Key information
Undead Labs studio head Philip Holt has declined to disclose the specific number of staff members impacted by layoffs during the developer's transition to independence from Xbox. Holt stated he is reluctant to reduce the personal impact on those individuals to a mere statistic.
To facilitate this independence, Holt formed a new entity named Full Measure, granting all employees shareholder status. He noted that the company's value was built by both current and former staff, making it essential for everyone to have a stake in the studio's future.
Holt described his communication strategy as "irresponsibly transparent," choosing to inform staff early about the inevitability of job losses. He believes this approach helped mitigate anxiety and ensured that employees were prepared when the layoffs occurred, preventing the team from viewing the leadership as responsible for causing damage.
The studio pursued a management-led acquisition after Microsoft agreed to the proposal. Undead Labs was one of five studios divested during a broader restructuring that affected 3,200 employees across Xbox.
