Microsoft is closing Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush studios, among others

Microsoft closes four Bethesda studios: Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Mighty fate developer Alpha Dog Studios, HiFi rush developer Tango Gameworks and support studio Roundhouse Games. Xbox Game Studios leader Matt Booty announced the news to staff in an email on Tuesday, citing a reprioritization of “high-impact titles.” according to IGN. Arkane, Alpha Dog and Tango Gameworks confirmed the closures of their respective X accounts.

“Today it was announced that Arkane Austin will close and the development will not proceed Redfall,” Arkane said in his X-post. Arkane Lyon continues to develop its own projects, the company said. Redfall players who bought upgrades and were still waiting for DLC won’t receive them, Arkane said, directing those affected to a Bethesda website where players can do so ultimately apply for credit. Microsoft hasn’t yet published any details on how you can receive that credit. Booty’s letter to staff said that “some” Arkane employees will join other Bethesda projects.

Microsoft did not respond to Polygon’s request for comment.

Mighty fate, a top-down shooter based on the Doom franchise, will go offline on August 7 following the studio’s closure. Players can no longer make purchases in that game, according to the studio’s X post. People who spend real money on in-game currency can also request a refund. Tango Gameworks will also close, while Roundhouse Games will merge with ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online.

Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios and Tango Gameworks have each released a game in 2023: Redfall, Mighty fateAnd HiFi rushrespectively. HiFi rush was the most successful of them all after its surprise release early this year. The action rhythm game was a far cry from Tango Gameworks The evil within And The evil within 2, for which the studio was previously known. The studio has also been released Ghostwire: Tokyo And Hero dice in 2022.

In the meantime, Redfall by Arkane Austin didn’t live up to expectations – even Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer called the release “disappointing” but said the team was still committed to fixing the issues. Both Arkane and Tango Gameworks have been part of ZeniMax for over a decade.

Commenting on the closures, Arkane Lyon co-creative director Dinga Bakaba called the cuts “absolutely terrible” in a thread on X. “Permission to be human: For any executives reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your job as a company is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them bring value to you create,” he wrote. . “Don’t throw us into gold rush gambles, don’t use us as stooges for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t turn our work environments into Darwinian jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud in difficult times. We know you can do it, we’ve seen it before.

Alpha Dog is perhaps the lesser known of the three dismantled studios; it had previously worked on mobile games. The studio was acquired by ZeniMax Media in 2019 and brought under Microsoft in 2021 in the $7.5 billion ZeniMax acquisition. Roundhouse, which will merge with ZeniMax Online, was previously known as Human Head Studios but closed after publication Rune 2 in 2019; it was reborn shortly afterwards as Roundhouse Studios under Bethesda.

It is unclear exactly how many people are affected by the studio closures. The news comes just months after Microsoft announced it would lay off 1,900 people, or 8% of its workforce, following its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Last year, more than 10,000 people were laid off in the video game industry; That number will almost be matched in just five months in 2024. While 2023 may have been marked by layoffs, 2024 appears to be full of studio closures. Only a week into May and at least six studios have now closed, with these four Bethesda studios joining Take-Two Software’s Roll7 and Intercept Games.