Insider Gaming has been provided with an internal memo from Xbox CEO Phil Spencer on the upcoming layoffs.
The email reads,
“Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.
I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.
Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.
HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review.
Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey.
Phil”
RELATED – Phil Spencer Will Allegedly Retire as CEO After Next-Gen Console Launch
It’s understood that layoffs started across some European studios earlier today and more are expected to be announced to teams throughout the day.
For more information from Insider Gaming, read about the ‘Stop Killing Games’ petition crossing 800,000 signatures. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Tom Henderson is Insider Gaming's Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief. When he's not running one of the industry's leading independent video game websites, he's probably playing an FPS like Call of Duty,…
More from Tom Henderson
What a fucking tone deaf load of shit. We all knew they were going to do this post merger, but we let them merge anyway! Woo! Evil corpos win!
Fucking kill me.
Phil Spencer, paraphrased: “Our business is incredibly strong and thriving thanks to your talent and hard work, and to celebrate that success I’m firing all of you because, well, fuck all you pathetic suckers lol.”
Yeah like how can he sit there and type out that fucking praise a thon telling them what a great job they did/do. Next sentence hey guys thanks sooooo much but your usefulness ran out ✌️. I don’t get how billions in profit every year but gotta let talented people go. But hey you can try to get rehired to some shit positions that nobody wants cause like I’m positive that MS has 10s of thousands of applications. . I know you just made us millions on a video game but now you’re a janitor or somebody’s assistant 🖕.
People get fired in this very situation across the globe every single day. Live in reality, folks. That and stop pretending you care.