Xbox players are taking a stand against Microsoft’s layoffs in a place where their voices may be heard the loudest: an official fan feedback website.
As spotted by Kotaku, Witt Yao, a fan of Xbox, took to the Xbox Player Voice forum to pose a general request. The poster asked that Microsoft end the cycle of layoffs and studio closures, as it’s creating an abundance of pain and friction with both fans and developers alike.
“The layoff of 3,200 workers at Xbox (across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, Obsidian, id Software, and Xbox Game Studios) is unacceptable,” said Yao. “This continues a pattern that has led to 10,000+ layoffs at Xbox in as little as two years. Multiple studios have been closed or had their futures jeopardized (Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios) and numerous games have been cancelled. The developers and players agree that this cannot continue.”
Yao called for Microsoft to stop announcing games they don’t intend to release themselves, as we saw with State of Decay 3 and Senua in June. Additionally, Yao doesn’t want to see Microsoft executives get bonuses after layoffs and asked that Microsoft slow down its pursuit of profit growth so that developers can have a chance to make games without studios being shut down.
The post has become a trending topic on the forum and prompted other users to support it. With over 3,000 votes, many are expressing their frustrations with Xbox’s decision making.
“Making fewer games and focusing on sequels and existing IP is a slow death,” said one user. “Growth means taking risks and letting creative people try new ideas.”
Another user honed in on the lack of accountability from Xbox leadership: “I especially agree that layoffs are a failure of leadership. These are talented developers. If you cannot figure out how to make money with their skill, the failure is with the leadership.”
Although this is a place where fans are supposed to be heard, it’s on Microsoft to actually take action. These calls echo many other industry-wide frustrations; Microsoft laid off thousands of people last week and is planning for more layoffs over the next 12 months, also offloading first-party studios like Double Fine, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory, all of which were acquried within the last ten years.
Microsoft’s long term future in gaming remains extremely unclear, but hopefully it can get things back on track and keep Xbox alive.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
