Source: Christian Petersen/Getty/Xbox
The video game industry is in turmoil, and you wouldn't think it was because of the quality of games we're getting. While we, as gamers, enjoy a bounty of riches, developers continue to lose their jobs at a ridiculous clip.
Xbox is navigating choppy waters as it changes its business model, placing some of its biggest exclusive titles on competing consoles.
One of those titles was a favorite Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks, one of several studios Xbox acquired when it bought Bethesda Game Studios.
In a surprising development, Tango Gameworks is one of four studios, including Arkane Austin, the developer of the massive flop RedfallAlpha Dog Studios and Roundhouse Games, which have been closed by Xbox, IGN References.
Xbox is one of the many video game companies that have been unable to avoid mass layoffs in the industry. Microsoft began the year by laying off nearly 2,000 employees, which led to the departure of then-Blizzard president Mike Ybarra.
Now comes news of another round of layoffs due to major studio closures under the Bethesda umbrella.
Per GameRant:
Xbox decided to shut down Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios and Tango Gameworks, with Roundhouse Games also effectively shutting down as they were “absorbed” by ZeniMax Online Studios. In an email from Matt Booty obtained by IGN, it was explained that these terminations are about “prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda's portfolio of blockbuster games.” Arkane Austin worked on Prey 2017 and Redfall, Tango Gameworks was known for The Evil Within and the critically acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush, Alpha Dog Studios worked on the mobile game Mighty Doom, and Roundhouse Games mainly served support role. upon its closing.
Arkane Austin's death could result directly from his catastrophic launch Redfall. Reviewers immediately deemed it a critical failure due to its broken state and abandoned it despite some quality of life improvements.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Arkane Studios confirmed the closure of the Austin studio, telling players who purchased the Hero Pass of the Bite Back premium edition or the Bite Back upgrade will be eligible to receive the upgrade value.
Arkane says Redfall services will remain online, but there will be no further updates.
The closure of Tango Gamework is the biggest surprise because Hi-Fi Rush's success after its surprise drop on Xbox Game Pass and, more recently, its newfound popularity on the PlayStation 5 console.
What a scary time to be a developer in the video game industry.
You can see the reactions to the sad news in the gallery below.