Other important qualifications for the position are extensive knowledge and experience with a host of different tools, including 3D software Maya, and programming languages like Python, C++ and C#. Along with this, the role also requires experience with building and maintaining rigs, as well as the know-how to make use of rigging tools and rigging pipelines which can then be used to animate the 3D models created for the project.

Sledgehammer Games also gives a rundown of some of the projects it has worked for in the past, such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, WW2, and most recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. In the listing, the studio implies that the project will once more be in the Call of Duty franchise by mentioning that “we continue to shape the future of first-person shooters” thanks to its focus on “creating high-quality multiplayer experiences and captivating single-player campaigns.”

“We are looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our studio team in Toronto, Canada. In this role you will partner closely with our teams at our other studio locations in the United States and Australia in the creation of epic content for some of the biggest games in the world,” wrote the studio.

Activision had confirmed back in June that it was still committed to bring the Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo’s console. The statement, having come shortly after the official unveiling of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, also noted that both Activision and Nintendo we working on making a Call of Duty game on Nintendo’s platforms happen.

“We’re committed to getting the franchise on Switch,” said Activision in its statement. “Both teams are working on it. Will share details when ready.”

While Nintendo has amassed a large player base on its consoles since the release of the Switch, Activision hasn’t really made any efforts to bring Call of Duty games to it. In fact, the last Call of Duty game released on a Nintendo platform was Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Wii U. Neither Advanced Warfare nor Black Ops 3 would come to the console at the time, and the franchise has largely skipped Nintendo’s subsequent consoles as their release platforms since.

However, more recent efforts are likely being made due to an agreement signed by Microsoft with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the latter’s consoles. This agreement was signed as part of Microsoft’s efforts to not be caught up in anti-trust issues during its at-the-time pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

After cutting three percent of its workforce worldwide in May this year, a new wave of layoffs has hit the company. The Seattle Times reported roughly 9,100 employees affected across all of Microsoft, with the overall impact on its Gaming Division unknown. Bloomberg did note that King, based in Stockholm, and ZeniMax Media’s European offices were affected (with the former losing about 200 employees). However, at the time, the full scale of the cuts was unknown in the United States.

As time passed, it became clear that this wasn’t just a series of layoffs but an all-out bloodbath. Everwild, Perfect Dark and ZeniMax Online Studios’ next MMO, codenamed Blackbird, have reportedly been cancelled. The Initiative has been closed. Rare will allegedly undergo restructuring and see layoffs. Undead Labs, currently working on State of Decay 3, has reportedly faced layoffs (though how extensive is unknown). Turn 10 Studios saw over 70 layoffs, according to The Verge, effectively reducing its staff by almost 50 percent (which is apparently enough to keep Forza Motorsport going).

At the time of writing, it’s unknown whether ZeniMax Online Studios will see layoffs because the overall handling of the process has been, to put it simply, embarrassing. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier noted that staff who worked on Blackbird were locked out of their Slack accounts without any warning from HR. Leadership and HR have also yet to confirm their job statuses, though they can still use their official work emails and Microsoft Teams (and no, I won’t make the joke).

The way it’s been handled is unequivocally horrendous, but it’s not just in the United States. King’s London and Berlin offices, alongside their remote workers, have also allegedly been hit, according to MobileGamer.biz. Though they noted how it wasn’t very surprising, the process has still “been handled very poorly.”

Back in the US, not even those working on the Call of Duty franchise are safe. Insider Gaming reported layoffs to Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software, with the actual number yet to be known. And yes, Raven is working on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 alongside Treyarch. High Moon Studios, which serves as a support studio on Call of Duty: Warzone, has also seen layoffs. Halo Studios is also reportedly seeing layoffs – one alleged employee worked on Halo Infinite for the past four years to turn around, quote, “that burning dumpster of a live service.” There aren’t any reports about South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games, but one former employee recently posted on LinkedIn about seeking a new role, having worked at the studio since June 2024.

You’re probably wondering at this point, “Is that all?” Well, no. According to The Verge, the Xbox user research team has also been “hit hard.” For those unaware, it’s a team that “focuses on ensuring quality across Xbox games, the platform, and developer tools.” Windows Central reports that QA in Activision and Blizzard have also been affected, alongside marketing and sales teams. If that isn’t enough, Xbox’s head of family and child safety is also gone.

If we’re talking about senior positions, ZeniMax Online Studios president Matt Firor is leaving after over 18 years, while sources told VGC that Gregg Mayles and Louise O’Connor will be leaving Rare. Mayles has spent over 35 years at the studio and is best known for Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves (and was also directing Everwild after the reported 2021 reboot). O’Connor has also been at the studio for quite some time, having worked on Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and is also gone after the cancellation of Everwild.

And I would say, “That’s it for now,” but no one, not even Microsoft since this is their fourth set of layoffs in about 18 months, could possibly know. It’s been, for all intents and purposes, a bloodbath. But you know who thinks all of this is the best decision and the one that will position the brand for continued success? Why, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, of course!

Before news of all these cancellations and layoffs fully circulated, Spencer sent out a note (obtained by Windows Central), stating, “To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness.” However, in the next paragraph, he admits that all of this is happening, while, “We have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger.” So what gives?

Spencer continues, “The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years, and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate efforts on areas with the greatest potential while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.”

He offered the usual spiel for those let go – “We would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted,” “These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved” (which is one way of saying, “It’s not you, it’s me”). But perhaps the most notable is, “Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.” So naturally, the obvious next step is to lay off those workers to thank them for their work thus far. The worst part about the note is how “the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.” This seemingly indicates that more layoffs and cancellations are coming.

As annoying as all this is, Xbox Game Studios’ Matt Booty followed with an internal email confirming the cancellation of Perfect Dark and Everwild and the winding down of “several unannounced projects” (which seemingly includes ZeniMax Online’s Blackbird). “These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape,” said Booty. “We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment.”

However, he then goes on to note that the overall plan remains “unchanged,” which is to “build games that excite our players, continue to grow our biggest franchises, and create new stories, worlds, and characters.” There are apparently over 40 projects in “active development” and “continued momentum” on games launching this Fall (and no, we don’t know of any new titles outside of The Outer Worlds 2). Furthermore, it has a “strong slate” going into the next year.

What is the point of this section other than to inspire confidence among those left that Microsoft isn’t dying anytime soon or perhaps no further cancellations are on the way? Thinking back to the end of Spencer’s note, now might not be the right time to brag about “continued momentum.” Then again, Booty is the one who looked at rumors about Perfect Dark’s troubled development and said, “It’s quite the opposite.” He also called reports of Everwild’s development rebooting in 2021 as “a little extreme” than what really happened. Do I expect any executive in such a position to be candid and admit fault? Well, no, but then again, I also don’t expect to hear about all the wonderful things Xbox has in the works after my colleagues and co-workers lost their jobs.

So, with all that out of the way, Microsoft’s tally for layoffs in 2025 sits at over 15,000 employees thus far. The real question, at least for the time being, is: What hasn’t been cancelled? Apparently, everything from the recent Xbox Games Showcase (conveniently enough) is safe, according to Windows Central. It’s also been suggested that the company’s next-gen console plans “remain unaffected.” You know, the one part of the Gaming Division’s revenues that have seen constant declines. Then again, I don’t know if you can boast about the revenue from content and services too much since Call of Duty and Minecraft (followed by Game Pass) contributed heavily to the same.

Taking a step back, it’s easy to look at all this and simply blame Microsoft. And make no mistake – it really is that easy, considering Spencer and crew have been at the helm for some of the company’s biggest failings. The closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and Alpha Dog Studios. Increasing the price of major first-party games to $80. Declining hardware revenue. Multiple years with no games to offer loyal fans. High-profile disappointments, like Halo Infinite at launch and Redfall.

Depending on who you ask, even releasing first-party titles to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, which proved financially successful, was viewed as the company admitting defeat in the console wars. Which, going by the numbers, should be a given. You may think that the cancellations of Everwild and Perfect Dark are justified, given years of troubled development.

Yet Microsoft oversaw both studios and dozens of others. When a 2022 report emerged about a toxic work environment at Undead Labs under its new studio head and HR head, leading to numerous departures and stalled development on State of Decay 3, Microsoft was specifically called out for not acting sooner.

In the past, Phil Spencer has admitted that upper management was hands-off, leaving studios to their own machinations – which was the reason (among many) why Redfall shipped in its sorry state. He then claimed that the team did “a better job” helping with Bethesda’s Starfield, but even if you’re a fan of it, there’s no denying the bugs, glitches, crashes, and quality-of-life issues that it shipped with (after delays, at that).

However, if we’re outlining everything that Microsoft has done wrong with the Xbox brand, you could go all the way back to 2013 (and some people have), pointing to Microsoft effectively nailing its own coffin shut with how it presented the Xbox One. Even after backtracking on Kinect, always-online requirements, used-game ownership and a focus on TV media, it was still effectively sent to die against the PS4 later that year. Some may even go back further and blame its focus on Gears of War, Forza, and Halo – the top three, as it were – and the inability to nurture new franchises, which prompted the acquisition of Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, Playground Games and many more in the years to come.

Whether that acquisition-fueled mayhem and the less-than-stellar returns are to blame or not, this process of acquiring studios and then shuttering them after however many years isn’t all that surprising. Flashback to 2021, when Sarah Bond, then-head of Game Creator Experiences and Ecosystem at Xbox, reflected on shutting down Lionhead Studios in 2016 after acquiring it in 2006. “What did we learn, and how do we not repeat our same mistakes?” Spencer followed up by stating, “You acquire a studio for what they’re great at now, and your job is to help them accelerate how they do what they do, not them accelerate what you do.” Based on everything that’s happened, it seems that leadership at Microsoft Gaming and Xbox Game Studios has a long way to go.

Many players are still wondering why Spencer – and other leadership figures like Matt Booty – are still in charge, given the brand’s failures over the past several years. We’ve heard Xbox president Sarah Bond talking about a new multi-year partnership with AMD across “a portfolio of devices,” including next-generation Xbox consoles, where one of the stated goals was to deliver “immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI.”

However, Microsoft signed a deal with OpenAI in 2019, though Business Insider reported tensions between the two companies, casting some doubts on whether their partnership can last until 2030. That being said, Microsoft has still invested a whopping $13 billion into it thus far. All that money has to come from somewhere, and unfortunately, we may be seeing the result of that.

Of course, that still doesn’t excuse the current direction of Xbox – whatever that may currently be. Yes, Forza Horizon 5, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Sea of Thieves are successful on PlayStation 5. And while I was somewhat optimistic about Microsoft taking a multi-centric approach to offering its games on numerous platforms, I still don’t understand the whole “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign.

Or why the company had to tie up with Meta to release a $500 Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition in limited supplies when none of its titles supports VR. As great a deal as Game Pass has been for the company, it hasn’t seen anywhere near the level of growth in the past few years as when it first began. The amount that Microsoft is investing in it continues to grow, however, and even if it’s helping many players discover brand-new titles, the argument that it’s effectively cannibalizing first-party sales will never truly go away.

The industry as a whole has faced unprecedented instability since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, with layoffs regularly happening as early as 2023. As perhaps the biggest games publisher in the world, Microsoft is no stranger to mass cuts – look no further than 2014 when it cut 18,000 employees, though that primarily affected the Nokia division. And while it may have a pretty impressive line-up of titles to come, Laura Fryer, one of the founding members of the original Xbox team, recently said it best.

“What is the long-term plan? Where are the new hits? What will make people care about the Xbox 25 years from now?” She noted that with the 25th anniversary of Xbox approaching in 2026, perhaps it’s “the year that the fog will clear and all of us will see the beauty in these latest announcements.” Whether that will be the case or not, the dark cloud currently hanging over Microsoft and its Gaming Division isn’t going away any time soon.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

As reported by Washington Post, Activision has announced that the Call of Duty franchise has now sold over 500 million units worldwide to date across all of its instalments to date. Of course, major successes in the series like Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty Mobile are free-to-play titles, which means they don’t contribute to this figure- which makes it that much more impressive.

Interestingly enough, this makes Call of Duty the second-highest selling video game franchise to date, based on most recently shared numbers. Though Mario is still far ahead of it, the shooter series has now surpassed the likes of Tetris, Pokemon, and Grand Theft Auto.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

As announced by Microsoft, on October 25 – which is the day that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches – three titles from the franchise will become playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming. More specifically, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, last year’s Callof Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty: Warzone natively on Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Modern Warfare 3 is, of course, already available on Game Pass proper, while Black Ops 6 is set to follow suit on the day of its release later this month. Where the latter is concerned, its multiplayer and Zombies modes will only be available to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Read more on that through here.

Upon its launch later this month, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

As the third title in the reboot trilogy that began with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), the story sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 going after Vladimir Makarov. The title introduces Open Combat Missions, where players have more freedom to complete objectives. Multiplayer features 16 remastered maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2008), while Zombies is a PvEvP extraction shooter mode with some unique twists.

Launched in November 2023, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 received heavy criticism for its dull campaign, multiplayer matchmaking, story-telling and more (check out our review). It still performed well financially, topping sales charts in the US in November and December last year.

While Microsoft hasn’t mentioned other titles joining the catalogue anytime soon, Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available day one on October 25th. Head here for more details about the title and its upcoming beta.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes with a single-player campaign, a co-op Zombies mode, and, of course, a PvP multiplayer component, all of which will be available to Game Pass subscribers. Presumably, the game won’t be joining the Game Pass Core library. 

Supposedly, Modern Warfare 3 is not the only Activision game headed to Game Pass in the near future, with leaks claiming that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 are also headed to the service. Read more on that through here.

And of course, Modern Warfare 3 isn’t going to be the only Call of Duty game for Game Pass subscribers to be on the lookout for. Though it remains to be seen when other previously released Call of Duty games will be following in its footsteps, we do know that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is going to be available on Game Pass day one upon its release this October (for select tiers, at least).

Earlier in July, we heard reports that last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was headed to Game Pass this month, and we may now know the specific date for its arrival. As per prominent Xbox leaker @eXtas1stv on Twitter, the first-person shooter will release for Game Pass on July 24. It will not be available via cloud. 

Of course, Microsoft recently announced that in addition to price increases, it was also eliminating the base Xbox Game Pass tier for new members and replacing it with Xbox Game Pass Standard, which will not include day one games. Whether Modern Warfare 3 will be included remains to be seen. 

The aforementioned leaker, meanwhile, has also claimed that Valorant is finally getting its full console release later this week. Read more on that through here.

A potential announcement is allegedly coming later today, with the price increases to Game Pass reportedly meant to coincide. Microsoft announced recently that Game Pass Ultimate will increase in price from $16.99 to $19.99 monthly starting from July 10th. PC Game Pass will go from $9.99 to $11.99.

Xbox Game Pass Console will be replaced by Xbox Game Pass Standard at $14.99. It lacks day-one access to first-party titles, EA Play and specific titles in the Ultimate library, among other things. Given rumors of Microsoft considering future Call of Duty titles on “most versions” of Game Pass, the price increase and the reported addition of Modern Warfare 3 makes more sense.

Other Activision-published titles reportedly coming to Game Pass include Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. Stay tuned for more updates on the same.

It was followed in second place by Super Mario Bros. Wonder (for which digital sales weren’t counted), with Madden NFL 24 coming in at third place, Hogwarts Legacy following in fourth place, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 coming in at No. 5. The only new release to figure in the top 20 for the month was Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which came in at No. 6.

Meanwhile, on the hardware front, the PS5 was the best-selling console of the month in terms of both dollar and unit sales, and was followed in second place by the Nintendo Switch for both metrics, with Xbox Series X/S following in third place.

Xbox and PS5 both saw increased sales compared to December 2022 (unlike the Switch), while total hardware spending for the month was up by 4% at $1.6 billion. Interestingly, dollar sales for Sony hardware also set a new single month record, with the previous high being set a year prior in December 2022.

December 2023 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from DLP members, Excludes add-on content) pic.twitter.com/1jxBjMs5LL

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 18, 2024

December hardware spending reached $1.6 billion, an increase of 4% when compared to December 2022. Growth in Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 hardware dollar sales offset a double-digit percentage decline for Nintendo Switch.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 18, 2024

Dollar sales of Sony video game hardware set a new 1-month record for the manufacturer, beating the previous Sony high set in December 2022.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 18, 2024

That’s as per data revealed by Circana (previously known as the NPD Group), with analyst Mat Piscatella revealing on Twitter that Hogwarts Legacy was the US’ best-selling game of 2023, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 coming in at No. 2, Madden NFL 24 at No. 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at No. 4, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom at No. 5 (though digital sales aren’t counted for Zelda).

In fact, Hogwarts Legacy has become only the third game in the last decade and a half to have outsold a new Call of Duty release in the US over the course of an entire year. Since 2009, a Call of Duty game has been the best-selling game in the US every year other than 2013 and 2018, when Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 (respectively) took the top spots.

Hogwarts Legacy also topped the platform-specific annual sales charts for PlayStation, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 following in second place and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in third place. On Xbox, Call of Duty took the top spot, with Hogwarts Legacy coming in at No. 2. On Switch, meanwhile, Hogwarts Legacy was ranked fifth, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder taking the top two spots.

Meanwhile, several other new releases also broke into the overall top 20 charts for the year, including the likes of Diablo 4, Mortal Kombat 1, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, EA Sports FC 24, Starfield, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Resident Evil 4.

2023 Year Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from DLP members, Excludes add-on content) pic.twitter.com/LR6Za5YQ24

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 18, 2024

2023 Year Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games on PlayStation Platforms – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from DLP members, Excludes add-on content) pic.twitter.com/VKENys25VX

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 18, 2024

2023 Year Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games on Nintendo Platforms – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from DLP members, Excludes add-on content) pic.twitter.com/U02lhTaXOi

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 18, 2024