several updates as part of the XBOX reset outlined earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst, 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. I am deeply grateful for what our colleagues have built, and I know how difficult today will be for those leaving and the teams around them.<\/p>\n

\n\tSecond, we are reorganizing our studios. The goal is to strengthen our franchises and games by operating fewer business units, aligning groups that already work closely together, and focusing our publishing expertise.<\/p>\n

\n\tActivision will expand its remit to World\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tBethesda 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tKing will expand its remit to include Microsoft Casual Games, uniting our two global leaders in casual game design and live operations.<\/p>\n

\n\tPlayground and Turn 10 will come together as one studio focused on the Forza and Fable franchises. These two studios have been technological, creative, and franchise partners for over a decade, and today\u2019s changes will formally move their work into one team.<\/p>\n

\n\tThird, 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tToday, our focus should be on supporting those affected and treating one another with care and respect. I will spend time with our studios over the next week. At our October 6 town hall, we will come together as an ALL-XBOX team to reflect on our progress and look ahead to one of the strongest game lineups in our history.<\/p>\n

\n\tMatt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Xbox has laid off an additional 268 employees this week as part of its previously announced job-eliminations plan.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623983,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[79125,58604,85,46,125,21942],"class_list":["post-623982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-activision","tag-halo","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-technology","tag-xbox"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}