{"id":11695,"date":"2026-07-13T17:46:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/?p=11695"},"modified":"2026-07-13T19:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T15:44:10","slug":"the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/07\/13\/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Elder Scrolls Online Dev ZeniMax Online Studios Insists It&#8217;s Now the Same Size It Was When It Made Much-Loved DLCs, Moves to Reassure Worried Fans After Xbox Layoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios has moved to reassure concerned fans that it is still committed to the game despite the impact of significant layoffs at Xbox.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Last week, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma started her \u201creset\u201d of Microsoft\u2019s gaming business by cutting 1,600 staff, with another 1,600 to go over the course of the next 12 months. Bethesda was hit hard by the layoffs. A Maryland WARN Act notice shows 213 employees were laid off from ZOS&#8217;s office in Cockeysville, MD, and 166 from ZeniMax Media Inc. in Rockville, MD, for a total of 379. While it\u2019s difficult to pin down exactly what the affected staff were working on at these studios because there are blended teams across Bethesda locations, the WARN numbers undoubtedly make for difficult reading.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">As revealed by IGN last week, in an email to Bethesda staff sent following Sharma&#8217;s memo on Monday, Bethesda boss Jill Braff said the layoffs and change in strategy \u201creflect the realities of our industry and business \u2013 and our responsibility to ensure Bethesda is operating from a more stable foundation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;To be successful in the future, we need to change course,\u201d Braff continued. \u201cWe must strengthen our business, return to sustainable growth, and ensure we can continue investing in our franchises and our players. I know that doesn&#8217;t make a day like today any easier.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\">&lt;img alt=&quot;What is an Xbox? Microsoft has spent 25 years trying to answer the question, but for fans, the answer is easy: \u201cXbox\u201d evokes one-eared headsets wired into the memory card slots of massive controllers with breakaway cords. A dashboard with gleaming skeuomorphic blades and avatars adorned in earned accessories. That sound that plays when a hard-earned Achievement finally pops. \u201cXbox\u201d means heavy-duty hardware. Tactile sensations. Friends connecting for the first time. And that\u2019s before we even get to the games.<\/p>\n<p>It may be that the very idea of an Xbox game is coming to an end. Microsoft has undeniably shifted its tactics, with a new focus on multi-platform releases, handheld Xboxes that are actually miniature Windows computers, and the potential that future Xbox consoles may simply be gaming PCs. So now seems as good a time as any to look back at the entire history of Microsoft\u2019s console journey and rank the best Xbox games, with help from our friends at Outside Xbox, the multimillion-subscriber channel that serves up weekly videos about video games and video game-adjacent things<\/p>\n<p>When we say \u201cthe best Xbox games,\u201d we mean the ones that most evoke that weighty sense of \u201cXboxness.\u201d Some are first-party, most are exclusives, and all of them are indelibly tied to the legacy of and fondness for a platform that\u2019s left a massive mark on gaming. These are the 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time. We&#8217;ll be updating this list daily with 25 games at 7am PST\/10am ET\/3pm GMT from Tuesday, 20th January to Friday, 23rd January, until number one is revealed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; decoding=&#8221;async&#8221; class=&#8221;progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity&#8221; loading=&#8221;lazy&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs.gif&#8221; data-cy=&#8221;progressive-image&#8221;&gt;<span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Without naming games, Braff added \u201cto best position Bethesda for future growth, we are shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what&#8217;s next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises and determining the content roadmap that best serves our players and Bethesda as a whole. From there, we\u2019ll align the right talent, technology, and resources across the organization to deliver on those priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">There can be no doubt that ESO, which launched in April 2014, was one of the games impacted by the layoffs, with staff confirming an adjustment to its planned roadmap of content would have to be made. But, according to Massively OP, the developers have also now told fans that the team size is back to the level it was when the Wrothgar (2015) and Summerset (2018) DLCs \u2014 both warmly received \u2014 were made.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The comments were paraphrased by Baratron, the admin of the UESP Discord and prominent Elder Scrolls Online player, in a post on the ESO forum, having attended the ESO Tavern event in Hesse, Germany, over the weekend. According to Baratron, associate design director, Jason Barnes, and associate director of community management, Jessica Folsom, said the layoffs did not signal the end for ESO, nor was it going into maintenance mode.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">ESO\u2019s Kevin Gbolie then followed up with a post on the forum: \u201cThe plan is still to deliver great content, and we will hopefully have an update soon. Just wanted to thank everyone for the kind words and concern for everyone at the studio and everyone impacted by layoffs. We know that everyone appreciates it. Also apologies for any delay in follow up from me this week here on the forum. I\u2019m currently at the Tavern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Last week, a source familiar with the situation at the studio told IGN that ZOS is supporting the new season model for ESO while also looking for ways to collaborate more closely with BGS to support the Elder Scrolls franchise as a whole. I took that to mean helping get The Elder Scrolls 6 out the door.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The comments from ZOS echo those issued by Doom developer id Software, which was similarly hit hard by the Xbox layoffs. 96 staff who worked at id Software&#8217;s office in Richardson, Texas, were cut, alongside a further 40 remote roles. Reports estimate the legendary first-person studio lost half its staff.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Some had expressed concern that id Software would be unable to lead development on any new games in its current state, and that it might be relegated to support studio status. But id Software said it was now at the staffing level it was back when it made the much-loved 2016 Doom reboot \u2014 and insisted it was still capable of making \u201cgreat games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">With these statements, both ZOS and id Software are sending a similarly positive message to fans (and perhaps hinting at ill-advised hiring across Xbox by Microsoft in recent years). But it&#8217;s worth noting that there are still over 1,000 staff at Xbox who are set to lose their jobs in the coming months. This wait to find out who&#8217;s next on the chopping block is causing a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty among those who remain and must continue to work on games even as Microsoft restructures the Xbox business around them.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For more on how the Xbox layoffs have impacted Bethesda, we\u2019ve got a report on the fate of everything from The Elder Scrolls 6 to Fallout 5.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-zenimax-online-studios-insists-its-now-the-same-size-it-was-when-it-made-much-loved-dlcs-moves-to-reassure-worried-fans-after-xbox-layoffs.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-11695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49","tag-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11697,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11695\/revisions\/11697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}