The gaming division of Microsoft is in the midst of perhaps the largest restructuring phase that has so far only been met with dismay by the gaming community. Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, dropped the bombshell: certain areas of the company will be gutted by Xbox to ‘position Gaming for enduring success.’ Layoffs and restructuring mean hot-headed rebuffs are already coming from the gaming community.
Spencer, in a memo shared by insider Geoffrey Keighley, said not very far removed from the Microsoft corporate playbook: “cutting down layers of management to increase agility & effectiveness.” Now, the gamers aren’t buying that corporatese. Answers came back criticizing Xbox for abandoning the hardcore nature of its consoles, with one around-the-square person plainly stating, “Xbox is toast. Has been for some time.” Well, slap!
The backlash was instantaneous. More and more pieced started insinuating Microsoft was only about money, with one member simmering sarcastically: “Ah yes, a multi-trillion-dollar company laying off employees to ‘ensure lasting success.’ What a joke.” Others whined that the identity crisis had succeeded for years at Xbox. A longtime fan was finally bemoaning: “Xbox & Xbox 360 were peak. It’s a shame what they’ve turned the brand into.”
But the crux of the argument is this: Growing sentiment and suspicion that Xbox consoles might be on the way out. Another return chimed in: “If you want hardcore gaming, get a PC. If you want casual but high-quality, get a PS5. Xbox consoles aren’t needed anymore.” And honestly? That is a pretty solid argument, especially with how many Xbox exclusives are now also on PC and even PlayStation.
Then comes the backlash from Game Pass. A few joked it had become a detriment to Microsoft, with one sarcastically commenting: “You don’t buy games anymore, just wait for them to hit Game Pass. So no more AAA games for you.” Oof.
The usual console wars followed behind. Sony fans couldn’t resist making a nick: “When Sony has layoffs, you stay quiet. Why?” Meanwhile, PC gamers just sat back smugly, one recording “PC + PS5 = unstoppable combo.” Fair enough.
Downgraded to memes and fan debate becomes downright frustrating. Layoffs are a terrible kind of thing to go through, one from the gamer would never see any good coming out of it. One reply calling out Spencer said: “Bombing people’s careers to feed your profit margins isn’t going to save Xbox.” Another calls out the irony: “Removing layers of management… but laying off artists?” Yikes.
So what should be next for Xbox? If they go by forums, there isn’t anyone left who really believes anymore. With Game Pass rising to the top and little in terms of crushing exclusives, the cuts have left Xbox at a fork in the road, with some believing Microsoft will either go for just dropping consoles, while others want them just to stop making decisions their own words describe as “like an AI wrote the most generic corporate statement possible.”
But one thing is for sure: This ain’t your Xbox 360 anymore. Good or bad, the replies have spoken.
Well, at least Stalker 2 is still coming to Series X: small victories.
