{"id":2057772,"date":"2026-07-23T12:27:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2057772"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:27:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:27:59","slug":"the-smallest-severance-pay-possible-bethesda-union-vows-to-fight-as-studio-employees-reel-from-bare-minimum-payout-following-mass-xbox-layoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2057772","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;The smallest severance pay possible&#8221; &#8211; Bethesda union vows to fight as studio employees reel from &#8220;bare minimum&#8221; payout following mass Xbox layoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">&#8220;The smallest severance pay possible&#8221; &#8211; Bethesda union vows to fight as studio employees reel from &#8220;bare minimum&#8221; payout following mass Xbox layoffs<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Oh Canada.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Fallout-4-update_sAo2i7i.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Fallout 4 power suit\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Fallout-4-update_sAo2i7i.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Bethesda<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-23T12:27:59+00:00\">July 23, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"2108e877-106f-4536-9add-bdd6493f44d0\" data-name=\"Fallout 5\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Fallout 5\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Fallout 5\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Fallout 5\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Fallout 5\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Fallout 5\" title=\"Follow Fallout 5\"><br \/>\n  Follow Fallout 5<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-xbox-layoffs-2026-double-fine-compulsion-ninja-theory\">Following Xbox mass layoffs earlier this month<\/a>, employees at Bethesda&#8217;s Montr\u00e9al studio have reportedly been told they&#8217;ll receive the &#8220;smallest&#8221; severance pay legally possible.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s according to Bethesda workers union OneBGS, which <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bethesdaunion.bsky.social\/post\/3mral2qkf5k2a\">made the claim on social media<\/a> Bethesda reportedly notified employees in Montr\u00e9al of their termination on 17th July, detailing an exit package OneBGS calls &#8220;the smallest severance legally possible without bargaining with the union.&#8221; The union also claims this contradicts what employees were told in a video call on 6th July: that they would be employed until September and that severance was being negotiated with the union.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"The Elder Scrolls VI \u2013 Official Announcement Teaser\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OkFdqqyI8y4?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/OkFdqqyI8y4\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">The Elder Scrolls VI \u2013 Official Announcement Teaser<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OkFdqqyI8y4\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Instead, the emails received on the 17th brought dire news beyond their sudden termination according to OneBGS. Employees were reportedly told they would receive eight weeks of pay in-lieu and any remaining vacation pay &#8211; which the union describes as the &#8220;bare legal minimum in terms of severance&#8221;. In addition, it says employees would &#8220;immediately&#8221; lose access to their group benefits health insurance.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In response, OneBGS has now filed a legal complaint against Bethesda for violating Canadian labour laws. &#8220;Bethesda and Xbox leadership depend on our labour to make them millions,&#8221; the union wrote on social media, &#8220;and yet when we do, we are disposed of. The cycle of workers paying for the mistakes of management ends here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If the timeline conveyed by OneBGS is accurate, the emails to Bethesda staff would have been received on the same day the studio <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/those-rumoured-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasteres-are-real-fallout-5-is-in-pre-production-and-fallout-76-is-getting-a-massive-expansion\">noisily revealed a slew of updates<\/a> for its major franchises, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/those-rumoured-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasteres-are-real-fallout-5-is-in-pre-production-and-fallout-76-is-getting-a-massive-expansion\">Fallout<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/elder-scrolls-6-xbox-layoffs-bethesda-reaction\">The Elder Scrolls<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/starfield-impotant-part-of-future-bethesda-future-support\">Starfield<\/a>. Bethesda was one of multiple Microsoft studios impacted by  the mass Xbox layoffs affecting  a total of 3,200 employees. Subsequent reports claimed even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/elder-scrolls-6-morale-bethesda-xbox-layoffs\">big upcoming releases like The Elder Scrolls 6 weren&#8217;t safe from the firing spree<\/a>. In direct response to the job cuts, OneBGS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-bethesda-union-protest-plans\">announced a march in protest<\/a>, saying, &#8220;We mean business&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Canada is known for having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/services\/jobs\/workplace\/federal-labour-standards.html\">strong labour laws<\/a>, so if Microsoft has breached the rights of unionised workers in its Montr\u00e9al studio, OneBGS may have ample ammunition to fight for its members. Whether Microsoft budges or not may very well be tested in the months following its controversial business &#8220;reset&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-xbox-layoffs-2026-double-fine-compulsion-ninja-theory\">Following Xbox mass layoffs earlier this month<\/a>, employees at Bethesda&#8217;s Montr\u00e9al studio have reportedly been told they&#8217;ll receive the &#8220;smallest&#8221; severance pay legally possible.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s according to Bethesda workers union OneBGS, which <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bethesdaunion.bsky.social\/post\/3mral2qkf5k2a\">made the claim on social media<\/a> Bethesda reportedly notified employees in Montr\u00e9al of their termination on 17th July, detailing an exit package OneBGS calls &#8220;the smallest severance legally possible without bargaining with the union.&#8221; The union also claims this contradicts what employees were told in a video call on 6th July: that they would be employed until September and that severance was being negotiated with the union.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"The Elder Scrolls VI \u2013 Official Announcement Teaser\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OkFdqqyI8y4?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/OkFdqqyI8y4\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">The Elder Scrolls VI \u2013 Official Announcement Teaser<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OkFdqqyI8y4\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Instead, the emails received on the 17th brought dire news beyond their sudden termination according to OneBGS. Employees were reportedly told they would receive eight weeks of pay in-lieu and any remaining vacation pay &#8211; which the union describes as the &#8220;bare legal minimum in terms of severance&#8221;. In addition, it says employees would &#8220;immediately&#8221; lose access to their group benefits health insurance.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In response, OneBGS has now filed a legal complaint against Bethesda for violating Canadian labour laws. &#8220;Bethesda and Xbox leadership depend on our labour to make them millions,&#8221; the union wrote on social media, &#8220;and yet when we do, we are disposed of. The cycle of workers paying for the mistakes of management ends here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If the timeline conveyed by OneBGS is accurate, the emails to Bethesda staff would have been received on the same day the studio <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/those-rumoured-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasteres-are-real-fallout-5-is-in-pre-production-and-fallout-76-is-getting-a-massive-expansion\">noisily revealed a slew of updates<\/a> for its major franchises, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/those-rumoured-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasteres-are-real-fallout-5-is-in-pre-production-and-fallout-76-is-getting-a-massive-expansion\">Fallout<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/elder-scrolls-6-xbox-layoffs-bethesda-reaction\">The Elder Scrolls<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/starfield-impotant-part-of-future-bethesda-future-support\">Starfield<\/a>. Bethesda was one of multiple Microsoft studios impacted by  the mass Xbox layoffs affecting  a total of 3,200 employees. Subsequent reports claimed even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/elder-scrolls-6-morale-bethesda-xbox-layoffs\">big upcoming releases like The Elder Scrolls 6 weren&#8217;t safe from the firing spree<\/a>. In direct response to the job cuts, OneBGS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-bethesda-union-protest-plans\">announced a march in protest<\/a>, saying, &#8220;We mean business&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Canada is known for having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/services\/jobs\/workplace\/federal-labour-standards.html\">strong labour laws<\/a>, so if Microsoft has breached the rights of unionised workers in its Montr\u00e9al studio, OneBGS may have ample ammunition to fight for its members. Whether Microsoft budges or not may very well be tested in the months following its controversial business &#8220;reset&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News &#8220;The smallest severance pay possible&#8221; &#8211; Bethesda union vows to fight as studio employees reel from &#8220;bare minimum&#8221; payout following mass Xbox layoffs Oh Canada. Image credit: Bethesda News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on July 23, 2026 Follow Fallout 5 Following Xbox mass layoffs earlier this month, employees at Bethesda&#8217;s Montr\u00e9al [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2057772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2057772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2057772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2057772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2057772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}