by
William D’Angelo
, posted 42 minutes ago / 234 Views
Xbox this week announced it is shutting down three studios at Bethesda – Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Studios – as well as merging Roundhouse Games with ZeniMax Online Studios.
Microsoft Gaming president of game content and studios Matt Booty a day following the closures held a town hall meeting with ZeniMax. He told employees Xbox needs smaller games that will give the company “prestige and awards.”
“We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards,” said Booty, according to those who attended the meeting who spoke with The Verge.
Tango Gameworks released a smaller title last year with Hi-Fi Rush, which was praised by critics. It would go on to top three million players by August 2023.
Microsoft’s GM of Xbox games marketing Aaron Greenberg called Hi-Fi Rush a “break out hit” and it met “all key measurements and expectations.”
Microsoft has previously stated it wants to release more Japanese games on Xbox consoles and in the end they shut down their only Japanese studio they owned.
Bloomberg reported Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks were both looking to hire more employees as they pitch new games before they were closed.
Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-action game that was announced and released on the same day in January 2023 for the Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass. It would later release for the PlayStation 5 in March 2024.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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