Bethesda Artist Shares Concerns Over Recent Mass Layoffs at Studio

A veteran of Bethesda Game Studios shared his perspective on the recent mass layoffs within the company. Alex Nguyen, a senior 3D artist at Bethesda, stated that before Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, layoffs were a rare occurrence.

Nguyen joined Bethesda several years before Microsoft acquired the studio's parent company and has seen significant changes in the atmosphere since then. He mentioned that while layoffs did occur in the past, they were not as frequent as they are now.

Nguyen cited the failed launches of Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online as examples where developers were given the opportunity to fix the issues under the former management. However, he noted that now such problems are often resolved through layoffs.

The recent mass layoffs at Bethesda Game Studios come after Microsoft announced in early July that it would be laying off 1,600 people from its entire gaming division by June 30, 2027.