Bloomberg is reporting that a number of Xbox-owned studios are in danger of closing and as such are in negotiations to go independent to avoid shutting down.
Now, VGC has revealed that its sources have pointed to Compulsion Games, Double Fine and Ninja Theory as being among the studios that are looking to spin off from Xbox to avoid closing. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier notes that while the studios in danger of closing have a chance to buy themselves back from Microsoft, employees are still likely to lose their jobs as a result of going independent.
“Employees at several studios have been informed of the situation and given permission to seek new work but were told that the status of the studios is still in flux,” wrote Schreier.
Nina Theory is particularly shocking as part of this list of studios, as they only just announced a new game in the form of Senua during the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this month. Meanwhile, Compulsion Games and Double Fine have both launched titles in the past year in the form of South of Midnight and Kiln, respectively.
The news comes following reports that Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Xbox, is looking on “resetting the business” as it’s currently “not in a healthy spot.” The format hold recently started plans to bring back console exclusives, with both Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution confirmed to be Xbox-exclusive releases.