Microsoft Announces Major Layoffs

In case you missed it, Microsoft made an industry-shaking acquisition at the tail end of last year, buying up Activision Blizzard King for an eye-watering $69 billion. It took a long time to close, though, because of intense scrutiny from a handful of different sources — one of those being the USA's Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Now, in the wake of Microsoft cutting thousands of jobs, the FTC is back on the company's case, accusing it of contradicting statements made in court about how the business would operate post-acquisition.

It's the time of the year when people start expecting major announcements for a new Windows operating system. While many were waiting for the announcement of Windows 12 or some kind of major AI features, Microsoft has announced it will introduce an OS upgrade in Windows 11 only. Quite disappointing, considering the excitement around artificial intelligence that Microsoft has created so far. The upcoming Windows update is coming with various new features from the taskbar to Copilot. The upcoming upgrade will focus on Microsoft's vision to improve AI features. Know what the Windows 11 24H2 version has in store for users.

Activision Blizzard's Crash Bandicoot and Spyro studio Toys for Bob lose 86 employees as a result of layoffs.

The US Federal Trade Commission sure isn't happy about Microsoft's decision to lay off 1,900 staff from its games business.

Microsoft Corp.'s plans to cut 1,900 jobs from its video game division contradict statements the company made to a US  court that it would operate the newly acquired Activision Blizzard Inc. independently, the US Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday.

Microsoft recently cut 1,900 jobs from its gaming division and among the layoffs were many at the recently acquired video game developer Activision Blizzard. Blizzard Entertainment's President Mike Ybarra and co-founder Allen Adham are both departing. The tech giant also announced the cancellation of a Blizzard game, called “Odyssey,” that was already six years in development. On Tuesday, Microsoft reported quarterly earnings, posting its strongest revenue growth since 2022.

The Walt Disney Company has invested $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games, and has announced plans for a major collaboration with Fortnite.

A conversation in ’s DLC reveals that one character is actually related to one of the series’ major villains. games can be connected in many ways, with recurring NPCs and references to the events of other titles allowing for a coherent timeline of the franchise to be created. These links can be both clear and subtle, and on occasion even lead to some surprising revelations.

2024 has already proven to be a difficult year for layoffs. A handful of companies have been making job cuts in recent weeks, bringing uncertainty for workers across industries.

Just days after laying off 1,900 workers under the recently acquired Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has become only the second company ever to reach a $3 trillion market value. The recent layoffs by Microsoft were met with inquisition from audiences concerned about the company's profits, though it would seem Microsoft is showing no signs of declining value.

One area hit during the recent round of layoffs at Microsoft were the departments focused on bringing physical Xbox games to retail. On January 25, word began circulating that Microsoft Gaming was laying off a massive 1,900 employees from its 22,000-person team. A large portion of this number apparently is coming from the customer service group at newly acquired Activision Blizzard, which up till now was known for having relatively solid customer service.

Microsoft will let go of 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week, it said on Thursday, the latest cuts in the technology sector that has extended massive layoffs over the past years into 2024.