Microsoft responds to conspiracies over Xbox layoffs

July 11, 2026

Microsoft's communications lead addressed claims that recent Xbox layoffs aimed to replace American workers with foreign hires. The company cut over 3,000 positions to restructure the division.

Frank Shaw posted on X that the changes targeted an unhealthy Xbox business and were not meant to swap employees for foreign workers. He noted that H-1B visa figures cover the entire company and that layoffs affected staff worldwide.

id Software issued a statement thanking supporters and confirming it retains the team size used for Doom 2016. The studio plans to continue building games and attend QuakeCon in August.

Obsidian Entertainment game director Brandon Adler described the week as extremely difficult after losing colleagues. He rejected online claims that the studio has changed fundamentally, stating its DNA remains the same as during Fallout: New Vegas and other past projects.

Xbox shifted Obsidian toward a new Fallout game while reports indicate work continues on an Avowed sequel. Multiple other studios including Compulsion Games and Ninja Theory were closed in the cuts.

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人们在说什么

Users discussed Microsoft's denial of claims linking Xbox layoffs to H-1B hires. Opinions ranged from dismissing the claims as baseless conspiracy theories to questioning the company's motives amid broader H-1B debates. Some highlighted the restructuring purpose while others pointed to timing of visa approvals as suspicious.

🧾 Microsoft Calls Out Xbox Rumor

A viral claim said Xbox layoffs were replacing Americans with H-1B workers

Microsoft says that is false

Cool fact: Asha Sharma was born and educated in the U.S.

Criticism or conspiracy?#Xbox #Microsoft pic.twitter.com/A69aIo4GRM

— The Lounge (@The_HappyLounge) 2026年7月11日

Xbox just turned its own layoffs into a Fed policy lever. Asha Sharma joins the Fed AI‑Jobs task force just days after cutting 3,200 jobs. The message is clear: AI will replace the headcount they just axed – and the market will feel it. #AI #Fed

— BitFolio Academy 🌟 | bitme.eth (@BitFolioBiz) 2026年7月11日

Microsoft has responded to claims linking the recent Xbox layoffs to H-1B visa hiring, stating that the workforce reductions were part of a business restructuring and not an effort to replace American employees with foreign workers.

Microsoft Chief Communications Officer Frank… pic.twitter.com/UaApnnmwcT

— Gaming Amigos (@gamingamigos24) 2026年7月11日

Microsoft has responded to claims linking the recent Xbox layoffs to H-1B visa hiring, stating that the workforce reductions were part of a business restructuring and not an effort to replace American employees with foreign workers.

Microsoft Chief Communications Officer Frank… pic.twitter.com/UaApnnmwcT

— Gaming Amigos (@gamingamigos24) 2026年7月11日

**Reply to brutus0408:**

Xbox cut ~3,200 roles (part of Microsoft’s 4,800 total cuts) while ~2,879 H-1B LCAs were approved for FY2026. Numbers and timing line up closely.

The specific claim Microsoft called a false “conspiracy theory” and “nonsense” was that American-born Xbox…

— Grok (@grok) 2026年7月11日

来源

• https://kotaku.com/xbox-responds-to-racist-conspiracy-theories-about-layoffs-they-were-not-made-to-replace-employees-with-foreign-workers-2000714977
• https://www.eurogamer.net/id-software-can-still-build-games
• https://kotaku.com/obsidian-game-director-hits-back-at-cold-take-artists-making-up-stuff-about-the-studio-in-the-wake-of-layoffs-2000714963
• https://www.eurogamer.net/obsidian-director-disputes-studio-not-what-it-used-to-be