According to our fellow compatriots at GamesIndustry, Microsoft is set to cut thousands of employees loose this month. Between 10-17% of the company’s workforce (about 15,000 out of 90,000 employees) are to be let go, due in part to declining sales and the company wanting to save money. According to various analysts, Microsoft could save upwards of USD $1.2 billion through this transition.

Should this worry Xbox owners? Probably not, as the console seems to be making Microsft a comfortable profit and cuts in the Xbox 360 department are bound to be few.

Strangely enough, this news comes after Microsoft boasted that they have just experienced their best Xbox brand sales ever during the holiday season in Europe. Microsoft not only claims that they doubled their sales from last year’s holiday rush, but is also exceeding hardware sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 by one million units.

“2008 saw us grow faster than any of our competitors and we over-achieved in sales during the crucial Christmas selling period,” claims Chris Lewis, regional Vice President of Microsoft’s European Xbox division. “With eight million consoles sold since we launched, and consistently out-selling PlayStation 3 in EMEA, we’re poised to build on this success in 2009.”

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Related posts:

1. Wii’s Remarkable 2008: $60 Mil in US alone? 360 Paints Black Friday Green
2. Microsoft Confirms Kinect Pricing and New Arcade SKU
3. December 2008 NPDs Released. Nintendo dominates the charts.
4. Pre-E3 2011: Microsoft Preview
5. XBLA Sales Skyrocket as Downloads Deliver on Potential

About This Author: Alex Marra

Hi, my name's Alex. My ambition is to one day become an actor and a video game journalist. I run my own separate blog off of Gamer 2.0 called Tin Foil Hat (http://ajmarra.wordpress.com/), though I update it infrequently. I like to write reviews and share my opinion on video games with no filter added - what you read is my voice and typically how I would say it in real life. I try to be professional at times, but usually end up looking like a professional horse's ass instead. If you want to talk to me personally, shoot me a PM over at Gamer 2.0, send an e-mail to amarra@gamer20.com, or talk to me on Skype (username "Alex.Marra").

Share This Post: