The co-creator of Duke Nukem has claimed that the upcoming Xbox layoffs will reportedly be the “largest” the gaming industry has ever seen. According to George Broussard, the mass firings will be so catastrophic that the Xbox gaming brand will be very unpopular with players for a long time.
George Broussard Claims Xbox Layoffs Will Be the Largest in Gaming History
This latest rumor comes from Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard. In a series of recent posts on X, the developer claimed that the upcoming Xbox layoffs would be bigger than many expected. However, Broussard specifically raised alarm bells when he claimed it would be the “largest single layoff event in gaming history” and compared its devastation to the meteor that made dinosaurs go extinct.
“I just got word of a list of Xbox studio closures (no, not posting them). If it’s even close to true (and it’s from inside) this will likely be the largest single layoff event in gaming history. Xbox is going to be supremely unpopular for a very long time and the devastation is going to reverberate like the meteor that took out the dinosaurs.”
As if this wasn’t alarming enough, George Broussard then revealed that the Xbox layoffs will also include active studios that aren’t being closed down. If he’s correct, then we could possibly be looking at thousands of employees losing their jobs. For reference, the Xbox layoffs in January 2024 following the Activision Blizzard merger included 1,900 employees. So if this really is the largest layoff in history, we could see even higher numbers, which is devastating.
When Will the Xbox Layoffs Happen?
In a separate report from Jason Schreier, the Bloomberg reporter revealed that the Xbox layoffs would be happening at the end of Microsoft’s gaming fiscal year. While he didn’t give a specific date, players were able to figure it out based on previous Xbox reports.
If accurate, the Xbox layoffs could start on June 30 or July 1. In 2025, for example, the Xbox fiscal year ran from July 1 to June 30. However, some speculate that Microsoft could wait until its financial report on July 29 to begin terminating contracts. Regardless, it appears that the record-breaking layoffs will be happening very soon.
Interestingly, George Broussard isn’t the first to raise alarms about the upcoming firings. Back in May, multiple reporters called the layoffs a “bloodbath” and described them as “catastrophic.” While this doesn’t confirm Broussard’s recent claims, it certainly adds weight to them. If any of this is accurate, the gaming industry might experience its most devastating loss of talent in years.
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