Top Xbox employee in India exits as part of Microsoft layoffs
Microsoft is laying off its senior-most Xbox employee in India as part of a global 2% headcount reduction. The move reflects the company's struggle to gain market share in India's console gaming sector, which is dominated by mobile gaming and competitors like Sony.
Why it matters
This signals a potential strategic retreat for Microsoft in the Indian gaming hardware market, highlighting the challenges global tech giants face in localizing products for price-sensitive regions.
Microsoft Corp. gaming division Xbox’s senior-most employee in India is departing as a part of the parent company’s global layoffs, The Hindu learned from two people familiar with the development. The exit of Arjun Varma, India lead at Xbox’s Strategic Markets division, comes following weeks of Xbox hardware being unavailable in India. The development also marks a significant retreat from India by the Microsoft subsidiary, which has also limited the quantities of Xbox consoles available in the country.
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced a 2% headcount reduction around the world, and news reports indicated that the Xbox team was globally impacted. The firm faces multiple headwinds globally, but also specifically in India, where at least on the gaming console front, Sony’s PlayStation enjoys a considerably larger market share.
A Microsoft spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Mr. Varma did not respond to a text message.
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