Blizzard's recent layoffs have led to the cancellation of their survival game Odyssey, despite ambitious plans just last November. The project is now permanently shelved.
Microsoft is implementing layoffs that will impact approximately 1,900 employees across its Activision Blizzard and Xbox divisions.
This reduction accounts for around 8 percent of the total workforce within the Microsoft Gaming division, which encompasses about 22,000 employees. These layoffs follow Microsoft's acquisition of the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams a few months ago.
In addition to the workforce changes, Blizzard's President, Mike Ybarra, has chosen to depart from the company after overseeing the acquisition. Microsoft plans to unveil a new President of Blizzard in the coming week.Unfortunately, this development also marks the end of their survival game project, Odyssey.
Blizzard President Mike Ybarra Leaves – New Survival Game Cancelled
This game was discussed during BlizzCon in November 2023, with insights shared by the developers. However, it has now been officially canceled.
Microsoft intends to redeploy some of the employees who were involved in the project to other promising ventures in the early development stages at Blizzard.
I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players' lives. It's an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted - this is in no way a reflection...
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) January 25, 2024
Odyssey was originally envisioned as a survival game, emphasizing the core concept of surviving the perils lurking within its world.
Beyond its fundamental survival elements, the game aimed to combine features such as hunting, building, crafting, and player-versus-environment (PvE) combat to provide players with a diverse and engaging experience.