Xbox Job Cuts Spark Union Protests Over Bethesda Expertise Drain

Microsoft is cutting about 3,200 Xbox roles (1,600 already eliminated; remaining slated by mid-2027). OneBGS and CWA organized rallies in nine cities to protest the layoffs, representing nearly 4,000 unionized Xbox workers across ZeniMax studios, and the CWA has filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint with the NLRB. Microsoft calls the move a strategic reset, while workers warn that layoffs are becoming an annual issue that erodes veteran knowledge and could affect upcoming titles like The Elder Scrolls VI.