This is very sad news that we don’t want to hear too often: Xbox is once again conducting a massive wave of closures and layoffs…
After significantly reducing its workforce following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s gaming division is now closing the doors of four new studios responsible for producing Xbox-branded games. In any case, IGN reported this just moments ago.
Xbox is plagued by carnage in its studios
Barely five days after the news that the publisher of GTA 6 is making massive staff cuts, another sad piece of news of a similar nature has surfaced. This time it is the giant Xbox, which is therefore closing the doors of no less than four studios. Namely Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Studios and Alpha Dog.
As a reminder, Arkane Austin released Redfall last year, which was a disastrous failure to say the least, but also the excellent Prey in 2017. However, the servers of its vampire FPS should remain open, according to the developers. Tango Gameworks, created by Shinji Mikami, had a more successful track record. These include the excellent Hi-Fi RUSH, the remarkable The Evil Within franchise and the friendly Ghostwire: Tokyo. Roundhouse Games developed Prey in 2006, the first of its kind. Alpha Dog was a studio focused on mobile games. This very sad news was announced internally via email IGN.
Today I’m sharing the changes we’re making to our Bethesda and ZeniMax teams. These changes are based on prioritizing titles with high impact and further investing in Bethesda’s catalog of hit games and beloved worlds that it has cultivated over many decades. To double down on these franchises and invest in creating new ones, we need to look at the entire company to identify the opportunities best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means that some teams will be realigned with others and that some of our colleagues will leave us.
Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, in the email announcing the closure of the four studios
Roundhouse Games will thus merge with ZeniMax Online (The Elder Scrolls Online). However, Xbox is finally saying goodbye to Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog. Of course, all of our thoughts are with the talented people who lost their jobs as a result. We wish them to get back on their feet quickly and find an opportunity that matches their abilities…