Updated
Updated · The Verge · Sep 22
Xbox Cuts 268 Jobs and Shifts Halo to Activision in 3,200-Worker Reset
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Sep 22

Xbox Cuts 268 Jobs and Shifts Halo to Activision in 3,200-Worker Reset

3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Sep 22

Summary

  • 268 Xbox roles were eliminated across Halo Studios, other first-party teams and management, while Halo development moved to a new Activision-led team.
  • The overhaul is part of CEO Asha Sharma’s reset targeting about 3,200 job cuts to refocus Microsoft’s gaming business on franchises that can reach more than 1 billion people daily.
  • Rare and World’s Edge are moving under Activision, Obsidian is shifting to Bethesda to refocus on Fallout, casual games are going to King, and Playground is merging with Turn 10.
  • Halo Studios will remain as a smaller support operation, underscoring how Xbox’s game business is being folded deeper into Activision Blizzard and Bethesda rather than centered on the traditional Xbox brand.

Insights

As Microsoft pivots billions toward AI, will this brutal restructuring save Xbox or permanently cripple its creative future?
With Xbox spinning off major studios, is the dream of the Game Pass subscription model quietly dying?