Microsoft continues to restructure itself following the $69 billion Activision merger, resulting in Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile‘s seasonal content taking a hit as the FPS game’s workforce is reduced. The news comes from a recent internal memo by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who expresses that the latest string of layoffs is needed “to organize our business for long term success.”
As reported by Game File, Spencer’s statement goes on to say that the decision to terminate 650 roles across the business is necessary to ensure Microsoft is “aligned for sustainable future growth, and can better support our studio teams and business units with programs and resources that can scale to meet their needs.” With these now-defunct roles accounted for, this brings Microsoft’s total layoffs over 2,500 in 2024, with Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks previously caught in the Activision merger’s aftermath.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a collaboration between multiple Activision studios, such as Beenox, Activision Shanghai, Digital Legends Entertainment, and Solid State Studios. Digital Legends Entertainment is known for its past within the FPS game franchise Battlefield, while Beenox have to continued to assist the development of several Call of Duty titles over the years.
Unlike its console counterparts, the battle royale game features the beloved map Verdansk, exclusively for iOS and Android players. Game File’s report clarifies that development on Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will continue, albeit with a scaled-down team. The cuts to the game’s team were supposedly not tied to the Activision merger.
Spencer’s memo cites a need to “adapt to shifting priorities and manage the lifecycle and performance of games”, and it is believed the game’s future is part of this plan. Whether Call of Duty: Mobile will be affected by these layoffs is yet to be determined, although it is less likely as TiMi Studio Group handles production on the free mobile game.
Spencer’s memo also iterates that “no games, devices, or experiences are being canceled, and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today.” On the subject of devices, plans for an Xbox handheld are allegedly in the works, following Spencer’s comments on hardware earlier this year. Watch out Switch fans, the Nintendo Switch 2 might have a rival.