Developers at Xbox studios, organized by the One Bethesda Game Studio (OneBGS) union and the Communication Workers of America (CWA), are holding rallies across nine cities in the U.S. and Canada. The "Save Our Devs" campaign aims to bring public attention to the cycle of layoffs occurring within the company.
Impact of Workforce Reductions
Staff members, including lead character artist Alex Nguyen and technical producer Nathan Hahn, state that the environment at Bethesda has shifted significantly since the company's acquisition by Microsoft. While layoffs were previously rare, staff now face annual reductions. Employees argue that these cuts damage institutional knowledge, as veteran developers are let go, and increase the workload for those who remain.
Quick Facts
- Total impacted: 1,600 workers have already been laid off across Xbox.
- Future projections: An estimated 1,600 additional cuts are planned before the middle of 2027.
- Union action: The CWA and OneBGS submitted a formal proposal to Microsoft in February regarding how to manage future reductions in force, which employees claim went unanswered for four months.
- Legal status: An unfair labor practice complaint has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board regarding the handling of these layoffs.
What Remains Unknown
While the union has publicly requested a negotiated process for future reductions, it is currently unknown if Microsoft intends to adopt the proposals submitted by the CWA. The company has not provided a public response to the specific allegations regarding the timing of their reply to the union’s February proposal. Furthermore, while employees have clarified that the cuts include ground-level staff rather than just middle management, the full scope of specific departments affected by the upcoming 2027 targets has not been disclosed by the publisher.