Xbox Lays Off Thousands in Devastating Restructuring

Xbox's recent restructuring has left its staff reeling, with 3,200 employees set to be laid off by the end of next year. The announcement was made on July 6 in an email from Asha Sharma, Xbox's CEO.

Staff at studios across North America were given two minutes' notice before being let go. The layoffs have been particularly devastating for those at Bethesda Game Studios and ZeniMax Online Studios, who are unionized and had expected some warning. 'We thought we were safe,' said Anne Barrett, a former employee of Bethesda Games Studios Austin. 'I mean, Bethesda Games Studios is Skyrim, it's Fallout. We have really highly anticipated stuff coming out.'

The lack of transparency in the layoffs has been particularly frustrating for staff. 'It didn't make any sense,' said Alex Nguyen, a union bargainer at Bethesda Games Studios Dallas. 'We lost two people who had been there for decades... They did everything that was asked, they were very passionate, they were great at their jobs.'

The impact of the layoffs is not just financial - staff are also struggling with feelings of grief and loss. 'I feel like I'm grieving,' said Morgan Goin, a former employee of ZeniMax Online Studios. 'We're doing depression symptoms... have you had enough food and water? Have you had enough sunlight?'

Microsoft has offered severance packages to affected staff, including up to 39 weeks of pay and six months of company-paid health insurance. However, the union is pushing for better terms and more support for laid-off employees.