As part of Xbox's corporate restructuring, Age of Empires studio World's Edge came under Activision's control and, according to former creative director Adam Isgreen, lost nearly half its staff. Isgreen announced that he was also laid off.
As part of Xbox's corporate restructuring yesterday, Age of Empires studio World's Edge came under Activision's control. The initial announcement did not state whether the studio would experience staff losses during this transition, but new information that has emerged indicates that many members of the team were laid off.
According to former creative director Adam Isgreen, World's Edge lost nearly half its staff during the Xbox restructuring and the transition to Activision. Isgreen shared this information on the Resetera forums. In a post made under the verified username Tempus Chaoti, he said, "What a morning. Just so you know, World's Edge didn't completely escape - a little under half the studio was laid off - including me. It was fun, everyone!"
Isgreen, who served in various positions at Microsoft for more than 16 years, noted in a follow-up post on LinkedIn that he was involved in many projects including Windows Phone, Xbox Live Arcade, and Ori, Minecraft, Trials HD, State of Decay, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, and World of Tanks.
Isgreen also said he helped publish Recore, Killer Instinct, Fable, Crackdown, and of course the Age of Empires series, adding "all the great games and expansion packs we released over the years."
Isgreen wrote, "I never thought I'd be working on RTS games again years after their first 'golden ages,' but I can't be proud enough of what our studio team and our partners accomplished with the series and the genre's comeback. I think fans will agree (mostly!) that we met expectations for all of it."
Isgreen added, "Of course, I'm disappointed that my time with World's Edge and Age [of Empires] ended this way for me and for many talented teammates who were affected. We had great plans for what was next - and I hope the remaining team can be worthy of that opportunity in the future."
Yesterday's Xbox cuts resulted in the imminent closure of Ninja Theory, the Halo series being moved to Activision and therefore Halo Studios being almost completely shut down, the merger of Playground and Turn10, Obsidian coming under Bethesda's control, and Rare also coming under Activision's control.
Many questions remain unanswered about the full impact of these transitions and whether they will work. We stand with everyone affected by the layoffs.
