All Xbox rumors, changes, and cancelled games in 2026 (so far)
News Source
β’Thu, 24 Sep 2026 19:30:19 GMT
π° What Happened
Xbox has had a hard year. On 22 September, chief content officer Matt Booty announced 268 more layoffs and said smaller studios would be folded into bigger ones such as Bethesda and Activision.
Microsoft's gaming boss, Asha Sharma, said in July that the company would cut 3,200 jobs by July 2027. About 1,900 have gone so far, leaving roughly 1,400 still to come.
World's Edge, the studio behind Age of Empires, lost nearly half its staff and had its next game cancelled under Activision. A former creative director there said his own job was among those cut.
π The Backstory
In February, Xbox head Phil Spencer left suddenly along with Sarah Bond. Sharma and Booty took over and cut Game Pass prices after unpopular rises. They also promised a new console, Project Helix.
They blamed weak revenue, higher hardware costs and too much growth during the pandemic. Several games shown at the June showcase were made by studios Xbox later let go.
Some studios, such as Compulsion and Double Fine, went independent. Ninja Theory may close. Activision will now make the next Halo game. The Halo team that remains will keep supporting the older games.
π― Why It Matters
Thousands of game developers are losing their jobs, and games people were waiting for may never come out. It shows how much the gaming industry has shrunk since the pandemic.
Xbox has had a hard year. On 22 September, chief content officer Matt Booty announced 268 more layoffs and said smaller studios would be folded into bigger ones such as Bethesda and Activision.
Microsoft's gaming boss, Asha Sharma, said in July that the company would cut 3,200 jobs by July 2027. About 1,900 have gone so far, leaving roughly 1,400 still to come.
World's Edge, the studio behind Age of Empires, lost nearly half its staff and had its next game cancelled under Activision. A former creative director there said his own job was among those cut.
In February, Xbox head Phil Spencer left suddenly along with Sarah Bond. Sharma and Booty took over and cut Game Pass prices after unpopular rises. They also promised a new console, Project Helix.
They blamed weak revenue, higher hardware costs and too much growth during the pandemic. Several games shown at the June showcase were made by studios Xbox later let go.
Some studios, such as Compulsion and Double Fine, went independent. Ninja Theory may close. Activision will now make the next Halo game. The Halo team that remains will keep supporting the older games.
Thousands of game developers are losing their jobs, and games people were waiting for may never come out. It shows how much the gaming industry has shrunk since the pandemic.