MICROSOFT's Xbox division has announced a rash of studio closures as part of efforts to prioritize "high-impact titles," according to multiple sources, including IGN and Bloomberg. The announced 4 studio closures include Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Games. 

Arkane has been in charge of several excellent games over the years, including Dishonoured, Prey and Deathloop. Arkane Austin's most recent effort, Redfall, was far less well received. Arkane Lyon survives the closure of Arkane Austin and works on an adaptation of Marvel's Blade. 

Tango Gameworks meanwhile developed De-within games Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire. Both will join Alpha Dog Games and Roundhouse Games (formerly Human Head Studios) in a closing round.

According to a letter sent to IGN by MATT Booty, head of XBOX Game Studios, the decision was made out of a desire to pour more resources into "high-impact" titles, including Bethesda's games. 

"Today we share the changes we are making to Bethesda and the ZeniMax team," Booty wrote. "These changes will prioritise high-impact titles and further into Bethesda's portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds that you've nurtured for decades

" "Double down on these franchises and invest in building new franchises is one of the most important factors for success."" Identifying the right opportunities This change in title and resource priorities means that some teams will be readjusted to others and some of their colleagues will leave us."

Arkane Austin, although not part of the members, is moving to work on other projects under the Bethesda banner — similarly, Roundhouse Game will also be merged with ZeniMax Online Studios. Otherwise, it is closing the door all round.

Developers have already taken to Twitter to express their frustration with the sudden news, and to offer sympathy to those affected. "This is absolutely terrible," wrote Dinga Bakaba, co・creative director of Alcan Lyon.

"Don't throw us into gold fever gambits, use us as strowmen for miscalculations/blind spots, or make our work environment a Darwinist jungle." You say we are proud of you when we make a good game. Boast us when times are hard. We know that you can, we've seen it before...For now, the great team is basking in the sunset before our eyes again, it's a fucking gut sting"

This news comes as a further heaps to the crumbling waves of layoffs that have rocked 2023 and unfortunately continue until 2024. 

This sting—Arkane has historically been a pedigree title but the tango made Hi-Fi rush was also expected. Hi-Fi rush that Xbox Aaron Greenberg, almost a year earlier from this tweet from the infuriated fans and then: "All the important measurements and expectations of us, and of our players for the Bu hit".

However, Arkane's Redfall was a huge embarrassment for both the studio and Microsoft.Hi, Hi-Fi Rush is an exceptional and very popular video game (last year was my personal pick Hi) but Ghostwire: Tokyo didn't set the world on fire. Thus, the Microsoft mission statement here can be read as supporting the short tail of Starfield by Scupper. 

Starfield sold well, of course, but was not as close to continuing interest as some of Bethesda's other mainline RPGs. As online editor Fraser Brown pointed out last week, the mods community is not greedy, and Starfield has been nominated for many awards, but not many, and Bethesda doesn't know if the next project can afford to stumble in the same way.

Microsoft itself also spentま68. With the recent Activision Blizzard of770 billion, this is firmly involved in the persistent and inclusive style story of big companies snatching lots of studios, only for the House of Cards to collapse at the expense of the later said studio and its canceled games.

Ultimately, these closures are a stark reminder of the sudden collapse that accompanies the AAA industry, which is dominated by massive acquisitions and gung-ho business decisions. It's a pattern that many developers have picked up and are reasonably unhappy about a huge industry that somehow can't remain completely stable.