According to current and as yet unconfirmed reports, Microsoft's cost-cutting measures also affect Bethesda Softworks. The Redmond company is said to have decided to close the publisher's French branch.
At the beginning of the year, Microsoft made red flags and laid off people in the Xbox division around 1,900 employees. At the time, Activision Blizzard and the studios of the publisher, which was taken over in 2023, were particularly affected by the layoffs.
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According to current reports, Microsoft may have decided to take another austerity measure that will be painful for those affected. Like various employees and also first press representatives to reportMicrosoft is said to have closed the French branch of Bethesda Softworks.
Since an official statement from Bethesda Softworks and Microsoft is still pending, it is currently unclear how many people will lose their jobs due to the closure of the French branch.
Did the closure take place a few weeks ago?
The French arm of Bethesda Softworks was primarily responsible for marketing, game localization and distribution in Europe. In addition, the Bethesda Softworks France team streamed more or less regularly on platforms such as Twitch and gave the community a look behind the scenes of various productions.
But there is not only uncertainty about the number of employees laid off. There is also the question of when the French branch of the “Fallout” and “The Elder Scrolls” makers was closed.
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While some of those affected have only now spoken out, a tweet from “Fallout Generation” that the closure may have happened a few weeks ago.
Here it is said that the closure “occurred two months before the start of the Fallout TV series”. This could indicate that the exit from Bethesda Softworks France was decided in January as part of the mass layoffs and implemented a short time later.
Microsoft has not yet commented
The tweets and reports from those affected also show that Bethesda Softworks France was a very small branch. A manageable 15 employees are said to have worked here in recent years and were involved in the marketing and distribution of Bethesda games in Europe.
It remains to be seen whether all employees were laid off or possibly offered a new position within Bethesda Softworks or the Xbox family. Even when asked by initial publications, Microsoft has not yet commented on the current development.
If a statement from the Redmond software giant follows, you will of course find out from us immediately.
Further news about Bethesda Softworks.
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