Wednesday, June 24th 2026 Former Xbox Staff Cry Foul Over Retaliatory Layoffs by Cpt.Jank Yesterday, 23:48 Discuss (0 ) It was recently leaked that Microsoft has "significant" layoffs planned for sometime in July as a result of declining revenue and a shift in the company's gaming strategy. Now, however, a number of former Xbox employees have warned current staff of the potential for retaliation in the upcoming wave of layoffs, according to a recent report by Game Developer. This isn't the first time allegations of unfair treatment have surfaced following layoffs or firings at Xbox, with former Halo Studios art director, Glenn Israel, accusing the gaming giant of harassment and retaliation. Four former Xbox staff members spoke to media, alleging that they were victims of retaliation when they stood up against alleged toxic behavior and were subsequently laid off in a wave of layoffs. One former employee at an Xbox subsidiary says that they were laid off after they served as a witness in an investigation of a case of verbal abuse by an executive. Following the HR investigation, the executive sought to identify the former staff member during a round of layoffs. Another staff member reported being placed on a performance improvement plan in retaliation for "disrespecting" them, with a threat to accept the PIP or leave the company voluntarily. Another former Xbox employee alleges that an executive at a subsidiary studio retaliated against an employee after she filed an ADA accommodation request for a disability. According to the report, Xbox has not yet responded to these allegations, but Israel, who has spoken publicly about his alleged mistreatment at Xbox, has advised current Xbox staff members who have previously filed reports against higher-ups to record and document evidence and communications and proactively inform HR representatives that redundancy could be considered retaliatory, given the circumstances. Source: Game Developer Related News Tags: allege development employees Game Law Layoffs Microsoft mistreatment Studio treatment Xbox Xbox Game Studios Oct 17th 2025 Microsoft Breaks Localhost with Windows 11 October Update, Users Forced to Revert (105) May 19th 2026 Insider Confirms Sony Ditching PC Ports: "You'll Be Seeing Fewer Single Player Games Arrive on PC." (135) May 26th 2026 NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Drivers 610.47 WHQL Drops Control Panel Support (143) Mar 21st 2026 Microsoft Promises Slew of Windows 11 Changes in Response to "Microslop" Criticisms (208) Apr 17th 2026 Pragmata Launch: Glowing Reviews and Chart-Topping Sales but Mediocre Player Counts (62) Jun 17th 2026 New Hellblade Project Was Bait for Potential Ninja Theory Buyers (12) Jun 7th 2026 Microsoft Announces Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition, Available in November (33) Jun 12th 2026 Xbox Gaming CSO Pitches Ads in Games as "Affordable Alternative" (54) Jul 30th 2025 ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Pre-Order Date and Pricing Leak Ahead of Apparent Gamescom Launch (8) Jun 16th 2026 Xbox Game Studios At Risk of Closure As Some Seek Buyout Deals (25) Add your own on Former Xbox Staff Cry Foul Over Retaliatory Layoffs There are no yet.
