Microsoft's Xbox division is undergoing another round of restructuring. The company is laying off around 268 employees, according to Engadget and The Verge, following 1,600 earlier cuts in July. The Verge says the cuts are part of a broader plan affecting about 3,200 workers, and Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described the July round as the biggest restructuring in Xbox history.
Under the new plan, Activision will take over the next Halo game, and Obsidian will be folded into Bethesda, Ars Technica reports. The Verge says studios are being consolidated and Ninja Theory is on the brink of closure, which Engadget also describes as probable.
Sources agree on the basic moves but differ on the meaning. Ars Technica frames the changes as part of a dramatic reset of the business. The Verge is more bearish, arguing that Xbox has become a shell of its former self and that the changes further dilute the brand.