Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, More Closed in Brutal Bethesda Restructure

You were all correct and I was wrong.
Absolutely indefensible. Outrageous when considered with the recent ActiBlizz acquisition. The tone of the internal email is shockingly inconsiderate as well. I shan't be standing by Xbox any longer!

RIP Tango, absolutely gutted about that one.

Regardless of who or what or why, Hi-fi Rush was one of the game of the year candidates for a lot of people. If Shinji Mikami left prior to the closure, that suggests either he fell on his sword, or perhaps more likely, saw the end coming.

WHAT?? are you serious? I really LOVED Hifi and Ghostwire, this left me spechless

Lol that's what happens with Market Consolidation, good for competition they told me 😂.

Wasn't Hi Fi Rush game of the year material? And this means no more The Evil Within which to me was the next best thing to classic Resident Evil.

@pip_muzz no company deserves blind loyalty, they're all just as ruthless and driven by self interest as another. Times like this remind me that being a cheerleader for a multinational corporation is just absurd.

@Quintumply @LiamCroft @ShogunRok @get2sammyb Blade is being developed for PlayStation after recent internal shifts, confirmed with my source.

Check your sources to be first for the scoop.

Kept telling Xbox fans that acquiring these big publishers are not sustainable especially when they're all in on game pass. Won't be surprised if we hear layoffs from Activision next. Guess they really have game up on Japan with them closing their only Japan studio. Also hifi rush was one of their most critically acclaimed title in years

Uh oh - Could see the writing on the wall for Arkane Austin after Redfall bombed - but I'm very surprised about Tango even with Shinji leaving. Won't do much to bolster MS efforts to gain a foothold in Japan that. Sony should absolutely look to pick up some of the talent from that studio.

@Americansamurai1 Yes, I think when Acti was purchased there was a clause preventing them from shuttering any studios, but I assume there is an expiry date on that. Probably why they were quite happy to let Toys for Bob go independent

Wow — this is shocking news, particularly with Tango Gameworks. Microsoft has unfortunately been nothing but a disaster this year, in my opinion, which is a shame because I thought 2022 was one of their best years. In fact, I spent more time on my Series X than PS5 and Switch combined.

I'm now sad that we'll never see a Prey 2 made by the team that made the first.

@Jacko11 - It would be kinda strange if it wouldn't in the current landscape. They not confirming any platforms already said much at the reveal.

To make things more interesting Phil has announced he will be doing a "big" interview after their showcase 🤔.

Either he's going or more games are coming to playstation and he will reveal them then.

Arkane Austin is no surprise but why they closing Tango, they keep putting out good games. Also just further shows xbox will be everything to Playstation and nintendo where possible. Can xbox fans finally shut up about wanting xbox to buying everything now

It's not like this is anything new for them, anybody paying attention or old enough to remember knows Microsoft has always behaved like this.

Microsoft the good guys remember 😉.

@Rob_230 very true

Woah this is really brutal. There's a lot of disbelief in various forums / comments sections. Although I wasn't a fan of Ghost Wire Tokyo I loved Evil Within 1/2 and Hi-Fi Rush.

Recently bought hifi rush on sale. Very surprised they have been shuttered.

Arkane Austin is unfortunately a victim of the all to familiar tale of single player dev makes a bad online/coop game

@tangyzesty this why I didn’t understand the people cheerleading the Purchase of theses big publishers from Microsoft. Microsoft has a history of Horrible management when comes to they’re studios.

Well, that's Microsoft alright. Sad to see Tango go, loved Hi-Fi Rush. Guess Sony should take notice and get those talents.

Everybody knew this would happen except for Xbox fans. They argued that acquisition by MS would provide the studios with stability and abundant funding so they could make the best games possible. But this is the truth; MS is the destroyer of developers and console gaming. MS is killing the console gaming industry with their monopolistic and underhanded tactics. They can't win so they are burning everything down.

They buy up all the studios and then shutter them down. They try to change the tried and tested business model of producing and selling quality finished games to a subscription model filled with MTX-infested unfinished subpar live-service games. All the while they use the media to convince people that no matter what they do, it is always best for the industry, and if Sony does not follow then they are anticonsumer.

Redfall has a season pass that has delivered zero content so far. I hope the PC players keep the same energy they just gave Sony for daring to ask them to create a PSN ID.

Microsoft really are just one of the most abhorrent companies on Earth.

I haven't tried Hi-Fi Rush but i'm interested on playing it someday, it looks so cool. Still very mad that the devs behind it are getting the purge.

These layoffs and closures just never end, is it?

Im missing a few names here in tje responses who come to blast everything that Sony does not surprising. When their lord blows up several good or better said the only good thing Activision Blizzard and Bethesda made...

Disgusting, indefensible and shocking.

Surely they could have sold Tango and it's IP's? It's not like they were rubbish games or low sellers either so should have some interested buyers. Makes sense why Shinji Mikami left.

Phil Spencer's comment about how they've never shut a studio due to finances hasn't aged that well.

"Congratulations on making your best game ever last year, Tango. Good luck finding new jobs!"

Where are those unintelligent clowns that were cheering on Microsoft buying up everything?

Now lets hope that Paramount deal doesn't go through and Sony uses that money to secure that no other studio (no matter the department) needs to be closed, RIGHT? 🥴

@ED_209 a scoop is still a scoop

Welp, there goes any goodwill I had towards Microsoft. Goodbye Tango Gameworks, I really enjoyed your games.

Hello there fellow gamers.
This are some really bad news. For gamers, developers and Xbox in general.
I can understand Arkane Austin to a certain degree, because one bad game, does not make the whole studio bad. They made Prey. And it´s awesome.
And then there´s Tango..... I mean REALLY? Their one and only japanese developer? Who has some pretty good games under their belt, some that could/should probably get sequels?
What a tremendous disapointing decision by the Xbox game division administration.
Hopefully, the developers that will unfortunately be laid off by this, will find either other studios to work with or start a brand new studio and continue to do their passion.
All the very best for them. Cheers

What a slap in the face to Tango developers after dishing out a hit like Hi-Fi Rush. Microsoft has just gotten rid of one of the very few teams under their wing whose releases I was interested in.

@Americansamurai1 everyone outside of Nintendo has given up on Japan. If and when the Switch 2 dominates Japan again even Sony won’t try and touch Japan to much, meaning MS has even a lesser chance. It will be Switch, Mobile and PC only in Japan.

Tango goes ahead and makes a game of the year contending game and this is their thanks. The AAA gaming industry is so awful

@Jacko11 - Oh sure hahaha. I didn't mean to be rude, it just seems to be something very logical nowadays.

As awful as Redfall is, the DLC not being delivered on is something I sincerely hope MS get scolded to hell and back for. Not only that, but these people made Prey. Had they been managed better and not forced to make some live service garbage, they could've seriously had a second hit. Then Tango.... Like jesus. MS just don't want to succeed it seems. And you know what? I don't think anyone who really plays games will care if they go. My sincerest apologies to the devs affected. They deserved better. Screw these stupid owners.

Now we will never get Evil Within 3...

@Greyhound2809 arkane are offering credit for people who bought the pass.

Terrible for those involved. There's some real talent there so hopefully they'll quickly find positions elsewhere.

Tango's closure is truly bizarre after the critical success of Hi Fi Rush.

I knew Arkane Austin were in trouble after that cursed Redfall. What a shame, so much talent. Tango is strange though, hi fi rush was a well respected title made on a realistic budget.

@Danloaded yeah I just saw that tweet that went up. Doesn't make it much better imo. Give us refunds on the damn game at that point. Yes, that's harsh as hell and I will admit I'm being petty. But companies that do this need harsh punishments.

I'll likely go for the credit regardless, but I have zero faith in MS to make it a pain free experience as they seem to love torturing the people that invest in them.

If the physical edition of HiFi Rush gets affected (I know it's through LRG but you never know honestly) I'm gonna be fuming even more.

Microsoft gotta start recouping thw billions they spent on blizz/acti don't they,
Expect a massive change to game pass soon I think

This sucks. I already bought HiFi Rush and it will be my next game.
Closing Tango seems wild.

@Uromastryx it's going to take them decades to recoup that.

Oof. Some pretty big names in that list. They just lost their biggest stake in the Japanese talent market by closing Tango. Not a great idea when the Japanese side of the gaming industry has mostly been thriving lately at least in terms of quality.

And while Redfall was a disaster, I more blame the higher ups for that one than just Arkane alone. Arkane Austin still did Prey before that and that game is very much a respected title.

A real shame here. Some good talent being wasted.

Such a shame. I hope all impacted find their next chapter soon. Prey, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Hi-Fi Rush are all amazing games. It would be better for all of us if those teams were together and making games for years to come.

Buying talented studios and destroying/closing them. Looks like someone has been taking notes from EA.

Arkane Austin is not unexpected sadly. Most of the team who worked on Prey had actually left before Redfall came out (meaning the studio that made great immersive sims had already ceased to exist).
Tango surprises me and is worrying. Look at Microsofts 1st party output over the last couple of years. Redfall fell flat on it's face and Starfield hasn't exactly set the heather on fire. Meanwhile, HiFi Rush is well regarded and Pentiment is a classic. Smaller, wierder titles (which Tango were good at making) is what they're doing well (and seems to be what moves gamepass subscriptions- which is Microsofts core gaming buisness), not "blockbusters" and the sort of game this restructuring seems to be prioritising.

I see your true colors...

Not saying I told you so, but I told you so. MS is a cut throat company built on shady tactics and suspect competition elimination. It was only matter of time before they gut my favorite hobby, which they arguably already did as I blame aggressive early GP pricing pressure for the current state of console gaming. Nintendo is the only company immune for now (because they found their own unique approach and market).

RIP Tango!!! >:/
I love Evil Within 2, and I'm looking forward to trying Hi-Fi Rush. Damn shame.

@Cikajovazmaj
Your blame is well placed.

It seems Mikami was right to jump ship when he did

The harsh reality of consolidation rears its ugly head yet again. We should be cheering on partnerships, not acquisitions; independent wealth, not corporate greed. Brutal news but unfortunately not surprising.

The moves they are making is effectively eliminating any possibility that Bethesda attempts to create anything new or innovative. Nothing new or creative will ever come out of Bethesda, They bought it to be a cash cow. The same will happen with Activision/Blizzard.

But hope is not lost. There are some devs out there that are trying to do new and innovative things in the industry. Until they get bought by Micro$oft.

@Greyhound2809 not petty at all given how much it seems to happen these days. Money would be preferable to credit.

Didnt realise hi fi was getting a physical. Would've held put for that but both it and pacific drive were 20 so i bit the bullet

What's this? One of the largest companies in history has to shutter Tango to "create capacity"? Ridiculous.

Well of all the studios I was never expecting Tango to be closing after Hi Fi. They don't deserve this at all...it is a shame. Too bad the multi billion dollar company doesn't have enough money to keep the studio open...

Makes you wonder who they will look at next.

Absolutely trash move Microsoft.

Tango did a lot of really fun games.

For all those in the recent Tony Hawk 3 & 4 thread spinning the news that the project getting cancelled prior to the ABK acquisition being proof-positive that Microsoft buying the publisher was a good thing… well, your probably so engrained within your opinion that even today, you stand by it still 🥸

Prey never sold well enough.

@SometimesGhost I hate to say it, but you are going to be even more sad once you play Hi-Fi. That game is freaking great.

I played Ghostwire in February, and it was also a pleasant surprise. Tango closing is a big loss for gamers.

Wow!

Re Tango in particular, what a message to send to all those other Japanese game studios that might have been considering partnerships,
"Come closer, come to MS, come closer so I can shut you down."
Shinji Mikami saw it coming alright, I hope all those now-ex Tango guys get invited by him to join his studio and carry on the good work (backed by Sony for the win).

Feb 2023
https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/1628751694258479104

"We wish Mikami-san well in the future and are excited by what lies ahead for the talented developers at Tango.
—Bethesda"

Holy ***** I did not expect this. This is truly awful.

@Danloaded yeah exactly. Like... Why would I want credit to put back into your company when you've proved you don't care about the studios that ensure you bring it in to begin with. If they hadn't focused on pointless acquisitions they couldn't manage it'd be different. Maybe.

And yeah, Limited Run announced they would be doing a HiFi Rush physical a few months back. Though, to date, nothing else has come out about this. It's not on the Coming Soon tab. If it's dead in the water now then I honestly hope whoever greenlit the decision to close these studios chokes on their water next board meeting.

Are you kidding me. I’m actually so mad. Hi-Fi rush is my favorite Xbox game and they just gutted the award winning studio with no remorse. Absolutely shameful.

Losing Tango and Arkane Austin is a major bummer. This is just another sign that major publishers see no market for these sub-AAAA titles. Redfall had to have done Arkane in, and I'd say it never felt like Ghostwire found an audience - plus it was included in both Game Pass and Plus.

Everyone is tightening their belts and doubling down on only the biggest franchises. It's sad.

Tango made literally one of the only well regarded first party Xbox games in at least a decade.......and you close them down? Good job Microsoft good job (slow sarcastic clapping)

How many times did we hear Microsoft P.R.,& their media & social influencer bots throughout the proceedings in the U.S.,EU,& U.K. how both Zenimax Bethesda & Activision Blizzard buyouts were "good for gamers",& give back "creative freedom".

About the laughable claims of "Gamer" Phil Spencer insist TIMED 3rd party exclusives were the root of all evil versus using the Corporate credit card to remove the likes of Starfield off a PS5 release altogether was also a "win for gamers"?🙄

I don't pretend Playstation is flawless...
With Helldivers 2 surprising even their best hopes & a new acting CEO & Sony Group 2IC wanting to cut costs saw savage cutbacks to the Jim Ryan & Herman Hulst era live service investments.

But given this is the second time Microsoft have slashed jobs & closing previously successful studios,(Prey,Evil Within etc),exposes the hypocrisy of Phil Spencer & the Microsoft P.R. machine.

Will be curious after all the vitriol put towards Playstation by certain PC players if they'll be as savage towards Saint Phil when he'll do another "this has been a real tough day for us" tweets.🙄

One would hope we'll see those affected pop up in smaller AA studios or Indies,but invariably we tend to see the cycle repeat when bought out by the bigger publishers time & again these days.😕

An absolutely embarrassing day to be a Xbox owner! When Sony closed Japan Studio I thought there's nothing Microsoft can do that would be dumber but they reached under the barrel and found a way 🤦

How are you going to close your only studio in Japan knowing that they were lucky to have got them at all, Western companies can't just go to Japan and buy up studios is almost impossible under normal circumstances. I hope Xbox ports all their games to PlayStation so I that I don't have to bother owning two systems anymore.

What the hell, I loved Ghostwire and Prey. I hope these talented people can land on their feet!

I hope developers considering acquisition with Microsoft are watching closely. My hope and prayer that Atlus, Capcom and Square Enix continue to operate independently in the third-party space.

And acquisitions are good for the industry, right? And putting your big name games on Game Pass day 1, right? Damn shame for the employees involved. And Phil is still a slimy, lying hypocrite.

Yeah, consoles are done for.

When console manufactures put their games on other platforms then your own platform becomes less desirable and you'll make less money being a platform holder. Xbox as a platform holder is done, it's been a decline over last several years, and Playstation is on the same trajectory.

"We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games."

Yeah, this is NOT the statement that makes it all better. You bought all these studios for their creative talent and various IP only to close some to focus a select few titles?!

Today is not a good day for Xbox at all.

@Milt it's fairly cheap considering it's basically offering the same amount of content and quality as DMC and Bayonetta do within the genre.

If you can fit it into your budget for gaming/hobbies and enjoy character action games it's a no-brainer and it also has a super unique, fun twist on top.

Wow Tango Gameworks? Seriously microsoft!

@Uromastryx Microsoft reported a profit of $86 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2024. The Acti/Blizz price tag was “only” $69 billion.

Microsoft buying Activision is looking like the worst thing that could happen to the other studios MS bought. Years of cheering MS buying studios/Publishers(even by those in the media). 2-3 trillion dollar company can't afford to keep studios open all of sudden. No! It's that they no longer need to pretend like sales don't matter gamepass, gamepass and all that nonsense.

@kyleforrester87 same. I love evil within 2. Play a little of hi fi rush. Nice artwork and game concept. Closing the studio is just ridiculous

To anyone who celebrated this acquisition: this is your karma...

I hate being right but here we go. Consolidation sucks and will always, always result in the carcass being picked clean.

Evil within and prey are excellent games.i wish PlayStation would buy them.i still got them games for my ps4 pro.word up son

Time for Sony to open up a new studio in Japan called Waltz Gameworks and hire all those developers.

@playstation1995 The games didnt sell despite being good Prey was great so was evil within 2 both didnt sell even a million and were commercial failures

Is a sad state of the gaming industry when great games dont sell because everyone's too busy playing the live service games

Just savage. Makes the cuts nintendo and Sony made seem paltry by comparison. All that company valuation means nothing to the people that helped create their worth. Also, I think this is prove that their gaming model hemorrhages money. They only speak in 'revenue' never profit. I think they have created a model that doesn't work and they can't backtrack at this point. Imagine if going forward they said no day 1 releases on Gamepass. Phil and Booty making Don look like a genuis

WOW! Tango is a surprise to me. Both of The Evil Within games were excellent and Ghostwire was quite solid as well. Wonder what MS was thinking there. Arkane isn’t shocking as Prey was excellent (including it’s DLC) but that other title was TERRIBLE.

@Yorozayu oh yh I forgot about Mikami leaving, must be the case then.

@Fizza

Yeah, there's something SERIOUSLY wrong with publishers these days. Hogwarts Legacy is suffering from the same idiocy.. It was hugely succesfull BECAUSE it's a singleplayer game - what does Warner Bros Games want to do? Turn a potential sequel into a live service game..

We really, REALLY need another video game crash event.

All these corpos don't care about gaming as a form of art and entertainment but only as a cash cow and a moneytree.

Day after day, reading about layoff after layoff has brought me to two conclusions.

1) Corporate greed, and the requirement of infinite growth, are going to be the downfall of the industry. (And society eventually) When is enough going to be enough?

2) We have to face reality, that the children of today are not the same as the children of previous console generations. I’m 40 plus years old, and watching my kid’s gaming habits reinforces why there is such a shift in the industry. Everything is either Fortnite or Minecraft. They don’t even ask for games at Christmas, just digital currency. It’s sad. 3-4 games dominate a majority of the industry, and the hardcore gamers cannot sustain the profits these corporations are expecting

I'm surprised they didn't absorb all these developers and give them the fate worse than death: COD support studio.

Gotta make you wonder if GamePass really is sustainable. Sounds like there's money problems over in Xbox land. Lay off thousands of employees in January, shutting down studios and now porting games to PlayStation with supposedly more on the way? At this point I'd be worried as an Xbox only customer.

This is just absurd, but not at all surprising. I said, after Redfall's disastrous launch, that Arkane Austin would be culled and here it is. On top of that, Xbox killed the studio that made their best game in years (Tango Gameworks). It's time for Phil Spencer and especially Matt Booty (he's been nothing but an embarrassment) to go.

Prey is a excellent game also.that intro in that helicopter is awsome.word up son

@GADG3Tx87 Game Pass is not sustainable. It's why MS is suddenly bringing all of their games to the competition.

@theSpectre
I've thought that for a while. Most people with a lick of sense would be thinking the same. They put all their eggs in one basket out of a final push for desperation to make a dent in gaming and it failed. Even Phil Spencer said during the ABK trial it hasn't seen the growth he would have liked.

What a joke. I'm never usually one to advocate for people losing their jobs, but Big Phil and Matt Booty have to go. Complete and utter incompetence. If good folks like Tango and Arcane can get the chop, what happens when the next game from id software, for example, doesn't meet some arbitrary COD influenced goal posts?

The worst part is the industry is probably still facing at least another year of layoffs of this scale. Very heartwarming to see devs like Remedy open their doors, on the bright side. Absolutely heartbreaking stuff.

Let this be a message to all other publishers and developers, if Microsoft comes sniffing at your door like a blood hound, whack 'em on the nose with a rolled up newspaper and send them packing if you want to keep your identity and your livelihood.

This is just sad and the nasty consequence of this ever concentrated ownership of massive suites of studios.
I feel for Those affected.

That being said tango game works haven't put out a major success in some time. Ghostwire was overly mid and didn't financially do well. As Much as HI Fi rush has been a talking point darling, sales wise it was just OK due to it releasing straight into gamepass and it being a rhythm game and by default very niche.

I actually feel more for Arkane Austin. They were likely forced by their own internal greed lord's and/or Bethesda/zeni to make that failed live service garbage. Dooming them to failure and enormous talent exodus even prior to this. As much as everyone wants to blame the overlords when these shutters happen, I often do as well. It's also important to understand these things rarely occur to studios pushing out successful games.

Christ.

Sony and Microsoft are in a rush to kill off the remaining studios of theirs that aren't making AAA mainstream fare.

I'm glad the Japanese game studios I actually care about are mostly insulated from the influence of Microsoft's checkbook. Let's hope this serves as a valuable example for any companies that Daddy Warbucks tries to scoop up in the future.

No not Tango, what the hell MS? Well that's ruined the day.

Personally, I suspect that Phil Spencer had little say in this. This would have been a dictate from those above him. Spencer would simply have been the one to impart the bad news and to take the heat.

What I would suggest though, is that this has been done with an eye of the Activision playbook, and that those developers will be moved to other studios in order to produce the big-hitters that Microsoft needs such as Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Gone are the days when Bethesda can bring out such games every 15 years. Microsoft want, and need, those games on a much faster cadence. The success of the Fallout TV series has already produced chatter about the need to get the next game out sooner. Shuttering these Studios could well lean into that...

Matt booty is ass😄.prey.dishonered and evil within are excellent games.word up son

Fun fact they cancelled Redfall's DLC despite already selling it to players in a a deluxe edition.

“I can’t wait to see who Microsoft buys up next” - pre-2024 Xbox fans

This proves one thing. Game pass Is a failure. I think we will see a lot more Microsoft games on ps5 so that they can make a profit in their gaming section.

I would hate to be any of the remaining teams with Microsoft.. if any of their games fail which they wil on gamepass because its not possible to make a profit as much as they would like. Maybe ninja theory will be next if their next game doesn't do well.

@Fiendish-Beaver "Personally, I suspect that Phil Spencer had little say in this. This would have been a dictate from those above him. Spencer would simply have been the one to impart the bad news and to take the heat."

Phil Spencer's superiors aren't paying enough attention to Microsoft's gaming division to make those calls. They'd have told Phil Spencer that cuts are to be made and how big those cuts need to be, but as CEO of Microsoft Gaming it's Phil Spencers job to decide what (and who) gets cut.

I think this is the after effect of gamepass, these two games weren't big IP's that people were confident in actually buying, so the majority just played them on gamepass and so their actual sales were non existent meaning the revenue for games like Hi Fi Rush are pretty low.

I think Microsoft strategy is to now just concentrate on making games based off popular and proven IP's to draw people to gamepass. I think Rare, The Initiative, Double Fine and maybe 343 are next on the chopping block.

Gamepass didnt help as much as they thought.

The current front runner for Microsoft’s internal slogan of the week competition - “Unfortunately PlayStation gamers didn’t buy enough copies from our first tranche”

@UltimateOtaku91 If they close down 343 that will mean no more Halo games. What will the Xbots do when there no more Halo games?

The xbox team is running their platform into the ground.

@colonelkilgore
I don't know what Xbox has done to garner such good faith from gamers because most of us knew this would sort of action was quite likely.
It does make those developers who signed that letter recommending the ABK aquisition (yes I know this is Bethesda, but still) look pretty stupid imo

Can't wait to see Destin's spin on it.
I hope the developers affected land on their feet and even bigger studios sprout from the ashes. Especially sad for Arkane as Prey was a favourite of mine.

What I want to know is who will microsoft's next victim be?

@CaptD people (well most npc-type people) are easily programmed mate… and the media has been programming these fools since before this gen even began.

@CaptD Believe it or not there's bigger clowns in that Xbot camp then Destin.

Crap. I was really hoping for a Ghostwire sequel at some point. RIP: Tango Gameworks

All hail Microsoft the saviors of gaming and competition. What would we do without them? 🤣
I would like to say this was unexpected, but it was not. Microsoft has a crappy history with managing studios.

@HonestHick Microsoft may have just decided that I'm buying a PS5 Pro after all.

They had bought a lot of good will, and a lot of trust, and I was willing to give them a tone of benefit of the doubt on a lot of things. Sure, they were struggling in consoles but they had a solid seeming plan and were a good underdog. But this move proves that Phil does not run Xbox, Amy, Satya, and Shadow Gates do. Phil's Xbox was a great organization with a great plan, and a much friendlier alternative to the nasty cutthroat Sony. But Phil lost control of the org, and it's now the people that "planed" (lol) Windows 11 running the show, unpredictably at that. This really I think slashed all goodwill they had hard fought for, and brought us right back to June 2013.

I can't quite quit Xbox because I have 700+ digital games, so I'm tied to that library forever in some capacity. My plan was continue buying all digital games on that platform because I trusted that they were going to preserve my digital library more reliably than Sony or Nintendo. Now? It's really hard to tell. Do I go all in on making PS my 3rd party box now? OTOH, if MS goes sharply downward, does PS also just get worse and worse and worse? The obvious answer is PC, but do I want to trade a pair of $500 gaming boxes for a pair of $3000 gaming boxes? No. That's not smart either. PC is for the rich kids. Rock meets hard place.

This wouldn’t have happened if they stayed 3rd party, this acquisition did more harm than good and now bethesda and activision are part of a sinking ship

I think between there first layoffs and now shuttering these studios, it's clear that MS will not be buying anymore publishers. They can't even keep the two they own fully employed. Not to say these publishers wouldn't have done layoffs if they had stayed third party, but it wouldn't have been nowhere near as many since being under one roof.

Having experienced layoffs in the past, this sucks. It is not a fun experience and wondering if you have enough in savings to outlast unemployment is not a fun game to play.

Microsoft the new EA

@NEStalgia How is PC for the rich kids you can build a pretty decent PC in today's market the issue is the GPU and that's because of Nvidia can price is as they see fit. As well as AMD but you can build a decent one to match a PS5 no issues for a decent price buying the likes of a 4090 is just overkill

@Nakatomi_Uk You need a 4090 for 4k.

"Lock everything down, we'll deal with the economy later" - 2020.

Later is here.

Whilst I kinda thought the writing may be on the wall for Arkane, this really is such a horrible decision and imo mis-management by MS.

I hope the same (or more if im being honest) degree of criticism is levelled at MS as has been levelled at Sony for the recent "controversies".

I seriously think Game Pass is the worst thing to happen to the industry as a whole in many years, and ultimately may be responsible at least in part for this.
Though I agree with what others have said in that GP changes may be coming next.

Ninja theory is next, sadly

I hope Shinji Mikami refuses to do a Xbox version of what ever game he does. This would be a good time for PlayStation to fund some 2nd party games from Shinji Mikami.

(With his days at Tango Gameworks now behind him, Shinji Mikami is now setting up a brand-new studio named Kamuy. Though he has yet to formally unveil any information regarding this new company of his, given the Resident Evil creator's pedigree, there's a good chance that Kamuy's debut project could be yet another astounding addition to the long list of great games directed by Shinji Mikami.)

https://gamerant.com/shinji-mikami-tango-gameworks-departure-explanation/

@NEStalgia i am right there with you in not liking the big wigs of MS, Phil lost his vision when MS cut the checks for Bethesda and then ABK. But Phil had no choice, he took over a company that had 5 studios and was lacking behind two monsters in the console space in Nintendo and PlayStation. For sure now that they have spent that much on Xbox they are for sure pulling strings and they aren’t the kind of strings i think Phil wants to go along for but here we are. As for Sony being my or your main platform thats up to you they will have a decent upgrade in the Pro so multi platform games should be great there. But for me and i have said this on here for years now and i get roasted for it every time (not sure why) for as much respect i have for the PS brand and their single player games. I can not and will not main that controller layout. So much so i am starting to put together plans for a $4000 dollar PC and grab a Switch 2 and that will carry me off into the sunset. Console gaming is starting to show the cracks in it that has been discussed a little to early from the executives. Such as cost, not growing, weaker hardware etc etc. i am not saying console gaming is dead, but it is and has to change. I seen a thing yesterday that Sony went from it’s all time low 7% profit margin to 4% now. They have to fix that. Be that smaller games or take a 40 hour game and sell the first half of it to you for $40 and the second half for $40 in 20 hour sizes. Games can’t take 7-8 years to make and sustain the industry. You do whats best for you. I am not a rich kid but i can save up for a top tier PC rig and here you never would have thought a Apple guy would go windows all for the fact that Sony has some of the worst controllers (PS3) in the history of gaming for my hands and play style HAHA.

I disagree, @Wiceheid. Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella has taken a very close interest on what is occurring at Xbox in recent times, and he is not the only one of the executives at Microsoft to have done so.

It was not Xbox that stumped up the $68 billion for the ABK acquisition, it was Microsoft, and so they are now very much involved in what's happening at Xbox now.

Now, did Phil Spencer have to decide which Studios had to be cut in order to meet the demands of his bosses? Quite possibly, but being told you have to achieve something by your superiors means you have to do it. There was never going to be a Studio within Xbox that once closed, the community was going to rejoice. These were tough decisions that Phil Spencer did not want to make (if indeed he was the one to make them), but ultimately, he would not have had a choice in taking action, it was just a matter of what Studios had to go. It should also be noted though that at this time we are not being told that these developers have lost their jobs, just that the Studios they did work for are to be shuttered. It sounds like it is consolidation within Bethesda, and that other Studios will have an influx of developers from those now closing Studios.

It's not ideal, and you would like to think that this could have been achieved through new hirings, rather than the way it is being done. However, there is only so much money that Microsoft are willing to throw at Xbox, and doubtless redistribution is how they told Phil Spencer to achieve their aims...

@HonestHick Yeah, it'll take time to figure out what direction to go. Increasing hardware cost by a factor of 8, realistically close to $10,000 over a decade, $20,000 if I want to do it across two rooms as I do with console, is definitely not it. I've been there. It gets old. Not sure I want to drop totally to just a 1080p at best Steamdeck/Switch as a main console either.

Bizarre how I went in 24 hours to handheld XB=day 1 to "do I just buy everything on PS". Overreacting to the news, maybe, but it's an indication MS changes on a whim without warning regardless of what they appear to be doing, and that shatters the trust that was the reason I made my purchases with them. HiFiRush is their savior last year, it's the PS darling this year, then a month later, studio gone. Is it digital library investment and BC tomorrow? It's just the indication that their statements aren't backed by any kind of good faith.

It's a shame, because Phil's XB vision was a really really solid platform. It was great to be a part of. But the corporate version isn't a great place. I still have a massive backlog on the platform. But I really have to reevaluate if I'll grow it.

The controller though........ I do love that controller, was just thinking about that yesterday cramping my hands in XVI. Where are my low tension sticks for my $200 controller Sony?!

@Nakatomi_Uk What kind of pricing for what kind of parts are we talking to equal or better a PS5 though? On any build that would rival it I could think of the GPU alone costs more than the PS5.

@AdamNovice The usually close small studios with small projects.

Tango literally delivered Evil Within 1 and 2, plus Hi-fi Rush

Welp, it looks like MS still has the touch of death.

@NEStalgia well let’s not forget Sony just closed up the doors on some studios this year also. Sad to see it across the board but it’s happening. Arkane Austin after Redfall won’t be missed much if any. The others are becoming support studios so we can get bigger games faster. So i can see that, but the Tango one seems a little odd. My guess is they didn’t have a leader for it after he left to create his own studio and decided to let it go. Not making excuses, that is just how i am looking at the news. Some of it i understand and others i don’t. I just don’t like the Dual sense much more than the dual shocks when it comes to shooters and other games i play the most of. We have had this discuss before so i will save you the details, but i would be Sony all the way if they had a Xbox controller with the PS symbols for buttons. Now i do like Xbox Ui better. But i can live with the PS ui. Somehow and i know you will throw a rock at me for it, i like the PS5 ui better than PS4. I think they knew they had to get this news out and let it simmer before the June showcase which i believe will be a banger, if it’s not then they just need to sell Xbox to Amazon and be done HAHA j/k

And this causes less of a controversy than the HD2 PSN requirement, of course

@Fiendish-Beaver IIRC the idea of the activision purchase came from within Microsoft gaming and yes, was then sent to the higher ups for approval.
Satya Nadella pays no attention to Microsoft gaming whatsoever, he just gets briefed before media appearances where gaming might be mentioned.
And yeah, what you said in your third paragraph was what I was saying. Phil Spencer didn't decide that cuts had to happen, but he did decide who got the chop. And while closing studios is never a good thing, closing a great studio like Tango Gameworks after they produced your only hit of 2023 is clearly a mistake. And that was a decision made by Phil Spencer.

After 34 years in IT (not games), I’ve been through 3 takeovers. The first statement you’ll hear is “We’re all one team now, pulling together”, the next will be (after about 2 years when the regulatory requirements of the take over are done with), you’ll get “Financial challenges mean we need to look at streamlining”, then you’ll get “We need to make tough decisions”. Basically if you’re company gets taken over, get on Linked In

@Rmg0731
Seems to be proof that Microsoft isn't searching for GOOD games, it is hunting for PROFITABLE games. If studios aren't meeting the quota then Microsoft is gonna shut them down. The next EA in the making.

I have defended Xbox but no longer. This is the final straw. Phil Spencer is an abhorrent and uncaring mega corps fool.
Him, Booty and Bind should be collecting their P45’s not bonuses.

@HonestHick Yeah, I mean I genuinely like the XB platform that currently exists, and prefer it's previous vision to PSs. I'm sure the hardware and environment will still be great. And probably better than PS. But the question is, how many random direction and policy changes does one have to endure? Is that digital library preseveration goal REALLY their goal? Lack of communication and radical changes make one question every action.

Although the new Sony leadership will set the tone a lot for if it will follow a similar path I suppose.

@Fiendish-Beaver That is incorrect as they have already stated some are being laid off while others are being transferred so not everyone is keeping their job.

@Vault_Mcfly And Ghostwire Tokyo

@NEStalgia well i see what your asking, but i don’t think turning 2 studios into support studios and letting 1 good and 1 not so good one go results into we are going to screw people out of BC. Those don’t line up for me. I don’t want to sound corporate here. But i do think MS is trimming the fat and trying to get the best talent for the games they want to release (AAA) into the right spots to speed up some games and have a clear focus on what it is they are doing. I think they want to turn Bethesda into more Fallout, Elder scrolls etc etc then have a studio all the way in Japan that now has no leader. I could make a case for why the ones were let go in the states. Again not trying to sugar coat it, not trying to sugar coat the ones Sony closed. But the industry is trying to keep the talent they need and simply aren’t keep the ones they don’t see a direct need for. If this means a leaner more focused effort from other studios than great. If not then i have a problem.

@XenonKnight You don't need a 4090 for 4k... And a 4090 won't run 80% of titles in 4K anyway.

Tango Gameworks was a good studio and deserved better than this. Hopefully Shinji hires some of them at his new studio and it's a shame he doesn't own the Evil Within IP. As others have said Ninja Theory will probably be next on the chopping block after Hellblade fails to make an impact.

Actually Xbox can suck it they've done nothing but make the industry worse.

I'm sure many will find a way to blame PlayStation/Jim Ryan for this

@MrMagic None of Microsoft 1st party games will ever meet the sales numbers they want when you can get them on gamepass. Most xbox series owners have gamepass.

I'm all for video games and such with being in this hobby for thirty years. But I am all sorts of content with not moving on with the next generation of them at this point. The industry has just been in such a decline for the longest and it's embarassing.

I finally get Hi-Fi Rush on Playstation and Tango gets axed. Most of the software on both the PS Store and eShop is shovelware bloat. Having to wait five to ten years for anything to finish development.

I'm.... so.... tired....

NO MORE XBOX LIES! It is time to FIRE Phil Spencer and FIX THIS TRASH!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weZvFHGqUyk

Consolidated industry,dream is soooo close 🤤

@XenonKnight Phill is doing exactly what he is hired to do,been telling it for years,the guy is simply disgusting

Do you think the moron Mike Ybarra just added fuel to the fire with his tone deaf tweet?

https://twitter.com/Qwik/status/1787914959541911727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1787914959541911727%7Ctwgr%5E4c6c6fba4dd12b511360255726c8c8a47311aa3e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2F1cmkbnj%2F%3Fresponsive%3Dtrueis_nightmode%3Dfalse

I know I do.

People are getting piss off about this and they should. More youtube video are talking about this and no pr gaslighting is going to fix it.

Frogs being slowly boiled in a pan since 2012

@colonelkilgore Even a blue Puppet on YouTube is mad about this.

Bad move on Microsoft part Arkane Austin made Prey excellent game, Redfall wasn't a reason to shut them down one bad game. Tango Game's The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush excellent games also, I brought Hi-Fi Rush again on my PS5. Not played GhostWire PS5 yet but I am going to. Such sad news. But Microsoft has already had a bad reputation for management going back to the original Halo.

@XenonKnight and that’s when you know… it’s actually all over. It’s a real shame, if Microsoft had actually stayed the course (which in fairness would involve many difficult board meetings) I think they’d have taken a bite out of Sonys base next gen.

I was convinced for a while that they’d bet so large on Gamepass that the only option they had was to keep doubling-down… ironically the ActiBliz books showed them another way.

RIP Tango Gameworks, you will be missed

I vividly remember people saying that Microsoft would do good by these gaming studios. Then, Microsoft shuts them down. Arkane Austin I can kinda understand given Redfall, but Tango? All their games (in my opinion) are amazing! The Evil Within games are criminally underrated. This news hits very hard.

@RaZieLDaNtE Arkane was put in a role where they dont shine such a pity. But to be fair all big corp chases the big pot of money on the end of the Rainbow. In the end the heads wont pay the for their failures they can always make someone else take the fall.

@Radekbejbl1 The Guy is more two-faced then twoface.

@colonelkilgore I see more xbox owners buying a PS5, I just hope they don't make it harder to get a PS5 Pro.

This is the consolidation so many gamers were asking for. It's a shame that most of them won't care.. all they care about is what games are coming to Game Pass next.

@XenonKnight for sure, they’re abandoning it in their droves… as they should. I just pity their thumbs having to game with a parellel-stick set up 🤣 (there are 3rd party controllers with off-set sticks by the way peeps)

This practice which Microsoft and Embracer have engaged in willy-nilly is despicable, with disastrous consequences.

@colonelkilgore I bet one of the first games they get will be Helldivers 2.

@NEStalgia Digital preservation they cant wait for all digital so they can completely control the market. They were the one going for always online so they can tell us what to play and when. If digital is the future why are games going away from their store.

The funny thing is that you arent so harsh when your lord and saviour is doing the bad things. Microsoft is just as bad as everyone if not even worse they got more money and power to do what thet feel like.

You make the world burn for a thing like two small costumes and a removal of racist graffiti but killing of another great studio by MS isnt that bad. 😉

@HonestHick The difference here they didnt but for a developer many billions. Dont worry thet willl manage fine without you making excuses for them.

@Flaming_Kaiser not making excuses for nobody. We are seeing the reshape of the industry and right now outside of Nintendo it isn’t looking great for the high end market leaders. I hate to see any one lose a job without having another one to go to. But i don’t get in my feelings much about business. I am an accountant and i understand no one or thing outside of money isn’t replaceable as ugly as it is.

@Flaming_Kaiser eh go easy on honesthick. Sometimes he's more Sony than I am, sometimes it's the other way around.

Digital...I mean most Sony and Nintendo players are digital now already. All PC players are. It's not fair to judge based on digital vs physical. Do you trust Sony and Nintendo any more than Ms with digital? I honestly trust Ms more with it, or at least did.

Oh I wasnt one of the people throwing a fit over the costumes, my gripes are about the game being overrated and the marketing. The stans just go nuts if you tell them their best girl is a 7 lol.

@HonestHick it's not the studio closures themselves that bother me as that's the industry wide. It's the messaging from Ms continuously reversing. They don't have a long term plan, they have today's plan that changes tomorrow if they didn't like the quarter. Sony is in chaos too. But Ms is like trying to double the gold prices overnight. You just never know what the war between Phil/Sarah and Satya/Amy will bring and how it affects consumers. You can buy in on a concept you like and then they abandon and go somewhere else. Weeks ago hifirush was a big olive branch to ps. Today is such garbage they're closing it. You just never know. They still haven't even commented on this like they didn't comment on the third party rumors for over a week.

Idk I'll give it until the June showcase and see if they say anything that feels concrete or seem to be avoiding anything concrete. Bailing out of your primary 3rd party platform is a choice with a lot of money behind it. Technically this news shouldn't affect anything. But when combined with everything else it just feels like it says a lot about how unstable their promises are.

@Flaming_Kaiser @NEStalgia i see y’all’s points. But just a week ago Sony was selling a game to 100 countries without PSN but yet wanted that to be a requirement. The amount of money these companies invest and want back are insane amounts of money. Remember gaming does more than movies and music combined. So their eyes go green with cash opportunities and when it don’t go well they start trimming everywhere they think they can. Again Sony closed many European and Japanese studios. With the rumor of Horizon Zero Dawn PS5 remaster at their showcase, my guess it’s to show off ray tracing for PS5 Pro. It’s not as if every one isn’t trying to play it safe right now. Gaming is down a lot right now and it’s rumored already today by Tom Warren more cuts and closures are coming but didn’t say from which companies or company. Just a sad sad time in the industry. But i don’t focus on the negative for long as all this could lead to greater tomorrow’s. Gamers are some of the weakest backbone hobbyists I’ve ever seen. You could have 8 great stories and 2 bad ones and all that gamers will do is complain about the bad and forget all the good. We have to remember AI is about to lay off tons of dev’s from Sony and MS and my last point is who’s to say Tango wanted to make another Hi-Fi Rush game on top of their leadership left and create his own studio which you know he will cheery pick some of these dev’s that are now unemployed.

@XenonKnight AndyPants Xbox if u have time check this guy,watch it in shorts bursts cause it kills brain cells

This sucks
During the PS4 Era there were three gems which I bought on sale just because I loved the cover art:
1. Gravity Rush Remastered
2. Prey (2017)
3. The Evil Within 2

Prey was such a great experience and quite frankly the best Arkane game after the first Dishonored (it was much better than all of Lyons other games).

The Evil Within 2 was my horror game of the year and I really did prefer it over RE7 which I just could never click with. The enemy designs are some of my favorites. Especially the Obscura.

I kinda want Microsoft to just fadeaway and disappear now. But I use windows, so I don't know how that's gonna happen.

@CutchuSlow Give it time and Xbox 💩 will. This is will not be the last dumb thing they do.

@XenonKnight The only way I can see it happening is when no one buys their games. But cod sells well, according to these charts, it's always number one. So I don't think it'll happen. Maybe their consoles will disappear, but not Microsoft.

i'll give it 10 years before there is nothing left other than the three cod teams from their recently purchased studios.

Hi Fi Rush has been the only decent game from MS this generation and they're closing that studio down. MS are a lifeless company.

@pip_muzz I stopped supporting Xbox when Microsoft lied to our faces saying there wasn't any kind of fault with the 360.

Microsoft, Sony. At the moment there both as bad as each other. Mass layoffs, studio closures & generally pissing off gamers for a quick buck. Then add the other third party publishers following the trend. Only Nintendo seems to be bucking the trend.

@Flaming_Kaiser Hey there friend.
For sure. Arkane Austin was given the Prey lincense and even though it was not the sequel reveal trailer from all those years ago, they still made an awesome singleplayer sandbox game.
Wich is something both Arkane Lyon and Austin are known for.
It is what they do best. Nothing against a team trying something new and different, but being forced to work on a project that more than 50% of the team disagrees?
Clearly there is very poor managment at Xbox game division.
Hopefully things will turn around in a more positive note.
Cheers and have a good one

Fair enough, @pharos_haven, though I haven't seen that. Nothing I have read up until now talks about job loses, but I am absolutely sure there will be some. I am just not aware of any as yet...

I agree that closing Tango seems a very odd decision, @Wiceheid, and I have to wonder whether that decision was taken out of Spencer's hands partly based on Xbox having such a small footprint in Japan. I can easily see Microsoft dictating its closure based on it being the only Japanese studio, and Microsoft wanting to consolidate the Studios in those areas that they have a larger footprint. I'm sure that it wasn't something that Spencer wanted, and he probably cautioned against it, particularly after all the praise the studio received following the release of Hi-Fi Rush. And it precisely that which makes me think he was told to close it, rather than chose to do so.

You may think that Satya Nadella has shown no interest in Xbox, but he has done so in recent times since the acquisition of ABK, and regardless of whether he understands the ramification of his decisions (because he is so far removed from the coalface) if he says he wants more (or indeed every!) Xbox exclusive to be put on the PlayStation, or certain studios were to be closed, then that will filter down to the likes of Spencer. That is how every big organisation works. I would absolutely believe it to be a possibility that someone like Nadella might look at the success of the Fallout TV series, and tell Spencer that waiting 15 years for the next instalment of the game was unacceptable, and that if Bethesda need more people to get the game made, then taking them from other studios (by closing them) is something I could see him deciding as the way forward.

I think people are mistaken when they look at Spencer as being in charge of Xbox these days. He is simply a figurehead, doing the bidding of his superiors, even when he thinks its a bad idea. I honestly cannot see him staying much longer because I think this truly hurts him because he is a gamer, he understands gamers, and he has done a lot to enhance Xbox (from the previously dire position that he inherited). However I just don't think he wields the power that he did prior to the ABK acquisition...

I'm glad that ex-Xbot TimDog has cut all ties with Xbox for good

BIG NEW LEAK Show Xbox is SCREWED! Game Pass Price INCREASE, Call of Duty Mess, LESS GAMES!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Ds-wmo_ms&t=488s

The biggest bull**** move Microsoft has done so far. This company don't deserve any love or support anymore, seriously.

@HonestHick I think big money made the industry worse. There is hanging so much on a game with these insane budgets. We need smaller games and less investors that only want nothing but maximum profit. And yes i know its a pipe dream.

@Flaming_Kaiser it might be a pipe dream but you are correct. Smaller games would help. Take out so much of the filler. I love FF 16 but it could be a tad shorter and less boring side quests. Tho not sure how much that would save the studio money wise.

@HonestHick If the game is a little shorter maybe you can sell it for a little less too and it would have been the or a even higher quality game.

Final Fantasy 7R Rebirth could have been cut up and put the best stuff in the game like the relationship stuff can be incorporated without making it a seperate entry.

Final Fantasy 7R shouldn't have been a trilogy. Use a smaller budget so you dont have to sell million of games to break even and it takes so long that people already moved on.

@RaZieLDaNtE I didn't say they were bad (did i?) its just a case of forcing a studio to make something that is not their expertise and that is what screwed them over it sucks. And then you get a Microsoft who payed so much money for something that probably is a little to expensive to maintain while keeping up profits in normal decent way.

@Flaming_Kaiser i have been saying that since the day GP launched. I was hoping games would go the way of say a comic book, the story is broken up over smaller chunks. Say the first 15 hours comes out first and then the other half comes out later down the line. Not sure we are going to get that cause i am sure gamers would complain and just want the whole experience up front.