Xbox fans and some employees were blindsided earlier this morning when Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush), Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios. In the hours since then, additional rumors and details about what’s going on behind the scenes with some Xbox teams have emerged.
Starting with Redfall, IGN reports that despite the game’s poor initial reception, major updates were still in the works right up until Arkane Austin's untimely demise. Reportedly, an update planned for this very month would have added the game’s long-promised offline mode. It’s unclear if this update will see the light up day, but with Redfall team pink-slipped, it seems unlikely. Another update, slated for around Halloween, would have finally added the new playable characters that were promised as part of Redfall’s Hero Pass. Microsoft and Bethesda have said those who purchased the Hero Pass will now receive a credit equal to its value.
Related Story Deathloop Director Says Arkane Austin Closure a “F**king Gut Stab,” Redfall Development Done
Meanwhile, wanton leaker Jeff Grubb has also stepped in to provide an update on another long-in-development Xbox project – Perfect Dark. In development for around six years at new “AAAA” studio The Initiative, with Crystal Dynamics pitching in to help since 2021, the new Perfect Dark has largely remained sequestered in the shadows. Per Grubb, it seems the new Perfect Dark is still in a “very rough state,” with Crystal Dynamics’ help doing little to get the project back on track…
"The fallout from this [today's layoffs], been hearing [...] for years that Perfect Dark is in a rough state. Sounds like it's in a very rough state. And it doesn't sound like it's really come together in any way since then [since the game's announcement] and like Crystal Dynamics coming on board to come help on that."
Of course, take this all with a grain of salt for now, but if true, these latest reports paint an unflattering picture of an Xbox team simultaneously making knee-jerk decisions and letting projects that should have been reigned in long ago stumble along without much guidance. Perhaps it’s not surprise the higher-up Microsoft brass have looked at the situation and said, “Hey, let’s focus on Call of Duty.”
What are your thoughts on all of this? Should Microsoft have given Arkane Austin another chance? Is Perfect Dark ever going to see the light of day?
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Xbox fans, and some of their employees, were blindsided earlier this month when Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including the “gut stab” closure of Arkane Austin, developer of the acclaimed Prey and the more troubled Redfall. Following the announcement Arkane Austin was shutting up shop, it was reported that the team had been working on additional updates for Redfall, including one that would deliver a long-promised offline mode. Unfortunately, at the time, it seemed unlikely any of these promised updates would come to fruition.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut arrives on PC this week, and port developer Nixxes has laid out a few additional details about the launch. As we’ve reported, Ghost of Tsushima is the latest Sony-published title to generate controversy for requiring a PlayStation Network sign-in on PC. Granted, GoT only requires PSN on PC for the Legends multiplayer mode, you can play the single-player campaign without it, but the game has still been delisted from Steam in a long list of countries without access to PSN.
Dead by Daylight is turning eight years old, and Montreal-based series creators Behaviour Interactive had certainly a lot to announce during their big anniversary broadcast. Plenty of new detail was provided about the new Dungeons & Dragons update, although we also learned that a Castlevania chapter is on the way later this year. Players can also look forward to the introduction of a mode with two killers instead of the usual one.
Update: Whoops! It looks like one of Ubisoft's channels accidentally leaked the Assassin's Creed Shadows release date before the official reveal -- November 15, 2024.
With the Xbox Games Showcase less than a month away, rumors circulated about what could appear. Gears 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War are favorites, but The Initiative’s Perfect Dark may be another. After reports from Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb about it being in “rough shape,” insider Nate the Hate said it could make an appearance.
Industry insider Jeff Grubb once again reaffirms his claim that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is launching this year. This is despite recent information from EA indicating that it could be with us as late as March 2025, sparking fears that we're still almost a year away from the long-awaited sequel.
The wait for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has been extremely long for fans, but it sounds like the end of the line is finally in sight, and it might have been worth it.
Following Xbox's decision to close down three studios (Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Games) and roll Roundhouse Studios into ZeniMax Online, Jeff Grubb's rumor that the Perfect Dark reboot was in rough waters made things look even more dire for Xbox fans.
It's been a rough week for Xbox following multiple studio closures decided by Microsoft and the severe blowback from fans and fellow developers alike, not to mention reports of Perfect Dark having a rough time, but a new rumor suggests State of Decay 3, at least, might be coming along well.
Sigh… here we go again. We just got through a major brouhaha involving Sony requiring PSN linking for Helldivers 2 after initially not asking for it at launch, which led to a major backlash and review bombing campaign and, eventually, Sony reversing course. While some would say the reaction was rather overblown, one of the issues was that a number of countries in the world simply don’t have access to PSN, which led to Helldivers 2 being delisted in those regions (in fact, even Sony’s after reversal on the issue, they’re still delisted).
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush), and Alpha Dog Games, while Roundhouse Studios will be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online. This follows nearly 1,900 layoffs earlier in the year, largely from Microsoft’s newly-acquired Activision Blizzard teams. Unfortunately, it seems this isn’t the end of the pain.