The whole Xbox debacle continues, and people all over the industry are speaking their minds about what happened on May 7. Mike Ybarra, former president of Blizzard, talked about this long post in X. He mentioned how Phil Spencer is probably feeling down with the decision to shut down four different studios.
People quickly replied to the post, saying that Ybarra should focus on the people who have just lost their jobs and not on the millionaire who is still the company’s head and is making these controversial decisions.
The Xbox Conundrum Continues, and Phil Spencer Defends It With Mike Ybarra
Following Xbox’s decision to close four studios, the entire industry became infuriated with the company, particularly after repeatedly praising the studios for their exceptional performances. Fans and players remember this type of misdirection, and the current state of the Microsoft gaming brand is quite dire, with individuals such as the former Blizzard president, Mike Ybarra, failing to provide assistance.
Ybarra posted a long post that sympathized with Phil Spencer but not so much with the people who just lost their jobs. He said that Spencer feels equally bad about this decision and that he is an amazing human being.
The company did not receive this post well, and many popular X accounts replied to Ybarra, advising him to be mindful of the unfavorable circumstances before posting such a message and to express concern for the people who lost their jobs.
Mike Ybarra, the Former President of Blizzard, Had Misguided Words About the Current Situation
In the post, Ybarra talks about his experience working with Spencer, but he almost doesn’t mention the people who lost their jobs. Alanah Pearce, an industry personality, responded to Ybarra, saying that he also knows Spencer, but he has a job to take a shot at.
The people who just closed their studio should be more mindful of the current situation. Many other users replied to the post with a lot of anger towards Ybarra.
Other users attributed the closure of these four studios to Spencer and the company’s higher-ranking executives. Various users responded, saying that the main issue with these announcements is how the company stated in numerous instances that studios like Tango Gameworks were doing all right regarding sales. Because the sales were not enough to keep the studio open, Microsoft was clearly lying.
The industry is going through a very rough patch; there are numerous layoffs everywhere; the numbers are alarming; and this appears to have no end. In these five months of the year, the number is almost as high as the whole of 2023; more than 8,000 jobs were lost in this first part of the year. Video games are going to mutate, and the companies are trying to make less expensive titles in less time to make a profit.
What are your thoughts about Ybarra’s post? Let us know in the comments!
