Xbox lays off 268 people as Activision takes over Halo and Rare, Obsidian joins Bethesda

Xbox is cutting 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and the XGS management and central functions layer. Activision takes custody of the Halo series along with Age of Empires developer World's Edge and Sea of Thieves maker Rare, while Obsidian moves into Bethesda and Playground Games merges with Turn 10 Studios. Ninja Theory is consulting on a likely closure and Arkane's future is expected to be discussed through the end of the year.