Microsoft's 10,000 employee layoffs include Bethesda and 343 Industries devs

Published , by Donovan Erskine

Earlier this week, rumors began to swirl that Microsoft would soon be laying off thousands of workers. Unfortunately, this proved to be true, as one of the world’s largest companies has cut approximately 10,000 jobs, including several at first-party Xbox studios.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the huge round of layoffs in a blog post earlier today. Some of the impacted workers have already been notified, with more to roll out in the near future.

This represents less than 5 percent of our total employee base, with some notifications happening today. It’s important to note that while we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas. We know this is a challenging time for each person impacted. The senior leadership team and I are committed that as we go through this process, we will do so in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible.


Source: 343 Industries

The outlet also reported that in an internal email, 343 Industries head Pierre Hintze said that Microsoft had eliminated some roles at the company, but the studio is planning to continue supporting Halo Infinite’s multiplayer for the foreseeable future.

We reported yesterday on the initial rumors from Sky News that Microsoft would be laying off thousands of employees. This unfortunate news comes exactly one year after Microsoft first announced that it would be acquiring Activision Blizzard, a deal that’s still yet to officially close. As the situation at Microsoft continues to evolve, Shacknews will provide any necessary updates.