Bethesda Dev Says Cuts Were Rare Before Xbox Took Over: ‘All Of A Sudden We Have …

Today, Xbox game developers will hold rallies to support of laid-off workers, call attention to the culture of layoffs that has permeated Microsoft, and demand better treatment for the workers who remain. Supported by the One Bethesda Game Studio (OneBGS) union and the Communication Workers of America, the Save Our Devs rally takes place in nine cities across the U.S. and Canada, as well as online on the United Video Game Workers – CWA Twitch Channel. Kotaku spoke to two members of OneBGS about their hopes for the rally, their hopes for the future, and what it’s like working at an Xbox studio now. The central focus of this rally is to bring attention to the rampant layoffs that have happened and will continue to happen across Xbox, having put 1600 out of work already and with that many cuts again planned before the middle of next year. As the gaming industry continues to contract with layoffs happening everywhere for years now, it’s created an environment in which layoffs seem inevitable and unavoidable. But this wasn’t always the case; in fact, for Bethesda, that was almost never the case until Microsoft stepped in. Alex Nguyen, a lead character artist, has
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