Bethesda Artist Speaks Out Against Layoffs Under Microsoft’s Leadership

Last week, the Communications Workers of America and the Bethesda Game Studios OneBGS union took part in the Save Our Devs rally across the United States and Canada (and on Twitch) to call out layoffs and corporate greed across the industry and to demand fair first contracts across Microsoft’s gaming studios.

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Speaking to Kotaku, Bethesda artist Alex Nguyen shared his concerns about the changes he has observed since Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft. ‘Since we’ve been under Microsoft, it feels like something has changed. We didn’t have layoffs before, and now all of a sudden we have yearly layoffs,’ Nguyen explained.

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Nguyen pointed out that fixer-uppers like Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online don’t get a chance to bloom into successful fan favorites without sufficient labor and time. He also noted that there used to be a shared sense of long-term commitment among the staff at Zenimax and Bethesda—a commitment being smothered by Microsoft’s current corporate tactics.

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‘That’s why a lot of people had such a long tenure here,’ Nguyen told Kotaku. ‘And they were like, ‘yeah, this is the place I’m gonna retire at,’ or ‘this is the place where I’m gonna finish out,’ or ‘I love being here because I want to stay in the industry for a long time.’ That was basically one of the benefits of being at Bethesda or a Zenimax studio in general.’

Last year, ex-Xbox head Phil Spencer said that ‘nurturing and protecting creative teams that want to go take risks’ was of the utmost importance. Current Xbox head Asha Sharma has sung a similar tune so far, suggesting that Xbox ought to be entertaining over a billion people each day while also announcing the ‘reset’ necessitating 3,200 job cuts in the very same blog post.

It’s plain to see why workers might balk at conditions that continue to raise the bar for achievement while more and more developers lose their livelihoods. Nguyen emphasized the importance of preserving the institutional knowledge and expertise within the company, as the loss of key personnel can have a significant impact on the team’s morale and productivity.

Nguyen noted that the annual layoffs are a stark contrast to the previous years when the company was under Zenimax leadership. He believes that Microsoft’s corporate tactics are eroding the sense of long-term commitment and community that was once a hallmark of the Bethesda and Zenimax studios.

The Save Our Devs rally was a call to action for the gaming industry to address the issue of layoffs and corporate greed. Nguyen’s testimony highlights the need for a more sustainable and equitable approach to game development, one that prioritizes the well-being of the developers and the preservation of their expertise.

In conclusion, the Save Our Devs rally and Alex Nguyen’s testimony serve as a reminder of the importance of preserving the integrity of the gaming industry and the well-being of its developers. By speaking out against layoffs and corporate greed, we can work towards a more sustainable and equitable future for game development.

Here are some key points to consider:

• The Save Our Devs rally was a call to action for the gaming industry to address the issue of layoffs and corporate greed.
• Bethesda artist Alex Nguyen spoke out against the annual layoffs under Microsoft’s leadership.
• Nguyen emphasized the importance of preserving institutional knowledge and expertise within the company.
• The loss of key personnel can have a significant impact on the team’s morale and productivity.