It had been unclear on January 22, the day Microsoft announced plans to lay off five,000 staff, precisely which goods, teams and work capabilities were lower. The day immediately after, it nevertheless is fairly murky.However it does seem that tips and hints the business;s Amusement & Devices (E&D) unit (Windows Mobile, Xbox, Zune) was impacted most heavily by the first round of layoffs. And it;s increasingly sounding like the games side of the house bore the brunt of the E&D cuts.Microsoft has closed completely its Aces Studio, the game group that developed and maintained Flight Simulator, sources close to the provider confirmed. Aces; other franchises include Combat Flight Simulator and Train Simulator.GameSutra is reporting that the Aces Studio was affected heavily by yesterday;s corporate layoffs. I hear Aces isn;t just “damaged,” but it;s done. Aces will join the small but growing list of former Microsoft game studios, which includes Ensemble, Bungie and Digital Anvil, among others.I don;t have official confirmation from Microsoft on this. But that;s what I;m hearing, directly and indirectly,
Microsoft Office 2010, from various sources.Anyone out there have more details or specifics about other products/teams that are being eliminated as a result of Microsoft cuts?