Home News Xbox layoffs mean that Elder Scrolls Online's roadmap is "shifting" just two days before Season One's release... the plan put in place for the MMO after the last round of cuts
gaming Jul 7, 2026 · 👁 1 views · Syndicated from Rock Paper Shotgun

Xbox layoffs mean that Elder Scrolls Online's roadmap is "shifting" just two days before Season One's release... the plan put in place for the MMO after the last round of cuts

Yesterday brought the news that Microsoft were cutting 1600 staff, spinning out four studios, and finding a further 1600 jobs to cut in the year to come. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said in an email to staff that she was "making reductions" and "shifting investment to focus on higher priority projects".Today, we're starting t...

Yesterday brought the news that Microsoft were cutting 1600 staff, spinning out four studios, and finding a further 1600 jobs to cut in the year to come. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said in an email to staff that she was "making reductions" and "shifting investment to focus on higher priority projects".Today, we're starting to learn what those cuts mean for the teams that Xbox retained, and the projects they were working on. The most public and immediate of these is Elder Scrolls Online.

In January, Zenimax Online Studios, the makers of Elder Scrolls Online, announced they would be ditching yearly expansions and moving the MMO to a seasonal release model. The team were just two days ahead of releasing Season One when Xbox hit them with layoffs so severe the release roadmap needs to be rebuilt.

Read more

Read full story at Rock Paper Shotgun →

Original reporting appears on the publisher’s site.

Open original article →
Related Articles
gaming

It looks like Blizzard's escaped Xbox's grim reset scythe for now, though there's still time to be caught in the second 1600-strong layoff wave coming 2027

gaming

Asus ROG Strix XG129C review

gaming

Steam's New Kingdom Hearts Meets Jak and Daxter Game Charmed Me in Five Minutes