Conflicting Reports Place Rare on the Block Ahead of Xbox’s July 6 Layoff Announcement

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    "url": "https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/03/xbox-closing-studios-help-fund-halo-claim-insiders-29025935/",
    "title": "Xbox is closing down studios to help fund more Halo claim insiders - Metro.co.uk",
    "excerpt": "Microsoft ’s impending layoffs are partly designed to allocate resources to Halo and other franchises, according to multiple insiders. The games industry is bracing for massive layoffs at Xbox this month, as part of CEO Asha Sharma’s promise to ‘reset’ the company . While the full extent of these cutbacks is yet to be confirmed, we’ve already seen Microsoft pull funding on a project from 007 First Light developer IO Interactive and two high-profile execs left Xbox last month. The big question is what Xbox’s plan is after these layoffs, and based on the word of several insiders, it seems the company is doubling down on Halo. According to Windows Central editor Jez Corden , Xbox is ‘very heavily evaluating how Halo is run’ as part of these layoffs, although he clarifies that developer Halo Studios is ‘not in negotiations to shut down[sic]’. ‘Some of these cutbacks revolve in allocating resources towards fixing Halo [sic],’ he added on X. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. This was corroborated by Halo insider Rebs Gaming , who shared Corden’s post, adding: ‘Part of the reason for the Xbox layoffs and studio closures is providing more funding/support to Halo and other iconic franchises.’ they're not in negotiations to shut down, but xbox is very...",
    "summary": "Xbox is planning massive layoffs this month as part of a company 'reset' initiated by its CEO.",
    "planning": true,
    "confidence": 0.9,
    "published_at": "2026-07-03T09:50:00Z",
    "article_sentence": "The games industry is bracing for massive layoffs at Xbox this month, as part of CEO Asha Sharma’s promise to ‘reset’ the company ."
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