So, Microsoft got hit with another case of “the layoffs”, this time cutting up to 9,000 jobs, sources told CNBC: in practical numbers, we’re talking something between 3% and 4% of its global workforce.
Thing is, among those cuts, there are a handful of game studios affected and, although yet to be confirmed, two games—Everwild and the Perfect Dark remake— might have gotten cancelled, at least according to a report from VGC and another from Windows Central.
While those two titles have yet to receive any official comment, the layoffs are real enough, but the main problem is: Everwild and Perfect Dark are not alone, and several other games planned for 2025 were, instead, cancelled as well, sent to the void without seeing the light of day this year or before that.
What games have been cancelled in 2025 (and some before that)
As much as we’d like to say “not much” has been lost in the topic on cancelled games,the truth is, for gamers, one game lost is one game too many. Sadly, the number for titles tha will no longer come out this year (or ever, in most cases) is higher than that. Here’s a comprehensive list of confirmations we have so far:
- What we lost in 2025
- What we lost in 2024 and earlier
- Final thoughts: how’s this for a “2025 full of gaming”?
What we lost in 2025
XDefiant (Ubisoft)
- Servers closed June 4, 2025
This free‑to‑play arena shooter actually launched, but failed to gain enough player traction, forcing Ubisoft to announce its shutdown December 2024. Citing difficulties in generating profits and, paraphrasing, the “too much to sensibly continue” nature of the free‑to‑play journey. Its experiment of ditching skill‑based matchmaking for an “old‑school arcade” feel never caught on, and half the team was reassigned while a skeleton crew ran servers until they went offline in June—impacting some 300 Ubisoft staff via broader layoffs.
Everwild (Rare)
- Cancelled July 2025 (potentially)
In development since its 2019 reveal, this mystical survival‑fantasy from Rare lets you commune with spirits and reshape the world—only to be cut amid Xbox/Microsoft-wide job reductions. A 2020 trailer and 2021 reboot under veteran Gregg Mayles never coalesced into a clear vision, so the team folded back into Sea of Thieves work.
It is worth noting that, so far, no official comment regarding the game’s termination has been made, but Microsoft’s recent layoff round did impact the studio, which sources told the press would be the case here.
ZeniMax’s New MMORPG IP (“Blackbird”/“Kestrel”)
- Cancelled mid‑2025
ZeniMax Online Studios had been building a next‑gen fantasy MMO since around 2018, planning branching dialogue like Mass Effect and staffing 200+ developers by 2022. Xbox’s mid‑2025 cuts shelved the project before its public reveal.
Perfect Dark (The Initiative / Crystal Dynamics)
- Put on ice mid‑2025
Another entry for the “not-quite-confirmed-but-probably-axed” category, Perfect Dark has been around for a while, firstly being teased in 2020 as a narrative‑driven revival of Rare’s N64 classic. A full on reveal trailer was release in 2024 but, since then, complete silence.
Now, with Microsoft’s recent layoff wave hitting Rare, sources close to the case have stated that Perfect Dark is one of the projects hit with the trimming headcount and potential cancellation.
Wonder Woman (Monolith Productions)
- Cancelled early 2025
Oh, this one…this one hit hard for some. Warner Bros.’ restructuring nixed Monolith’s open‑world, Nemesis‑style Diana of Themyscira adventure—despite promising DC‑verse systems and worldbuilding—before the studio could polish a single in‑game scene.
Considering Monolith was the creative force behind cool releases like the Lord of the Rings “Shadow of” (Mordor/War) franchise as well as fun shooters like the F.E.A.R. series, a lot of people had a lot to say about this one.
What we lost in 2024 and earlier
Wild
- Cancelled July 2024
Michel Ancel’s ambitious shapeshifter‑shaman game—teased in 2014 and rebooted in 2021—was finally abandoned by Sony after a decade of scope creep. Its promise of continental‑scale, procedurally generated Stone Age survival worlds will remain an unrealized dream.
The Division: Heartland
- Cancelled May 2024
Ubisoft’s rural, survival‑horror spin‑off of The Division—with scavenging, viral threats, and AI enemies stalking you at night—was scrapped after repeated delays and a fading marketing drumbeat.
Disco Elysium Sequel
- Cancelled February 2024
Although a DLC prototype existed, the studio’s crunch culture, internal power struggles, and staff exits killed this narrative RPG follow‑up in favor of a smaller mobile side project.
Spider‑Man: The Great Web
- Shelved early 2024
Insomniac’s planned Spider‑Verse co‑op shooter—uniting Spider‑Gwen, 2099, Silk, Scarlet Spider against a multiversal Sinister Six—was quietly pulled after a fan‑fueling trailer leak failed to materialize into a greenlight.
Football Manager 25
- Scrapped in 2024
After FM 2024 set records, Sports Interactive opted to cancel the 2025 release—blaming AI bugs, UI woes, and performance issues—and rebuild their engine for FM 26.
Hyenas
- Cancelled late 2023
Sega’s costly zero‑G “space pirate” free‑to‑play shooter lost its footing after a mid‑project engine swap and stiff competition, prompting cancellation despite it being the company’s priciest title ever.
TimeSplitters Next
- Cancelled December 2023
Free Radical’s reboot attempt ended when Embracer Group closed the studio, perpetuating this franchise’s long history of teasers, revivals, and cancellations.
Undated
Deus Ex Sequel
- First dropped 2017, cut again 2022–24
Fans have been left in limbo since Mankind Divided’s cliffhanger. A planned follow‑up was axed in 2017, briefly revived under Embracer, then quietly shelved again amid budget and staffing upheavals.
NieR Mobile Sequel
- Unspecified
Tencent’s planned follow‑up to NieR Re[in]carnation—featuring anime aesthetics and mobile‑friendly gameplay—was cancelled over prohibitive IP licensing costs, underscoring that NieR thrives best on consoles.
Final thoughts: how’s this for a “2025 full of gaming”?
At PRG, we are of a mind that if a game exists, then there’s an audience for it. Some of us are not particularly fond of Bioshock, while others are all but praise for it.
Because of that mentality, it always sucks to report on cancellations simply because someone, somewhere will feel the impact.
However, the one thing that would strike everybody the same is the corporate decisions behind it: despite 9,000 people getting their jobs nixed, Microsoft reported strong numbers in its latest fiscal report: Xbox itself reported a 6% decrease on system sales, while gaming revenue was up 5% (meaning “less Xbox consoles, but more game games sold” in layman’s terms—which is to be expected, given the brand’s major focus in software sales and bolstering subscription offers such as Game Pass).
And yet, too many people lost their jobs and too many games got cancelled.
Just another day in a billion-dollar industry, I guess…