As Jason Schreier foretold last week, Microsoft is undergoing yet another massive wave of unfortunate layoffs, this time affecting several core Call of Duty development studios. This year’s Call of Duty title, Black Ops 7, was just recently unveiled with a cinematic trailer capping off Xbox’s games showcase last month. The game both follows up last year’s 1990s-set Black Ops 6 while also serving as a sequel to 2012’s Black Ops 2. More info is expected to be released by the end of the summer.
Several high-profile Xbox studios are currently being hit with devastating layoffs, as was warned by industry insider Jason Schreier last week. Upwards of 9,000 jobs across all of Microsoft are expected to be cut, many of which have already affected Xbox’s gaming division. Sea of Thieves studio Rare and The Elder Scrolls Online studio ZeniMax Online have both been hit hard, with the long-silent Everwild and a new MMORPG canceled respectively. Forza Motorsport team Turn 10 has been effectively slashed in half, and Xbox’s newly-built The Initiative studio has been fully closed, with its troubled, yet promising Perfect Dark reboot, which was being co-developed by Crystal Dynamics, canceled.
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Report: Microsoft Begins Making Significant Layoffs
New reports indicate that Microsoft is going ahead with significant layoffs to its workforce, with many affecting its Xbox gaming division.
It’s been reported that Activision has been hit with layoffs as well. According to Insider Gaming, both Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games, two core Call of Duty development studios, have been affected by this round of Microsoft’s job cuts. Since the layoffs are actively unfolding, exact numbers are unknown. Raven has been collaborating with Treyarch Studios on this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, while Sledgehammer has been working on future Call of Duty titles.
Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games Reportedly Hit With Layoffs
With all the other Call of Duty support studios Activision has at play, Black Ops 7 is still very likely on track to release this year. While these layoffs are affecting all of Microsoft, it can be assumed that Xbox’s $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard may still be playing a significant role in these company-wide job cuts. If true, it’s both unfortunate and ironic that Activision itself is now facing layoffs at some of its most prominent Call of Duty studios, especially one like Raven that has a new game on the way in just a few months.
As this wave of Microsoft layoffs is still developing, there is sure to be more information to come, though hopefully the worst of it is over. With multiple game cancellations and a major studio closure, this could very well go down as the most devastating round of job cuts in Xbox’s 24-year history. Hopefully those affected will be able to find work soon.
- Brand
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Microsoft
- Original Release Date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- Operating System
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Proprietary (Windows-based)
- Processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- Resolution
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720p – 4K UHD