Xbox Restructures Again as Activision Takes Over Halo and Rare in Major Industry Shakeup
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Xbox is cutting 268 jobs and executing a massive internal reorganization, handing Halo and Rare to Activision and merging several key studios.
Xbox has announced another painful round of structural changes, cutting 268 positions across first party teams and management layers while drastically rearranging its studio landscape. As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, this follows a previous wave of summer reductions and studio sales, bringing the total corporate restructuring to roughly three quarters completion. The latest moves reflect a push to centralize operations and streamline publishing expertise around fewer business units.
The organizational changes result in major shifts for several iconic franchises and developers. Activision is taking custody of the Halo series alongside Age of Empires developer World's Edge and Sea of Thieves creator Rare, with a dedicated team assigned to future Halo projects while existing staff maintain live games. Meanwhile, Obsidian Entertainment has been officially aligned under Bethesda, Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios are merging to handle the Forza and Fable franchises, and King is absorbing Microsoft Casual Games.
Uncertainty still looms over several other beloved studios following the fallout from earlier cuts. Ninja Theory is currently consulting on a potential closure after potential acquisition deals fell through, while the future of Arkane remains undetermined as consultations continue. On the brighter side, Undead Labs secured a new publishing home for State of Decay 3, avoiding the worst-case scenario that has unfortunately claimed so many developer livelihoods across this ongoing industry contraction.
Our thoughts go out to all the developers, creators, and support staff affected by these ongoing cuts. These repeated corporate upheavals continue to impact the people who actually build the games we play, reminding us of the human cost behind corporate consolidation on this scale.
Tags: Xbox, Activision, Industry News, Game Development, Studio Closures
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun