Microsoft reportedly lays off 1,900 employees from gaming division [UPDATED]

Microsoft is cutting jobs a few months after closing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Updated on 1/25/24 at 9:44 a.m. ET: A report from The Verge claims that the majority of today's layoffs at Microsoft impact Activision Blizzard, though there have been some layoffs at ZeniMax and Xbox proper. As a result, Blizzard's previously-announced survival game has been cancelled. Blizzard President Mike Ybarra is also leaving the company.

Original story: A massive round of layoffs may have just hit the gaming industry as IGN is reporting that Microsoft is cutting the jobs of 1,900 employees. This comes just a handful of months after the trillion-dollar company was able to close its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Xbox’s Phil Spencer reportedly shared the following memo internally.

Microsoft has yet to provide a statement on the layoffs. We’ll be sure to update this article with new information if that changes.

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_