Hundreds of Bethesda Game Studios and Zenimax Online Studios employees rallied in Rockville, Maryland amid near 100°F heat to protest sweeping Xbox layoffs. Organized by Zenimax Workers United and the Communication Workers of America, the lunchtime protest was one of five across Texas, California, and Montreal. Workers held signs reading “Layoffs… layoffs never change” and demanded Microsoft return to contract bargaining.

Union organizer Nathan Hahn said Microsoft ignored a reduction-in-force proposal for months, opting for layoffs without bargaining. CWA Vice President Mike Davis declared, “They can either come meet at the table [or] they can meet us in the street.” Microsoft CEO Asha Sharma called the cuts necessary to restructure an “unhealthy” business, promising continued investment with “greater focus.” A Microsoft spokesperson said the company reached out July 6 for effects bargaining.

Laid-off AI programmer Jay Woodward, with nearly 20 years at Bethesda, called the layoffs a “perpetual cycle” despite company success. Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton pledged to advocate for fair treatment. QA tester Juniper Dowell likened remaining staff to “trying to sing with half a choir.” System Designer Mandy Parker disputed claims that cuts targeted middle management, saying “this is a fucking broken system!” With 1,600 more cuts planned, morale is “bleak.”