Bethesda Softworks is restructuring its operational model to focus exclusively on five flagship intellectual properties, explicitly securing the future of the Quake franchise. Alongside Quake, the only other franchises remaining active under this new framework are Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM and Wolfenstein. The publisher is officially ending all experimental and side projects to concentrate its resources entirely on these five core brands.

This strategic shift comes as part of a massive reorganization of Microsoft's gaming division. According to internal communications reported by The Verge and Variety, Xbox executive Asha Sharma confirmed a total of 3,200 layoffs—with 1,600 employees let go immediately and another 1,600 to be phased out by the end of the fiscal year. Microsoft is also divesting four of its internal studios: Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Double Fine and Compulsion Games.

While the restructuring brings deep cuts and studio sales to the broader Xbox ecosystem, the updated mandate reported by Bloomberg solidifies Quake's position as a primary development priority for Bethesda moving forward.