The narrative director for Gears of War: E-Day was dismissed roughly one week before the game's release, according to multiplayer.it. The Italian outlet reported the departure on Wednesday, placing the dismissal in the final days of the title's pre-launch period.
Multiplayer.it did not name the individual or give a reason for the decision in the material available. The report does not state which studio employed the director or whether the departure affects the shipped game.
The news arrives alongside a broader set of changes across Microsoft's gaming division, as described in the same roundup of coverage. IGN Italia reports that Activision is working on a new Halo entry, while Ninja Theory is said to be close to closure. Everyeye.it separately reports that Microsoft is evaluating shutting down Ninja Theory, the studio behind Hellblade. MondoXbox describes further layoffs and studio reorganizations, with Halo moving to Activision. Quotidiano Nazionale characterizes the situation as an ongoing Xbox crisis, reporting that the company is overhauling its strategy and that hundreds of layoffs are expected.
Taken together, the reports point to a period of significant internal restructuring at Microsoft's gaming business, with staff cuts, studio consolidation and a shift of a flagship franchise to a different publisher within the group. The Gears of War: E-Day dismissal is the most recent item in that sequence, and it lands at a particularly sensitive moment for a major first-party release.
What to watch next: whether Microsoft or the Gears of War team confirms the departure and comments on the game's launch plans.
