World's Edge loses nearly half its team after Xbox reorganization
World's Edge, Xbox's Age of Empires studio, reportedly lost almost half its staff during Microsoft's recent Gaming reorganization.
- Former creative director Adam Isgreen wrote on ResetEra that the studio is "just under half" smaller and that he was also laid off.
- Microsoft previously said Activision's remit is expanding to World's Edge, but gave no exact headcount or details on the internal impact.
What happened
World's Edge is the Xbox studio that has overseen the Age of Empires franchise since 2019. In reporting on the recent restructuring within Microsoft Gaming, the studio is named as one of the teams hit hardest. Based on the available sources, headcount appears to have been cut by nearly half, but Microsoft, Xbox and Activision have not officially confirmed that number.
The claim comes in part from a post by Adam Isgreen, former creative director at World's Edge. He wrote on ResetEra that the studio had become "just under half" smaller and said he was among those laid off. The sources do not provide a full list of departures or an official headcount before or after the reorganization.
Microsoft confirmed in an Xbox Wire post that the studios are being reorganized and that Activision's remit is expanding to World's Edge. The same reporting describes a broader reshuffling of studio responsibilities, but not the exact staffing impact on each team. Later reporting also said a follow-up project at World's Edge has been shelved, though it has not been confirmed whether that was a new Age of Empires entry.
Timeline
2019-11-14: Xbox announces at X019 that Age of Empires is getting its own studio within Xbox Game Studios, named World's Edge.
2026-09-22: Microsoft publishes on Xbox Wire that it is reorganizing studios and that Activision's remit is expanding to World's Edge.
2026-09-23: Reporting on the Xbox reorganization says World's Edge has lost nearly half its team.
2026-09-23: Adam Isgreen writes on ResetEra that World's Edge is "just under half" smaller and that he was laid off.
2026-09-24: Further reporting links the layoffs to a possibly canceled project, but without official confirmation from Microsoft or Activision about what that project was.
Background
World's Edge was positioned by Xbox in 2019 as the permanent home for Age of Empires within Microsoft's game structure. Since then, the studio has been involved with the franchise, including Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires IV and Age of Mythology: Retold.
The current reporting is not about a new game announcement, but about the effects of Microsoft's broader Gaming restructuring. In the official Xbox Wire text, Activision is said to be taking on expanded responsibility for World's Edge, but the sources offer no further explanation of the new division of roles or which positions were affected.
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Sources
- Eurogamer: report on the Xbox cuts and World's Edge
- ResetEra: post by Adam Isgreen about the staff reduction
- Xbox Wire / X019: announcement of World's Edge as the Age of Empires studio