// THE VERGE — MOBILE & WEB
Xbox is barely Xbox anymore
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The latest changes at Microsoft’s gaming division signal a further retreat from the Xbox brand.
The latest changes at Microsoft’s gaming division signal a further retreat from the Xbox brand.
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Xbox has become a shell of its former self — and things are only getting worse. As part of its planned cuts impacting around 3,200 workers, the company announced today more changes that will further dilute the brand. Studios are being consolidated, others are on the brink of being closed altogether, and Xbox’s most iconic franchise, Halo, is being moved to a new developer. The future of Xbox looks more uncertain than ever.
Today’s news includes “eliminating 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the [Xbox Game Studios] management and central functions layer.” But there is also plenty of reorganization happening, particularly when it comes to Xbox subsidiary Activision Blizzard. Development of Halo is moving over to Activision, helmed by “a new, purpose-built team” that is separate from the Call of Duty teams. Halo Studios will continue to exist, for now, primarily as a support studio. Meanwhile, Sea of Thieves developer Rare and Age of Empires studio World’s Edge are both moving under the Activision umbrella.
Similarly, Obsidian is being moved out from Xbox Game Studios and under Bethesda Game Studios, where it will refocus on the Fallout franchise, and all of Microsoft’s casual games, like Minesweeper and Solitaire, are moving under Candy Crush developer King. Meanwhile Playground and Turn 10, the studios responsible for Fable and Forza, are merging into one.