Gears of War: E-Day Story Director Laid Off Just Four Days After Celebrating The Game Going Gold
Kotaku • • technology
Key Points:
- Juan Vaca, story director for the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day, was laid off as part of Xbox's latest round of layoffs, just days after announcing the game had gone gold.
- On September 22, Xbox cut over 260 employees amid a corporate "reset," which also includes moving Halo under Activision and merging Forza teams.
- Vaca joined The Coalition studio in 2022 and played a key role in guiding the narrative development of E-Day, but it is unclear how many others at The Coalition were affected.
- Despite the layoffs, sources say fewer than a handful of people at The Coalition were cut for reasons unrelated to the wider Xbox restructuring, and E-Day's launch plans remain unchanged.
- Vaca expressed openness to new opportunities in games, film, or TV following his layoff, highlighting the personal impact of the corporate cuts.
