Xbox reportedly plans three more rounds of layoffs

Xbox is reportedly planning three additional rounds of layoffs in October, November and January as part of a broader effort to reduce costs in its gaming business. The timetable comes from people familiar with the plans, who told Fortune that it could change. Microsoft has not publicly confirmed the schedule in the reports. The reported rounds would follow a July announcement of plans to cut about 3,200 jobs across Microsoft’s gaming business during fiscal 2027. The reports say about 1,600 positions were cut in July and a further round affected roughly 260 to 268 employees in September. The reported October, November and January rounds are part of the remaining reductions, though the sources do not provide a breakdown of affected teams or roles. Asha Sharma, who leads Xbox, has described the cuts as part of a reset intended to improve the business’s performance. In a message cited in the reports, she said Xbox had expanded its investments and teams without achieving the growth expected. The July plan set a target of about 3,200 reductions across the gaming business, rather than a confirmed count for any single future round. Jason Althoff, Microsoft’s commercial business CEO,...