Game developer Pete Hines, previously from Bethesda, asserts that Game Pass holds no value without the individuals creating the games behind it.
In a surprising turn of events, two prominent gaming studios, Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, have closed their doors indefinitely. This move, coming seven months after Pete Hines' retirement from Bethesda, has left many in the gaming industry puzzled.
Tango Gameworks, known for its critically acclaimed titles like Hi-Fi Rush, was acquired by Bethesda in 2010. Shinji Mikami, the studio's founder, believed that the acquisition would provide the studio with the greatest chance of independence. However, the studio's recent closure, following the release of Hi-Fi Rush, has raised questions about Microsoft's strategy.
The closure does not seem to be a result of a lack of success the studio had achieved. In fact, Hollow Knight: Silksong, the latest Game Pass release, reached over 500,000 players on Steam, a platform where one must purchase the game to play it.
Arkane Austin, on the other hand, closed indefinitely following the troubled release of Redfall, a game developed in collaboration with Bethesda. The mismanagement of Microsoft's portfolio is the leading cause of suspicion and heartbreak within the development studios, with a tension building that is affecting people and developers alike, causing distrust in Xbox products, including Game Pass.
Pete Hines, former Senior Vice President and Head of Publishing of Bethesda, has been vocal about his observations of the ongoing dismissal of gaming developers at Microsoft. He emphasises the need for proper acknowledgement, compensation, and recognition of the effort and resources required to create content, beyond just making a game.
Hines also notes that collaboration between studios can be beneficial, and suggests that if a team was working on guns at Bethesda Game Studios, they should have a conversation with id Software about how they make their guns feel weighty and powerful. However, the closure of Tango Gameworks does not align with Hines' overall view of the acquired studios at Bethesda.
The studio's closure, along with the recent round of closures and layoffs at Xbox, is a result of Microsoft's overall strategy, not solely the gaming developers themselves. AI is rumoured to have been a major factor in the 9,000 layoffs within Xbox and Microsoft, with an $80 billion AI investment being funded.
Despite the closures, not all is doom and gloom. Obsidian, another studio, continues to produce successful games such as Grounded, Grounded 2, and Avowed, and was not closed despite having a far greater budget than anything Tango Gameworks ever created.
Microsoft's messaging continues to baffle many, including thousands of others. The ongoing changes in the gaming industry, particularly at Microsoft, are a reminder of the importance of balance between the needs of the service and the people running it, and the people providing the content. As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how these developments unfold.
