Xbox’s Bethesda layoffs include the artist responsible for designing Skyrim’s khajiit and argonians, who had been at the company for 27 years
Christiane Meister, a senior character artist at Bethesda Softworks, has been affected by Xbox’s first round of layoffs this week. Meister spent 27 years with the company, making her one of Bethesda’s most tenured creative staff members. She worked on character designs for every Elder Scrolls game from Morrowind through Skyrim, with her most recognizable contributions being the iconic Khajiit and Argonian character races featured in Skyrim.
The departure represents a significant loss of institutional knowledge for Bethesda. After nearly three decades with a single company, Meister’s exit highlights the disruption caused by Xbox’s corporate restructuring to the studio’s creative continuity and pipeline. Her extensive portfolio and experience demonstrate the depth of veteran talent affected by these layoffs.
Meister has since updated her LinkedIn profile to reflect her current job-seeking status, marking the conclusion of her long tenure at Bethesda. The layoffs are part of broader restructuring efforts announced by Xbox this week, affecting multiple divisions of the company and raising ongoing concerns within the gaming industry about talent retention and the long-term creative impact of major corporate restructuring on established studios.