"Xbox to Stop Making Some Sports Games"

**baggio248** · 08-20-2004, 11:10 AM

Because the market doesn't have enough games like those.

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video game business will lay off 76 workers and stop making some sports games, the company said.

Microsoft said it will stop producing team sports games such as "NFL Fever," "NHL Rivals" and baseball game "Inside Drive." But the company said other sports-themed games such as the golf title "Links" and the snowboard game "Amped" won't be affected.

Employees were informed of the cuts earlier this week, and Microsoft said it would try to find them jobs elsewhere in the company. Microsoft has around 1,200 employees in the games unit.

The move was not a complete surprise, since Microsoft said in March it would not make any new versions of the affected sports games this fall. Then in May it struck a new a partnership with Electronic Arts, maker of popular games such as "Madden NFL," to allow those games to be played online through Microsoft's Xbox Live service.

**cheapie** · 08-20-2004, 11:26 AM

the only xbox news i wanna hear is that HALO 2 is out!

**RoniMan** · 08-20-2004, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by cheapie

the only xbox news i wanna hear is that HALO 2 is out!

**kei2** · 08-20-2004, 05:29 PM

Microsoft said it will stop producing team sports games such as "NFL Fever," "NHL Rivals" and baseball game "Inside Drive."

Fine with me, those games all suck. EA and ESPN put out better sports titles. I hate to hear that the XBOX will be getting fewer games (since PS2's library already crushes X's), but those aren't games I'll miss.