shikamaru317 7 hours ago
Amid historic Xbox layoffs, the Xbox hardware team is dodging the worst of it and using material innovation to shield 'Project Helix' from the tech crisishttps://t.co/tGfn86r10l
— Windows Central Gaming (@WinC_Gaming) July 6, 2026
- The hardware division reportedly had the lowest number of layoffs at the main Xbox campus in Redmond Washington.
- Asha shielded them from the brunt of the layoffs because she believes strongly that dedicated hardware needs to be the primary pathway to playing Xbox games next generation
- Project Helix is safe and on-track for release in 2027 or 2028 still
- Rather than delaying Project Helix or scaling back it's specs, the hardware team is currently trying to innovate their way around the RAM and SSD shortage and price boom, and reduce the bill of materials as much as possible elsewhere without scaling back the specs
- Asha plans to cut down the previously stated "up to 14" layers of management down to 4 layers at most across all divisions.
- Chief Operations Officer (a newly created role at Xbox) Helen Chiang (formerly Mojang's studio head) has delivered a clear mandate to the hardware team, deliver a powerhouse console that is financially viable from day one.
