Every Game Canceled This Past Week (June 30-July 4)

The industry was recently hit with extensive layoffs by Microsoft, marking an unfortunate end to a variety of highly anticipated titles that have been years in the making. According to the reports, Microsoft cut 4% of its workforce with these layoffs. The gaming industry is no stranger to these kinds of cuts, but no matter how prevalent they become, it’s always disheartening to hear, especially when these layoffs bring forth entire shut-downs of studios.

Under the Microsoft corporate umbrella, there are a variety of smaller studios that have been working on projects, and now several of those will not get to see the finish line. It’s estimated that Microsoft’s recent round of layoffs will affect nearly 9,000 employees. Not all of these departments are video game-related, but there are a significant number of studios and games that are part of this round of cuts.

Related

Xbox Producer Criticized For AI Comments After Mass Layoffs

A producer at Xbox Game Studios is criticized for comments that recommended AI tools to workers affected by recent layoffs across the gaming industry.

Every Video Game That Has Been Canceled Within the Past Week (June 30 – July 4)

Microsoft’s Biggest Cancellations Have Been in Development for Years

• Perfect Dark remake by The Initiative
• Rare’s Everwild
• ZeniMax’s secret MMORPG

One of the biggest surprises to come from the list of announced cancellations is the Perfect Dark remake by developer The Initiative. Not only was the game itself canceled, but The Initiative was shut down, as well. First announced with a teaser trailer at the 2020 Game Awards, the Perfect Dark remake has remained a game that many have been looking forward to. Rare’s Everwild has also been in development for several years. This title was announced back in 2019, but it’s believed that development has gone on for almost a decade.

Gregg Mayles, the director of Banjo-Kazooie and longtime Rare developer, is also reportedly stepping away from the company after the announcement of Everwild‘s cancellation. Another game that has found itself in a long development cycle is ZeniMax’s mysterious MMORPG project, codenamed “Blackbird.” According to a report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, “Blackbird” has been in development since 2018. There isn’t much known about the project, but it was reportedly a sci-fi title. After ZeniMax Online Studios’ success with The Elder Scrolls Online, it would have been fascinating to see how the developer handled a sci-fi world.

Romero Games and Techland Both Face Funding Cuts and Cancellations

It has yet to be confirmed if either of these cancellations are tied to the Microsoft layoffs, but the timing of Romero Games’ announcement has led many to speculate that could be the case. According to co-founder Brenda Romero, the publisher of Romero Games’ next project has cut all funding. However, it’s important to note that Romero did not explicitly state the name of the publisher, so it has yet to be determined if Microsoft was the company funding the project.

Dying Light developer Techland has also announced the cancellation of two unnamed projects. The nature of these projects has not been revealed, but with the developer’s next project being Dying Light: The Beast, it makes one wonder if it could have been another spin-off of the franchise or a brand-new IP.

Additionally, Blizzard’s Warcraft Rumble will no longer get extensive support. Bug fixes and small patches will continue to be added to the game, but this marks the end of new content. It currently remains to be seen if any other in-development games are set to be canceled.

Date Founded

April 4, 1975

Headquarters

Redmond, Washington, United States

CEO

Satya Nadella

Subsidiaries

activision blizzard, Microsoft Studios, Mojang Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox Game Studios