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[MatrixReloaded101]

I have no idea how many positions were deemed useless and/or redundant

People will still flock to MS/Xbox to work there regardless of their reputation because too many people see it as a dream position much like any other big named company

Layoffs just arent a big deal to me who "worked" in a field that one day I woke up at the age of 33 and was told I likely would not be resigned to any major league contract effectively meaning I was out of a job

And before anyone says yeah but you played a professional sport, look up salaries in the 1990s of middle relief pitchers, I didn't earn my wealth from that

Most of us have experience sudden job loss so I get that. But the pace in which they are happening now just doesn't make sense.

I know a few people who experienced multiple lay offs in 1 year after the pandemic.

While a few people might view the big companies as a "dream job" I think that will change because talented people aren't going to waste time working for a company that could lay them off at any time just to make numbers look good for share holders.

 

[Dr_Ifto]

I hate seeing studios bought up only to be liquidated. Why buy them to shut them down? Just spin them off....

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Most of us have experience sudden job loss so I get that. But the pace in which they are happening now just doesn't make sense.

I know a few people who experienced multiple lay offs in the 1 year after the pandemic.

While a few people might view the big company's as a "dream job" I think that will change because talented people aren't going to waste time working for a company that could lay them off at any time just to make numbers look good for share holders.

Should it really be a shock though with how Xbox has been performing?

 

[nowhat]

So which studio(s) go now as a result of this? Sounds like another closure or two.

If Tango Softworks is to go by, the latest that made a critical (and commercial, according to MS themselves) hit.

...hmm, this is going to be tricky.

 

[djjinx2]

Fake account

 

[nowhat]

Fake account

Bluesky, not Ex-Twitter:

BondSarahBond (@bondsarahbond.bsky.social)

Momma 👧🏾👦🏾 | President of Xbox 💚🎮 | Needs green tea 🍵 | Likes sparkly shoes 👠 | Loves games and the people who make them.

web-cdn.bsky.app

 

[djjinx2]

Bluesky, not Ex-Twitter:

BondSarahBond (@bondsarahbond.bsky.social)

Momma 👧🏾👦🏾 | President of Xbox 💚🎮 | Needs green tea 🍵 | Likes sparkly shoes 👠 | Loves games and the people who make them.

web-cdn.bsky.app

I don't even know what blue sky is so thanks on the correction

 

[Heisenberg007]

Should it really be a shock though with how Xbox has been performing?

Wait ... are you saying the future isn't bright?

 

[djjinx2]

Heisenberg battle, Round 1.... FIGHT!

 

[balls of snow]

I hate seeing studios bought up only to be liquidated. Why buy them to shut them down? Just spin them off....

Ip is the real value to these shareholder fucks. Getting the name call of duty is way more important than the actual people making the game.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Wait ... are you saying the future isn't bright?

It hasn't been bright to me in a very long time

And this is coming from a known Xbot that shitposts

Btw Ethos

 

[nowhat]

It hasn't been bright to me in a very long time

Have you considered changing your nick to ShrödingerFX4? Because, it seems you can occupy multiple quantum/fanboy states simultaneously, eventually landing at one of them (from the perspective of an observer/poster) when you are quoted.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Have you considered changing your nick to ShrödingerFX4? Because, it seems you can occupy multiple quantum/fanboy states simultaneously, eventually landing at one of them (from the perspective of an observer/poster) when you are quoted.

I don't believe I have said anything in quite some time to indicate I thought Xbox was going to rebound or remotely hint at a bright future

I have relayed messages here over the last couple of years what was coming

I applaud them for trying something different with their next round of "consoles" because they know they are dead in the water

I have had hopes Xbox would return to form simply because I know several people there, past and present but I don't remotely think they will ever be a force in the hardware business again

So to answer your question, no chance and sorry if its hard for some to follow along

 

[nowhat]

So to answer your question, no chance and sorry if its hard for some to follow along

Oh, unless it wasn't clear, I've never thought of you as someone to take sides one way or another (albeit, annoyingly, often holding information - GIVE US THE DEETS! - but I digress). But this concept seems to be lost on many people, so a quantum excuse could be appropriate.

...then again, maybe the collapse of the wave function would be lost on people struggling with the concept of non-fanboyism.

 

[ProtoByte]

Opinion Hype  Thread 'Jez Corden:never claimed to be a journalist. i call myself a blogger generally cus i was never trained in journalism, learning as i go.'

Jun 3, 2024

i am a blogger too
GAF, Apologize, please

• gokurho
• Replies: 69
• Forum: Gaming Discussion

• 
• 

You're telling me that Ryan McAffrey, Dustin Legare (who used to work for IGN) haven't been running interference for Microsoft? And what's really the difference between major "enthusiasts" and these old decrepit websites that all get acquired and shut down by IGN? You're telling me the shills at Kinda Funny aren't legitimate "games media"?

Not in defense of these enthusiasts, I'm just saying that Robertson is trying to draw a distinction without a difference.

Most of us have experience sudden job loss so I get that. But the pace in which they are happening now just doesn't make sense.

I know a few people who experienced multiple lay offs in the 1 year after the pandemic.

While a few people might view the big company's as a "dream job" I think that will change because talented people aren't going to waste time working for a company that could lay them off at any time just to make numbers look good for share holders.

Should it really be a shock though with how Xbox has been performing?

Between Xbox's performance and the pandemic, this was always going to be how it turned out.

You're asking how this is the case MatrixReloaded101 , don't forget: The game industry bloated itself on the cheap loans and record breaking injection of fake money into the global economy on the back of the pandemic response. These are the chickens coming home to roost. It's happening in a LOT of sectors. A disproportionate chunk of all that "job growth" over the last few years has actually stemmed from the US government.

And Heisenberg's right - at the end of the day, whether or not someone thinks of it as dream job, there are still so many people competing to work at Microsoft or the assortment of FANG and other major firms. As far as the jobs market goes, the current entrenched companies are too big to fail.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Oh, unless it wasn't clear, I've never thought of you as someone to take sides one way or another (albeit, annoyingly, often holding information - GIVE US THE DEETS! - but I digress). But this concept seems to be lost on many people, so a quantum excuse could be appropriate.

...then again, maybe the collapse of the wave function would be lost on people struggling with the concept of non-fanboyism.

Oh one minute I am an Xbot and the next I am a Pony

And my comment wasn't directed at you just for anyone especially that needle dicked Ethos

 

[Astray]

Tom Warren saying Turn 10 bracing for layoffs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/s/lz56l6Qnke

 

[Tg89]

That's what happens when a company with a terrible track record in the space buys up every studio.

Glad a bunch of people cheered in gamepass though.

Microsoft should have just bowed out of the space after X1.

 

[Topher]

Oh one minute I am an Xbot and the next I am a Pony

And my comment wasn't directed at you just for anyone especially that needle dicked Ethos

I wonder whose banned GAF account he is

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I wonder whose banned GAF account he is

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Tom Warren saying Turn 10 bracing for layoffs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/s/lz56l6Qnke

Motorsport flopped that badly?

Although at this point that means very little when we're discussing layoffs.

 

[Heisenberg007]

It hasn't been bright to me in a very long time

And this is coming from a known Xbot that shitposts

 

[Topher]

Plot twist.....

Spoiler

He's still here

 

[Astray]

Motorsport flopped that badly?

Although at this point that means very little when we're discussing layoffs.

Flopped and has far less of a chance to make it as big as FH5 did on PS5 because those gamers already have GT7 in this space.

It did get a good update lately so at least there's that. GHG is probably following that closer than I do given that he's into racing sims.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Tom Warren saying Turn 10 bracing for layoffs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/s/lz56l6Qnke

I mean that last Motorsport launched in such a bad place this really shouldn't shock anyone either

Plot twist.....

Spoiler

He's still here

Likely and hope he is reading this thread while prepping for entrance into Jr High

 

[Heisenberg007]

Motorsport flopped that badly?

Although at this point that means very little when we're discussing layoffs.

It didn't just flop. It bombed brutally.

In terms of awful sales (check the peak CCU) as well as reviews. An undeniable commercial and critical failure.

This is not a surprise to me at all.

I think Turn 10, Ninja Theory, Rare (Everwild team), and Compulsion Games are all on a very short leash.

I think Double Fine and Undead Labs, too, as well. And if Xbox is feeling a bit too daring, count The Initiative and Machine Games as well.

 

[Astray]

Seems like the UK studios are feeling anxious (Andy is based there and is ex-Playtonic which is mainly formed by ex-Rare devs).

 

[Heisenberg007]

Seems like the UK studios are feeling anxious (Andy is based there and is ex-Playtonic which is mainly formed by ex-Rare devs).

What UK studios does Xbox have now?

 

[NickFire]

I mean that last Motorsport launched in such a bad place this really shouldn't shock anyone either

Now that people are saying it flopped I vaguely remember that it came out rough. But honestly I assumed it was a success. Actual impressions are easy to forget in a sea of constant pre-release hype and promises, and endless post release praise of metrics we never heard of before 2022.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

I hope that it's mostly in marketing and distribution, particularly in Europe. Sounding like a lot of the cuts at least are non-game development staff in this round. But I do think that this round of layoffs may partially explain why the June Showcase seemed like such a bummer. I could just tell that the vibes were off, and there wasn't a lot excitement, even in the post-Showcase interviews. We already know the in-house Xbox hardware teams are mostly being replaced with outsourcing to third-party makers like ASUS. Console sales are dwindling in Europe, so the cuts there in Sales & Distribution should come as no surprise. But I worry about continued cuts to gaming. After all that time acquiring studios and building up their game development staff, to see all these cuts is just a huge bummer.

People do not do their best work when they worry their jobs might be gone in a month.

 

[Astray]

What UK studios does Xbox have now?

Rare, Playground, Ninja Theory, Sledgehammer too iirc.

Probably some more that I can't recall rn.

 

[Mr Moose]

What UK studios does Xbox have now?

Rare, Playground, Ninja Theory and I think there's another one.

 

[Astray]

Even the shills know something big is coming.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Now that people are saying it flopped I vaguely remember that it came out rough. But honestly I assumed it was a success. Actual impressions are easy to forget in a sea of constant pre-release hype and promises, and endless post release praise of metrics we never heard of before 2022.

It was so bad and broken and grindy to get anywhere when it launched and I love the Forza series so this one sucked for me

Xbox just keeps laying stinker after stinker

 

[Astray]

Even the shills know something big is coming.

Yepppppp

 

[AmuroChan]

I hate seeing studios bought up only to be liquidated. Why buy them to shut them down? Just spin them off....

Because the IPs are really what they are purchasing, not the people. People come and go. IPs are permanent assets.

 

[nowhat]

I hope that it's mostly in marketing and distribution, particularly in Europe.

Well, there's fuck all marketing in Europe this (or previous) gen, and consequentially, no need for distribution either, so that would be appropriate. Would those jobs account for 2000 people? Hell no.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

Have the layoffs been announced? I didn't see anything, other than people sharing Sarah Bond's Bluesky?

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Wonder if this is related… Is Sarah Bond being promoted or fired? Or was this just some Juneteenth thing?

This isn't X, this is Bluesky. But I think trying to read into social media posts about incoming layoffs that are supposed to be confidential... you're reaching. You're really reaching.

Also, firing her accomplishes nothing. She would just need to be replaced.

 

[Three]

You're telling me that Ryan McAffrey, Dustin Legare (who used to work for IGN) haven't been running interference for Microsoft? And what's really the difference between major "enthusiasts" and these old decrepit websites that all get acquired and shut down by IGN? You're telling me the shills at Kinda Funny aren't legitimate "games media"?

Not in defense of these enthusiasts, I'm just saying that Robertson is trying to draw a distinction without a difference.

I don't think he meant the likes of Ryan and Dustin who also aren't really journalists but more tv/youtube personalities. He meant the likes of Christian Wait and Jason Schreier with those examples.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

Because the IPs are really what they are purchasing, not the people. People come and go. IPs are permanent assets.

I agree. But what i don't understand, is MS is sitting on a ton of older unused IP. Why not sell or license it out? This is something i will never understand.

For example, sell Crash Bandicoot to Sony if they are interested. Sell Goldeneye and Banjo to Nintendo, if Nintnedo is interested and MS will not use them. Sell Quest for Glory and other older IP's from pc era, if they are not going to be used. At least MS would bring back money from unused IP.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

In other news, Nintendo has never been doing better and is in the opposite direction, needing to continue hiring to fill the ranks to work at their new development center in Kyoto, once that's finished in 2028.

But Xbox, though.... Yikes, Xbox. Yikes. Even worst case scenario, looking back to 2019, I wouldn't have imagined where we currently stand. Game Pass is clearly not the replacement for the overall business model.

I also think layoffs should start at the top, not from the bottom. But this is just so unfortunate, so sad.

Will the incubating Starcraft FPS at Blizzard ever be given the chance to get off the ground? Will a new Halo ever be good? Yikes.

 

[Hookshot]

Why sack them when you could have them make switch 2 ports and get some extra income out of your franchises?

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

It didn't just flop. It bombed brutally.

Game was effing DoA.

If anything, Turn10 are first on the chopping list, considering that nobody needs FM on PS5 with proven hits like GT7.

 

[Moridianae]

Game was effing DoA.

If anything, Turn10 are first on the chopping list, considering that nobody needs FM on PS5 with proven hits like GT7.

Kind of disagree here. Wasn't Forza a pretty big seller once it landed on PlayStation?

I used to have Xbox(up til 360), but I'll gladly play Gears of War again on PlayStation.

Yes, I know about Game Pass and agree it's a good value, but I dont mind purchasing the titles I would like to own.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Kind of disagree here. Wasn't Forza a pretty big seller once it landed on PlayStation?

I used to have Xbox(up til 360), but I'll gladly play Gears of War again on PlayStation.

Yes, I know about Game Pass and agree it's a good value, but I dont mind purchasing the titles I would like to own.

In it's current form Motorsport series is both redundant and a pale shadow of Gran Turismo, especially without any form of VR support.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

In other news, Nintendo has never been doing better and is in the opposite direction, needing to continue hiring to fill the ranks to work at their new development center in Kyoto, once that's finished in 2028.

But Xbox, though.... Yikes, Xbox. Yikes. Even worst case scenario, looking back to 2019, I wouldn't have imagined where we currently stand. Game Pass is clearly not the replacement for the overall business model.

I also think layoffs should start at the top, not from the bottom. But this is just so unfortunate, so sad.

Will the incubating Starcraft FPS at Blizzard ever be given the chance to get off the ground? Will a new Halo ever be good? Yikes.

Well, let's wait a few months before we say Nintendo is doing better than ever. We all knew Switch 2 would sell at launch. I think it will be successful long term, but we still need to know more about the remainder of 2025 and early 2026.

I understand Nintendo's need to be secretive but, the longer this goes, without any info, will become harming at some point.

 

[Astray]

Kind of disagree here. Wasn't Forza a pretty big seller once it landed on PlayStation?

I used to have Xbox(up til 360), but I'll gladly play Gears of War again on PlayStation.

Yes, I know about Game Pass and agree it's a good value, but I dont mind purchasing the titles I would like to own.

Forza Horizon has much weaker competition on PS vs Motorsport.

GT is the incumbent Sim racer on Playstation and has been for generations now, FM's real utility was to be Xbox's console exclusive answer to it, it otherwise faces a difficult time if placed on sale on PS.

 

[SamuraiEdge]

I could see Turn 10 going actually as one studio, they've not done great in ages.

 

[Jaybe]

This isn't X, this is Bluesky. But I think trying to read into social media posts about incoming layoffs that are supposed to be confidential... you're reaching. You're really reaching.

Also, firing her accomplishes nothing. She would just need to be replaced.

Where did I say it was X? I also said this may be her being promoted. She did the same type of post when she was make Xbox president.