Microsoft cuts 1,900 employees: layoffs will affect Xbox, Activision Blizzard and Bethesda

Microsoft has announced massive layoffs in its divisions: the company plans to cut employees at Xbox, Activision Blizzard and Bethesda. A total of 1,900 people will be laid off — that’s 8% of the corporation’s total workforce.

Microsoft itself associates the upcoming reduction with business optimization: first of all, employees with identical positions in all structures will be fired. The cuts affected many studios, including Treyarch, Infinity Ward and Raven. The department responsible for the retail sales has also been completely cut down — it is likely that there will be no more new physical releases from Microsoft studios.

In addition, it became known that the head of Blizzard, Mike Ibarra, will leave the company after 25 years of work. Blizzard itself will cancel the survival action codenamed Odyssey, which the company has been working on for more than six years. Employees who worked on the game will be transferred to other projects.