# Gears director laid off days after game goes gold

> Juan Vaca celebrated E-Day's completion, then lost his job in Xbox's latest mass cuts.
- Title: Gears director laid off days after game goes gold · Kotaku
- Summary: Juan Vaca celebrated E-Day's completion, then lost his job in Xbox's latest mass cuts. Even completing a major game doesn't protect developers from layoffs…
- Keywords: gears of war, e-day, juan vaca, xbox, microsoft, layoffs, the coalition, game development, story director, video game industry, technology, news
- Source: Kotaku — https://kotaku.com/gears-of-war-e-day-story-director-laid-off-just-four-days-after-celebrating-the-game-going-gold-2000736518
- Author: Zack Zwiezen
- Published: 2026-09-22T18:15:46+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: gears of war, e-day, juan vaca, xbox, microsoft, layoffs, the coalition, game development, story director, video game industry, technology, news
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Even completing a major game doesn't protect developers from layoffs during corporate restructuring.