Released in March 2021 for Nintendo Switch and only arriving in January 2023 for other consoles, Monster Hunter Rise is a more pared-down experience compared to World and Wilds. However, it offers the new Wirebug for getting around (and unleashing new skills), and players can also mount Palamutes to explore maps. There’s also the Rampage, a tower defense-style mission type.

Slime Rancher 2 was released last year after an extensive time in early access and serves as the follow-up to Monomi Park’s beloved farming title. Players venture to a new planet to raise slimes, which have new variants, and even uncover various new mysteries.

As for PGA Tour 2K25, it’s the latest title in 2K’s series developed by HB Studios, and offers several Championships, a new MyCareer mode, and more. Despite a solid launch, it received several egregious microtransactions shortly after, so be warned. Finally, there’s The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Gold Road, which includes the 2024 expansion and everything else before, making it a decent entry point into the MMO.

All of the above titles are available from March 3rd to April 6th. Check out February’s offerings here and redeem them while you can.

Announcing its founding on social media, Ironroot Games has referred to itself as an independent, employee-owned studio “created by friends that want to make incredible games. Our team has come together to tell stories rooted in years of combined industry experience.” It has also confirmed that it has already begun development on its first project.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, former principal gameplay designer at ZeniMax Online Studios, Quentin Cobb, spoke about his decision to open his own studio. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I make my own game?'” Cobb recalled. He went on to speak about the industry as a whole being in the midst of a transition, where the success of AA projects like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and smaller indie titles like PEAK have proven that there is plenty of room for smaller studios. Principal gameplay designer and studio culture lead at Ironroot Games, Elaine Gómez, discussed how the former ZeniMax Online Studios developers can use this freedom to explore new ideas.

“These folks that have come from ZeniMax Online Studios [are] exploring things that perhaps they would never be able to explore in AAA, because things are a little bit more tight, prim, and proper,” she said. Cobb himself went on to note that the studio was created “out of wanting to do our own thing, to creatively spread our wings, and really explore a kind of game that we would want to make together in a really collaborative environment.”

Regarding experience in game development, Cobb, who has worked at major studios such as ZeniMax Online Studios, Naughty Dog, Daybreak, and Sony, said that he is looking forward to working with a smaller studio. This, he noted, will also allow more of the developers to have a voice in the making of a game.

“Working in corporate AAA studios for so long, as someone that wasn’t a lead or a director, you really get put into a box of ‘do this one thing, right, and just do that. I think working on a small indie team, what’s incredibly valuable is everyone’s voice, everyone’s experience. We really encourage this. I want to hear from anybody on the team about design and the story. Everyone has valuable opinions,” he said.

Cobb and Gómez have also confirmed that the headcount at Ironroot Games will remain on the smaller side. Along with this, they also noted that employees will have quite a bit of freedom when it comes to defining their schedules.

“It’s working with folks’ schedules and their priorities in life, but still trying to make this game together, this prototype, put these ideas in-engine,” she explained. “[We’re] conscious of people’s lives and the fact that it’s important for folks to make sure that they’re paying their bills. As much as we would love Ironroot to do that, we are getting there, but we’re setting ourselves up for success to be able to do that.”

We are Ironroot Games, a brand new independent game studio created by friends that want to make incredible games. Our team has come together to tell stories rooted in years of combined industry experience. Our first project is in development. ironrootgames.com

— Ironroot Games (@ironrootgames.com) 2025-11-25T16:57:59.939Z

Project Blackbird is another high-profile cancellation, even if it was never officially revealed. Six months later, former ZeniMax Online Studios president Matt Firor has finally confirmed that this led to his sudden departure from the company.

“The most obvious explanation is the correct one,” Firor said on LinkedIn (with the statement shared on Bluesky). “Project Blackbird was the game I had waited my entire career to create, and having it cancelled led to my resignation. My heart and thoughts are always with the impacted team members, many of whom I had worked 20+ years with, and all of whom were the most dedicated, amazingly talented group of developers in the industry.”

As a new sci-fi IP separate from The Elder Scrolls Online, Blackbird was allegedly in development since 2018 and featured a new engine. Though it was still in pre-production, full development was expected to begin soon enough. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and then-Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty even reportedly enjoyed it, but it sadly wasn’t meant to be.

Some of the developers who worked on Blackbird have since founded the “fully employee-owned and funded” Sackbird Studios, which is currently working on a new project. Firor isn’t “directly involved” but has been “advising some of them informally.” And while he still hasn’t quite figured out what’s next, much less “seriously contemplated spinning up a new development studio,” there have been “investments in small teams that I know will play a big part in changing the industry in the future.”

In the meantime, Firor paid his respects to The Elder Scrolls Online team and players, the latter of which he now comprises.

Now imagine that those leadership figures approach you and your team to tell you that your project, which you’ve poured years of your life into, has been cancelled. Actually, don’t, because what happened (allegedly, of course) is that studio leaders locked your team out of their Slack accounts while telling them that the same project has been cancelled. Oh, and hours later, you don’t even know if you’re still employed.

You could also try imagining a similarly aggravating situation at Halo Studios, formerly 343 Industries. After working for years to help turn around what one developer called a “dumpster fire of a live service,” you’re fired for the sake of “agility and effectiveness,” that too as a memo from Spencer touts that the company’s “platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger.” At the same time, Microsoft continues to invest more into AI, to the extent that one anonymous developer told Engadget, “They’re trying their damnedest to replace as many jobs as they can with AI agents.”

Perhaps it’s better to imagine life at Turn 10 Studios. Truth be told, you’ve had a rough year and a half. Forza Motorsport, your long-awaited reboot, is finally available…and fans hate it. Thus begins the slow process of fixing everything – the progression, the online play, the Car-PG mechanics your team so proudly displayed, and, of course, the numerous bugs. Months of new cars, tracks, events, and features later, it’s incomparable to past titles. But things are steadily improving.

Then you’re told that 50 percent of your studio is gone and that the Forza Motorsport franchise is essentially dead. That last point is still somewhat contentious, as it comes from a former Turn 10 Studios employee who left in 2016 (and may or may not still have connections). Regardless, based on the number of departures, it seems that those lucky enough to keep their jobs are relegated to mere support. For now, of course.

Following Microsoft’s mass layoffs, many more stories have begun to emerge about the studios affected. Romero Games, established by  John and Brenda Romero, has shut down. Xbox didn’t acquire it but rather provided funding for the studio to develop a new triple-A sci-fi first-person shooter. That’s since disappeared, according to an employee on LinkedIn, resulting in the game’s cancellation. And this isn’t a small operation – over 100 employees are affected.

Then there’s the story about last year’s demo for Perfect Dark reportedly being fake. It led to a bit of back and forth before former senior level designer Adam McDonald weighed in to reveal that the demo was in-engine and that, “It worked best if you played it the way the person playing in the video plays it, but it still worked even if you didn’t hit the marks perfectly.”

While acknowledging the existence of “some fake stuff,” McDonald said that the “real gameplay systems shown off worked juuust enough to look good in the video.” The parkour and hacking/deception systems were real – even the combat was quote-unquote real if played in that exact same way. What could have truly been with the final product? We’ll never know for sure, even as Alix Wilton Regan, Joanna Dark’s voice actor, asked fans to “speak up if you wanna see Perfect Dark survive.” Quite frankly, I approve of more people shouting at Microsoft for its incompetence or just in general.

As overwhelming as the number of stories has been, there also haven’t been enough. What’s going on with Compulsion Games? We know there were layoffs at Undead Labs, but to what extent is a mystery (and considering State of Decay 3 had its share of development troubles over the years, there’s reasonable concern over what happens next). Where is Contraband, the co-op title that Xbox Game Studios teamed up with Avalanche Studios to work on? How will the cancellation of Perfect Dark affect Crystal Dynamics, which was working on it alongside The Initiative?

Amid all this, one thing is for sure – Phil Spencer isn’t retiring anytime soon. Yes, there was actually a rumor that he would be retiring as Microsoft Gaming CEO, but almost as swiftly as it gained traction, the company was quick to clarify to The Verge that he is, in fact, staying. A salary cut, maybe? No? Alright.

To me, it feels like Xbox is a creature perpetually dreaming. Dreaming of the Xbox One as an all-in-one living room console centered on Kinect to reach a wider audience – the true endgame of the Xbox 360’s Kinect success. Dreaming of owning all these studios and just leaving them to their devices to make great games without any oversight. Dreaming of every platform being an Xbox and telling as many people as possible, as much as possible, in the hopes that they eventually believe it.

Yet, try as it might, it can’t control the contradictions that keep popping up and interrupting its obliviously peaceful slumber. Of players vehemently rejecting a Kinect-centric console and the executives who drone on about crossover media and TV shows. Of studios failing to meet deadlines, lacking the resources to address issues, or even just hoping that their projects are cancelled before launch because their leaders lack the first clue on what to do. And, my favorite – telling everyone that, “This is an Xbox,” while not even mentioning the PS5, where their titles are actually performing well sales-wise.

My second favorite is probably laying off all these employees and shuttering projects, then reportedly accepting ideas for the future. It happened with Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, who allegedly pitched Hi-Fi Rush 2 and a new Dishonored, and Microsoft decided it made more sense to shut them down. Then-Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty turned around shortly after and allegedly told remaining employees that the company needed “smaller games that give us prestige and awards.”

More recently, VGC’s Andy Robinson heard about reported pitches for a new Banjo-Kazooie with names like Toys for Bob and Moon Studios popping up. Time is a flat circle, wearing one of Spencer’s leather jackets and hyping up how the next year – the next year, for sure, guys – will be great for Xbox.

The bloom isn’t so much off the rose for Microsoft’s Gaming Division so much as the rose is now mulch. If there was hope about Xbox turning its fortunes around amid declining hardware revenue and gaming revenue only propped up by Activision, or at the very least, cautious optimism in its transition to a multi-platform publisher, maybe even the faintest glimmer that the next generation of Xbox could possibly reignite the brand, it’s dead.

Then again, Microsoft as a whole doesn’t seem to think in those terms. It seemingly functions to follow the money, no matter what trends it must plunge into or how much must be butchered, burned or buried in the process. The only constant in the company is change – changing what it will chase next, inevitably sacrificing the people who carried it so far, all in the name of revenue. Unfortunately, if there’s any other constant, it’s that no matter how much one dreams, eventually, you need to wake up.

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.

According to one of Schrier’s sources, Spencer enjoyed the game, codenamed Blackbird, so much that Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty had to physically pull the controller away from him. Since this is from a relatively recent build from March, the fact that the plug was pulled on the game came as a shock to quite a few developers.

“But Blackbird’s cancellation was particularly shocking because it had blown away executives at Xbox just a few months ago.” said Schrier’s source. “During the demonstration in March, Spencer was enjoying the game so much that Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, had to pull the controller away so they could keep the meeting going, according to two people who were in the room.”

While not too many details about what Blackbird was going to be have been revealed, reports have indicated that it was going to be a co-op loot-based shooter in the vein of Bungie’s Destiny.

While things were seemingly going quite well for the development of the title, which had started back in 2018, Blackbird was yet to have entered its full production phase. The title was instead still in pre-production, with the long development timeline largely coming down to the fact that ZeniMax Online Studios was making an entirely new game engine to power the title.

The cancellation of the project also came as the studio was expanding its workforce in order to work on Blackbird. According to a report, the team working on Blackbird had been told by Booty last year that the decision to shut down studios like Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks was specifically made in order to give Xbox the bandwidth to allow teams that need expanding the resources they would require.

In light of all of this happening at ZeniMax Online Studios and Microsoft in general, the studio also announced that its president, Matt Firor, will be leaving the company later this month. The announcement was made by Firor on social media, where he wrote about having worked at the studio for 18 years. Firor’s leadership roles will be taken over by new studio head Jo Burba, executive producer Susan Kath, and game director Rich Lambert.

“While I won’t be working on the game anymore, I will be cheering you on and adding to the thousands of hours I’ve already spent in-game,” wrote Firor in his announcement. “There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had, and I know this amazing community will carry that shared legacy and success forwards.”

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.

According to the publication’s sources, Blackbird was slated to be an entirely new sci-fi IP that would have been completely separate from the studio’s other big title, The Elder Scrolls Online. The game is said to have been in development since 2018, and the studio was reportedly making an entirely new game engine to power it.

It is worth noting that, while things were going according to schedule, Blackbird hadn’t yet entered its full production phase. Rather, the title was still in pre-production, and was expected to have entered full production “soon”, with full approval from Xbox to scale up the development team.

Interestingly, one source also mentioned that the team had been told by Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty that the studio closures from early 2024 – namely Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Games – happened because the company wanted to ensure that it had the resources to scale up other studios that might need it. This was supposed to include ZeniMax Online Studios for its new game as well.

Along with the Blackbird team, the overall team at ZeniMax Online Studios only learned about the project cancellation, the team being cut, as well as studio president Matt Firor stepping down through reports in the news cycle until the internal email about the lay-offs went out.

The departure of Firor from ZeniMax Online Studios was announced through a social media post recently. According to the announcement, Jo Burba is taking over the position of studio head, alongside Susan Kath becoming an executive producer. The leadership team will be rounded out with game director Rich Lambert.

“While I won’t be working on the game anymore, I will be cheering you on and adding to the thousands of hours I’ve already spent in-game,” wrote Firor in his announcement. “There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had, and I know this amazing community will carry that shared legacy and success forwards.”

According to a report from earlier this week, Microsoft has been making lay-offs across a host of its divisions, including several studios under the Xbox banner. In an internal note sent out to employees by Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer, the lay-offs were described as being done to “position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas”.

Among the cancelled projects, Microsoft has also cancelled shooter Perfect Dark. As part of this, the company has also shut down the development studio, The Initiative. Along with this, Rare is also facing some lay-offs, along with the cancellation of its project, Everwild. The studio is reportedly due for a “major restructuring”. As part of this, veteran game designer Gregg Mayles is also leaving the company after having worked there for over three decades.

“After more than 18 years leading ZeniMax Online Studios, I’ll be stepping away later this month,” wrote Firor in a social media update. “The studio and The Elder Scrolls Online will be in great hands under the direction of new Studio Head, Jo Burba along with Executive Producer, Susan Kath and Game Director, Rich Lambert. Together, this leadership team has spearheaded many of ESO’s biggest ideas and expansions and will continue to make this game something we’re all proud of.”

“While I won’t be working on the game anymore, I will be cheering you on and adding to the thousands of hours I’ve already spent in-game. There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had, and I know this amazing community will carry that shared legacy and success forwards.”

Along with Firor, veteran members of the development team at Rare are also reportedly leaving the company. According to VGC, one of the most veteran game designers of the studio – Gregg Mayles – is leaving. The departure of Mayles would mark the end of a career spanning more than 3 decades at the studio.

During his time at Rare, Mayles had worked on quite a few games since 1990, with Solar Jetman being the first title he was credited for. Since then, he had worked on several major titles in the studio’s history, including Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, and Viva Pinata, among others.

Along with Mayles, who had been working on Everwild since 2021, executive producer Louise O’Connor is also leaving the company. O’Connor had been working at Rare since 2001 Nintendo 64 title Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

Reports of Everwild’s cancellation came about yesterday. An internal email by Xbox’s Matt Booty (obtained by Windows Central) confirmed the same along with announcing that Microsoft is shutting down The Initiative.

“We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio,” wrote Booty. “As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. 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.

“We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment.”

Microsoft has also been going through some major lay-offs. Check out details behind the tensions at Halo Studios in light of the lay-offs here.

Set in Western Cyrodiil, a Zone Familiar to Oblivion Fans

Gold Road features some iconic locations from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion such as the city of Skingrad tucked in the southwest regions of Cyrodiil. The latest expansion takes place in The West Weald, which is comprised of three diverse sub-regions. The southeast region makes up the autumnal Gold Road proper with the city of Skingrad as its capital. To the southwest lies the newly emergent jungle of Dawnwood, which is bordered by the Valenwood province and some wood elf settlements. The northern region is home to the Colovian Highlands, home to a scattering of Ayleid ruins and Imperial settlements. Finally, there’s the mysterious Wildburn zone, which features all-new creatures and plants affected by the magical creation of the Dawnwood jungle. Gold Road is one of the largest expansion zones for ESO yet, only perhaps rivaling Craglorn and Vvardenfell in sheer size.

When Does Gold Road Take Place?

Gold Road is a direct sequel to ESO’s last expansion, Necrom, and slots in as part two of the seventh main story arc. ESO in general takes place in the 2nd Era before the events of Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.

Introduces a New Daedric Prince

Mirrormoore Incursions are dynamic world events brought about by mysterious Daedric entities known as Valkynaz. These Daedric entities strive to invade the The West Weald by means of Oblivion portals caused by ritualists. You’ll be encountering batches of Daedric occultists throughout the West Weald in an effort to prevent further incursions. The six Valkynaz boss fights promise a bounty of rewards and lore details in equal measures.

The Story of Gold Road

The big villain of Gold Road is the forgotten Daedric Prince Ithelia. Ithelia’s presence is felt through the Mirrormoore Incursions popping up around the region, as well as NPC conversations discussing the new threat. But Gold Road doesn’t just channel classic Oblivion vibes, there’s also the mysterious appearance of the Dawnwood jungle that popped up in the southwest. The unprecedented amount of upheaval and mystery upending The West Weald makes for a wonderful melting pot of mystery and turmoil to journey through.

The New Scribe System Finally Introduces Spellcrafting

Scribing is the biggest game-changer to come out of the Gold Road expansion. Ever wanted to create your own spells in ESO like you could in other Elder Scrolls games? Well, Scribing aims to satisfy that spellcrafting craving if you have the patience to overcome its lengthy tutorial. Scribing involves a Grimoire (skill type) and Scripts that define the parameters of the skill. There are 11 Grimoires to unlock in the game as well as a Focus Script which defines the main function, the Signature Script which adds unique effects to the skill, and the Affix Script that adds unique buffs/debuffs to the skill.

Do the Scribe Questline First To Get a Headstart on the Grind

You unlock Scribing through a multi-part quest chain involving the Mages Guild; we strongly suggest you do the Scribing quest chain first thing in the Gold Road expansion as you only unlock its components when activating the quest. What some may not like to hear is there appears to be a hefty grind involved if you want to unlock the various Scripts required to Scribe within one of the 11 skill Grimoires.

New Skill Styles Allow Visual Customization of Spells and Skills

Gold Road allows you to take skill customization even further with Skill Styles. Skill Styles will enable you to customize the aesthetic features of various Scribed and non-Scribed skills. The aesthetic options range from colors to different animations, though I’m slightly disappointed you can’t customize sound effects (yet). You unlock most Skill Styles through Class Achievements and quests. Gold Road includes 22 Skill Styles in total with more likely to come in later updates.

New Item Sets Introducing an ESO First: Attack Status Effects

Another new inclusion is the ability to infuse light and heavy attacks with status effects. This may seem trivial, but longtime players of the decade-old MMO have been asking for this for a while now and Gold Road finally includes it. The way you add direct status effects to attacks is through the new Thread of War item set found in Gold Road. Gold Road actually includes 10 new item sets for you to find and craft, but Threads of War is the most notable one that players will want to keep an eye out for.

12-Player Lucent Citadel Trial

Trials are essentially ESO’s endgame raid dungeon content for groups of 12 players. The Lucent Citadel is said to be the most difficult and complex ‘trial’ dungeon yet, set in a Daedric vault nestled in the Fargrave Oblivion Plane. The cool thing about this Trial dungeon is how story-heavy it is. The lost Daedric Prince Ithelia has initiated a frenzied search for a mysterious relic called the Arcane Knot, causing a myriad of problems for your old ally Keshargo. ESO’s developers say Lucent Citadel is their most experimental dungeon yet, featuring far more obstacles than just combat, even hinting at levitation in their promotional material.

Gold Road’s Gameplay Is Friendly Toward New Players

Among the big ongoing MMOs, ESO remains the most welcoming to new players. Ever since 2017, ESO’s entire library of expansion content has been completely available to tackle in any non-linear order you can imagine, regardless of player level. ESO’s level scaling system encourages non-linear playstyles, making retreading previous zones engaging and interesting. With the introduction of Scribing and the added West Weald region, there’s never been a better time to jump in late to the party of ESO.

ESO’s Story Is … Not Quite as Newbie-Friendly

Just make sure to catch up on Necrom’s ongoing storyline if you care about plot. Since Gold Road follows directly after the cliffhanger at the end of Necrom, new players will be left scratching their heads regarding plot sequencing without seeking a recap of events. Note that ESO itself lacks a comprehensive story summary of events. Even though there are lore books you can read in the game, we recommend you skim through Uesp.net for a comprehensive timeline of events through all of ESO’s expansions.

Well Over 30 Hours of Content

Strap in your gaming seats because Gold Road is perhaps the most meaty expansion yet. As with ESO’s previous major expansions, Gold Road’s story takes around 15 hours to complete. Of course, there’s also the Mirrormoor Incursions, Lucent Citadel, side dungeons, quests, six World/Delve bosses, and 10 item sets with numerous other collectibles to discover on top of that. And as previously mentioned, the new Scribe systems brings an all-new grind in the form of Grimoires and Scripts, which can really add up if getting you’re grabbing them for multiple created characters.

Monetization

It’s worth pointing out that ESO is a typical MMO in the way it monetizes its services. Crowns are the virtual currency used to purchase the usual store items ranging from cosmetics to combative gear, though these Crowns can be ignored if you’re not min-maxing post-game content regularly. Gold Road costs $39.99 by itself. You will need the base game in order to play the Gold Road expansion, but you can also purchase the full ESO collection in a bundle for $59.99. The Gold Road Collection includes the previous chapters: Necrom, High Isle, Blackwood, Greymoor, Elsweyr, Summerset, and Morrowind along with the base game, so this is the go-to edition for new players.

What Platforms Is Gold Road On?

Gold Road will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. As with ESO and its other expansions, there is no way to play it on the Nintendo Switch. You can, however, play ESO and its expansions on Steam Deck if you want a handheld experience not lacking in the framerate or graphics department.

When Does Gold Road Come Out?

Because of its heritage as a PC-oriented MMO, Gold Road is releasing exclusively to the PC for its initial 2-week release window. Gold Road releases on June 3^rd for PC/Mac only, and then on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 18^th.

Sure, it had been acquiring development studios left and right, but an entire publisher? It was a paradigm shift, regardless of how successful Bethesda’s titles had been over the years since a major player in the console wars could “buy” their way to exclusives.

About three and a half years later, four studios under Bethesda are no more. They include Arkane Austin, known for the controversial Redfall but also for the more positively received Prey; Tango Gameworks, lauded for Hi-Fi Rush and rumored to be developing it for the Nintendo Switch 2; Roundhouse Studios, which assisted on Redfall and is now being absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls 6; and Alpha Dog Studios, which released the mobile game, Mighty Doom.

Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7th, while Redfall development has ceased, despite the latter not receiving two DLC characters from its Hero Pass more than a year after release. The reason, per an internal email from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, is the “reprioritization of titles and resources.” “These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds, which you have nurtured over many decades.”

IGN reports that Arkane Austin was working on a “big update” and delivering the characters by Halloween before the announcement happened. Some members will be working on other Bethesda projects even though the studio is no more. However, perhaps the more concerning issue is that no one – not Microsoft nor the studios – has confirmed how many employees have been laid off, especially following the 1900 jobs cut last January.

The reaction from the industry is understandably livid. Even though fans were “assured” that Arkane Lyon is still alive and working on its project (presumably referring to Marvel’s Blade), director Dinga Bakaba has tweeted about how “absolutely terrible” this all is. “To any executive reading this, a friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.

“Don’t throw us into gold fever gambits, don’t use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t make our work environments Darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we have seen it before.”

Moon Studios founder Thomas Mahler, who recently launched No Rest for the Wicked in early access, also said, “To everyone who’s been pestering me for years about why we didn’t allow Moon Studios to get acquired by a big publisher…That’s why. I’ve lived through the 90s and saw what happened when smaller studios got acquired by EA. Never again.”

You could justify these closures in several ways. Redfall was a failure, its player base was in the gutter. Reports of its development also weren’t great, with staff citing an unclear direction and how the project could have benefited from cancellation or a reboot after Microsoft’s acquisition. However, plenty of fingers were pointed at Microsoft as well. Why didn’t it support Arkane Austin at the time? Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer would later reveal that it had supported Starfield better, but that was more for reassuring fans than confirming any shift in philosophy.

Even if it didn’t want to continue pouring resources into the project, one has to ask: Why shutter the entire studio? Why not invest in existing IPs like Dishonored and Prey? Furthermore, what happened to Spencer assuring everyone there are no plans to shut down the studio? Perhaps the obvious response would be “Plans changed,” but it’s still a shame.

Then there’s the case of Tango Gameworks, which saw middling success with The Evil Within 2 and Ghostwire: Tokyo but struck gold with Hi-Fi Rush. Even if it was a Game Pass release, a new IP and shadow-dropping out of nowhere, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg said it was a “breakout hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations.

“We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.” Was that not enough to save the developer? Did that not represent any value for the future? Was the recent PS5 release not good enough or something?

Roundhouse Studios could be explained as working more closely with The Elder Scrolls team, which it’s been doing more of lately. Alpha Dog Studios’ closure may be due to Microsoft shifting away from mobile titles. However, the bigger picture of troubling leadership over the years is becoming harder to deny.

Titles like State of Decay 3, Perfect Dark, Fable, Everwild and even the third-party Contraband are nowhere to be seen, with some having reports of troubled development. Some projects like South of Midnight, OD (developed by Kojima Productions), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion, Clockwork Revolution and Stoic Studio’s Towerborne are moving ahead. However, the sheer lack of updates for many of its heavy hitters for years is becoming concerning. That too after many years of no exclusives, disappointing releases and cancellations before the company’s “new era’ of acquisitions.

Then, there’s the 31 percent drop in Xbox hardware sales for Microsoft’s Q3 2024 fiscal year, fueling further queries into how much longer the company will continue investing in the same, especially with its new multiplatform approach. Some could point to the fact that the company posted $61.9 billion in revenue and $21.9 billion in net income and how Xbox’s content and services revenue is up by 62 percent. Or how Game Pass has reached 34 million subscribers, and overall gaming revenue is up 51 percent.

However, much of the success of the gaming division is thanks to the recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the latter seeing a loss due to the operating costs of integrating into Microsoft. It’s also worth reiterating that despite the publisher contributing so much, it wasn’t safe from layoffs. Who knows where it could go in the following months? For that matter, who is to say that any project or developer is safe?

For years, public opinion has shifted on Microsoft’s acquisition strategy, whether it’s the lack of benefits for developers or the lack of oversight in managing them. At one point, one could have surmised that the company has nowhere to go but up in this regard, making changes and improving itself to live up to fans’ expectations and make good on the people creating its titles.

After this year’s layoffs, it showcased an alternative – cut costs and jobs, hype up future products, tout Game Pass subscribers and don’t look back. If all else fails, buy another publisher for billions of dollars and start afresh. Why not?

The question now isn’t what to look forward to from Xbox – it’s whether the brand and its developers will even look the same a year or two down the line, if they’re lucky to get that fair. But hey, at least there’s an Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th with the next Call of Duty to be revealed. Surely that means something, right?

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.