We at NerdLeaks can confirm disturbing new claims about the development of The Elder Scrolls 6. According to Push Square, and citing an IGN report that spoke to internal staff anonymously, more than 50 key employees at Bethesda Game Studios were let go as part of a wider round of Xbox layoffs. If true, those cuts have allegedly left team morale “shattered” and sparked fears of crunch and delays across the project.
What Was Reported
Per Push Square, internal sources told IGN that the layoffs affected “a mix of every discipline: programmers, artists, and designers.” One anonymous quote passed to IGN said, “Their loss will have a substantial and cascading effect on the game and morale of this studio,” and staff described feeling at “rock bottom.”
The cuts were said to be part of a broader Microsoft staffing reduction that will eventually result in 3,200 job losses, per the reporting. Staff also reportedly set up a “Celebration of Service” in a common area to mark those who were laid off; the Bethesda Game Studios Union says HR contacted the office manager and had it taken down “almost immediately.”
Other claims relayed to IGN include that someone who’d been with the studio since the development of Morrowind was among those let go, and that staff are worried the cuts will further lengthen the already long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6. As one anonymous source put it, “We’ve all been very excited and hyped for TES 6 and this has had a crushing effect on morale. We were already running a tight ship and are worried about this delaying the game (though a final release date was not yet chosen as far as we know).”
The Source & Credibility
Take this with a pinch of salt: our reporting here is based on Push Square’s summary of an IGN piece that cited anonymous internal staff. The chain of attribution is clear in the original coverage — IGN is named as the outlet that spoke to those employees directly — but the people sharing details asked to remain unnamed.
That said, the claims include specific, vivid elements (the union’s Celebration of Service and HR’s reaction, the quote about a “substantial and cascading effect,” and the note about a long-tenured employee tied to Morrowind) that add weight to the report if true. We’re flagging the anonymous sourcing and recommending readers treat the details as unverified until named employees or official spokespeople speak publicly.
What It Could Mean
If the claim that more than 50 key employees were let go is accurate, the effects on The Elder Scrolls 6 could be material. Staff told IGN they fear being replaced by cheaper contracted labour, or having to onboard new hires who don’t know proprietary tools — a process that could cause “more delays, and we’ll need to crunch to make up the time,” per sources.
- Project Disruption: Developers said the cuts span disciplines — programmers, artists, designers — which, if true, may disrupt multiple production pipelines.
- Onboarding Risk: The claim that new hires or outsourced contractors would need time to learn proprietary systems was raised as a potential source of additional delay.
- Morale And Crunch: Staff reportedly fear a return to crunch to recover lost productivity, and described morale as “shattered.”
All of this sits against a backdrop of strategic shifts at Xbox. Per the reporting, under Xbox lead Asha Sharma the company has allowed Double Fine and Compulsion to return to being independent teams, and sold off Ninja Theory and Undead Labs to unconfirmed buyers. That context, if accurate, indicates broader restructuring beyond a single studio.
Why This Matters
If true, these developments could have ripple effects for players waiting on The Elder Scrolls 6 and for Bethesda as a workplace. The reported combination of significant staff losses, low morale, and fears of crunch and onboarding delays paints a worrying picture for a title that staff say is still years away from release, per Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier — a detail raised in the compiled reporting.
We’ll continue to follow this closely. For now, take these claims with caution: they come via anonymous sources relayed by IGN and summarised by Push Square. If true, though, they’re a major development for one of gaming’s most high-profile, long-anticipated projects — and something the industry should watch carefully.
