Microsoft's gaming ambitions still go way beyond living room hardware
Chris Munson was a 15-year veteran of Microsoft
Xbox owns a lot of studios across the globe; here's which ones are still active and which are not as of July 2026
One-eighth of the earth's population isn't so many, right?
The decline comes after a very unpopular price hike in 2025
A storied studio's future is more uncertain than ever
You do not need to carry water for Xbox, PlayStation, or Taylor Swift
However, its community manager has said those remaining want to 'reaffirm our commitment' to the game
Though some of Xbox's most beloved studios are remaining open, the extreme layoffs spell even worse times ahead for the industry
A number of Xbox studios are leaving as part of a larger shake-up under new boss Asha Sharma
Double Fine and Compulsion Games will become independent studios, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will join new ownership, and Arkane Lyon is in 'consultation'
Read the room
Games drive everything, and building them is hard and takes time
The feature could be a big deal for backward compatibility when Project Helix arrives
The project remains mysterious but still backed by Microsoft
Xbox reportedly wants to sell off the studio and cancel the project
'We just want to know that they're like making a real effort to keep our jobs and to acknowledge that we are people with hopes and dreams and kids and mortgages'
Project Fantasy is a new IP the Hitman studio was working on
Xbox's brutal reorganization impacts more than just its own house
The messaging mess is in full swing
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