Bethesda union plans July 15 protests over Xbox layoffs

Unionized employees at Bethesda Game Studios are planning coordinated protests next week in response to a wave of layoffs across Microsoft's Xbox division that has eliminated hundreds of positions at the company's ZeniMax studios. The union, OneBGS, has announced a "Save Our Devs" march scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, at ZeniMax offices in Rockville, Maryland; Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas; and Montreal, Canada.

The protests follow Microsoft's announcement this week of 3,200 job cuts across its Xbox business, with 1,600 of those layoffs effective immediately and the remainder to be completed by the end of the company's current fiscal year. The reductions have heavily impacted studios under the ZeniMax and Bethesda banner. In communications to members, the union stated that over 440 positions have been cut across Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, id Software, and ZeniMax corporate teams. Specific figures cited include approximately 35 layoffs at Bethesda Game Studios in the U.S. and at least 12 in Montreal, over 200 at ZeniMax Online Studios, and significant cuts at id Software.

In a statement, the union said Microsoft and ZeniMax leadership want workers to "accept...