Gears of War: E-Day story director laid off a week before early access

Juan Vaca, story director on Gears of War: E-Day, was laid off today as part of Microsoft’s restructuring that eliminated 268 staff across multiple Xbox studios, IGN reports.

Vaca confirmed the layoff on LinkedIn and, according to IGN, had been with The Coalition for four years.

Kotaku reports the timing was especially tight: Vaca publicly celebrated the game going gold days earlier, and Kotaku says he was let go four days after that celebration.

IGN also notes another oddly timed departure in the same round of cuts, reporting that Halo Studios’ cinematic director Josh Daniels was laid off one day after receiving a promotion.

IGN says Gears of War: E-Day will enter early access next week, which the outlet places five days before the game’s global launch.