- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told fans she watched a live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls 6 and called its scale and story "incredible".
- Meanwhile, CWA workers protested outside Bethesda with a giant inflatable rat and red flags representing the laid-off employees.
- The protest follows massive Xbox layoffs that cut around 3,200 employees across various studios.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma visited Bethesda Game Studios’ Maryland office earlier today and watched a live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls 6. Meanwhile outside, union workers greeted her with a giant inflatable rat and a field of red flags, representing the workers affected by Xbox layoffs.
In an enthusiastic X post, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma shared her experience at a special The Elder Scrolls 6 gameplay preview and said, “Live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls VI: ******** this morning. The scale and grandeur are incredible. The story is even greater.”
Although The Elder Scrolls 6 has progressed far enough internally to be shown in a playable state, the Xbox CEO didn’t reveal any further information about the game, let alone the actual title.
The timing of her visit, however, is impossible to ignore. As reported by Game Developer, Communications Workers of America members staged a protest outside the Bethesda office while the CEO visited.
A giant inflatable “Scabby” rat towered over the demonstration, while red flags were planted to symbolize the workers lost in the latest round of Xbox layoffs by Microsoft.
A few months ago, the Bethesda Game Studios Union condemned the layoffs. Fast forward to today, OneBGS-CWA member Nathan Hahn told Game Developer that the demonstration was intended to make the leadership at Xbox confront the people affected by the layoffs.
Hahn further states, “Each flag was a public reminder of how many people management cut from our teams – not just our colleagues and coworkers, but our friends at the end of the day.”
He included, “We’re mobilising to fight back against these layoffs not just to ensure impacted XBOX devs and testers get treated fairly, but to remind our company and game studios everywhere that layoffs like this cannot continue.”
The backdrop is particularly brutal. Earlier this year, Xbox planned massive layoffs across some major gaming studios, and 3,200 jobs were already cut a few months ago. This creates an uncomfortable contrast in which the top execs continue to celebrate the grandeur of blockbuster games while people’s jobs are cut short.
