• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Microsoft Closes Redfall Developer Arkane Austin, HiFi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks, and More in Devastating Cuts at Bethesda

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
I mean there are two Arkane and Colantino was working for Arkane Lyon.
Arkane Austin is responsible for the mess that is Redfall.
True, sorry, I mixed the two Arkanes.

But hey, after today's news, I guess that won't be happening again. :goog_relieved:
 

Buggy Loop

Member
Austin is the one that did Prey?

Yea

If they had not been delt a fucking shitty GAAS where developers clearly lose interest and passion into a project, they could have made another single player masterpiece.

Same happened with Eidos montreal, Square Enix kept dealing them with shit cards that nobody in the studio was interested in. Same is happening at Ubisoft right now.

Fucking sad. Publishers are assholes.
 

HeWhoWalks

Gold Member
Problem is, the industry tries to gobble every single studio just to shut it down later, when unreasonable quotas aren't met.

Eh, whatever, I hope the developers will be able to form new studios (before being bought and shutdown again in another 5-10 years).
Eh, nah. This isn’t common nor an industry issue. Companies just need to leave pubs alone. It’s that simple.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Ass of Can Whooping Ass of Can Whooping get the sniper rifle. We're gonna assassinate Phil Spencer and Satya Nadella for the good of mankind.
Gun Neon Rated GIF by NEON


All jokes aside those idiots had SOLID GOLD with HI Fi and they threw it in the trash. Absolute brainless company, I can't wait for the Xbox division to go under and for Phil to be on the street.
 

ARK1391

Member
Cant. Even Activision isnt this evil, incompetent, greedy and utterly fucking useless.

This is a self inflicted wound too. They put all their games on gamepass for a dollar and then blamed the studio for making flops. Phil shouldve been the one to get fired but he keeps getting promotions because thats how microsoft works.

Watch MS shut down Ninja Theory a few weeks after shipping the PS5 version. Unless Avowed sells millions, its also getting shut down.
Ninja Theory's days are numbered. Hellblade 2 has been in development hell for so long it will have to sell tens of millions of copies at this point to not be a loss. There is almost no way it will be the commercial success it needs to be. It might get great reviews but it's not going to sell gangbusters.
 

poodaddy

Member
Seeing Tango shut down fuckin hurts man. They made interesting games, yeah maybe they weren't mega hits, but dammit they were interesting, and I hate studios like that shutting down. Microsoft shutting them down is akin to when Sony shut Japan Studio down; throwing away studios that make unique games with heart is simply not good for the long term health of this industry, and this constant chasing of the next big trend is partially responsible for the general lack of creativity in the industry today. Awful move MS.
 

midnightAI

Member
Booty is head of Xbox Game Studios.
I was being pedantic, however, Bethesda's parent Zenimax is a subsidiary of Microsoft Gaming as is XBox Game Studios so two subsidiaries independent of each other with the same owner. So Xbox cant shut down Arkane/Tango, they can announce that is happening internally to their team of course (which is what has happened here)

Edit: although this is Microsoft so anything can happen, I dont even think they know their own structure so how are we supposed to know.

Edit 2: Slight adjustment, Matt Booty isnt the head of XBox Game Studios, he was promoted in October, he is now President of Game COntent and Studios (they keep adding roles) and oversees Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax Media / Bethesda Softworks so that is why the announcement is from him.
 
Last edited:

skit_data

Member
I can understand closing Arkane Austin to some extent... but shutting down Tango?

Seemed like one of the most talented of the recently acquired studios due to the sheer difference in terms of gameplay, tone, art design etc. between their releases
 
Tango was dead as soon as Shinji Mikami left. He probably left with and poached a lot of people on his way out. The company was never going to survive that. It's not difficult to understand the studio closure.

It's also going to be difficult to impossible to recruit Japanese developers to work for Microsoft and their games won't sell at all in Japan and won't sell at all because they'll be on gamepass..
 

Killjoy-NL

Member
Ninja Theory's days are numbered. Hellblade 2 has been in development hell for so long it will have to sell tens of millions of copies at this point to not be a loss. There is almost no way it will be the commercial success it needs to be. It might get great reviews but it's not going to sell gangbusters.
They might recoup some money by releasing it on PS5.

That much is guaranteed now.
 
Last edited:

Holammer

Member
Well, it's not that bad. If a majority of employees are relocated to other companies.
Maybe their organizations and leadership failed to the point where it was unsalvageable. Arkane Austin sure looks that way.
 
xboxsymbols-blogroll-logos-1646529461207-1669238735793.jpg


Microsoft has closed a number of Bethesda studios, including Redfall maker Arkane Austin, HiFi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and more in devastating cuts at Bethesda, IGN can confirm.

In an email to staff sent by Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft blamed the cuts on a “reprioritization of titles and resources”. The email, verified by IGN, is below:

"Today I’m sharing changes we are making to our Bethesda and ZeniMax teams. These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.

To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others and that some of our colleagues will be leaving us.

Here are the changes going into effect:

Arkane Austin – This studio will close with some members of the team joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda. Arkane Austin has a history of making impactful and innovative games and it is a pedigree that everyone should be proud of. Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game. The game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy and we will provide make-good offers to players who purchased the Hero DLC.

Alpha Dog Studios – This studio will also close. We appreciate the team’s creativity in bringing Doom to new players. Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7 and we will be turning off the ability for players to make any purchases in the game.

Tango Gameworks – Tango Gameworks will also close. We are thankful for their contributions to Bethesda and players around the world. Hi-Fi Rush will continue to be available to players on the platforms it is today.

Roundhouse Games – The team at Roundhouse Games will be joining ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS). Roundhouse has played a key role in many of our recent game launches and bringing them into ZOS to work on The Elder Scrolls Online will mean we can do even more to grow the world that millions of players call home.

With this consolidation of our Bethesda studio teams, so that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP, a small number of roles across select Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will also be eliminated.
Those whose roles will be impacted will be notified today, and we ask that you please treat your departing colleagues with respect and compassion. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted in today’s notifications and through their transitions, including severance benefits informed by local laws.

These changes are not a reflection of the creativity and skill of the talented individuals at these teams or the risks they took to try new things. I acknowledge that these changes are also disruptive to the various support teams across ZeniMax and Bethesda that bring our games to market. We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.

Bethesda remains one of the key pillars of Xbox with a strong portfolio of amazing games and thriving communities. As we look to the future, there is an impressive line-up of games on the horizon. In 2024 alone we have Starfield Shattered Space, Fallout 76 Skyline Valley, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and The Elder Scrolls Online’s Golden Road. As we align our plans and resources to best set ourselves up for success in this complex and changing industry, our teams across Arkane Lyon, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, MachineGames, ZeniMax Online Studios and the Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will be well-positioned to build new IP, explore new game concepts, and expand on our existing franchises"


They closed Tango... mother fuckers.
 

LordCBH

Member
Hifi Rush was an absolute W. Banger game. How Microsoft managed to pull an absolute total L from that I will never understand.
 
and their games won't sell at all in Japan and won't sell at all because they'll be on gamepass..
Sea of Thieves is selling very well, and it's on GP, and it's older than Hi-Fi Rush so you can't really state that logically. I think the truth of the matter is, no matter how much I like both games, Ghostwire and Hi-Fi Rush have been released on everything and apparently bombed on everything. GP is possibly the biggest chunk of money they got for both games.

I do agree with you though that there's more to it. Shinji Mikami leaving didn't make much sense either, and his statements were pretty cryptic.
 
Last edited:

ButchCat

Member
Imagine the pressure in Lyon knowing that the smallest misstep on Blade could mean that they will follow (we all saw how the Marvel (outside of Spiderman)/ DC ip is doing lately. Arkane Lyon should just go independent and get their passionate fans to crowd fund them so they can continue making immersive sims.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom