{"id":765303,"date":"2026-07-16T00:49:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T00:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/765303\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T00:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T00:49:21","slug":"hundreds-rally-at-bethesda-hq-to-protest-xbox-layoffs-and-ars-was-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/765303\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds rally at Bethesda HQ to protest Xbox layoffs, and Ars was there"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s true: No devs would mean no games.<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s true: No devs would mean no games.<\/p>\n

Kyle Orland<\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

What happens if I test these testers?<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n

\n What happens if I test these testers?<\/p>\n

Kyle Orland<\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t remember that line from Skyrim\u2026<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n

\n I don\u2019t remember that line from Skyrim\u2026<\/p>\n

Kyle Orland<\/p>\n

\n What happens if I test these testers?<\/p>\n

Kyle Orland<\/p>\n

\n I don\u2019t remember that line from Skyrim\u2026<\/p>\n

Kyle Orland<\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\n Did people get laid off in the vaults?\n <\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

What did you mantle Akatosh for?<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Rallygoers spill into the street to gather support from passing cars.<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

A little light reading.<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got to love a sign that rhymes.<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Oh, did they rename the division?<\/p>\n

\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n

In response to a request for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson said, \u201cWe respect our employees\u2019 right to make their voices heard, and we recognize that this is a difficult time for many. We reached out to the union on July 6 to begin effects bargaining and are committed to that process. We remain focused on supporting impacted employees through this transition while positioning the organization for long-term strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jay Woodward, who was let go last week after nearly 20 years of AI programming at Bethesda dating back to Fallout 3, said he hoped union action could help break what seems like a \u201cperpetual cycle\u201d of layoffs at Xbox. \u201cObviously, in the business world, we understand that this is the sort of thing that happens,\u201d he said. \u201c[But] it\u2019s absolutely not inevitable. That\u2019s a complete nonsense concept, especially when the studio, when the overall company is doing fantastically well, there\u2019s no need to say that this has to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In announcing the layoffs last week<\/a>, Microsoft CEO Asha Sharma said the move was necessary to restructure a business that is \u201cnot healthy\u201d and is operating at margins well below the competition. \u201cThese changes are about a bigger future for Xbox, not a smaller one, Sharma said. \u201cThis year, we\u2019ll invest as much in Xbox as we ever have, but we\u2019ll invest with greater focus, greater discipline, and greater clarity, all in service of making Xbox where the world plays and creates.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton addresses the crowd and offers her support for the laid-off workers.<\/p>\n

\n Credit:
\n Kyle Orland\n <\/p>\n

\n Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton addresses the crowd and offers her support for the laid-off workers.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/p>\n

Kyle Orland<\/p>\n

Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton appeared at the rally to offer her support for a group of employees she said are a key part of the local community and economy. \u201cWe have seen job losses related to issues in the federal government\u2026 [but] to see the gaming industry that has been blossoming, so this, it\u2019s something that I\u2019m concerned about,\u201d Ashton said. \u201cI know that there are jobs going overseas, and jobs going to AI. It\u2019s going to touch every industry, and we, as consumers, have to say, we value people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s true: No devs would mean no games. Kyle Orland It\u2019s true: No devs would mean no games.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":765304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-765303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/765304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}