Tidigare i veckan fick vi höra om Microsofts besked kring att 4,5% av personalstyrkan skulle tvingas lämna företaget, och Xbox-divisionen var självfallet berörd den med. Bland de 10 000 var det flertalet från både 343 Industries och Bethesta Game Studios som drabbades. Något Phil Spencer kommenterade på i ett internt e-mail som gick ut till alla anställda och som nu även läckt ut på nätet. I meddelandet gav han uttryck för hur otroligt smärtsamt och jobbigt beslutet var samt hur tacksam han var för allas fortsatta arbete.
"This has been a difficult week across Microsoft, and here, inside our teams," he wrote. "Now that many of the 1:1 and team conversations have happened, I want to take a moment to reiterate the message that you heard from your leaders.
"This is a challenging moment in our business, and this week's actions were painful choices. The Gaming Leadership Team had to make decisions that we felt set us up for the long-term success of our products and business, but the individual results of those decisions are real. I know that hurts. Thank you for supporting our colleagues as they process these changes."
"Over the coming weeks we will have many opportunities to connect and answer your questions, including the Monthly Gaming Update next week for teams who attend that meeting, and I am in close contact with teams at ZeniMax to provide support."
"The GLT and I are committed to being as transparent as we can. Moving forward with ambiguity is challenging, but I am confident that together, we will get through this difficult moment in time."
"Xbox has a long history of success thanks to the work you do in service of players, creators, and each other. Your work is so deeply appreciated and valued in these times of change and is integral to our business momentum."
"I am confident in our future and proud to be part of this team, but also conscious that this is a challenging time and I want to thank you for everything you do here."
Enligt information från Business Insider skall Microsoft ha fokuserat på personal de ansåg inte jobbade tillräckligt eller inte producerade ett gott nog resultat.
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"Ja detta var ju lite trist".