ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Studios Cut 440+ Unionized Roles Across Multiple Locations

Microsoft's broader gaming division eliminated 4,800 jobs worldwide, and across the ZeniMax Media and Bethesda family the restructuring cut over 440 unionized positions. Regional filings detailed 213 layoffs at ZeniMax Online Studios in Maryland and 166 at ZeniMax Media (Maryland), while Texas notices showed 158 total cuts including 96 at id Software, 22 at Bethesda Game Studios Austin, and 40 remote roles tied to the Dallas office; Bethesda Montreal lost at least 12 staff. The layoffs are part of a strategic pivot toward franchise-based structures and aligning talent and resources to key franchises, according to internal messaging from Bethesda leadership. Unionized OneBGS members are organizing protests and pursuing effects bargaining, demanding preferential transfers, stronger severance, extended healthcare, and recall rights for laid-off workers. The article frames the cuts as already executed and documents union and worker responses across multiple ZeniMax-owned studios.

ZeniMax MEDIA INC. (Austin) Bethesda Game Studios cut 440 jobs affecting its Game development studios (ZeniMax Online Studios, ZeniMax Media corporate, id Software, Bethesda Game Studios Austin, Bethesda Montreal) team as of July 11, 2026.

That is roughly 17.6% of the 2,500 people ZeniMax MEDIA INC. (Austin) Bethesda Game Studios employs.

LayoffTalk has tracked 6 layoff events at ZeniMax MEDIA INC. (Austin) Bethesda Game Studios since July 2026, including 22 jobs documented in official WARN filings, with 5 additional events known from news reporting.