Opinion: Welcome to the house of pain, brought to you by Xbox
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Xbox has conducted five rounds of mass layoffs since completing its near-$70 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition in 2023, eliminating over 7,000 jobs. The latest round, announced by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, cuts 3,200 people — 1,600 immediately and 1,600 by June 2027 — alongside the release of four studios including Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Double Fine, and Compulsion Games. The author argues Xbox leadership has no coherent strategy beyond downsizing, that bets on Game Pass and multi-platform growth failed to materialize, and that the drawn-out nature of the cuts — spotlighting studios at a showcase weeks before cutting them — is particularly callous toward employees.
