
Rare & Initiative Studio Closures: Microsoft Laid Off Everwild & Perfect Dark Teams in July 2025: Implications for Opportunities for Immersive Live Gaming and Tech Collaboration
In July 2025, Microsoft grabbed headlines with a large round of layoffs impacting approximately 9,000 staff members from various divisions. Some of the most shocking and hotly debated reductions were outright cuts of two prominent Xbox studios: Rare’s Everwild studio and The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot studio.