Xbox Cuts 50 Obsidian Staff, Shifts Studio Toward New Fallout Game
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 11
Xbox Cuts 50 Obsidian Staff, Shifts Studio Toward New Fallout Game
3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 11
Summary
50 Obsidian employees were cut in Xbox’s latest gaming layoffs, and the studio has reportedly pivoted from prioritizing an Avowed sequel to a new Fallout project.
1,600 jobs have already been eliminated across Microsoft’s gaming division, with roughly 1,600 more reportedly coming as Xbox concentrates resources on its biggest franchises.
Bloomberg reported Obsidian was already deep into Avowed 2, with work continuing for now, while studio design director Josh Sawyer is expected to lead the Fallout title.
The shift marks a retreat from Xbox’s Game Pass-era push for diverse new projects, as CEO Asha Sharma reportedly presses to speed up the next Halo and Fallout releases.
Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler said the week had been "extremely difficult" and rejected online claims that the studio’s core creative DNA had changed.