Former Xbox Dev Dan Callen Blasts 3,200 Layoffs, Recalls Halo 4 Auction House Push
Updated
Updated · Metro.co.uk · Jul 7
Former Xbox Dev Dan Callen Blasts 3,200 Layoffs, Recalls Halo 4 Auction House Push
1 articles · Updated · Metro.co.uk · Jul 7
Summary
Dan Callen used Xbox’s 3,200-job cut to denounce game executives, saying the layoffs reflect years of detached, profit-first decision-making.
Callen said former Xbox chief Don Mattrick once suggested Halo 4 copy Diablo 3’s real-money auction house for campaign mech skins, even though the game was already about 90% complete.
That proposal never landed, but Callen said staff still had to treat it as a serious idea despite Diablo 3’s auction house already being seen as a failure and later shut down.
Callen, a former Bungie and 343 Industries designer who was laid off from Sony’s Marathon team last month, framed the episode as evidence that leadership churn has done little to change industry management.