Microsoft has announced that it will be closing Xbox Entertainment Studios, and shuttering most of the projects currently in the works.

In an e-mail to staff (via Game Informer), Xbox head Phil Spencer said the studios will be closed in the coming months. Shows already in development like Halo: Nightfall, the Halo television series, and the Atari documentary Signal to Noise will continue as planned. The letter also promises continued parternships with content providers. Entertainment Studio heads Nancy Tellem and Jordan Levin will stay on to complete the in-progress work, but the letter isn't clear what their roles will be after that's completed.

"Change is never easy, but I believe the changes announced today help us better align with our long-term goals," Spencer wrote. "We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us to define what the next generation of gaming looks like for the growing Xbox community. I have a great deal of confidence in this team and know that with clarity of focus on our mission and our customers we can accomplish great things together. We already have."

This follows an announcement this morning that Microsoft would be cutting 18,000 jobs company-wide.