# Age of Empires Studio’s Next Game Canceled as Part of Xbox Layoffs

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/age-of-empires-studios-next-game-canceled-as-part-of-xbox-layoffs/
- Published: 2026-09-24T19:42:07+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T02:14:07+00:00
- Original publisher: Polygon
- Original article: https://www.polygon.com/age-of-empires-canceled-studio-layoffs-activision/
- Topics: Art, Culture, Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- World's Edge loses half its staff; Age of Empires next game cancelled
- Microsoft prioritising few major franchises over new IP
- Studio restructuring shifts focus to Halo and Fallout instead

## Summary

World's Edge, the studio responsible for managing the Age of Empires franchise, has been hit by significant layoffs that have resulted in the cancellation of its next game project. This represents the latest blow from Microsoft's sweeping restructuring of Xbox Game Studios, which includes divesting from acclaimed studios and consolidating resources towards a smaller pool of major franchises.

Approximately half of World's Edge's workforce was laid off, including creative director Adam Isgreen, with the studio being transferred to Activision as part of the reorganisation. Microsoft's broader Xbox overhaul saw 1,600 employees cut in July, followed by another 268 redundancies this week, alongside major structural changes that shifted Halo to Activision and gave Bethesda control of Obsidian Entertainment. World's Edge was established in 2019 to oversee the Age of Empires series, contributing to multiple Definitive Editions and Age of Empires 4 (2021), but the studio's reduced capacity and cancelled next project cast serious doubt on the franchise's future.

## Coverage

- [Polygon: Age of Empires Studio’s Next Game Canceled as Part of Xbox Layoffs](https://www.polygon.com/age-of-empires-canceled-studio-layoffs-activision/)
- [Destructoid: Age of Empires studio cancels new game following layoffs](https://www.destructoid.com/age-of-empires-studio-cancels-new-game-following-layoffs/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.