Xbox Players Protest Layoffs and Studio Closures on Microsoft Feedback Site
Thousands of Xbox players are utilizing Microsoft's official fan feedback website to voice their opposition to the company's ongoing layoffs and studio closures. A trending post by Xbox fan Witt Yao calls for an end to these practices, citing over 10,000 layoffs within the last two years and the closure or jeopardizing of multiple studios. The initiative also requests a halt to announcing unreleased games and an end to executive bonuses following layoffs, advocating for a slower pursuit of profit growth to support developers.
Thousands of Xbox players have taken to Microsoft's official fan feedback website, Xbox Player Voice, to protest recent layoffs and studio closures.
According to a report by Kotaku, Witt Yao, an Xbox fan, initiated a post requesting that Microsoft cease the cycle of layoffs and studio closures. Yao stated that 3,200 workers were recently laid off across various Xbox-owned studios, including Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, Obsidian, id Software, and Xbox Game Studios.
The post highlighted a pattern that has led to over 10,000 layoffs at Xbox within two years. Several studios, such as Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios, have reportedly been closed or had their futures jeopardized, leading to numerous game cancellations.
Yao's requests include that Microsoft stop announcing games it does not intend to release, as seen with "State of Decay 3" and "Senua" in June. Additionally, the post called for Microsoft executives not to receive bonuses after layoffs and suggested slowing down the pursuit of profit growth to allow developers more stable environments.
This post has become a trending topic on the forum, garnering over 3,000 votes, with many users expressing frustration with Xbox's decisions. Comments from other users emphasize concerns about leadership accountability and the potential long-term impact of focusing solely on sequels and existing intellectual property.
According to IGN, these calls from players echo broader industry-wide frustrations, following Microsoft's recent layoffs and plans for further reductions in the coming year, alongside the offloading of first-party studios acquired within the last decade.
