Over 40 Games Still In Development At Xbox Despite Massive Layoffs And Cancellations

Expert Verified By

Almost Every Title From This Year's Showcase Has Survived!

Story Highlight
  • Xbox Games Studio head says despite cancellations, over 40 games are still in the works.
  • This comes after Xbox cancelled the highly anticipated Perfect Dark and Everwild.
  • They’ve also closed The Initiative, and other studios have also been hit with layoffs.

Following Microsoft’s decision to cut over 9,000 jobs, affecting multiple Xbox departments and studios as well, things aren’t looking too bright. However, the company has reassured fans that most of its announced projects are still safe. 

Xbox Games Studio head says that the overall portfolio of strategy is still unchanged, and despite the layoffs and multiple cancellations, there are still over 40 games in development and are planned to release as it was intended. 

Why it matters: This marks the second big wave of layoffs at Microsoft since the Activision Blizzard merger, but this time, while many jobs have been lost, it seems that most major projects are still on the line. 

Perfect Dark
Despite many cancellations, over 40 Xbox games are still in development

According to an internal email sent by Matt Booty, Xbox has decided to cancel Perfect Dark and Everwild and some other unannounced projects. In addition, The Initiative has also been shuttered, the studio behind Perfect Dark. 

We have more than 40 projects in active development, continued momentum on titles shipping this fall, and a strong slate headed into 2026.

– Matt Booty

Booty says that while these decisions were tough, they were necessary to reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up their teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape. 

Phil Spencer Xbox
This is the second big round of layoffs at Xbox since the Activision deal

However, over 40 games are still in development at Xbox even after the cancellations. Notably, almost every game present at this year’s Xbox Showcase event has survived the ordeal. Nonetheless, many fans were looking forward to Perfect Dark. 

Despite everything, this is tough to see the route the industry is headed towards. The email does say it will try to adjust the laid-off employees in other departments or help in any other way, but that won’t make the situation any easier. 

What are your thoughts on Xbox still having over 40 games in development despite the cancellations? Let us know your opinions in the comments or join the discussion at the official Tech4Gamers Forum.

 

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

Ubisoft Still Wants Dual Protagonists In Future Assassin’s Creed Games Despite Shadows’ Backlash

Assassin's Creed Shadows associate game director claims Ubisoft plans to do dual protagonists in future titles if the narrative calls for it.

Ubisoft Market Value Has Fallen Below $1 Billion, Its Lowest Since 2012

Ubisoft's market cap has fallen below $1 billion for the first time since 2012 amid low game sales and underwhelming launches in recent years.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Unplayable On Switch 2 As Players Suffer Repeated Crashes

Assassin's Creed Shadows is plagued by a plethora of technical issues on Switch 2, causing continuous crashes for players affected by them.

Upcoming Assassin’s Creed Games To Heavily Focus On Parkour As Director Admits Shadows Missed The Mark

Assassin's Creed Shadows associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois claims that Shadows and other RPG-era games missed the mark with parkour.

PS5 Dominates Black Friday Week, Accounts For 62% Total Sales In The UK And 47% In The US

Sony's PS5 has taken full advantage of the Black Friday week sale, as Xbox and Nintendo had a much smaller cut in comparison.