Microsoft cuts internal original content creators and producers at Inside Xbox and Mixer

The affected positions appear to be at Inside Xbox and Mixer with heavy implications that Microsoft is moving away from internal original content creation.

Amanda Farough,Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:36:00

In the wake of E3, Microsoft is the latest to be hit by what appears to be a targeted round of layoffs. While layoffs of any sort in any department are bound to be devastating, the positions that have been affected appear to be related to the original content teams handling Inside Xbox and, as of today, Mixer. The Inside Xbox layoffs quietly happened prior to E3.

This appears to be a strategy shift for Microsoft, as Mixer continues to move toward taking a bigger bite of the streaming pie. Cutting whole teams of original content producers indicates that Microsoft is taking a different approach moving forward, potentially tapping its vast network of streamers and influencers that would likely be eager to "step up." It's unlikely that Xbox and Microsoft will fully move away from original content, though.

The cuts at Inside Xbox, which is the Xbox brand's live news show, have removed internal broadcasters, writers, and producers. It would appear that Microsoft is digging deep into removing internal content creation, which has a tendency to be expensive.