After yesterday's closure of four Bethesda studios, Mike Ybarra, the former president of Blizzard Entertainment, tried to take Xbox boss Phil Spencer out of the firing line. Statements that were anything but well received by the community.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Microsoft announced the closure from a total of four studios from the publisher Bethesda Softworks, which was taken over in 2021. Affected were the “Redfall” makers from Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, the studio behind “The Evil Within” and “Hi-Fi Rush”, as well as Alpha Dog and Roundhouse Games.
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The studio closures didn't just annoy many players. Dinga Bakaba, the boss of Arkane Studios, also found it clear words. Shortly after the announcement of the studio closures, Mike Ybarra, the former president of Blizzard Entertainment, also spoke out. Ybarra tried to help Microsoft along the way of mass layoffs Early 2024 has leftto defend Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
An undertaking that, as expected, backfired. Above all, the statement that “Spencer suffers from the layoffs as much as those affected” caused a lot of criticism and headwind from users on X (formerly Twitter).
This is what Ybarra says about current events
“I see there is a lot of attack on Phil because of today's Xbox announcements. I understand that. But because I know him as a person, I know that this hits him just as hard as anyone else. I can't speak for all the managers there. But I know him and I know what he’s probably going through,” Ybarra said. “I’m not trying to defend the decisions.”
“I think we all find ourselves in situations that are hard and unexpected (I certainly did too). That's part of the job. As is responsibility for the results. But he is a good person and he cares deeply about the creative process and the developers. This is my experience from 8+ years of working closely with him and 24+ years of knowing him,” Ybarra elaborated.
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“I 100 percent understand the anger and confusion, and I feel deeply for the teams that have been affected today and over the last few months. I didn’t agree with every decision he made at Xbox.”
“That was pretty clear. But I believe in his product leadership and I know how difficult these decisions can be,” added the former president of Blizzard Entertainment.
Ybarra believes in a promising future
In the long term, the Xbox division could emerge stronger from current developments, as Ybarra explained: “Xbox could have a very promising future. I hope they realize that and all the teams have an incredible experience together.”
“It is certainly a difficult time that requires great clarity about what the plan is for the future and how players everywhere can respond enthusiastically to it.”
In order to take the wind out of the sails of possible fears, Microsoft and Bethesda Softworks assured that the publisher will remain an important pillar of the Xbox division despite the studio closures. In the next few years, the focus will be on well-known brands such as “The Elder Scrolls”, “Fallout” and “Starfield”.
In addition, Bethesda Softworks would like to “face the creative challenges of the future with new brands and innovative concepts.”
Further news about Bethesda, Bethesda Softworks.
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