We had been having a few relatively calm weeks in the world of the video game industry, and that is never a good sign. In fact, today has been a dark day for workers like few we remember. And it’s not abnormal that, after an acquisition like Bethesda’s, there are layoffs: it’s something we have seen throughout the entire audiovisual industry. But no one expected that four such promising studios of Microsoft’s new darling would close so soon.
It takes two to tango
The studios in question are Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse. Maybe the names don’t ring a bell, but for example, Tango was the creator of ‘Hi-Fi Rush’ and was founded by none other than Shinji Mikami, the father of the ‘Resident Evil’ saga. And what has been the reward for creating one of the best games in recent years? Closing down without mercy.
Arkane Austin, on the other hand, was the second branch of Arkane Studios, who have developed ‘Redfall’, ‘Prey’ or the ‘Dishonored’ franchise, which is no small feat either. If what worries you about all this are the games and not the people, breathe easy: ‘Blade’, which they are working on at Arkane Lyon, is not in danger, but if I were one of their employees, I would start wetting my beard when I see the neighbor’s being cut.
Alpha Dog was a studio that developed mobile games like ‘Mighty Doom’, the latest installment of the ‘Doom‘ franchise that had held a record since 1998. However, it will now close on August 7th, and finally, Roundhouse Games is the only one that has had better luck. At least not everyone will be out of a job as they will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios. Hundreds of people have been left without work, including a few more positions within Bethesda itself, and why?
Well, because at Microsoft they have decided to “re-prioritize titles and resources” to achieve high-impact games. But, you know, not like ‘Hi-Fi Rush’, but franchises and more franchises from Bethesda. “We will be well positioned to come up with new ideas, explore new game concepts, and expand our existing franchises”, they have commented. Because nothing says “Everything is going smoothly” like laying off a large part of your staff after having done the same with 2000 Xbox workers in January.
Come on, what’s left of 2024 is going to be spec-ta-cu-lar.