Xbox announced six new 2026 FanFest tour stops on August 3 despite cutting the event’s originator in the July restructuring that eliminated 3,200 positions. Chris Munson, the 15-and-a-half-year veteran credited with creating the fan events and previously handling Halo marketing and global sports partnerships, confirmed his departure on LinkedIn the day the layoffs hit. The Xbox Wire post lists stops in Tokyo, London, Mexico City, Sydney, Toronto, and others under the banner of celebrating 25 years of play, complete with sweepstakes for tickets and anniversary console giveaways.

The disconnect between the celebratory messaging and the recent headcount reduction sits plainly on the record. Sharma’s March statement about community valuing FanFest now operates without the employee who built it, while parallel coverage notes price increases for Series X consoles in Europe and ongoing studio sales tied to the same restructuring. Community discussion on X frames the tour as tone-deaf in light of the cuts, with posts directly linking Munson’s exit to the continuation of the program he started.

Execution details such as specific event programming or attendance targets remain unaddressed in the announcement. The company continues to frame the tour as a global, multi-city run focused on connection and community, with entry via sweepstakes now open.