Successors are weak! Foreign media commented on Microsoft's layoffs: Severe impact on XGP service prospects
Microsoft recently decided to lay off about 9,000 employees across the company, of which the Xbox unit suffered a heavy blow - a heartbreaking decision that will have a profound impact on the development of Xbox Game Pass in the next few years. As the core of Microsoft's gaming strategy, Xbox Game Pass is trying to create the "Netfly" mode in the gaming industry by providing instant access services for first-time games and huge game library.
To achieve this strategic goal, Microsoft must ensure that the service can continue to receive support for new game content. To this end, Microsoft has launched a shocking industry acquisition case, including Bethesda's science fiction open-world RPG "Starry" and Activision Blizzard's annual FPS masterpiece "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" into the game lineup. The company has also set up a new studio, The Initiative, and has promoted its studios to develop new works for PC, Xbox and Game Pass platforms.
Although Xbox Game Pass is in full swing recently, the massive layoffs have cast a shadow on the future of this subscription service. Recently, foreign media pointed out that the service is experiencing its "Avengers Endgame"-style highlight moment, and they are also worried that this may be the pinnacle. Just like the dilemma of the post-end-time endgame era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Xbox Game Pass may face weak growth, and the latest situation further confirms this trend. The layoffs storm has severely impacted service prospects: The Restart Project of Perfect Darkness was cancelled, and its developer The Initiative was closed without launching any works; "Everwild", which Rare Studio has developed for many years, was also cut, which means that the studio will be released at least several years after its next work after "Sea of Thieves" in 2018.
"Everwild" and "Perfect Dark" were officially announced several years ago, and the latter even showed a live demonstration last year. Microsoft's suspension of these projects will undoubtedly shake consumers' confidence in their commitments and in turn affect users' trust in Xbox Game Pass - especially considering that the resources invested in these projects have been wasted. Microsoft may fill content vacancy through more third-party cooperation, but the losses caused by the project's abortion are still irreparable.
The core Xbox development teams including Bethesda, Halo Studio, Turn 10 Studio and Blizzard were affected by layoffs. Call of Duty main studios such as Sledgehammer Games, High Moon Studios and Raven Software, were also not spared. As a profitable ace with annual sales of tens of millions, the Call of Duty series could have brought billions of dollars in revenue. These layoffs are not only unnecessary, but also cause damage to the Xbox brand and Game Pass service that takes years to repair. As the new console is about to be released, Microsoft's decisions are difficult to convince players to continue investing in its hardware ecosystem, which also makes fans worry about the future of Xbox Game Pass.
