In recent years, Bethesda Game Studios, along with other Microsoft gaming teams, have experienced several waves of mass layoffs. However, the atmosphere was much calmer in the past, claims the studio’s senior 3D artist, Alex Nguyen.

The Verge reviewed an internal Microsoft document. According to it, the corporation plans to port many old games to the PC.

Microsoft’s gaming division might reduce its presence on PCs. This was reported by journalist Jez Corden of Windows Central, citing sources close to the corporation.

The publication The Verge reviewed a letter from XBOX head Asha Sharma to the employees of Microsoft’s gaming division. In it, the top manager outlined the strategy for the near future.

The exact number of people it comprises now is undisclosed.

Microsoft has concluded its financial results for 2026, which ended on June 30. It reported an overall increase in corporate revenue, though its gaming division did not perform as well.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is positioned as the first fully-fledged remake of the legendary shooter. Today, we will analyze the game’s launch and the historical sales of previous installments, as well as discuss why Microsoft’s approach and the transformation of Halo Studios do not inspire optimism for the franchise’s future.

The company “M.Video” shared its observations on console sales in the Russian market for January-June 2026. We selected the main points from the report.

The production of the new Fable has turned out to be more expensive than Playground Games and Microsoft initially anticipated. This is reported by Windows Central journalist Jez Corden, citing his sources.

Recently, the founder of GSC Game World*, Sergey Grigorovich, made a bold statement — Microsoft fully funded the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl, providing even more money than needed. However, the studio itself refuted his claims.

American gamers continue to file lawsuits over the rise in console prices in 2025, caused by tariffs implemented by Donald Trump. In the spring, they filed lawsuits against Nintendo and Sony, and now they have reached Microsoft’s gaming division.

The production of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl broke even before its release, declared the founder of GSC Game World studio,* Sergey Grigorovich. This was made possible through a partnership with Microsoft.

In early May, the new head of XBOX, Asha Sharma, made some leadership changes in the gaming division and invited former colleagues from CoreAI to join the team. One of them was Jared Palmer. However, it turned out that he decided not to remain long in the position of Vice President of XBOX for Development.

Some game studios do manage to make a comeback from obscurity. It has been reported that the Canadian mobile group Alpha Dog Games, which ceased operations two years ago, is being revived.

It seems that Microsoft’s gaming division has significantly reduced its presence in Poland. This was reported by sources for Polish journalists Dawid Kosiński and Michał Pisarski.

The unions of communication workers in the United States and Canada are convinced that the recent layoffs in Microsoft’s gaming division were conducted with numerous violations. They have filed a complaint against the corporation with labor inspections in both countries.

As part of the restructuring at XBOX, the team at ZeniMax Online Studios lost about half of its employees. It has been reported that the list of affected personnel included several executives.

While many XBOX subsidiary studios are actively parting with employees, King continues to operate with the same team. This is reported by the portal MobileGamer, citing sources.

The gaming industry will face a significant decline in console shipments this year, according to analysts at S&P Global.