The streak of bad news in the industry continues this time at Bethesda, with the announcement of the closure of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks.
We live in dark times in the video game industry. Unfortunately, several reorganizations have taken place in recent months, resulting in thousands of workers’ dismissal. Now we have another sad news. Microsoft has reportedly decided to close several studios belonging to Bethesda in a move that can only be described as devastating…
As reported on social media, Xbox has disbanded the team responsible for the failed Redfall, Arkane Austin, who was also responsible for the acclaimed 2017 horror Prey.
He also decided to end his other famous studio, Tango Gameworks. The latter recently surprised us with the incredible Hi-Fi Rush. But he is also credited with the fantastic horror series, The Evil Within, or the no less interesting Ghostwire Tokyo.
Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty lamented the layoffs in an email to employees to “adjust gaming priorities and resources.”
The whole situation forced Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas to comment on his X/Twitter account after the closure of Tango Gameworks: “So this is how it ends… Unfortunately, I don’t quite have the words… But at least thank you to everyone who supported us,” he declared.
These aren’t the only Xbox studios Microsoft is shutting down
Although Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin are the most well-known teams, they are not the only ones that have fallen. Alpha Dog Studios, the team behind Mighty Doom, is also closing its doors soon. Meanwhile, Roundhouse Games is being taken over by the guys behind the hugely successful The Elder Scrolls Online. You probably don’t even know this latter entity, even though it has a history, as former employees of Human Head Studios created it. They worked on the original Prey and its sequel, which Bethesda itself cancelled. The team moved on with the failed Rune 2, which led to its closure…and subsequent takeover by Bethesda with a new studio.
“Bethesda remains a cornerstone of Xbox, thanks to a strong catalogue of incredible games and a great community,” the Microsoft executive wrote to employees.
“Looking ahead, we have an impressive gaming horizon,” he added, noting that new content is coming this year (2024) for Starfield and Fallout 76, as well as the promising Indiana Jones and The Great Circle and TESO’s new chapter, Golden Road.
Some of Bethesda’s most famous studios escaped this carnage, such as the authors of The Elder Scrolls, the parents of DOOM, the latest Wolfenstein, or the already mentioned Indiana Jones, the MachineGames team, and, of course, the developers of the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online. The cut doesn’t seem to affect the Arkane Lyon team, which is currently working on the Marvel’s Blade video game.
So this is how it ends…
Unfortunately I don’t quite have the words…
But at least thank you to everyone who supported us. https://t.co/jJs8qd1hcr
— johnjohanas (@johnjohanas) May 7, 2024
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