Employees of Bethesda Game Studios' Rockville, Maryland office assembled a "Celebration of Service" display to honor colleagues cut in the latest Xbox layoff wave, but the studio's human‑resources department instructed the office manager to dismantle it almost immediately, citing the display's location in a common area.
The layoffs are part of Microsoft's broader restructuring that has already eliminated about 1,600 jobs across its gaming division, with a target of 3,800 cuts by the end of FY 2027. Among those let go was senior character artist Christiane Meister, who contributed to every Elder Scrolls title from Morrowind to Skyrim over a 27‑year career. The union said dozens of programmers, artists, designers and testers were also affected, many with decades of service.
The union posted photos of the short‑lived memorial on Bluesky, noting that a similar tribute had previously been displayed at Bethesda's Dallas office. It warned that removing a space for employee commemoration could signal a troubling approach to staff morale, especially as fans worry about the impact on upcoming projects like The Elder Scrolls VI. PC Gamer has reached out to Bethesda for comment and will update the story when a response is received.
