Microsoft's Xbox Unit to Cut 3,200 Jobs in Latest Round of Layoffs
Workers describe a 'bloodbath' as the video game giant continues restructuring
Microsoft's Xbox video game division plans to cut 3,200 jobs, according to BBC Business, in a fresh round of layoffs that left affected workers stunned.
Employees described the cuts as a "bloodbath," raising questions over whether the reduction represents a strategic reset for the gaming giant or a deeper sign of trouble within the business, BBC Business reported.
Xbox, owned by Microsoft, has undergone repeated waves of layoffs in recent years as the company has worked to integrate major acquisitions, including its purchase of Activision Blizzard, and to streamline operations across its gaming division. The video game industry more broadly has faced a wave of job cuts industrywide amid slowing growth in some segments and rising development costs for major titles.
Microsoft has not detailed which specific teams or studios within Xbox will be affected by the latest reduction. The cuts add to a string of layoffs across the technology sector this year as companies continue to reassess staffing levels even as many simultaneously ramp up investment in artificial intelligence.
The size of the reduction, at 3,200 positions, marks one of the larger single rounds of cuts at Xbox in recent memory and is likely to renew scrutiny of Microsoft's broader gaming strategy following its multibillion-dollar bet on consolidating the industry.
— Compiled from reporting by the BBC.