Even The Elder Scrolls 6 is affected by Xbox layoffs, say Bethesda employees, as “key” people are let go and morale bottoms out
This week's Xbox layoffs hit Bethesda Game Studios hard, affecting more than 50 employees across programming, art, and design disciplines. Among those let go were experienced veteran developers, including a 27-year studio veteran who had contributed to multiple Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles. Bethesda staff reported morale has declined sharply following the cuts.
The long-in-development The Elder Scrolls 6, which has no release date, is now expected to face substantial delays and increased crunch periods, despite management pledges of more efficient workflows. Related staffing cuts at id Software (developer of Doom and Quake) were severe enough to potentially reduce it to a support studio role and trigger cancellation of multiple unannounced projects.
- Over 50 Bethesda employees, including veteran developers with decades of tenure, were affected by Xbox layoffs
- The Elder Scrolls 6 faces expected delays and heightened crunch as teams lose experienced staff and morale drops
- Similar severe layoffs at id Software (Doom/Quake) resulted in project cancellations and potential downgrade to support-only operations