It’s RIP for 3 More Game Development Studios
It’s not an easy end. Many studios build high hopes on mergers or acquisitions only to be closed down in a jiffy. During the past year, many game studios have been closed, and with them their staff. The axe is in wielding motion in 2024, and the recent Verdugo is Microsoft.
Microsoft Xbox has recently closed down three development studios that came bundled with Activision Blizzard. In a report by IGN, the three studios are:
- Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush, The Evil Within, Ghostwire),
- Alpha Dog Games (Mighty Doom), and
- Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall).
A fourth studio, Roundhouse Games, has found a better landing. The studio was absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios and charged with developing The Elder Scrolls Online.
It’s RIP for 3 More Game Development Studios
The least known of the three affected studios by the Microsoft cuts is Alpha Dog Games, which is a mobile game developer. Although Alpha Dog’s Mighty Doom mobile game wasn’t a high-octane FPS like Doom Eternal, it was at least a serviceable top-down shooter.
The two top RPG studios are Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Arkane Austin’s latest game Redfall did not perform as well as its past titles, such as Prey, which set them apart from the competition. The news will be disheartening for fans of immersive simulation game design, even if the main Arkane Lyon studio is safe (for now).
Tango Gameworks’ closing seems to be receiving the most attention.
Acting as Microsoft’s only Japanese studio, Tango Gameworks put out several titles, including Hi-Fi Rush, which won several awards. However, Xbox Games Marketing VP Aaron Greenberg said, “I cannot express how pleased I am with the work that Tango Gameworks has done.”
