Bethesda staff and union members inflated a giant rat outside the company's Rockville offices on Piccard Drive during a visit by Xbox management to play The Elder Scrolls 6. The protest, organized by Communications Workers of America (CWA) members, featured Scabby the inflatable rat alongside hundreds of red flags placed by former employees to represent staff laid off by Microsoft over the past 12 months.

Quick Facts

  • Game: The Elder Scrolls 6
  • Location: Bethesda offices on Piccard Drive, Rockville
  • Protest Organization: CWA union members (current and former Bethesda staff)
  • Layoff Scope: Part of a wider 1,600-person Xbox reduction, with another 1,600 departures planned this year
  • Development Status: Xbox boss Asha Sharma viewed a live playthrough and teased an under-wraps subtitle, while reports indicate the game is still at least two years away from launch.

Xbox Leadership Visit and Layoff Protest

While Xbox boss Asha Sharma enthusiastically viewed a live playthrough of Bethesda's upcoming RPG—describing its scale, grandeur, and story as incredible—she made no public mention of the demonstration outside. Chants of "Who's the rat? Microsoft!" echoed from the lawn where workers gathered to make their presence visible.

Nathan Hahn, a Bethesda technical producer and union member, stated that existing staff were blocked from placing posters outside their office cubicles, leading workers to display balloons at their workstations while laid-off developers managed the demonstration outside. The action targets a broader workforce reduction that saw 1,600 employees lose their jobs during an Xbox restructuring overseen by Sharma, with an additional 1,600 departures scheduled over the course of the year.

Impact on Development

Current and former Bethesda staff previously warned that the mass layoffs would have a substantial and cascading effect on the development of The Elder Scrolls 6. Job losses affected key, high-performing personnel building the Skyrim successor, raising employee concerns regarding future crunch, lowered morale, and delays. Bethesda has denied these claims, while Microsoft maintains that its gaming business required restructuring to focus on core brands including Halo, Forza, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls.