Xbox layoffs include Elder Scrolls artists responsible for Khajits and Argonians

Earlier this month, Xbox announced massive layoffs unlike anything the company has seen before. Every studio under the company was affected, and they were brutally fired, with many claiming they may never come back unless the studio was sold outright or laid off. This is a very widespread wave of layoffs, and we're seeing huge amounts of talent being laid off.

To really show how serious these layoffs are, it was revealed that a senior character artist who worked at Bethesda for 27 years and left a lasting mark on The Elder Scrolls was also recently fired.

Xbox just fired the designer of Khajit and Argonian.

First noticed by BlueSky user Lady Nerevar (thanks to PC Gamer), Christiane Meister has worked on almost every recent Elder Scrolls game. First I worked on Khajits and Argonians in Morrowind, then horses in Oblivion and Skyrim. She also worked on creatures for the Fallout franchise and has essentially been an important part of Bethesda for nearly 30 years.

She also gave her original creations a bit of a twist to Skyrim, helping transform the Argonians and Khajits from creepy beastmen into the Argonians and Khajits we all love and recognize today.

This is a huge loss for Bethesda and Xbox as a whole, and a layoff that makes little sense in the grand scheme of things. You have to assume that level of expertise will be welcome in The Elder Scrolls 6, but then again, most of what Xbox does right now makes no sense beyond a few spreadsheets.

Meister has a very impressive resume that he can rely on if needed, but he hopes to find more jobs soon. Not everyone can simply point to a race in The Elder Scrolls and say “I did that”, and Meister certainly deserved much better treatment than she received.

system

released

2026

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middle

developer

bethesda game studio

publisher

Bethesda Softworks