id Software Employee Criticizes Xbox Leadership
In September, Xbox continued its previously announced large-scale business restructuring, which aims to reduce the number of divisions and reallocate responsibilities among the remaining studios. The latest wave saw 268 employees laid off, and Rare and World’s Edge moved under Activision's management. Obsidian, in turn, was transferred to Bethesda. Additionally, Playground Games and Turn 10 are to merge for collaborative work on Forza and Fable, and the next Halo game is now being developed by a team led by Activision.
Microsoft itself claims that the reorganization is not yet complete. According to Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, the changes made since July represent approximately three-quarters of the previously announced restructuring plan. Thus, Xbox employees are likely to face new changes in the near future.
Amidst these developments, Aftermath spoke with a current id Software employee who agreed to speak only anonymously. According to him, management is indeed trying to communicate more with the studios, but these communications do not give employees a sense of certainty.
It's still very chaotic. While attempts are being made to communicate with the studios, it's still entirely corporate nonsense. I still don't believe they have a clear vision for the future.
According to him, the most concrete message from management remains the need to increase profits, and to do so as quickly as possible. The employee claims that teams are being set aggressive financial targets, which, in his opinion, would have been difficult to achieve even before the mass layoffs began.
He also spoke about the morale within the company. According to the Aftermath source, employees have repeatedly thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, but subsequent management decisions continued to negatively affect the teams' mood. However, these assessments belong solely to the anonymous employee and do not represent Microsoft's official position.
Similar sentiments were previously described by Insider Gaming sources. One of them stated that during the restructuring, employees try to “tread carefully” because they do not understand what factors determine who will keep their jobs. According to the source, tenure at the company and projects already completed do not necessarily protect employees from layoffs.
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