Microsoft's gaming division announced another wave of layoffs today — hundreds of jobs, more studio consolidation, and the kicker: Halo, the franchise that literally built Xbox, now reports to the team that publishes Call of Duty. The company calls it a "reset" that's about 75% complete. The franchise that defined a console getting passed around like a spreadsheet — sure, very healthy.
Here's the detail that turned a routine corporate reshuffle into discourse: at least one Halo developer got promoted and laid off in the same week. Promoted. Then laid off. Four days, if you're counting — a Gears of War story director celebrated his game going gold and cleared out his desk before the week ended. You can't script corporate cruelty this tight.
The official line is that Halo moving under the Call of Duty publisher streamlines operations. What it actually means: fewer studios, fewer people, and your console's origin story answering to the biggest payroll in gaming. Microsoft says the restructuring is necessary. The Xbox Wire post literally titled it "Continuing Our Reset" — which is one word away from admitting the last reset didn't take.
Watch the video above for the full 60-second breakdown — and yes, the Halo developer promoted-and-fired timeline is in there.
Source: The Washington Post{target="_blank" rel="noopener"}
