Each wave of Xbox cuts has sparked online criticism of Microsoft’s gaming division management. Their actions have sometimes been criticized by high-profile former employees of the company, with former World’s Edge head Shannon Loftus criticizing Asha Sharma in the context of a new phase of the reboot. Sharma recently issued a statement that “clarity comes with goodwill” during the layoff process.
Following this week’s removal from World’s Edge, Loftus posted a comment on Asha Sharma’s event on Threads. After some time, the entry is deleted, but Contents stored in screenshots. She wrote in the post:
Interestingly, Asha Sharma told the Wall Street Journal last week that “clarity is kindness,” and today she laid off half her staff. Perhaps, “The Sword of Damocles” is also a kind of clarity, but what do I know?
Please Asha post more “cool” photos of your trip to Japan “enjoying the island”. This is exactly the kind of leadership game developers need.
In the post, Loftus cited a photo taken after Asha Sharma signed the PHYSINT agreement with Hideo Kojima. Sharma, meanwhile, has not commented on the new wave of Xbox cuts, with the official statement about the changes coming on behalf of Matt Booty.
Shannon Loftus has been with Microsoft for 29 years. She joined the company in 1993, helped lead the launch of Xbox, held leadership roles at Xbox Entertainment Studios and Microsoft Game Studios, and later in her career led World’s Edge. She will leave Microsoft in 2022.
