Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer juxtaposed the joys of gaming with the current sense of despair in the world after accepting the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the 12th Annual New York Game Awards on Tuesday night. He also applauded creators who still release “their visions” into the world in the “current culture of criticism and cancellation,” a loaded line at a time when debates are raging about the ethics of boycotting certain games like Hogwarts Legacy.
Layoffs: Amidst news that Microsoft will be cutting around 4.5% of its total workforce, with 10,000 jobs on the chopping block, it’s been reported that some of those cuts extend to Xbox Game Studios employees.
Long-time Xbox poster boy Master Chief may be feeling left out in the cold as Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield appears front and center in new photos of a Chinese Xbox Series X box. While Halo’s spacefaring Spartan has made prominent appearances on Xbox hardware boxes for over 20 years at this point, the lukewarm reception to 343 Industries’ Halo Infinite may be the reason Microsoft has decided to place him on the back burner in favor of Bethesda’s eagerly anticipated “Skyrim in space.”
Beginning development as the company was winding down work on 2015’s Fallout 4, Bethesda Game Studios’ upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield represents the company’s most highly anticipated release since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The first high-profile launch from the industry heavyweight following the acquisition of Bethesda Softworks by Microsoft in 2021, Starfield will be exclusive to Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC when it releases later this year. Microsoft is surely hoping that the sci-fi title can follow in the footsteps of Skyrim’s massive success and help draw gamers into the Xbox ecosystem.
By using our affiliate links we may receive compensation for purchases through those links.
![(Chinese - 简体中文版]) ID@Xbox Showcase](../images/blog/thumbnails/202503/videodetails/img_kITA20CKQDk_1403041910.jpg)
