Today opened with rather shocking news, as Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush), and Alpha Dog Games, while Roundhouse Studios is being incorporated into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online. Considering the recent success of some of these studios (Hi-Fi Rush was the most widely-acclaimed game Xbox had put out in recent years) and the general pro-developer message Phil Spencer and other Xbox execs tried to send while on their studio shopping spree over the past few years, this has caught many off guard.
Seemingly, one of the people caught off guard is Dinga Bakaba, the creative head of the Arkane Lyon mothership and director or lead designer of games like Dishonored 2, Deathloop, and the upcoming Blade game. Bakaba wasn’t mincing works in a thread on X…
“This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human -- to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment and cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you. Don't throw us into gold fever gambits, don't use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don't make our work environments Darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we've seen it before.
For now, great teams are sunsetting before our eyes again, and it's a fucking gut stab. Lyon is safe, but please be tactful and discerning about all this, and respect affected folks' voice and leave it room to be heard, it's their story to tell, their feelings to express.”
One has to wonder about the long-term prospects for Arkane as a whole. As great as many of their games have been, a GOTY winner in the case of Deathloop, they’ve never been top-top sellers. At this point, it really feels like Microsoft’s gaming division is simply becoming Activision, and like the Activision of old, they’re now applying a “Did this sell as much as Call of Duty?” test to all projects to determine if they’re successful.
Back on the subject of Arkane Austin, their closure means that any further development of Redfall will cease. That means outstanding content still supposed to come as part of the game’s Hero Pass won’t arrive. Instead, those who purchased the Hero Pass will receive a credit equaling the value of the Hero Pass. Details are seemingly still being worked out, but they’ll be posted here eventually.
Signup here https://t.co/1Pr9vfnn4K to receive details on how eligible players can receive this credit. pic.twitter.com/FFXiYEXgrM
— Redfall (@playRedfall) May 7, 2024
Cheers to some folks who made some good video games. What were some of your favorite games made by the studios Microsoft shuttered today?
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