Microsoft Layoffs Hit World’s Edge, With Just Under Half the Studio Let Go
World's Edge creative director Adam Isgreen said he and many teammates were affected as the studio moved under Activision Blizzard, ending his 16-year Microsoft run.
Microsoft’s layoffs reached World’s Edge on September 22, 2026, and creative director Adam Isgreen was among the employees affected. The cuts removed just under half of the Age of Empires studio’s staff.
In a LinkedIn post, Isgreen said he was disappointed by how his time with World’s Edge and Age of Empires ended. He added that he and many of his teammates had “some great plans for what’s next” and hoped the employees who remain could carry that work forward.
Isgreen also said on ResetEra that “just under half the studio was let go.” His statement did not provide a headcount or identify which teams and projects were affected.
Just under half of World's Edge (Age of Empires) was laid off by Microsoft today
byu/honeybadgerism inGamingLeaksAndRumours
World’s Edge was among the Xbox studios and franchises moved under the Activision Blizzard organization. The transition came during Xbox’s wider reset, which included 268 additional job eliminations and a stated plan to cut 3,200 positions during the fiscal year. Isgreen connected the World’s Edge layoffs to that organizational change, but the supplied statements did not connect them to a specific future project.
The timing also overlapped with the scheduled September 22 launch of The Viking Sagas for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. The expansion adds three campaigns and three civilizations, as detailed in the campaign preview.
Adam Isgreen’s long RTS career
Isgreen began his strategy-game career at Westwood Studios, where he worked on the first Command & Conquer: Red Alert and remained from 1995 through 2003. He later worked on Star Wars: Empire at War at Petroglyph before joining Microsoft in 2010.
At Xbox, Isgreen served as creative director on projects including Killer Instinct, Crimson Dragon, D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, and ReCore. He eventually helped lead Microsoft’s Age of Empires revival, working on several remasters and serving as creative director for 2021’s Age of Empires IV.
Isgreen has not announced his next role. He mentioned the possibility of returning to games, pursuing another kind of work, or making pinball machines, which he described as a format combining design, art, and engineering.
What would you want Microsoft to clarify about World’s Edge and the future of Age of Empires? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
