Obsidian Joins Bethesda As Part Of Xbox Layoffs

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Xbox has announced the next phase of its ongoing "reset", resulting in another wave of layoffs and a proposed studio closure. However, this time, the move will also include mergers and other forms of restructuring. One of the most shocking moves will see Obsidian work under Bethesda, with the only named projects it's working on being Grounded 2 and its own Fallout game. Similarly, Activison will now run Rare, and take over the Halo series. This was just revealed publicly in a statement from Xbox's Matt Booty. Here, he reveals that there will be 268 job cuts, which will bring us to three quarters of the planned cuts as part of this "reset". Halo Studios appears to have been hit worst of all, and isn't even running the Halo series anymore. Those duties are going over to Activision, which will be developing the next Halo game. Halo Studios, on the other hand, will be "supporting the Halo community and games in-market". On top of this, Activision will be taking over Rare, as well as Age of Empires developer, World’s Edge. The statement continues: "Bethesda will expand its remit to include Obsidian, which will continue its current projects, including Grounded, as well as the new Fallout project made in collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios." While currently unconfirmed, that wording would suggest that Xbox has no interest in Obsidian's own IPs, as there is no mention of future Avowed and The Outer Worlds content here. Lastly, two deals between Xbox and Ninja Theory have fallen through. As a result of this, there will now be a consultation on a proposed closure. Xbox says it will be "continuing to explore other paths forward", but this update certainly doesn't sound promising. "Today, our focus should be on supporting those affected and treating one another with care and respect," Booty concludes. "I will spend time with our studios over the next week. At our October 6 town hall, we will come together as an ALL-XBOX team to reflect on our progress and look ahead to one of the strongest game lineups in our history." This comes shortly after Xbox had bagged itself some goodwill by revealing its partnership with Kojima Productions, saving the game Physint. The disc-to-digital scheme had also been a hit, right at a time when Sony faced pressure for scrapping physical releases. Date Founded April 4, 1975 CEO Satya Nadella Subsidiaries activision blizzard, Microsoft Studios, Mojang Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox Game Studios Consoles Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox One X, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series X|S Services Xbox Game Pass Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States