{"id":59844,"date":"2026-06-11T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=59844"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:00:00","slug":"xbox-reportedly-planning-significant-layoffs-budget-cuts-for-marketing-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=59844","title":{"rendered":"Xbox Reportedly Planning &#8216;Significant&#8217; Layoffs, Budget Cuts for Marketing, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined plans to &#8220;reset&#8221; the business amidst reports of &#8220;significant&#8221; layoffs and budget cuts, according to a report Bloomberg published earlier today. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The story says Xbox will be undergoing layoffs in July alongside slashes to marketing budgets and other areas of the business. Bloomberg also reported that Sharma pulled a trailer for Halo: Campaign Evolved from PlayStation&#8217;s latest State of Play, potentially damaging relations between Xbox and Sony. Some had speculated that this may have been the case, as a recent trailer for the game had a disclaimer noting that footage was captured on PS5 Pro.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Following Bloomberg&#8217;s report, Xbox released Sharma&#8217;s internal memo to the public, which features some brutal and transparent thoughts about the future of Xbox. The memo noted that this level of transparency is important going forward: &#8220;We won\u2019t succeed by hiding hard truths, nor will we succeed by doing the same thing and expecting different results,&#8221; Sharma wrote.<\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-slideshow\"><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"\/><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img alt=\"What is an Xbox? Microsoft has spent 25 years trying to answer the question, but for fans, the answer is easy: \u201cXbox\u201d evokes one-eared headsets wired into the memory card slots of massive controllers with breakaway cords. A dashboard with gleaming skeuomorphic blades and avatars adorned in earned accessories. That sound that plays when a hard-earned Achievement finally pops. \u201cXbox\u201d means heavy-duty hardware. Tactile sensations. Friends connecting for the first time. And that\u2019s before we even get to the games.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;It may be that the very idea of an Xbox game is coming to an end. Microsoft has undeniably shifted its tactics, with a new focus on multi-platform releases, handheld Xboxes that are actually miniature Windows computers, and the potential that future Xbox consoles may simply be gaming PCs. So now seems as good a time as any to look back at the entire history of Microsoft\u2019s console journey and rank the best Xbox games, with help from our friends at Outside Xbox, the multimillion-subscriber channel that serves up weekly videos about video games and video game-adjacent things&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#10;&#10;When we say \u201cthe best Xbox games,\u201d we mean the ones that most evoke that weighty sense of \u201cXboxness.\u201d Some are first-party, most are exclusives, and all of them are indelibly tied to the legacy of and fondness for a platform that\u2019s left a massive mark on gaming. These are the 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time. We'll be updating this list daily with 25 games at 7am PST\/10am ET\/3pm GMT from Tuesday, 20th January to Friday, 23rd January, until number one is revealed.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"\/><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/output><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The memo outlined five &#8220;realities&#8221; about the state of Xbox, covering a notable decline in revenue that &#8220;cannot continue,&#8221; a hardware component crisis, and a reset\/reassessment of Xbox&#8217;s portfolio and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cWe expanded our studio system when we needed a pipeline of content to meet multiple strategies across subscription, streaming and devices,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIn the process, we have found ourselves over extended as we executed on changing strategies in a landscape of more readily available content. We are the fortunate stewards of industry-defining franchises that have enormous potential and player demand, but we have not adequately funded them to compete and win. At the same time, as we saw this past weekend at Showcase, a reliable pipeline of first- and third-party exclusives and new IP are critical to our success. We need to reassess the balance between these and our investment priorities for the next 5 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Verge reported that sources have suggested Xbox&#8217;s cuts could lead to a studio closure or changes to the Xbox studio lineup. Sharma&#8217;s predecessor, Phil Spencer, had to shut down a number of Xbox-owned studios before the end of his tenure. One of the most notable casualties was The Initiative, a new studio that was tasked with rebooting Perfect Dark. <\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-video\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Sharma also noted that Microsoft had to spend twice as much as it did on console storage components since last fall, and that number is expected to grow to five times as much as they plan for the next console, Project Helix. Her comments come just days after Xbox&#8217;s Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball \u2014 who joined the company not even a full month ago \u2014 noted that they were unable to keep up with demand for new consoles due to the component crisis. He also stated that it was forcing a rethink on how they approach Helix.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">All of this news comes after Xbox&#8217;s big showcase event, which reaffirmed a commitment to exclusivity on a case-by-case basis. This will begin with Gears of War: E-Day, which was originally in development for PlayStation 5. Sharma, however, reportedly made the decision to scrap the PS5 version, according to Bloomberg. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Xbox has only committed to two major exclusives at the moment, with Sharma noting that they will continue to evaluate exclusivity as the company becomes healthier.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN&#8217;s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/xbox-reportedly-planning-significant-layoffs-budget-cuts-for-marketing-and-more\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined plans to &#8220;reset&#8221; the business amidst reports of &#8220;significant&#8221; layoffs and budget cuts, according to a report Bloomberg published&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[635,4212,897,7202,3328,3465,4558,162],"class_list":["post-59844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-budget","tag-cuts","tag-layoffs","tag-marketing","tag-planning","tag-reportedly","tag-significant","tag-xbox","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}