Ahead of Xbox Studio 'Bloodbath', Report Lays Out Why the Company is Struggling So Bad - IGN

A new report suggests Xbox layoffs will likely result in a "bloodbath" of job losses and studio closures, leaving developers "punished" simply for following Microsoft's orders. Word of Xbox staff redundancies and development studio shutdowns is now rife, following an ominous warning from newly-installed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma that the console maker's slim profit margin was no longer sustainable. While it has been reported that Xbox studios such as South of Midnight maker Compulsion Games, Kiln and Keeper developer Double Fine, and Hellblade helmer Ninja Theory are just some of the teams now facing shutdown, the exact details remain unclear and unfinalized. Microsoft is believed to be timing the layoffs with the end of its financial year on June 30, with talks ongoing among studio bosses over which companies could be sold off, spun out and kept open independently — even if this still results in numerous job losses. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment but has yet to receive a response.