Microsoft Has Continued To “Organise” A Further 650 People Right Out Of Their Jobs

Microsoft has continued its run of cutting jobs, this time laying off 650 staff across Microsoft Gaming.

In the never-ending wake of the Activision Blizzard King acquisition, Microsoft has eliminated 650 positions from various parts of its gaming divisions, primarily in the corporate and support functions. IGN obtained an internal memo sent to employees in which Xbox Chief Phil Spencer outlines the decision, clarifying that “no games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today.”

The statement reads: “For the past year, our goal has been to minimize disruption while welcoming new teams and enabling them to do their best work. As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming — mostly corporate and supporting functions — to organize our business for long-term success.”

In January of this year, Microsoft laid off nearly 8 per cent of its gaming workforce, totalling roughly 1,900 jobs lost across various teams. Combined with today’s cuts, this brings the combined terminations to a staggering 2,550 human beings displaced from work. It’s worth noting that this figure doesn’t include the closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and Alpha Dog Studios in May.

Spencer’s memo details the separation benefits affording to the affected workers, stating, “In the U.S., we’re supporting them with exit packages that include severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services to help with their transition; outside the U.S., packages will differ according to location.”

Cuts like these are expected with corporate consolidation. Still, the constant deluge of layoffs, which don’t appear to be slowing down, must create an incredible sense of unease for those working under the Xbox umbrella. There is one line from Phil’s memo/statement that stood out to me: “Throughout our team’s history, we have had great moments, and we have had challenging ones. Today is one of the challenging days. I know that going through more changes like this is hard, but even in the most trying times, this team has been able to come together and show one another care and kindness as we work to continue delivering for our players.”

It’s a fairly innocuous rallying cry to the Xbox “family” that would either be reeling from a devastating meeting with HR or wondering if they might be next to be called into such a chat, but the phrasing of this team is what rubs me the wrong way. It’s coming up on a full calendar year since the acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, yet teething issues and consolidation are still causing the loss of thousands of jobs across this conglomerate. Sure, everyone’s paycheck can now be followed back to Microsoft, but the purchase of one huge company by another doesn’t instil the values of a team, particularly when that team is bleeding jobs after almost 365 days.

No call to action or question to answer for this. Have a great afternoon.