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Xbox cuts 268 roles and shifts Halo development to Activision

Xbox says the reductions span Halo Studios, other first-party teams and central functions as its wider restructuring continues.

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TLDR

Xbox says it is eliminating 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and its management and central-functions layer. The company says actions since July, including studio divestitures, put it roughly three-quarters of the way through a previously announced restructuring. The same update moves development of the next Halo title to a dedicated Activision team while a smaller Halo Studios team supports existing games and the community. The announcement explains the company’s plan; it does not specify which jobs or teams are affected.

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Xbox says it is eliminating 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the Xbox Game Studios management and central-functions layer as part of a broader restructuring.

The company made the announcement in a message published on Xbox Wire. It says actions taken since July, including studio divestitures, put the organization roughly three-quarters of the way through its previously announced restructuring. Xbox did not provide a studio-by-studio breakdown of the cuts.

Halo moves to an Activision team

The changes are not limited to headcount. Xbox says Activision will develop the next Halo title through a purpose-built team separate from its Call of Duty work. A smaller Halo Studios team will continue supporting the Halo community and games already on the market.

Xbox also said Bethesda will take on oversight of Obsidian, while Playground and Turn 10 will combine into one studio focused on Forza and Fable. King is set to add Microsoft Casual Games to its remit. Those changes are presented as an effort to operate fewer business units and align groups that already work closely together.

What remains unsettled

The company says Compulsion and Double Fine returned to management in August with their intellectual property, back catalogs and funding runway, and that Undead Labs has made a similar transition. It says consultation on a proposed Ninja Theory closure will begin after two agreements fell through, while consultation concerning Arkane is ongoing.

For employees, the immediate news is another round of job losses. For players, the longer-term effect will depend on how the reorganized teams execute: Xbox has announced new reporting lines and franchise assignments, but not release timelines or the detailed staffing picture behind them.

Source: Xbox Wire.

TLDR

Halo moves to an Activision team

What remains unsettled

Xbox cuts 268 roles and shifts Halo development to Activision

TLDR

Halo moves to an Activision team

What remains unsettled

Xbox cuts 268 roles and shifts Halo development to Activision

4 Sources

Combined views

Halo moves to an Activision team

What remains unsettled

Combined views

Sentiment

Summary

TLDR

Halo moves to an Activision team

What remains unsettled

Sentiment

Summary

Sentiment

Summary

4 Sources