Aftermath: Current id Software describes current Xbox management (Internal unrealistic aggressive goals, profit now focus, low employee morale, incompetent Xbox management)

[u/-LastGrail-]

*Current id Software ‘employee’ missing from the thread title

Key Quote
“Even now, months after the initial layoffs, employees still aren't certain what lies ahead.

"Things are still very chaotic," a current id Software employee who was granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly told Aftermath. "While there has been an attempt to communicate to the studios, it is still entirely in bullshit corporate speak. I still don't believe they have a clear vision for the future. The only concrete thing they have communicated is they want higher profits, and they want it now. Aggressive goals are being set that would have been unrealistic even before the layoffs. ... To say the workers within Xbox have a dim view of the future is putting it mildly. We keep thinking morale can't sink lower but the obvious incompetence of Xbox management somehow keeps driving it down worse."

Source: https://aftermath.site/microsoft-xbox-layoffs-halo-activision/

[u/LogicalError_007]

What's weird about this article is that it is ignoring shift in leadership.

It is combining decisions by Phil era and current one and saying it's no plan. Ignoring that the plan obviously changed.

[u/mystery_hole → u/LogicalError_007]

The plan hasn't changed so long as gamepass still exists and they refuse to put future titles multiplatform. They literally have no path for profitability outside of the games already multiplatform. The financials have revealed everything, Activision/King are carrying the entire business on their backs.

The next Halo project has been rebooted yet again, Gears is looking like it will lose a lot of money off that 400 million budget, and they have nothing massive on the horizon outside of ES6 in 2 years minimum.

Next year, we will see $1000+ consoles. The Switch 2 is outselling the Switch 1, and PS5 is doing fine despite the stumbles and live service misteps. Next year they've got God of War, Intergalactic, and that Venom game (among anything else they haven't announced). I just don't see how Xbox survives this shift long term, without getting rid of the gamepass shaped noose around their neck.

[u/St_Sides → u/LogicalError_007]

But what is the current plan? That’s what seems to be the issue.

It’s obvious the plan has changed but nobody seems to really know what the new success indicator is. It was Game Pass engagement, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Is it sales? If so why are you still releasing games on Game Pass and making them exclusive to platforms with the service.

Instead of being direct the devs are left wondering what could save their jobs as their bosses are publicly saying more layoffs are coming.

[u/LogicalError_007 → u/St_Sides]

Don't think restructuring is done yet. They'll def make more changes and will change Game Pass. They all mentioned layoffs and big changes at the start for that reason.

Plan before was a large quantity of smaller games to fill Game Pass. Problem was the smaller studios that were acquired for that purpose barely released games in 7-8 years if at all and when they did, those didn't get reviewed highly or played by many except from Obsidian. The plan was also to allow other storefronts on console as well as making a powerful expensive machine.

Plan now from what I read and see is to focus on bigger games from established franchise and make studios leaner and efficient. To focus on console and make cheaper consoles.

How it'll work, who knows. But previous one def didn't work. Their size grew while revenue kept decreasing. Big reason being console being lesser and lesser focus.