"Our next steps are to mobilize": Bethesda union members are protesting Xbox's layoffs with a 'Save Our Devs' march next week after 440 ZeniMax cuts ⁠49%

By Brendan Lowry⁠71%

7/10/2026, 6:20:05 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Unattributed Quote, Negativity Bias, and Biased Writer Voice, with Appeal to Emotion as the most egregious example at 38.2% saturation with 257 hits. Analysis detected 1,847 faulty-reasoning hits from 673 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 49.5% and a BS Rank of ⁠49% (11,310 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 51.70% of the article peer group.

In response to this week's wave of mass Xbox layoffs from Microsoft that have cut 3,200 roles and four studios from the company , union workers at Bethesda Game Studios — the developer behind Skyrim , Fallout 4 , and Starfield , among other titles — are organizing a protest to fight back. 
Several public listings for the rally — titled "Save Our Devs" — have been spotted for Bethesda's various different locations, including its Rockville headquarters and offices in Austin , Dallas , and Montreal . 
These calls to action confirm that unionized OneBGS staffers are coordinating to march on July 15 next week. 
"Microsoft and ZeniMax leadership have made the devastating decision to slash over 440 positions across BGS, ZOS, id, ZWU (QA) and ZeniMax corporate (including CTO and CSUR)," wrote the union. 
"Because we organized and certified our Unions, we have hard-won legal rights and protections that non-unionized studios simply do not have." 
"The company wants us to accept this as a done deal and quietly disappear. 
We won't let that happen. 
Our next steps are to mobilize," it continued. 
"We need every single member visible and unified. 
To that end, we are announcing our Save Our Devs March across all studios on Wednesday July 15th." 
In an email sent to union workers seen by Game Developer , OneBGS has reportedly stated that 35 Bethesda Game Studios devs have been let go in the US, with 12 also laid off in Montreal. 
This roughly lines up with a previous report that about 50 employees have been laid off from the studio. 
Reportedly, "this has had a crushing effect on morale" at Bethesda, with devs fearing that The Elder Scrolls 6 will suffer delays and crunch as a result of the redundancies. 
There are also concerns that support for Fallout 76 may end . 
According to Bethesda's OneBGS union, 440 workers across Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, id Software, and other ZeniMax teams have been cut by Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs. 
(Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios) 
Elsewhere under the ZeniMax and Bethesda banner, the cuts go even deeper. 
Over 200 developers were laid off from The Elder Scrolls Online studio ZeniMax Online Studios , and well over half of DOOM maker id Software has been axed as well — though it's been reported that the situation there isn't as dire as some say . 
A small comfort. 
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma stated the layoffs are part of a "reset" for the Xbox business after it "overextended" with its ambitions ; OneBGS claims that Microsoft referred to them as an "entrepreneurial change in the scope of business," which is a notion it's fighting against as it negotiates to have affected developers brought into open roles across Xbox Game Studios. 
"While we push that legal fight forward, Microsoft is still legally required right now to sit down with us for 'Effects Bargaining.' 
This means we have the right to negotiate exactly how these layoffs impact our people, and we are heading to the table to fight for every single affected worker," it explained. 
"We are going to be demanding preferential transfers to force Microsoft to place affected BGS workers into open roles across Xbox and Microsoft first, stronger severance and extended healthcare to ensure no one is financially abandoned, as well as recall rights to ensure our laid-off members are the first ones hired back when BGS expands." 
"Stay strong, look out for one another, and we look forward to seeing us all marching together on the 15th," concluded the union. 
Whether next week's protest has a meaningful impact or not remains to be seen, but ultimately, I hope it helps laid off ZeniMax and Bethesda devs find new opportunities and get the best severance and healthcare packages possible. 
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 12.9%Brendan Lowry: 4.0%Windows Central: 4.2%Confirmation Bias12.9%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.9%Windows Central: 1.0%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 9.5%Brendan Lowry: 6.7%Windows Central: 4.6%Availability Heuristic9.5%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 1.4%Windows Central: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.5%Windows Central: 0.8%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 2.3%Windows Central: 2.9%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 3.7%Brendan Lowry: 4.0%Windows Central: 5.0%Framing Effect3.7%This article: 8.2%Brendan Lowry: 2.0%Windows Central: 1.3%Loss Aversion8.2%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.1%Windows Central: 0.9%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.3%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 6.1%Brendan Lowry: 4.3%Windows Central: 8.0%Optimism Bias6.1%This article: 5.2%Brendan Lowry: 6.0%Windows Central: 3.0%Pessimism Bias5.2%This article: 22.7%Brendan Lowry: 16.3%Windows Central: 8.6%Negativity Bias22.7%This article: 7.7%Brendan Lowry: 0.6%Windows Central: 1.4%Self-Serving Bias7.7%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.9%Windows Central: 0.9%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 9.1%Brendan Lowry: 0.3%Windows Central: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias9.1%This article: 14.7%Brendan Lowry: 2.0%Windows Central: 1.2%In-Group Bias14.7%This article: 2.1%Brendan Lowry: 0.2%Windows Central: 0.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias2.1%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 5.4%Windows Central: 4.1%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 6.8%Brendan Lowry: 3.4%Windows Central: 2.2%Recency Bias6.8%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 1.0%Windows Central: 0.5%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.1%Windows Central: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.1%Windows Central: 0.3%Straw Man0.0%This article: 12.3%Brendan Lowry: 3.6%Windows Central: 3.7%Appeal to Authority12.3%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 1.3%Windows Central: 1.7%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 1.6%Windows Central: 1.0%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 8.6%Brendan Lowry: 6.5%Windows Central: 8.5%Hasty Generalization8.6%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Red Herring0.0%This article: 1.2%Brendan Lowry: 0.9%Windows Central: 1.1%Bandwagon1.2%This article: 38.2%Brendan Lowry: 7.7%Windows Central: 3.8%Appeal to Emotion38.2%This article: 5.3%Brendan Lowry: 0.5%Windows Central: 0.9%Begging the Question5.3%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 2.9%Windows Central: 2.9%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.3%Windows Central: 0.5%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.2%Windows Central: 0.1%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 6.2%Brendan Lowry: 3.1%Windows Central: 4.0%Anecdotal6.2%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 8.6%Brendan Lowry: 1.4%Windows Central: 2.4%Ambiguity (Equivocation)8.6%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.4%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.2%Middle Ground0.4%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.3%Windows Central: 0.2%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 8.2%Brendan Lowry: 0.2%Windows Central: 0.1%Special Pleading8.2%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 36.3%Brendan Lowry: 4.8%Windows Central: 3.0%Unattributed Quote36.3%This article: 2.7%Brendan Lowry: 1.0%Windows Central: 1.1%Quote-first Misdirection2.7%This article: 19.5%Brendan Lowry: 18.5%Windows Central: 13.9%Biased Writer Voice19.5%This article: 15.5%Brendan Lowry: 1.9%Windows Central: 1.9%Indoctrination15.5%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Brendan Lowry: 0.0%Windows Central: 0.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 2.7%Brendan Lowry: 3.1%Windows Central: 6.7%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…2.7%

673 words analyzed.

Speakers

3speakers19%attributed speech543writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 25 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 53 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 34 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 30 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 14 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverageOneBGS • 36 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 30 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 0.0% coverageOneBGS • 28 words • 100.0% coverageBethesda Game Studios • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 46 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 100.0% coverageAsha Sharma • 61 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 22 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 31 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 55 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 23 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 38 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 100.0% coverage
Selected voice

Asha Sharma

100%flagged-word coverage
61 attributed words47% of attributed speech92% writer coverage
0%50.0%100.0%Unattributed Quote+78.1 ptsWriter: 21.9%Asha Sharma: 100.0%100.0%Biased Writer Voice-24.1 ptsWriter: 24.1%Asha Sharma: 0.0%0.0%Indoctrination-19.2 ptsWriter: 19.2%Asha Sharma: 0.0%0.0%Quote-first Misdirection-3.3 ptsWriter: 3.3%Asha Sharma: 0.0%0.0%Attempt to Sell a Product -3.3 ptsWriter: 3.3%Asha Sharma: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.