Xbox laying people off, AND saying they want a portion of the business to create new IPs, is not contradictory. First off, a business that is restructuring should never completely stop attempting to create / innovate. They might need to reduce emphasis, or they might need to change HOW they do it, but they don't full stop. The reality is the studios / teams that were sold off, or restructured, were not the right teams for the type of content that #XBOX is talking about now. I don't believe anything they were working on would satisfy the requirements, especially if the IP that XBOX is looking for is larger in scale, or needs to define / emphasize the Xbox ecosystem. I believe their leadership is looking for market defining content that helps "brand" the platform. Obviously Halo is a relevant example, but it's also "old" at this point (as is Gears). What is the next IP that will define the brand?

I'm convinced that PC Gamer is using a headline generator that drums up negativity around Xbox, regardless of what they do: "After laying off developers from award winning studio, Xbox focuses on feeding the homeless." It's obviously on purpose. They aren't trying to hide it.