Xbox fans flood Player Voice portal demanding an end to layoffs and studio closures

Xbox players are using Microsoft's own feedback platform against it. A post titled "End studio closures and stop the cycle of layoffs" has become the top-trending thread on the Xbox Player Voice portal, racking up over 3,400 upvotes and nearly 700 comments. The portal was launched in May after new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma promised a "return of Xbox" — now it's become a rallying point for community anger.

The post was written by user Witt Yao, who lays out a detailed list of demands. The core ask: no layoffs for the next two years and an end to studio closures. Yao also calls on Microsoft to stop announcing games it doesn't intend to ship itself — a direct reference to State of Decay 3 and a new Hellblade being shown at Xbox's summer showcase, only for Undead Labs and Ninja Theory to be spun off weeks later. Other demands include no executive bonuses during layoff periods, a stop to AI investment at the expense of game development talent, and good-faith negotiations with unions. The post cites 3,200 recent layoffs across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, Obsidian, id Software, and Xbox Game Studios, and notes that the total across Xbox over the past two years exceeds 10,000 — though Kotaku notes that figure covers Microsoft more broadly, with the Xbox-specific number being lower. Studios named as closed or destabilized include Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios.

The scale of cuts at Xbox has been relentless. Around 1,900 staff were laid off in early 2024, followed by roughly 650 more later that year, then another wave in July 2025, and the current round of 3,200 — with an additional 1,600 jobs still at risk over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's total compensation jumped to $96 million for fiscal year 2025. The Player Voice portal was designed as a direct line between Xbox and its players, which makes the volume of frustration there particularly pointed — this isn't Reddit or Twitter, it's Microsoft's own house. Ex-id Software developer Johnmichael Quinlan, who was let go after 11 years, joined the thread: "We did everything right, your executives made the decision to give the games away on Game Pass and then say the gaming division didn't make money. We succeeded, you did not."

Community responses range from measured to furious. Some users argue that cutting studios and retreating to sequels and existing IP is "a slow death" for the brand, while others are blaming leadership directly: "If you cannot figure out how to make money with their skill, the failure is with the leadership." A vocal contingent of Elder Scrolls Online players expressed fear for the game's future following two rounds of layoffs at ZeniMax. A few users have signaled they're done with Xbox entirely. Whether Microsoft acts on any of this feedback remains to be seen — the portal gives players a voice, but the decisions still sit with leadership.