Initially the Xbox One wasn’t meant to be just a gaming machine. Microsoft showed off countless features that positioned it as an entertainment device as well. But in the end that didn’t help console sales, which were left far behind by Sony’s PlayStation 4. Microsoft corrected that course by no longer making Kinect mandatory and seeing Xbox One sales almost double and its latest move to align Xbox with the purpose of gaming sadly marks the end of the road for Xbox Entertainment Studios.
Xbox Entertainment Studios was responsible for original shows that were to debt on the console. A new series came out just last month while the Steven Spielberg produced Halo series is also on the cards. Microsoft today confirmed that there will be no new projects which means that there will be no more original shows for the Xbox.
The announcement came through an internal memo sent by Xbox chief Phil Spencer. Acknowledging that while change is never easy Spencer says that the changes announced today will help the company achieve its long-term goals.
Entertainment options on the Xbox are now limited to the TV experience which Microsoft promises to enhance via monthly console updates as well as app partnerships which brings content from other providers like Netflix.
Microsoft announced its biggest round of layoffs today. Over 18,000 people will lose their jobs by next year. The company is also killing Nokia X Android based smartphones and will be moving products over to Windows Phone so that it may continue to compete in the low-end market.