Microsoft has revealed significant job cuts, affecting 1,900 positions within its gaming division, which includes Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax, totaling a workforce of approximately 22,000. The extensive layoffs are expected to have wide-reaching effects, the full scope of which may not be immediately apparent.
A previously undisclosed survival game from Blizzard Entertainment has been scrapped in a related development. This project, which had been under development for over six years and was hinted to be named “Odyssey,” aimed to offer a first-person gaming experience enriched with a fairy tale theme. Blizzard had initially acknowledged the game’s development in January 2022.
Matt Booty, who leads Microsoft’s game content and studio operations, indicated that while the team behind this canceled project will be redeployed to other early-stage initiatives at Blizzard, the job reductions will likely affect many involved in the game’s development.
Furthermore, amid these organizational changes, Mike Ybarra, the president of Blizzard Entertainment, has been confirmed to be leaving the company.
