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Microsoft Announces New Bethesda Layoffs, Closes Four Studios, Including Redfall Dev Arkane Austin |

SystemSystem Member UncommonPosts: 12,599
edited May 7 in News & Features Discussion

imageMicrosoft Announces New Bethesda Layoffs, Closes Four Studios, Including Redfall Dev Arkane Austin | MMORPG.com

More painful cuts in the industry, as Microsoft is closing four studios it acquired when it bought Bethesda: Arkane Austin (which most recently released Redfall), Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Studios, and Roundhouse Games.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • ChaserzChaserz Member RarePosts: 336
    Layoffs, closings, shutdowns, bankruptcies, are impacting nearly all industries nation-wide and in the USA. This trend is frightening. I can only hope someone, with some common sense, steps up and stops this global financial collapse.
    ValdemarJDhampir
  • TillerTiller Member LegendaryPosts: 11,486



    Chaserz said:

    Layoffs, closings, shutdowns, bankruptcies, are impacting nearly all industries nation-wide and in the USA. This trend is frightening. I can only hope someone, with some common sense, steps up and stops this global financial collapse.



    Someone once said they hoped the economy will crash within the next 12 months, so rich corporate America answers the call.
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  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,062
    This really sucks. Hi Fi Rush was one of the best games of last year. One of the best games in its genre.
    ValdemarJValdheimZenJelly
  • ValdemarJValdemarJ Member RarePosts: 1,421
    edited May 7
    People have been saying that Microsoft needs to take control and get their studio house in order, myself included. Now they're doing it. Productive change is rarely easy or painless.

    The creative lead already left Tango. The writing was on the wall for Arkane Austin. Some studios are being absorbed into ZOS for work on ESO. Time moves on.
    MadBomber13AngrakhanDhampirTruvidiennTerazonGorweZenJelly
    Bring back the Naked Chicken Chalupa!
  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 7,098
    edited May 7
    Well, the closure Arkane Austin shouldn't come as a surprise, seeing what a complete dumpster fire Redfall was. 

    Microsoft was clearly a little "too" hands off on development of that one and the XBox Division got burned badly by it.
  • UnintendedUnintended Member UncommonPosts: 98
    You create bad games or ones that do not sell and you get shut down, not hard to understand why. I just think people are struggling to come to terms with an industry that isn't ruled by the AAA any more.
    MadBomber13Angrakhan
  • MadBomber13MadBomber13 Member UncommonPosts: 133
    Unintended said:
    You create bad games or ones that do not sell and you get shut down, not hard to understand why. I just think people are struggling to come to terms with an industry that isn't ruled by the AAA any more.
    I see it as a much needed correction to the games industry. The market is reacting to the bloat of so called AAA games, that despite the marketing hype, just aren't very good or Innovative. Sure they may be pretty but gameplay is bland been-there-done-that by the book soulless crap designed to extract as much $$$ from the customer (looking at you EA and Ubisoft).

    I think it's a good thing for the consumer. 
  • OldKingLogOldKingLog Member RarePosts: 601
    Chaserz said:
    Layoffs, closings, shutdowns, bankruptcies, are impacting nearly all industries nation-wide and in the USA. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes... The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... MASS HYSTERIA! This trend is frightening. I can only hope someone, with some common sense, steps up and stops this global financial collapse.

    There fixed it for ya. The economy is in complete flux right now. Companies are trimming the fat to increase profits. Always happens when the going gets tough. The Big Guys survive by throwing the Little Guys off the sledge to the rabid wolves pursuing them.

  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,941
    Granted, I can’t see the “numbahs” but Arkane did Dishonored and Prey. One less than stellar game and they’re shut down? I could see if it was several but one game seems like a knee jerk reaction.
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  • NeoyoshiNeoyoshi Member RarePosts: 1,490
    The crazy thing is this type of culling of people and talent (yes people) isn't even necessary; but this industry never fucking learns, it only knows how to read numbers and charts.

    It does this every time and i know i'm just repeating something someone else has already said, but i'm of the firm belief the industry actually WASTES money and resources by operating in this 'hire everyone then burn it down' cycle that repeats over and over and over. - which is absolutely a Hollywood studio mentality.

    Instead they need to learn how to hold onto people over a longer period of time, completely avoiding the retraining process which only sucks up more money and resources when they have to hire on 3 to 4 times the people they actually need to offset that lack of experience in the room.
    SovrathValdheimMallyx


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  • ValdemarJValdemarJ Member RarePosts: 1,421
    edited May 7
    Sovrath said:
    Granted, I can’t see the “numbahs” but Arkane did Dishonored and Prey. One less than stellar game and they’re shut down? I could see if it was several but one game seems like a knee jerk reaction.

    Bethesda has multiple studios under the main corporate name. Arkane Austin is one branch of Arkane that made Prey and Redfall. Arkane Lyon made Dishonered and a few other popular classics.


    The head of the Lyon studio is outraged, but it's easy to do so when someone else has to make the hard call and they can stand from the sidelines and virtue signal on their shining high horse.
    Sovrath
    Bring back the Naked Chicken Chalupa!
  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,046
    Sovrath said:
    Granted, I can’t see the “numbahs” but Arkane did Dishonored and Prey. One less than stellar game and they’re shut down? I could see if it was several but one game seems like a knee jerk reaction.

    While Dishonored and Prey were more critically acclaimed their sales were not great.

    Dishonored had good sales but Dishonored 2 sold less and Prey sales were very poor.

    Microsoft bought Arkane in 2010 and since then the studio has had declining sales and quality.
    SovrathKyleran
  • GorweGorwe Member Posts: 1,609
    edited May 8
    It's not "Arkane", it's "Arkane Austin", their TX subsidiary. Kinda like you have all those Biowares.

    As for the news, while it sucks that people are being laid off, isn't this just par for the course? Kinda like wildfire?
    Sovrath
  • twiksattwiksat Newbie CommonPosts: 1

     

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  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,046
    There's a new rumor that the new Perfect Dark that was announced in 2020 is going nowhere... Again!

    Seems like Microsoft isn't capable of doing anything right.
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,445
    edited May 8
    He we go again...but don't worry guys its just over hiring during Corvid, nothing to see here. ;)

    Edit: Yeah, I may have given the indication that people are saying this is all away with the birds, but no its Covid of course!
    Post edited by Scot on
  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,046
    Scot said:
    He we go again...but don't worry guys its just over hiring during Corvid, nothing to see here. ;)

    Corvid is a family of birds that includes crows, ravens and jays.

    Corvids are some of the most intelligent animals on Earth with crows being observed making and using compound tools and teaching the use of these tools to younger crows.

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  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,445
    Xiaoki said:
    Scot said:
    He we go again...but don't worry guys its just over hiring during Corvid, nothing to see here. ;)

    Corvid is a family of birds that includes crows, ravens and jays.

    Corvids are some of the most intelligent animals on Earth with crows being observed making and using compound tools and teaching the use of these tools to younger crows.

    Well spotted! :)
  • GorweGorwe Member Posts: 1,609
    We have Arab bots now?
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,062
    Apparently, Tango was in the process of pitching a Hi-Fi Rush 2. Fuck Xbox.
  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,046
    Aeander said:
    Apparently, Tango was in the process of pitching a Hi-Fi Rush 2. Fuck Xbox.

    And Arkane wanted to do Dishonored 3.

    Also, these studio closures, with more to come, was to cut costs.

    I guess no one told Microsoft that a great way to cut costs is not spending $75 billion buying Activision Blizzard.
    Aeander
  • ValdemarJValdemarJ Member RarePosts: 1,421
    Arkane Lyon can still do Dishonored 3 because they weren't shuttered.

    The uncomfortable truth is that ActiBlizz will pay for itself, even at that stupidly gross price. HiFi rush will not.

    If people don't like that, then start making changes to unregulated capitalism (US) and the "regulation" that just plays regional favorites (yes, I mean the EU). Can't have your cake and eat it too.

    You know what also goes a long ways to not having a big corpo shut your studio down? Not selling out in the first place.
    Terazon
    Bring back the Naked Chicken Chalupa!
  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,901
    Sad thing is there are too many quality games. I have 15 games on my list to play all current and I work full time. MS bought Activision and their catalog of bangers that they can't find enough people to buy. Things so backed up MS find themselves needing to close a studio that made HiFi Rush. What kind of world are we living in? I feel bad I can't buy more games to support the studios I love. 
    ValdemarJScot
  • TerazonTerazon Member RarePosts: 424
    Studios close and the talent lands somewhere else. It is not that big of a deal. I live in Austin and 2 of the members of Arkane already have new jobs.
    That is the industry. 
    More companies should reduce bloat. 
    ValdemarJGorwe
  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,901
    Terazon said:
    Studios close and the talent lands somewhere else. It is not that big of a deal. I live in Austin and 2 of the members of Arkane already have new jobs.
    That is the industry. 
    More companies should reduce bloat. 
    It is a big deal right now. So many game developers are without jobs right now. Getting a new job is slim pickings. 
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