The Bethesda Game Studios Union says its Montreal workers are being treated particularly poorly by XBOX.
XBOX is in the midst of a massive restructuring. As part of that restructuring, thousands of jobs have been cut, multiple studios have been spun off, and many projects have been affected.
In a new social media post, the union for Bethesda workers states that its Montreal workers haven’t been treated well by XBOX and that they do not want to remain silent about it.
- More XBOX News: Asha Sharma Says Xbox Business is “Not Healthy”
Bethesda Workers Union Full Statement
In a Bluesky post, the union reveals that the Montreal staff impacted by cuts were told they would receive the smallest Severance legally possible without bargaining with the Union.
The full statement can be read below:
Last Friday, XBOX flooded news sites announcing every expansion, sequel, and remake they could.
That same day, they told their laid-off Bethesda Montreal employees that they would receive the smallest severance legally possible without bargaining with the union.
Previously, on Monday, July 6th, dozens of employees from Bethesda Game Studios across the US and Canada were told via video call that they were being laid off. They were told they would remain employed until September while the company negotiated severance with our union; this at least provided some solace and breathing room.
However, at the end of the day on Friday, July 17th, the affected Canadian employees (part of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls teams) received termination letters via email.
This was contrary to what they had been told in the Monday calls. These letters stated that the Canadians are to receive the bare legal minimum in terms of severance: eight weeks of pay in lieu of the minimum legal notice, any outstanding vacation pay, etc. They were to also immediately lose their group benefits health insurance.
We’re not going to take this lying down.
We’ve filed yet another legal complaint against Bethesda for continuing to violate labor laws in Canada. Bethesda and XBOX leadership depend on our labor to make them millions, and yet when we do, we are disposed of. The cycle of workers paying for the mistakes of management ends here.
More on the Recent XBOX Reset
On July 6, 2026, Microsoft XBOX announced a major reset of its business. As part of that shift, studios like Double Fine will return to independent status. Mojang, the developer behind Minecraft, will also now report directly to Asha Sharma, XBOX’s CEO.
The claim remains that XBOX upper management believes it can turn the ship around. They plan to do so by introducing more console exclusives. Recently, top executives at the company detailed why exclusives matter so heavily moving forward.
How do you feel about this revelation from the Bethesda Workers Union? Sound off about this story and all others in our official Discord server.
For more, learn about Asha Sharma’s appointment to a major US task force. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Comments