007 developer suffers layoffs and Blade faces cancellation as Xbox cuts funding

A layoff storm is brewing (Microsoft)Microsoft has pulled funding on a fantasy game from Hitman developer IO Interactive, as it looks to close Dishonored and Blade studio Arkane. After Xbox boss Asha Sharma promised a company ‘reset’, the prospect of catastrophic layoffs has hung over Microsoft’s gaming division. There have already been reports regarding which studios could be affected, including Ninja Theory, Double Fine, Compulsion Games, and Undead Labs. However,