Media reports: XBOX now operates "like a startup," and Obsidian is on the list of potential closures
Journalist Christopher Dring from The Game Business discovered the current state of affairs in Microsoft's gaming division. According to his information, with the arrival of Asha Sharma, the management style at XBOX has changed significantly, and not everyone appreciates this.
According to Dring, XBOX's approach to work has recently become more like a startup than a division of a giant corporation. Previously, teams would discuss plans for weeks in numerous meetings, but now the pace has accelerated dramatically—they are required to make decisions in just days, or sometimes hours. On one hand, this allows for agile responses to potential challenges, yet on the other, it creates chaos.
It is reported that the leadership of some studios does not support such process changes. Furthermore, there is an opinion that Sharma listens too much to her consultants and too little to the developers.
Additionally, XBOX is approaching large-scale layoffs that will affect many teams. Dring claims that against this backdrop, some studios have the impression they are being punished for the poor sales of the latest Call of Duty. Even if their games are performing well, it is not enough to offset the failure of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Speaking of layoffs, we must also mention rumors about the possible closure or sale of certain XBOX subsidiaries. Dring found out that Obsidian Entertainment has also become a candidate for removal from the Microsoft roster — its leadership is currently in negotiations about the studio's future. However, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier denied this. He acknowledged that not all details of the future restructuring are known yet, but Obsidian Entertainment is likely to continue its operations and remain with XBOX.
Microsoft itself has not commented on Dring's information.