Xbox scraps project at Age of Empires studio
Microsoft confirms a reorganisation and redundancies at Xbox, but not that the scrapped project was Age of Empires 5.
Microsoft is cutting 268 jobs within Xbox and placing Age of Empires studio World’s Edge under Activision. Tweakers also reports that an unannounced project by the studio has been cancelled, possibly Age of Empires 5, but Microsoft has not confirmed that title.
The reorganisation is revealed in an internal message made public by Xbox chief Matt Booty on Tuesday. Microsoft writes that 268 jobs are being cut at Halo Studios, other internal studios and central management teams. The management structure of several studios is also changing.
World’s Edge, the studio responsible for the Age of Empires franchise, will henceforth fall under Activision. According to Microsoft, the new structure should result in fewer separate business units and closer alignment between studios that already work together.
Tweakers writes, based on posts by developers on LinkedIn and the ResetEra forum, that almost half of World’s Edge’s staff have been affected by the redundancies. The website also reports that an unannounced Age of Empires project may have been cancelled. The claim that it was Age of Empires 5 has not been officially confirmed.
Adam Isgreen, who worked at Microsoft for 16 years and was creative director at World’s Edge, wrote on LinkedIn that he and several colleagues had been affected. He referred to plans for ‘what would come next’, but named no title and did not report that Age of Empires 5 had been definitively cancelled.
The official Xbox announcement does not mention Age of Empires 5. Microsoft does say that Activision is taking over responsibility for World’s Edge. It is therefore established that the studio is undergoing an organisational change and that jobs are being cut, but not which future games will go ahead.
The uncertainty is relevant to players and partners. World’s Edge regularly works with external developers on the franchise, but Microsoft has not explained which contracts, expansions or other projects are affected by the reorganisation. Until that information is available, ‘Age of Empires 5 has been cancelled’ is an unconfirmed conclusion, not an established fact.
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The text sticks to what Microsoft has officially confirmed and marks the alleged cancellation of Age of Empires 5 as unconfirmed. The source base is sufficient for the reorganisation, but insufficient to establish the title of the scrapped project.
- confirmed Microsoft is cutting 268 jobs within Xbox. — This is stated in the official message from Xbox chief Matt Booty. source
- confirmed World’s Edge will henceforth fall under Activision. — Microsoft explicitly names World’s Edge in the new organisational structure. source
- confirmed Tweakers reports that an unannounced Age of Empires project has been scrapped. — The claim is presented as a report by Tweakers, not as an official confirmation. source
- uncertain The scrapped project was Age of Empires 5. — Tweakers names this as the suspected identity; Microsoft names no title. source
- confirmed Adam Isgreen writes that he and several colleagues were affected by the reorganisation. — This is stated in his public LinkedIn post. source
- confirmed Microsoft has not officially mentioned Age of Empires 5. — The official Xbox announcement mentions the reorganisation and World’s Edge, but no title of a cancelled project. source
Editor's note
The reorganisation, the 268 jobs being cut and the transfer of World’s Edge to Activision have been officially confirmed. The scale of the redundancies at World’s Edge and the identity of the scrapped project come from secondary reporting and public posts; Age of Empires 5 has not been officially named.Sources
- Continuing Our Reset — Xbox Wire
- Volgende Age of Empires zou zijn geschrapt in XBOX-reorganisatie en ontslagronde — Tweakers
- Well, that’s that — Adam Isgreen via LinkedIn
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „microsoft xbox”
- NOS — „microsoft xbox”
- Het Parool — „microsoft xbox”