i'm so upset and distraught..

..at least i can take solace in that Sony's cuts didn't affect their SCE division and that operations in their video gaming sector are going at full speed

so sad about Xbox though...

in all seriousness... they should axe Zune and be done with it

So yeah make it sound like Sony is losing more employees when Microsoft is losing more.

Why do they want to focus more on Windows?

With Cloud-Computing taking off soon within the next 10 years,there really will be no need for Desktop based operating systems. Just an internet connection and a basic OS to connect to the cloud.

Google will likely take that market with their latest product: Gdrive.

Sigh.

sad to see jobs go at Xbox. Just ditch Zune! Zune had a 50% sales decrease whilst the xbox division is plodding along quite healthily.

I really hope that Microsoft isn't making an abrupt change to casual gaming. If they do, they will alienate the very demographic who made the 360 successful.

Poor M$ :( ...

XD

Even with Microsoft closing down another studio,cutting thousands of jobs.Paying millions in RROD repairs,Losing Market share with IE,Zune failing worldwide..

We will NEVER see a "Is microsoft doomed?" article.
All These "journalist's" out there love kissing their ass to much to say anything bad about them.For whatever reason..

this is what happens when you are arrogant and waste a lot of money on downloadable content and games. i wonder if they'll ask for the 50 million dollar back for the gta 4 downloadable content.

will alan wake be delayed even more?
will splinter cell be delayed until 2012?
will the new xbox be released much later?
will they raise the price of the xbox 360?
will they charge more for xbl?

xbox 360 is rubbish.

psp2 ftw

It's funny how unlike Sony, xbox hasn't ever given MS a dime of profit. It only slowly helps restore a huge debt hole invested in the xbox. The RROD is added with this. Sony only anticipates $336 million loss from SCE. They will easily break even fall 09' on PS3. I expect cost cutting and price drops on PSP (when DSi launches), $99 ps2, $299 (80 GB) and $399 (160 GB) PS3.

The first party Sony line up will be the most successful yet.

WAIT the 360 just had a great holiday season so why is MS cutting their staff dude that is so messed up. I wish all those who lost their jobs well

http://www.n4g.com/up/Actio...

http://www.n4g.com/up/Actio...

need i say more?

apocalypse..............

"Microsoft was down, but HP was up, Google was up, and IBM came out with better-than-expected earnings. These are companies that have faced the innovator's dilemma and have overcome it. HP and IBM have been willing to innovate, and to base a lot of their solutions on Linux.
I'd like to point out that both have lucrative Unix-based businesses as well. However, they're perfectly willing to offer a competing low-cost, high-value platform, knowing that they can make money on services."

Wonderful explanation.

I still believe the only thing that has ever hurt MS was the release of Bungie, which they still partly own, they have great partners who make their games for them like Mistwalker and Realtime Worlds.

ES closing was sad, but ACES I don't give a crap about, and they already have Spawn Point studio being formed.

Poor Microsoft...

http://img135.imageshack.us...

r.i.p M$

Oh look here comes the typical N4G fanboys running around circle jerking each other spewing their nonsense......

Welcome to recession morons even oil companies are laying people off and they are the biggest and most profitable businesses in the world....kids need to grow up.

r.i.p MS?

the only company that has the most chance of dieing is $ony. and that chance stands at about 0 to 1% chance. so you a dillusional and are clased as a blind tard. have a nice day.

"Microsoft also announced today that the company will be shutting down one of its longest running game studio, ACES. The studio has been responsible for various franchises such as long time veteran, Flight Simulator. "

It's sad that MS just keeps closing down studios....no wonder it doesn't have much to offer in 2009. Also sad that many people are losing their jobs.

Something's definitely not right. Microsoft is touting amazing sales for the 360, yet reducing their Quality Assurance team for the 360 and closing down entire studios left and right? The 360 was aimed to be in "hundreds of millions of households", but stands at just 28 million after 3 years.

Microsoft Corporate probably sees the Xbox Division as a leech, bleeding them dry of billions of dollars over the past 7 years. To be fair, the Xbox was killed off with 4 billion in debt, and the 360 has been charged with eliminating that debt. But sadly, this hasn't been possible due to the console's enormous (and expensive) failure rate.

Injecting $1.3 billion just for Xbox 360 repairs was really bad publicity, and unless the 360 suddenly becomes massively successful at its new price point of $199, we may not see a new Xbox console after the 360 is done.

no wonder why they havent announced any games

no wonder why they didnt announce any games....

Last I heard was 2500 jobs and not the entertainment division. What are the real facts? Every story on here says something different.

EDIT
a few days ago there was an article stating 1400 immediate jobs were cut in PR and other office positions

we need more buckets!

He seems to have a lot of time to write things from a completely distorted point of view. Microsoft has closed Studios. They also seem to be gaining exclusive content and games. He fails to mention that while they are laying off in some areas, they are hiring in others. They just started a new game studio actually. Microsoft had started closing internal studios long before anyone was talking about the economy. It's more about buying a known quantity than taking all of the risk with internal studios. Sony has taken a bath on a lot of their in-house games.

Profits are down for Microsoft, so they only make 15 billion this year instead of 16.5. Ferro is a complete fanboy who doesn't seem to realize that Sony has gone from making a profit of over 3.5 billion last year, to losing as much as 3.5 billion this year according to some estimates. They are laying off at least 16,000 while Microsoft is laying off less than 5,000 because they have stated that they are hiring for new positions. Some of that same 5,000 will just be moving to other positions in the company so it's more like positions are just being eliminated. Plus the cuts in E & D I believe are a lot more about Zune than Xbox.

Sony is waiting to see what happens with Killzone to really make some major decisions. If Killzone doesn't move some major numbers(copies and systems), Sony will make deeper cuts and will make severe cuts in the games division.

Mike Ferro, STFU! Moron.

when sony releases "bad news" it's the economies fault. when microsoft releases "bad news" it's the xbox's fault. then it becomes a sony fanboy jerking off contest. glad you dipsh1ts think this is the "end" of microsoft. the posts in here just prove sony fanboys' retardation. xbox fans- the next news of sony losing millions or more comes on n4g, lets not be so moddest, and return the "favor" to the d1ckheads on here. in a way i hope this is the last xbox, so you sony fanidiots can spend $1200 next-gen for a ps4- lets see how much you "celebrate" then.

So? Sony laid off 16,000 people. Even the Oil companies are laying people off. Stfu Sony fanboys. Stfu.

Microsoft will have to get used to writing checks to third-party studios if they want any exclusives now.

Karma?

Poor MS, hope these videos can help them out.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

That'll teach them not to spend $50 million on DLC.

But it is a shame so many people are losing their jobs.

I just feel bad for the people losing their jobs. :/
That's not good at all.

They must've laid off all those jerks who are sleeping at the Quality Control department in the 360 Games Division.

microsoft WAS and IS bleeding money to try to beat sony in creating an all in one multimedia division.and it just isn't working.

the systems are dying from RROD and bleeding money.

the studios are dying and being closed up by microsoft.

the zune is dying and looks to not even be making any dent in the portable music market.

buying and paying for exclusive content of franchises that have lost their luster like gta and tomb raider.sony doesn't pay for exclusives and was right in leading the way in supporting their own devs instead of giving money away.

all this talk about sony dying but sony is not the one spending millions to get noticed.they are just riding along at a good pace waiting to strike.they know the system is priced beyond mass consumption but are willing to wait until the system breaks even in cost so that they can make money on software.and thrid parties can ride the wave and make money just like activision,EA,ubisoft,konami and the rest are on ps3.

as i said,if 360 gamers weren't paying for XBL,360 would have been cancelled and recalled by now.as investors would have pulled out of supporting microsoft.all that money microsoft is spending has only gave them a SHORT LEAD that will lead to a SHORT LIFE SPAN.

the lead has been already lost to nintendo and the lifespan of 360 doesn't seem capable of getting beyond 5 years.

but we'll see soon enough after they announce changes in corporate structure in the gaming division.

hope for the best 360 fans,you're going to need it.spewing out doom and gloom for sony and posting garbage articles while neglecting what's happening in your own back yard.

apocalypse................... ....

*pats 360 fanboys* There, there.

But in all seriousness, I do feel sorry for the people losing their jobs. That's nothing to laugh at.

However, none of you should have been laughing when Sony was laying off workers in the first place.

How its a regular nerd rage pit here ain't it. Gota laugh at the pathetic Sony fanboys loving 5000 people losing there jobs. Since some people here are to thick to notice the world is entering a huge recession. Sony, Microsoft and 90 percent of the dam company's in the world are getting hit hard.

Job cuts are bound to happen does that mean Microsoft is going to get out of the gaming business? Only some very special people can come to that conclusion from the information at hand. Shame on you idiots this is bigger then your pathetic console war.

And seriously before you click disagree like so many will. Look at your self in the mirror and have a long hard think about where your life is going.

Sooooo Was the price cuts a clearance sale?

Hey it's a tough world out here right now..Layoffs suck..but if it doesnt make sense to run your company under the current economic environmental structure...then why not cut out the fat?..I'm an Xbox Gamer..I don't care if the developer for Flight Simulator shuts down..hell make Flight Simulator for Xbox 360..now THAT would be news..look I think Game Teater would be the GREATEST gig EVER..but damn 30,000 of em'..wow..umm I'm sure they can cut that number on a game by game basis..I'm all for consolidating your top people and focusing on the best products and brands that move your companies bottomline..so when Microsoft makes money..we as gamers win..Greenburg ain't going nowhere..who would talk sh@t anymore? The best part of Microsoft's restructuring is that they don't have to go through all of the drama Sony of America does with it's parent company's old ideology...

Typical n4g stuff. On the actual news 2000 of those jobs effected are being moved into different postions. The rest are Zune development. Xbox is not really effected. Try watching the news. Same as Sony: most of the job cuts have little effect on the company as a whole as they are only dropping losses.
Its still bad news for people who are loosing there jobs though. These are hard times and people here shouldn't turn it into a fanfest. This isn't about who is better xbox or ps3. This is peoples jobs. No job is safe these days.

30 second 2 million dollar halo wars and halo odst commercials during the super bowl watched by 3 billion people ...

Ps3 uhh dosent plan on having a kz2 commercial for the super bowl because its an american sport...

its really a shame that all the Sony faithfuls care about is Sony coming out clean an untouched,they dont care about people loosing their jobs as long as it means sony is winning!! they claim that MS is closing studios an Sony has a whole herd of first party developers. well what have these first party developers did for Sony to help them get outta the position their in!! what first party game has come out for the PS3 that has really made a difference this gen? exactly!!! none. you guys can claim sony's studio dominance all you want but until they actually do something to better sony's position their no better than what MS has!!

plus you guys need to realize that Sony OWNING a studio, they have to account for EVERYTHING that studio does, all the expenses everything!! with MS buying exclusive rights to a game, there only responsible for the cost associated with THAT game. no building rent, no electricity,water, anything. so maybe its cheaper for MS to just buy a game rather than a whole studio!!

This is flame bait, and it is sad that these small sites like Blorge would try to play off people loosing their jobs to drive a ridiculous fanboy war.

The correct title should be "Microsoft layoffs at the Entertainment & Devices Division" or "Microsoft layoffs at the Interactive Entertainment Business."

The studio, ACES, did not make a single game for the Xbox, they made the greatest flight simulation title in gaming history, Flight Simulator. It is sad that this potentially means we won't see another Flight Simulator, but then Microsoft also stated they weren't going to cut Flight Simulator.

It is truly sad that a lot of people will be loosing their jobs, and pathetic that small sites such as Blorge are trying to fuel the fanboy war with inaccurate titles.

lol was 199.99 a clearance sale lololol

they laid off some jobs to make it throught this tough economic times, so did Sony and many other major companies.. do u knw whats gonna happened if microsoft pulls the plug on the xbox 360, its gonna be a str8 monopole, Soony will charge ur arsses for everything and give u bad quality games, u knw why?? becus they dont have any compatition in the nextgen area.. comn u worthless p.o.s fanboys, think before u write something.. and for the mather, Im a Sony fan and have been for a long long time and PS3 is my first choice, but i also use my head and this business with no compatition aint no win for any gamer..

MS is here to stay and Sony is here for the crown which their gettin by the way :D

Sorry to hear this. I just lost my job too.

lets hear all that sony's cuttin jobs, sony's dead now.that 50 million dollar DLC could have been those folks pay checks.

will this affect what games come out for my xbox 360? i don't want a 3rd party machine. it is total sadness, that people are losing their jobs. my heart goes out to you leon. i have a son and i am currently in school. i work 2 jobs, and i pray that i don't get laid off from either job. i posted something very political, but true, and it was erased by the mods. two people posted underneath of my modded post to leave my political ideas to myself. when one of their parents lose their jobs, they might have more understanding of what i posted.

What are they thinking is right, firing QA testers.

M$ games are so buggy and unfinished, and the hardware is shoddy at best. Lets not deny it.

How about getting rid of some fat at the top and hiring more QA, they need it.

YOU WILL NEVER BE MISSED.

Dude, you really need to STfU. You don't even own a x360 so stop trolling on all the fake Doom and gloom x360 articles like this one.

The facts:
Microsoft had announced a decrease in its already massive quarterly profit. Its current gen game console business is profitable. In contrast, Sony announced an increase in the already expected massive loss in money (no profit at all). It is slashing 16,000+ jobs. Its current console business is losing money.

They cut staff but yet they can spend $50mil on GTAIV's worthless DLC?!?! That doesn't make sense. How about use that $50mil and help out folks who are in need of a job in a bad economy. Again MS is so worried about Sony to think straight.

The recession is a motherfather. No company is safe.

I didn't know Microsoft had any studios left to close. The couple studios that still support them are 2nd party, right?

but I like the picture guy piss at MS.

damn...sux for the ppl losing their jobs...come on MS, cut the Zune, don't abandon the 360 (at least not till GeoW3)

Although the Xbox franchise has seen profits lately. It still is in the red. It cost big bucks to start up a new division such as Xbox. It takes awhile in an healthy economy to recoup the cost too. It also didn't help that the original Xbox was forgotten. All the consoles that they didn't sell and all the software that was left on the shelf were either discounted or trashed. That is money down the drain no matter how you try to spin it.

Sony on the other hand continued to sell PSOne during the PS2 life and is doing the same again with PS2 and PS3. That is additional revenue which will cushions their fall from grace.

Both companies have made bad decisions that they will pay dearly for, but there is always a rainbow just around the bend.

what a bunch of fools in here. Everyone reads the headline then types garbage. Aces makes the ms flight sim which sells jack.They have nothing to do with the xbox and the xbox teams will be left alone and everything is fine with then .They made profit.

5000 employees to microsoft would be about 0.5% of all their employees.
But seriously times are tough.
And to you sony fanboys taking pot shots at people and families who have recently lost their jobs your about as manly as a mini skirts and sports bras.
How safe do you think your job is or your parents jobs? could be you next crying when your living outta your car.

Its not really surprising, Im guessing that the Xbox division requires massive investment and gives Microsoft little return. MS probebly want to concentrate on its core rather than what is probebly mickey mouse money to them.

But I'm safe right? Billy Boi you wouldn't give me the boot would you? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, my career, I'll have to start all over at chuck e cheese again.

microsoft must FIRE all the xbox team...and get out of VG market