Xbox creator Microsoft has laid off hundreds of staff members across multiple departments.

Sources told Insider that less than 1,000 staff were laid off across divisions thought to include Xbox, the forward-looking Microsoft Strategic Missions and Technology organisation, and the office of the Chief Technology Officer.

Studio Alpha - Microsoft's "serious gaming initiative" that focused on war gaming simulations - is also at risk according to one source, alongside the Mission Expansion cloud government team.

Microsoft's Mission Engineering team may also be affected, as its lead Zach Kramer sent an email to employees announcing that it would be "deprioritizing work already underway".

The email continued: "This is hard to do. There are lots of ideas that could potentially have an impact and each of us has worked very hard, but we must make trade-offs as resources are not unlimited and time is the scarcest of them all.

Microsoft veteran KC Lemson was among those affected, announcing on Twitter that she had lost her role as product manager in the CFO's office. Another laid-off staff member told Insider that they had only been hired one month earlier.

"Like all companies, we evaluate our business priorities on a regular basis, and make structural adjustments accordingly," a Microsoft spokesperson said to Insider. "We will continue to invest in our business and hire in key growth areas in the year ahead."

Microsoft announced in July that it planned to lay off less than 1% of its workforce, which currently sits at around 180,000 people, putting towards 1,800 at risk. It's unconfirmed if this most recent wave of lay-offs is related to this July announcement, however.

It comes during a testing period for Microsoft as the company attempts to prove that Xbox's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is good for consumers and the market. The company has faced criticism from various U.S. senators, the city of New York, the U.S. Justice Department, and most recently the UK government.

Activision Blizzard is also steeped in controversy itself, as earlier in October another sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against the company, joining a line of previous allegations that began with the state of California sueing the Call of Duty developer for fostering a "frat boy culture".

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Elden Ring: A Night in the Lands Between is an official concert based on the game's soundtrack - but it's unexpectedly a jazz gig.

As reported by Eurogamer, the concert will put a new spin on the Elden Ring soundtrack as jazz legends Kenny Garrett and Takuya Kuroda take to the stage. The show will include "recognisable melodies from the game's soundtrack... performed live in Jazz format - with improvisation".

It is, of course, an unusual turn to take for such an orchestra-focused soundtrack, something the two jazz musicians acknowedge in a trailer for the event. "The music of Elden Ring, to me it's huge sounding. Like, the melodies are huge, the orchestra is huge, and it's dark. Different, you know, it's not happy music," said Kuroda.

"It's something different," added Garrett. "I mean Elden Ring is going to be something different than I have done before. And you know, what I learned from my mentor Miles Davis is, really, that's how you become a better musician. I'm up for the challenge."

Kuroda draws a comparison between the interactivity of gaming, and the improvisation of jazz, citing the spontaneity of both: "No one can expect what's going to happen. That's what those things have in common, the game and the music. That's why I think jazz is a good platform to do it."

Those looking to attend the event, taking place at The Bourbon Room in Los Angeles, can pick up various tickets. The Elden Lord tier costs $200 and comes with event admission, a dinner, an exclusive t-shirt, commemorative ticket, poster, digital soundtrack, and VIP seats.

The $125 Demigod tier comes with admission, the t-shirt, poster, and soundtrack, while the $75 Tarnished option comes with just admission to the concert. A Night in the Lands Between will also be streamed live with the "Furled Finger" ticket costing $25 just to access the stream, while a $50 Host of Fingers tier also comes with the commemorative ticket and soundtrack.

A video-on-demand will also be available at $15, but both it and the live stream can only be bought from within the U.S.

This won't be the first unique spin on Elden Ring's orchestral soundtrack, as composer Alex Moukala previously recreated its main theme in 15 different styles, from Spanish guitar to trap and traditional Japanese. Also (sort of) in the Elden Ring music world, a streamer managed to defeat its toughest boss, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, using a dance mat and at level one.

Released back in February, Elden Ring has continued to capture the imagination of its players, as proven by the number of adaptations being released. FromSoftware's latest has received an official manga (that's a comedy, weirdly), and just last month an official board game was announced.

In our 10/10 review of the game, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."

To make those choices with the best available information, check out our guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Apollo Creed is back, and some fans now want Creed 3 to include Clubber Lang storyline.

Creed 3 star Michael B. Jordan unveiled a first look at the upcoming Creed sequel on Twitter with a trio of striking images, showing Apollo and new rival Anderson Dame (Jonathan Majors) taking to the ring.

“You can’t run… from your past,” reads the tagline, leading some fans to speculate that Dame could be connected to the Rocky III character, Clubber Lang (Mr. T). After all, the series hasn't been shy about reintroducing characters from the past - even seeing Ivan Drago return with his son in the last movie.

3/3/23 #creed3 pic.twitter.com/HnlaL9SlU4

— Michael B. Jordan (@michaelb4jordan) October 17, 2022

Clubber Lang first appeared in Rocky III back in 1982, played by the inimitable Mr. T. Lang was a professional boxer from Chicago, Illinois, and one-time world heavyweight champion, taking the title from Rocky Balboa only to lose it back to Balboa in their next fight.

Lang was said to be loosely based on a combination of real-life boxers Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, and George Foreman. Despite his popularity, Lang bowed out of the Rocky franchise after one appearance – only appearing briefly in Rocky IV during a recap of the earlier fight.

Some think this movie will weave in that history in some respect. "Getting serious Clubber Lang vibes from Jonathan Majors," wrote a Twitter user. “Would it be crazy if that's Clubber [Lang's] kid” said another.

Unlike Drago's connection to Creed in the last movie, there’s no real connection between Lang and Apollo’s dad, Adonis Creed, however, and other fans think this will simply be a storyline about Apollo's own past, not that of the franchise:

“Can't run from your past...we already did Drago,” said one Twitter user. “Creed had no actual connection to Clubber Lang so I don't think that's it...were they in juvie or a group home together? Bet that's it.”

Considering Sylvester Stallone won’t be heading back for Creed 3 this feels like a good time for Apollo to strike out on his own, as well as face a more personal story that’s about him and not his father or his trainer.

Want to read more about Creed 3? Find out why Stallone isn’t returning for Creed 3 and why Stallone is campaigning to get his Rocky rights back.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Flash really is the fastest man alive as the sequel to his upcoming solo movie has already been written.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a sequel has been penned by Aquaman writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The Flash 2’s script was reportedly put together just in case The Flash does well when it’s released on June 23, 2023.

The Flash stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen in the character’s first solo film since he was introduced to the DC movie universe in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Flash also took part in the epic comic book team-up, DC’s Justice League.

However, The Flash star has recently been under intense scrutiny following a series of arrests and questionable behavior.

Over the past few months, Miller has seen a number of troubling claims made about their conduct, which have even resulted in arrests and police involvement. They have been charged with burglary in Vermont, as well as other legal issues in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and North Dakota.

Miller has also been accused of throwing a chair at a woman, grooming minors, and other serious misconduct.

The actor drew nationwide attention when they abruptly deleted their Instagram account and seemingly vanished. However, in August, Miller confirmed that they are suffering from “mental health” issues and delivered an apology.

“Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” said Miller. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”

Despite these shocking troubles, it doesn’t seem to have altered Warner’s faith in The Flash.

Miller recently returned to The Flash set for reshoots, signaling that Warner Bros. was backing its troubled star. If The Flash 2 has already been developed into a script, that’s a pretty definitive sign that Warner Bros. is happy to sweep Miller’s woes under the carpet.

Whether or not The Flash 2 is greenlit depends on how the first installment does at the box office.

Want to read more about The Flash? Check out the DC shows and movies affected by the Warner Bros. Discovery merger as well as hints about the ten-year plan for DC.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Flash really is the fastest man alive as the sequel to his upcoming solo movie has already been written.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a sequel has been penned by Aquaman writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The Flash 2’s script was reportedly put together just in case The Flash does well when it’s released on June 23, 2023.

The Flash stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen in the character’s first solo film since he was introduced to the DC movie universe in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Flash also took part in the epic comic book team-up, DC’s Justice League.

However, The Flash star has recently been under intense scrutiny following a series of arrests and questionable behavior.

Over the past few months, Miller has seen a number of troubling claims made about their conduct, which have even resulted in arrests and police involvement. They have been charged with burglary in Vermont, as well as other legal issues in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and North Dakota.

Miller has also been accused of throwing a chair at a woman, grooming minors, and other serious misconduct.

The actor drew nationwide attention when they abruptly deleted their Instagram account and seemingly vanished. However, in August, Miller confirmed that they are suffering from “mental health” issues and delivered an apology.

“Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” said Miller. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”

Despite these shocking troubles, it doesn’t seem to have altered Warner’s faith in The Flash.

Miller recently returned to The Flash set for reshoots, signaling that Warner Bros. was backing its troubled star. If The Flash 2 has already been developed into a script, that’s a pretty definitive sign that Warner Bros. is happy to sweep Miller’s woes under the carpet.

Whether or not The Flash 2 is greenlit depends on how the first installment does at the box office.

Want to read more about The Flash? Check out the DC shows and movies affected by the Warner Bros. Discovery merger as well as hints about the ten-year plan for DC.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

There doesn’t appear to be plans for another stab at a connected DC universe as according to a new report, different key players are taking control of various DC movie franchises. This includes Matt Reeves, who is expanding his control over Batman.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC universe is shattering with different key players emerging. While James Gunn is becoming a bigger part of the DC machine along with Dwayne Johnson, the report says Matt Reeves is growing his influence over Batman with even more Batman spinoffs.

While the director is already working on a Penguin series and an Arkham Asylum series. Reeves is reportedly meeting with other writers and directors to build out other movies focused on Batman villains like Scarecrow, Clayface, and Professor Pyg.

Reeves introduced a gritty take on Gotham City with 2021’s The Batman. While it was another grounded take on Batman, Reeves’ universe was notably darker and more pulp-inspired than Christopher Nolan’s realistic take on Batman.

The movie focused on two main villains, Riddler and Penguin (and a deleted third villain) but Reeves has talked in the past about different villains he was exploring including Mr. Freeze.

But it sounds like Reeves will be able to explore all of his different villain ideas with the expansion of his Batman universe. While details are still under wraps, insiders say discussions for his various Batman villain spinoffs are still in their early stages.

Read IGN’s review of The Batman, and check out other details from the story including how DC is looking to reboot The Man of Steel with Henry Cavill.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

There doesn’t appear to be plans for another stab at a connected DC universe as according to a new report, different key players are taking control of various DC movie franchises. This includes Matt Reeves, who is expanding his control over Batman.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC universe is shattering with different key players emerging. While James Gunn is becoming a bigger part of the DC machine along with Dwayne Johnson, the report says Matt Reeves is growing his influence over Batman with even more Batman spinoffs.

While the director is already working on a Penguin series and an Arkham Asylum series. Reeves is reportedly meeting with other writers and directors to build out other movies focused on Batman villains like Scarecrow, Clayface, and Professor Pyg.

Reeves introduced a gritty take on Gotham City with 2021’s The Batman. While it was another grounded take on Batman, Reeves’ universe was notably darker and more pulp-inspired than Christopher Nolan’s realistic take on Batman.

The movie focused on two main villains, Riddler and Penguin (and a deleted third villain) but Reeves has talked in the past about different villains he was exploring including Mr. Freeze.

But it sounds like Reeves will be able to explore all of his different villain ideas with the expansion of his Batman universe. While details are still under wraps, insiders say discussions for his various Batman villain spinoffs are still in their early stages.

Read IGN’s review of The Batman, and check out other details from the story including how DC is looking to reboot The Man of Steel with Henry Cavill.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Going back to the calls for the Snyder Cut, fans have been calling for Henry Cavill to reprise his role as Superman in the DC Extended Universe. It seems they may eventually get their wish.

In an extended report that also reveals James Gunn is secretly working on another DC movie, THR claims that WB Discover has an "intense desire" to see Cavill don the red cape once again. In fact, a project that would "essentially be Man of Steel 2" is reportedly in search of writers.

The project is one of several featuring Superman highlighted in the report, which touches on everything from a potential Flash sequel to Matt Reeves' plans for spin-offs based on Batman's rogues gallery. It also highlights the chaotic nature of WB Discovery's situation as it tries to find its own version of Kevin Feige for the DCEU.

In the midst of what's described as a power vaccuum at DC amid the impending departure of DC president Walter Hamada, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is among those said to be trying to define Superman's future. According to THR, Johnson badly wants to make a "Black Adam vs. Superman" that would feature Cavill.

"Absolutely. That is the whole point of this," Johnson said when asked whether Black Adam will fight Superman. "There's a new era in the DC universe that's about to begin."

Warning: Spoilers for Black Adam post-credits scene follow.

While Black Adam won't release until the end of the week, Johnson has already revealed the film's post-credits stinger, which features Cavill. According to THR, Hamada initially turned down the cameo, only for Johnson to go to Warner Bros Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy to get it done anyway. The scene was shot in mid-September.

Notably, Johnson was booed back in July during San Diego Comic-Con when he seemed to cast doubt on Cavill's return to the role, responding to a question about whether Black Adam could beat Superman in a fight by saying, "I guess it probably all depends on who is playing Superman; I'm just going to say that. I'll leave it at that."

Hamada, for his part, championed the non-DCEU story by Ta-Nehisi Coates featuring a Black Superman, which is still set to be produced by JJ Abrams.

Cavill's Superman last appeared in Justice League, which was roundly panned before being revived by the so-called Snyder Cut. The character's future in the DCEU was said to be in doubt even back in 2017, but it seems Superman's fortunes have turned.

How WB Discovery ultimately proceeds will come down to who fills the vaccuum left by Hamada. According to THR, De Luca was responsible for greenlighting Joker 2 and may see his role in the DC become more permanent.

In the meantime, Black Adam is due to release on October 21.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Going back to the calls for the Snyder Cut, fans have been calling for Henry Cavill to reprise his role as Superman in the DC Extended Universe. It seems they may eventually get their wish.

In an extended report that also reveals James Gunn is secretly working on another DC movie, THR claims that WB Discover has an "intense desire" to see Cavill don the red cape once again. In fact, a project that would "essentially be Man of Steel 2" is reportedly in search of writers.

The project is one of several featuring Superman highlighted in the report, which touches on everything from a potential Flash sequel to Matt Reeves' plans for spin-offs based on Batman's rogues gallery. It also highlights the chaotic nature of WB Discovery's situation as it tries to find its own version of Kevin Feige for the DCEU.

In the midst of what's described as a power vaccuum at DC amid the impending departure of DC president Walter Hamada, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is among those said to be trying to define Superman's future. According to THR, Johnson badly wants to make a "Black Adam vs. Superman" that would feature Cavill.

"Absolutely. That is the whole point of this," Johnson said when asked whether Black Adam will fight Superman. "There's a new era in the DC universe that's about to begin."

Warning: Spoilers for Black Adam post-credits scene follow.

While Black Adam won't release until the end of the week, Johnson has already revealed the film's post-credits stinger, which features Cavill. According to THR, Hamada initially turned down the cameo, only for Johnson to go to Warner Bros Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy to get it done anyway. The scene was shot in mid-September.

Notably, Johnson was booed back in July during San Diego Comic-Con when he seemed to cast doubt on Cavill's return to the role, responding to a question about whether Black Adam could beat Superman in a fight by saying, "I guess it probably all depends on who is playing Superman; I'm just going to say that. I'll leave it at that."

Hamada, for his part, championed the non-DCEU story by Ta-Nehisi Coates featuring a Black Superman, which is still set to be produced by JJ Abrams.

Cavill's Superman last appeared in Justice League, which was roundly panned before being revived by the so-called Snyder Cut. The character's future in the DCEU was said to be in doubt even back in 2017, but it seems Superman's fortunes have turned.

How WB Discovery ultimately proceeds will come down to who fills the vaccuum left by Hamada. According to THR, De Luca was responsible for greenlighting Joker 2 and may see his role in the DC become more permanent.

In the meantime, Black Adam is due to release on October 21.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

The Suicide Squad director James Gunn isn’t quite done with DC. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker has been secretly working on another DC movie for Warner Bros Discovery.

Gunn previously directed The Suicide Squad, essentially a soft reboot of DC’s Suicide Squad, and also created the recent smash hit superhero show, Peacemaker.

Now, Gunn is reportedly in talks with producer Peter Safran for a new, mystery project. It’s said that Gunn will be focussing on the second season of Peacemaker first but will eventually take on another DC property.

Whether or not it’s also linked to The Suicide Squad remains to be seen, but according to insiders, “DC is definitely in play.” Unfortunately, there’s no indication of which heroes or superhero teams are in Gunn’s sights.

Of course, this is quite the coup for Warner Bros. Discovery following the recent unease about where DC goes from here. The cancellation of Batgirl and Warner’s desire to find its own DC Kevin Feige has cast a long and troubling shadow over the studio.

Considering that Gunn is also in charge of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, it would be easy to see his future anywhere but Warner Bros. Discovery.

Thankfully, it looks as though he’s all-in on Peacemaker’s upcoming second season, and with another DC project in the works, it looks as though he’ll be bringing DC heroes and villains to our screens for some time yet.

IGN’s review of The Suicide Squad gave it 9/10 and said: “James Gunn absolutely kills it with The Suicide Squad. The film is a bloody, chaotic ride from start to finish that finally does justice to Task Force X. It’s endlessly shocking and funny, and its showcase of F-list DC villains is nothing short of brilliant.”

Want to read more about The Suicide Squad? Check out all the DC shows and movies coming to HBO Max as well as Idris Elba’s idea for Bloodsport vs Superman.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.