Xbox studio layoffs might have started in-game nuclear war as Phil Spencer unlocks nukes in Fallout 76

As the controversy surrounding Xbox studio layoffs continues, things may have escalated into an in-game nuclear war involving Phil Spencer in Fallout 76. Earlier this week, an anonymous player nuked the Xbox boss' in-game base - which was retrofitted into the Xbox studio layoffs context by Twitteratti.

Phil Spencer might be preparing to retaliate in kind soon, as he was recently found to be completing the questline that allows the use of nuclear strikes in Fallout 76.

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Phil Spencer can now finally retaliate to players nuking him in Fallout 76

As an avid gamer himself, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has over 100 hours in Fallout 76, the live-service outlet of the iconic Fallout series, and nearly 250 hours in Diablo 4.

It is not always that you get to spar with higher-up executive figures in a multiplayer game. Given how invested Phil Spencer is in this game, an anonymous player took the opportunity to nuke his Fallout 76 CAMP this Thursday.

With the latest round of Xbox studio layoffs still fresh in public memory, Twitteratti did not take long to highlight the bombing of the Xbox CEO's camp in a game owned by Xbox Game Studios. Twitter user @real1090jake came forward to identify himself as the nuker, complete with a clip of touring Phil's now nuke-stricken base in a radstorm.

Even though the Xbox boss' in-game avatar P3 was lvl 118 during the event, it is only recently that he gained access to nukes. To launch nuke strikes anywhere in Fallout 76, one must complete the "Officer on Deck" quest. Going by his recent quest-related achievement unlocked on Xbox, Phil has done just that.

One can see this escalation as an all-too-common saga of PvP rivalry. However, with the recent closure of four studios including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks - in a year marked by layoffs - some fans are finding it hard to decouple this incident from the bigger context.