Today Microsoft announced the closure of the “Redfall” creators of Arkane Austin. A development about which Dinga Bakaba, the boss of Arkane Studios, found clear words via X.
Reached us this afternoon the messagethat Microsoft will close four studios at the publisher Bethesda Softworks, which it took over in 2021.
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These include Arkane Austin, the studio behind “Prey” (2017), which delivered a gaming and commercial flop with “Redfall” last year. Only shortly after the studio closure was announced, Dinga Bakaba, the boss of Arkane Studios, spoke out.
Via At the same time, he emphasized that the measures announced today only affect Arkane Austin and not the headquarters in Lyon.
Bakaba with an appeal to the board of directors
“This is absolutely terrible. “I ask for permission to be human,” wrote Bakaba, who described Arkane Austin’s closure as a “punch in the gut.” “To any executives reading this: A 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 create value for you.”
“Don’t throw us into gold rush maneuvers, don’t use us as front men for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t turn our work environments into Darwinian jungles. You say we'll make you proud when we play a good game. Makes us proud when times are tough. We know you can do it, we’ve seen it before.”
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“For now, we're once again seeing great teams go down before our eyes and it's bloody painful. Lyon is safe, but please be tactful and thoughtful in all of this and respect the voices of those affected and give them space to be heard. It is their story that they have to tell, their feelings that they have to express,” concluded the Arkane Studios boss.
Cost-cutting measures recently also affected the Xbox division
Today's closure of the four Bethesda studios continues an industry trend that has been ongoing for several months. Numerous studios and publishers have recently initiated cost-cutting measures, closed branches and, in some cases, laid off several hundred employees.
Microsoft made one of the biggest cuts so far in 2024. Shortly after the takeover of Activision Blizzard was successfully completed, the software giant announced at the end of January that it would be moving into the Xbox division 1,900 jobs to be cut. Unfortunately, this puts Microsoft in prominent company.
Also other industry giants like PlayStation, Electronic Arts or Take Two Interactive This year they turned the red pencil and laid off hundreds of employees. If the well-known insider Tom Henderson has his way, then unfortunately we will still receive reports of this kind accompany you for quite a while.
Further news about Arkane Studios.
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