After laying off thousands of employees over the past couple years, games industry executives appear to be adopting a more efficient method of what they euphemistically call «reprioritization»: closing entire studios. Take-Two axed two studios just last week, and now Microsoft has bulldozed four more, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, which it acquired when it bought Bethesda in 2021.
The dissolution of these talented, well-respected teams has reinforced the feeling among gamers and developers that nothing is good enough to earn security under big publishers today. In one popular tweet, indie developer Maisie Ó Dorchaidhe listed 11 things «that will no longer keep you safe in this industry,» including «a good game,» «a profitable game,» and «long hours and sacrifice.»
Indeed, Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush was deemed by Microsoft to be a «break out hit» in «all key measurements and expectations» last year. And in his email to staff today (acquired by IGN), Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said that the studio closures «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.» Rather, Microsoft is «prioritizing high-impact titles.»
The message being heard is that you can do everything right, but still be deemed 'low-impact' at any point by the suits upstairs, and then it's curtains. In the wake of the announcement, fans and developers have expressed fury, heartbreak, and unease, especially over the future of other Microsoft-owned studios, which include Obsidian, inXile, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory.
«Extremely cool and not devastating at all how even studios and devs who make award winning or best selling games aren't safe from ✨restructuring✨ and ✨divesting resources elsewhere✨,» wrote Firaxis writer Emma Kidwell.
«I don't understand the closure of Tango Gameworks,» wrote Helldivers 2 studio CEO Johan Pilestedt. «I mean… Why close instead of divest [sell]? Surely the team would
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Tyler Wilde
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