Microsoft's Xbox Cuts 3,200 Jobs, Says 'We Lost 64 Cents for Every Dollar We Invested'

Microsoft announced it is cutting 4,800 roles across the company, roughly 2.1% of its workforce. The bulk of the layoffs, 3,200, will come from Microsoft's Xbox division. According to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, the first round of cuts includes 1,600 employees today. The company is also moving four studios — Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, and Double Fine Productions — to outside management and is working to sell or spin off a fifth, Arkane Studios, in France. 'Our business today is not healthy. We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses. In a typical year, we lost 64 cents for every dollar we invested,' Sharma wrote in an email to employees. Sharma, who took the reins of Microsoft's gaming division in February, has made several statements over the last few months about working to address Xbox's shortcomings. She's also taken steps to reduce the price of the company's subscription gaming service and improve branding. But Monday's move was her most consequential yet. The video game industry, like the rest of the consumer technology market, is facing an unprecedented memory and storage crisis. Microsoft has raised prices on its Xbox consoles to contend with the rising cost of the components, as have Sony and Nintendo. Shares of Nintendo have collapsed 52% over the last 12 months, with Sony declining 17%. Apple has also increased the prices of several of its products, including its MacBooks and iPads. In a note to employees, Microsoft chief people officer Amy Coleman said that none of the roles being cut will be replaced by AI, but said that the technology is changing how work is done. 'Our customers are navigating this same shift, and they're counting on us to help them through it. We can't do that well unless we're doing it ourselves. This comes down to two commitments: making the decisions needed to drive differentiated customer value, and supporting the people affected by them,' Coleman wrote. Xbox'in Geleceği ve Endüstriye Etkisi: Microsoft'un Xbox bölümünden 3,200 kişilik işten çıkarma kararı, endüstriye büyük bir darbe vurabilir. Şirketin bu kararı, gelecekte daha sağlıklı bir iş modeli oluşturmak için attığı adımlardan biri olarak görülse de, birçok kişinin işsiz kalmasına neden olacak. Endüstri uzmanları, bu kararın gelecekte Xbox'in pazar payını nasıl etkileyeceğini merak ediyor. Microsoft'un bu kararı, şirketin gelecekte daha fazla yatırım yapmasını ve daha fazla müşteri kazanmasını sağlayabilir mi? Yoksa bu karar, şirketin gelecekte daha da zor bir durumda kalmasına neden olacak mı? Bunları zaman gösterecek.