Secret Age of Empires canceled due to layoffs at Microsoft Studios

A massive reorganization of Microsoft’s gaming business and the transfer of World’s Edge studios to the control of Activision have resulted in significant personnel losses. The architect of Age of Empires’ strategy has lost nearly half its staff, according to insiders.

Creative director Adam Isgreen confirmed he was laid off along with the company’s 268 employees. Senior engineer Andre Matz added that due to these changes, management had to cancel the development of new secret projects.

The World’s Edge team is responsible for the overall management of the Age of Empires series and the release of Age of Mythology: Retelling. Studio veteran Yuen Guoqiang expressed support for his colleagues, noting that the experts have made a huge contribution to the development of the genre. As a reminder, the current wave of layoffs started with Asha Sharma’s summer reset, and the total number of Xbox layoffs should reach 3,200.