Xbox Sets 6 FanFest 2026 Stops After 3,200 Layoffs Hit Event Creator
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Aug 4
Xbox Sets 6 FanFest 2026 Stops After 3,200 Layoffs Hit Event Creator
3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Aug 4
Summary
Six new Xbox FanFest tour dates were unveiled on August 3 for 2026 events in Tokyo, London, Mexico City, Sydney and Toronto, extending the 25th-anniversary celebration after a Los Angeles kickoff and a planned Gamescom stop.
The rollout comes weeks after Xbox cut 3,200 jobs in July, a restructuring CEO Asha Sharma called the company's biggest, and one of those layoffs was Chris Munson, the longtime employee who helped create FanFest.
Munson said on LinkedIn that he was let go after 15 1/2 years at Xbox, leaving the company to promote the fan event without the staffer closely associated with building it.
The announcement keeps Xbox's anniversary campaign moving with sweepstakes and fan giveaways, even as the celebration lands against the backdrop of broad job cuts across the gaming division.