Next Game from Age of Empires Studio Scrapped Amid Xbox Layoffs

Xbox is currently undergoing significant layoffs, and the full extent of the situation is still unfolding. In early July, the company revealed plans to cut 1,600 jobs immediately, with additional layoffs expected in the upcoming fiscal year. This restructuring also involved parting ways with several renowned studios, including Double Fine and Ninja Theory. Among those that remained, many faced drastic reductions, with id Software, the team behind Doom, losing nearly half of its workforce.

Recently, Microsoft announced another round of layoffs impacting 268 employees, alongside a major reorganization that shifts the Halo franchise to Activision and hands Bethesda Softworks control over Obsidian Entertainment. As part of this shake-up, Activision also took over World’s Edge, a studio established in 2019 to manage the Age of Empires series.

Sadly, World’s Edge was significantly affected by the latest cuts. Former creative director Adam Isgreen shared on a forum that nearly half of the studio’s staff was let go, including himself. Additionally, software engineer Andrew Martz mentioned on LinkedIn that the reorganization led to the cancellation of their next project. Given World’s Edge’s focus on the Age of Empires series, this likely means the cancellation of a new game or a potential spinoff like Age of Mythology. Martz noted that he was laid off just a week after receiving a promotion, expressing his disappointment in a post about the news.

World’s Edge was created to oversee the Age of Empires franchise, collaborating with other development teams such as Relic Entertainment, Forgotten Empires, and Tantalus Media on remakes and sequels. The studio played a key role in producing the Definitive Editions of the first three Age of Empires games, a remastered Age of Mythology, and the new Age of Empires 4, which launched in 2021. With the recent layoffs and the cancellation of its next title, the future of the Age of Empires series appears uncertain.

Xbox leadership has indicated a shift towards a franchise-driven strategy, focusing on established series rather than new intellectual properties. Given that World’s Edge was already concentrating on Age of Empires and still faced significant cuts, it seems Microsoft is prioritizing a select few major franchises like Halo and Fallout.

The landscape of Xbox is changing dramatically due to these layoffs and consolidations.