5 days after reports of 650 more Microsoft gaming layoffs, the company announces plans to pay out even more money to shareholders

It’s also announced a $60 billion scheme to buy back its stocks

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Microsoftis set to start paying out even more to its shareholders in November, despite recent reports that the company is laying off 650 people from its gaming staff.

Asreported by Bloomberg, Microsoft shareholders will soon see an increased quarterly dividend payout for every share they have. Come November 21, this is going up by 10%, to 83 cents per share rather than the current 75 cents. What’s more, the company has announced a $60 billion scheme to buy back its stocks, replacing a separate program of the same value which Microsoft announced in 2021.

That’s a lot of money – bear in mind that Microsoft previously acquiredActivision Blizzardfor $68.7 billion, so this isn’t far off being in the same ballpark. All in all, it could be considered questionable timing, too, given that the announcement comes less than a week after it was reported that the company is laying off 650 of its gaming staff. Reportedly, most of the people affected hold corporate and support roles, with no games studios set to be closed as a result.

Microsoft’s gaming teams have already had a rough year, as back in January, a separate1,900 roles were cut across its Blizzard, Zenimax, and Xbox teams, and theclosure of studios Tango Gameworks and Arcane Austinwas announced in May. WhileTango was later resurrected by Krafton, with around 50 staff re-hired in the process, it’s still more than fair to say it’s been a turbulent time.

It’s worth noting that these quarterly dividends and the stock buyback scheme all relate to Microsoft in its entirety rather thanjustits gaming subsection, but even so, Bloomberg reports that, in July, the company said its free cash flow was up 18% year over year.

As layoffs batter the industry, FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki says now is the time “for us to continue to grow and continue to cultivate this talent.”

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I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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