Even earlier than the Xbox layoffs, there was ‘pressure’ at Halo Studios

At the least 5 workers at Halo Studios have been fired as a part of company-wide layoffs at Microsoft on Wednesday, in keeping with a developer with information of the state of affairs. An estimated 200 to 300 individuals stay on the studio.

Workers throughout Microsoft’s Xbox division obtained an e-mail from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer Wednesday morning addressing “organizational shifts” hitting the crew over the approaching days. Halo Studios workers who have been laid off obtained an extra invite to a gathering with group leaders, and two (very lengthy) hours later, the Groups name started. Amid discussions of severance packages, the explanations offered for the firings aligned with Spencer’s memo — to “improve agility and effectiveness.”

“I am personally tremendous pissed that Phil’s e-mail to us bragged about how this was essentially the most worthwhile 12 months ever for Xbox in the identical breath as pulling the lever” on the layoffs, the developer informed Engadget. “I wasn’t certain what a part of that I used to be imagined to be proud about.”

Halo Studios is at the moment engaged on multiple games, together with the subsequent mainline Halo installment, and it is the steward of Halo: Infinite, which is quietly spinning down its content material cadence. The temper on the studio is tense, particularly on the subject of one venture that was just lately in disaster, in keeping with the developer.

“I do not assume anyone is absolutely completely happy concerning the high quality of the product proper now,” they stated. “There’s been loads of pressure and pep talks attempting to rally of us to ship.” The studio recently teased that it might reveal what it has been engaged on at this 12 months’s Halo World Championship in October.

Halo Studios was rocked by layoffs in 2023, again when it was nonetheless referred to as 343 Industries, and that culling principally affected individuals on the marketing campaign and narrative groups, together with Halo veteran Joe Staten. (That is additionally the explanation Halo: Infinite hasn’t had a seamless storyline since that point interval). At this time, Halo Studios employs a mix of full-time workers and contractors, with junior producers and high quality assurance roles typically contracted out.

343 Industries got here beneath fireplace from followers for the launch state of Halo: Infinite, and over time a number of ex-employees have spoken out about the studio’s reliance on contractors, who usually work with the corporate for a most of 18 months.

The worker I spoke with stated that, since 2023, there’s been a basic shift towards working with contracted studios — fairly than particular person contractors — in the USA and Europe to hurry up Halo manufacturing. This mirrors the way in which different main FPS franchises like Name of Obligation and Battlefield are developed.

“Xbox generally feels years behind the curve in recreation growth, and it results in loads of wasted effort and time,” the worker stated. On the identical time, a number of departing crew members have spoken warmly about their time at Halo Studios and the individuals they labored with.

The layoffs at Microsoft on July 2 affected 9,000 employees globally, together with 830 in Washington, the place Halo Studios relies. The Xbox division endured important firings, recreation cancellations and studio closures. A Microsoft spokesperson stated the Xbox crew didn’t take up the vast majority of the layoffs, however given its comparatively small measurement within the group, that framing might not precisely mirror the affect.

Underneath the Xbox banner, Uncommon’s Everwild and The Initiative’s Excellent Darkish reboot have been cancelled, and The Initiative was fully shut down. Forza Motorsport developer Flip 10 Studios reportedly misplaced a “vast majority” of its workers, and Uncommon, ZeniMax On-line Studios, King, Raven, Sledgehammer Video games and Halo Studios have all reportedly been affected. ZeniMax president Matt Firor is out after 18 years main the studio, and it’s being reported that veteran Uncommon designer Gregg Mayles can also be gone after many years together with his crew. And to prime all of it off, Blizzard is sunsetting Warcraft Rumble.

Microsoft has more and more targeted on AI, a shift that is propelled its inventory value to new highs. At Meta’s Llamacon in April, CEO Satya Nadella stated that as much as 30 percent of the company’s code is now written by AI. Activision in February admitted to using AI in Black Ops 6. It is unclear how a lot AI has to do with this newest spherical of layoffs, however use of Copilot is “no longer optional” inside Microsoft.

The developer I spoke with stated, “They’re attempting their damndest to exchange as many roles as they’ll with AI brokers.”

Information about particular Xbox groups popped up all through the day as workers shared their experiences on social media and spoke with varied publications. Microsoft laid off 1,900 Xbox employees in January 2024 and 650 more in September, and final 12 months it closed Arkane Austin, Alpha Canine Video games and Tango Gameworks (the latter of which was acquired by Krafton). Microsoft reported a web income of $25.8 billion within the first three months of 2025, with an eight % yearly improve in income from Xbox content material and companies.

Microsoft informed Engadget that the layoffs will have an effect on lower than 4 % of the corporate’s world workforce. An announcement from a Microsoft spokesperson reads as follows: “We proceed to implement organizational and workforce adjustments which can be essential to place the corporate and groups for fulfillment in a dynamic market.”

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