Gold status, then pink slip

Juan Vaca, story director on Gears of War: E-Day, was laid off just four days after celebrating the game going gold on September 17. The layoff came as part of Xbox's latest round of cuts on September 22.

“Gears of War: E-Day has gone Gold. Excited for the world to see what the whole team's been cooking.”

Over 260 jobs cut in one day

Xbox laid off more than 260 employees on September 22 as part of a corporate reset, following a massive round of cuts in July. The layoffs affected multiple studios across the company.

Vaca's role at The Coalition

Vaca joined The Coalition in 2022 and guided narrative teams through the entire process of building stories from concept to execution. He was instrumental in shaping E-Day's narrative before being let go.

E-Day launch unaffected

Despite Vaca's departure, sources say fewer than a handful of other Coalition employees were cut and plans for E-Day's October 6 launch remain unchanged. The game is ready to ship.

Broader Xbox restructuring

The layoffs are part of larger changes including moving Halo under Activision and merging Forza's two teams into one studio. Xbox Game Studios is shrinking significantly.

Vaca seeks new opportunities

Vaca announced on LinkedIn and BlueSky that he's open to new opportunities in games, film, and television. He's looking for director and storyteller roles.

“I am part of this round of Microsoft Layoffs and am open to new opportunities in games/film/TV.”