Microsoft's current round of layoffs at Xbox continues to leave gaps in its own studios. According to several consistent insider reports, this time it has hit World’s Edge particularly hard – the team currently responsible for the Age of Empires series. In addition to staff reductions, an already in-development game by the studio is also said to have been completely scrapped.
How Hard Did the Age of Empires Studio World’s Edge Get Hit?
World’s Edge was initially not publicly named in Xbox head Matt Booty's official announcement regarding the ongoing “reset.” However, it only became clear through insiders that the studio was massively impacted: Former employees, including former Creative Director Adam Isgreen, publicly commented on their job losses. Additionally, there are reports that not only were positions cut, but an entire, already ongoing project by the studio was scrapped – a severe setback for a team that recently provided one of the most reliable strategy game portfolios in the Xbox lineup with Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires 4, and numerous expansions.
Why Is Xbox Laying Off Staff on Such a Large Scale Right Now?
World’s Edge is by no means the only studio affected in recent days. The current Xbox “reset” has simultaneously hit, among others, the team at The Coalition (Gears of War) and the development of The Elder Scrolls Online. Internally, Microsoft justifies the renewed job cuts with a strategic realignment of its entire gaming business, aiming to prioritize projects and teams more strongly – while this sounds sober economically, for the affected developers it simply means losing their jobs, often just weeks or months before a release or in the middle of an ongoing production.
You can read more about the background and other affected teams in our report on how Microsoft's CEO commented on the Xbox restructuring, as well as in our article on the impact on The Elder Scrolls Online team.
What Does the Project's Cancellation Mean for the Future of Age of Empires?
Editorial Note: Even if Xbox has not officially questioned the ongoing Age of Empires day-to-day business (patches, balancing, live-ops for the Definitive Editions) as of now, a canceled project at an already downsized studio is a real warning sign. Strategy game fans know the pattern: Other niche genres on Xbox – such as simulations or classic RTS titles – have also noticeably received fewer new full-price projects in recent years, even though their existing communities remain loyal. For players, this specifically means: In the short term, support for current Age of Empires titles will probably not change, but in the medium term, it remains unclear what new projects, if any, will still come from the shrunk World’s Edge team.
Source: PC Gamer
What do you think – are the wrong studios being hit, or is the restructuring at Xbox simply overdue? Discuss with us in the comments.
Comments (0)
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.