A few hours ago, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer sent a company-wide email to all full-time employees in Microsoft’s gaming division.Email copy shared Kotaku Its authenticity has been confirmed by a current Xbox employee. The full text is below.
It’s been a difficult week across Microsoft and here within the team. A lot of his one-on-one and team conversations have taken place, so I’d like to take a moment to reiterate the message I heard from the leader.
This is a challenging moment for our business and this week’s action was a tough choice. The Gaming Leadership Team has had to make decisions necessary for the long-term success of our product and business, and the individual consequences of those decisions are real. I know it hurts Thank you for supporting your colleagues in handling these changes.
Over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect and answer questions, including next week’s monthly game update for teams attending meetings. We are in close contact with the ZeniMax team to provide support. GLT and I strive to be as transparent as possible. Moving forward in ambiguity is difficult, but I am confident that together we will get through this difficult moment.
Xbox has a long history of success thanks to our dedication to our players, creators, and each other. Your work is deeply appreciated and appreciated in this time of change and is vital to our business momentum. I am confident in our future and look forward to being part of this team. We are proud of you, but we also recognize that this is a difficult time and would like to thank you for all you have done here.
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January 18th, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees across the company. These layoffs included game studios such as 343 Industries, The Coalition, ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Game Studios. Xbox has Last year, it struggled to release its own titlesand is under tremendous pressure to ship flashy blockbuster titles like star fieldSome of those who lost their jobs senior talentand occurred a year after the publisher scraped the pennies Acquires Activision Blizzard for $70 billion. Kotaku We have reached out to Microsoft for a statement, but have not received a response by the time of publication.
A current Xbox employee wrote in a text message: Kotaku“I can’t believe the monthly game updates and other meetings are doing anything to make anyone feel better.”
Tech Union CODE-CWA make a statement On January 19th, a representative said they were in contact with Microsoft. The company “recognizes its obligation to negotiate proposed layoffs of his CWA members at ZeniMax.” The ZeniMax union intends to negotiate “alternatives to layoffs.”