Vancouver’s video game industry has suffered another blow, as Microsoft shuts down two of its major projects and lays off some of its employees.
Microsoft said the Vancouver studio has not shut down, but confirmed that an undisclosed number of staff members would be laid off.
The company said it has cancelled two games in development including Microsoft Flight and a kids’ Kinect project called Project Columbia.
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“Microsoft Studios is always evaluating its portfolio of products to determine what is best for gamers, families and the company,” Microsoft said in an official statement to Kotaku. “This decision was the result of the natural ebb and flow of our portfolio management.”
The statement goes on to say that the game Microsoft Flight will still be available to download for free.
The layoffs come after Rock Star Games and Radical Gaming studios both closed down in Vancouver in recent weeks. Capcom also announced last week it was cutting seven per cent of its staff.
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