Xbox manufacturer Microsoft has shuttered a number of game studios under the Bethesda umbrella, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks.
In addition to the above, it has also been confirmed that Alpha Dog Studios is closing its doors, while ZeniMax Online Studios will assimilate Roundhouse Games.
Sadly, Arkane Austin’s vampire co-op outing Redfall will no longer receive any further updates as Microsoft has pulled the plug on all future development on the project. The game will remain online and will issue a “make-good” offer for users who purchased the Hero DLC.
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Microsoft’s head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, confirmed the studio closures in an email to staff:
Today I’m sharing changes we are making to our Bethesda and ZeniMax teams. These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.
To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others and that some of our colleagues will be leaving us.
This latest round of closures is yet another major blow to the games industry following last year’s mass layoffs, which are sadly showing no signs of slowing down. Microsoft itself announced a few months ago that it was planning to cut 1,900 jobs from its workforce.
[Source – IGN]