Hey Microsoft And Xbox, What The HELL Are You Doing?

Xbox's leadership has been questionable for some time now, between development troubles on some projects, others receiving no updates, and what have you. It's all coming to a head, as it recently closed down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Studios and Alpha Dog Studios, seemingly without warning.
The closures are due to the “reprioritization of titles and resources" as Xbox Game Studios focuses on "high-impact titles" and "further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds." However, it arrives after 1900 layoffs across Xbox, ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard earlier this year and sagging Xbox hardware sales.
Not only does all of this raise questions about Microsoft's acquisition strategy and managerial approach, but also how it could still rake in revenue and choose not to support the developers it brought on.

[@BrokenNoah]

Be fans of the games but never the companies. They are not your friends.

[@jub8891]

gilly bates cares about everybody's health..

[@BrokenNoah]

@@jub8891 Sure but does he make games?

[@syeddanishanwer]

AGREED 100 percent. We need to STOP supporting Sony and Xbox and support indie and independent developers like FromSoft, Capcom, Namco, Moon Studios, and others that delight fans and employees alike releasing hit after hit on all platforms.

[@idakev]

​@@syeddanishanwer The only independent studio you've listed is Moon Studios. The others are corporations or owned by corporations.

[@ahmani23]

Amen

[@S3mmy3]

Closes a studio that released one of the best games last year, welcome to xbox everybody.

[@deathtrooper2048]

Like Arkane?

[@fenrirsfolly92]

That supposed “one of the best games last year” didn’t even sell good on ps like ps fanboys said it would, yeah that studio made decent games but even if a game is a 10/10 if it doesn’t sell what good is it? While I don’t think it’s right either, y’all are taking this too personally. It’s a business at the end of the day, same as an indie studio it either makes it in the industry or it doesn’t welcome to capitalism.

[@ULTRAMARINE_XJ]

@@deathtrooper2048those guys sucks 😂

[@kaikiske7436]

Nobody bought Hi Fi on PS5, even though it got dumped to $20 after 2 weeks. 😢😢😢 According to the achievements, less than 10% even played at least 50% 😢😢😢 If people aren’t buying your game, or even playing it when it’s “free”, well idk what to tell you 🤷‍♂️

[@IDeclareWar11D2]

@@ULTRAMARINE_XJDishonored and Prey don’t suck.

[@carlosmelendez8317]

Here's an idea Microsoft. If you wanna sell more hardware, maybe make some good games to play and stop buying game studios just so you can close them. WTF!?

[@dctrbrass]

I thought the series x hardware was awesome. I bought it at launch and sold it last year. Nothing to play, and the 3rd party games aren't great either :(

[@Dash120z]

@@dctrbrass Series X hardware is awesome, they just lack the software to showcase it.

[@prestonmccoy7097]

Can’t lie. I’ve been making the rounds on comment sections saying the same thing about Microsoft. If they had actually made some good games, particularly Xbox exclusives, they wouldn’t be where they are right now. They’ve failed miserably. And to see good studios shut down due to their bad decisions makes it worse. I LOVED me some Dishonored.

[@scrubsscrubs694]

Why would a 3 trillion dollar company listen to you? Lol, there is a reason they are one of the largest companies on the planet.

[@scrubsscrubs694]

​@dctrbrass nothing to play? Haha there is literally 100s of games to play 😂 omg hahahaha

[@swavypars4283]

He is very good at saying what we want to hear, but never following through. That’s a red flag big-time.

[@dctrbrass]

Yeah I got tired of it and sold my series x.

[@midwestyle]

Tango was quietly one of my favorite developers. GW:T was underrated as were The Evil Within games.

[@richied5294]

I honestly don't think anyone is steering the ship, they wing it and then go into damage control like every six months and this has been going on for generations.

[@JugglernautNr9]

since the xbox one released

[@iluvmusicqwe]

After the ABK deal they are now completely subservient to the market. The bean counters are running the show. They aren't a gamint company, heck they aren't even a tech company.

[@lionsasbirds1017]

@@JugglernautNr9you sure about that? maybe you're not old enough to remember the horrible launch of Xbox 360's red ringing left and right and how they barely played games. oh and the fact that xbox 360 had like 3 good exclusives...

[@JugglernautNr9]

@@lionsasbirds1017 The ring of death didn't affect me back in the days, i didn't buy the console day one. The xbox 360 era is widely regarded as the best time for xbox with exclusive games like Halo 3, Gears of War 2 and 3, Fable 2, Forza Horizon, Forza Motorsport, Dead Rising, Alan Wake, the first Saints Row, Viva Pinata, Ninja Gaiden 2 and many more. Also xbox live was just awesome back in the days and kinect was at least interesting with some nice games for some good fun and not mandatory unlike what they tried with the launch of the Xbox One.

[@lionsasbirds1017]

@@JugglernautNr9 whoever is widely regarding Xbox 360 is lying to themselves. i was a happy person when i sold mine for a ps3, which didnt even run as good, but had 10x the amount of better games than the ones you just named (which was my entire point in my first comment)

[@monstermilk6092]

The problem is that Microsoft acquires things just to sit on them so that other companies simply don't have access without having the desire to take advantage of what those acquisitions can actually provide.

[@kneau]

Emphatically correct. "United States v. Microsoft Corp" happened in the year 2000. It may be time for a similar course of action.

[@hallowen]

They basically just bought Bethesda because they thought Sony was going to, and wanted to keep that from happening. They've straight up said so.

[@chilbiyito]

​@@hallowenthat makes no sense to me Bethesda always worked closely with xbox

[@hallowen]

@@chilbiyitoYes and if Sony owned Bethesda, that would pribably have come to an end.

[@87togabito]

It’s not an unheard of strategy tbh. When I was a kid, one collage would actively provide scholarship to all the top players of the field, just to deprive the competitors of any good players. One way to win the field, is to make sure that one else can challenge you. It’s a perfectly viable strategy lol.

[@Youraveragegamer_97]

*phil spencer* "bro I just work here"

[@VictorHugoAlvarez-eternelymiss]

What Lmfao

[@dellyndigital]

The bubble is going to burst 💥

[@ChrisJohannsen]

The gaming industry is already imploding

[@andyd3447]

clearly it already did.

[@andyd3447]

@@ChrisJohannsen And greed led the way.

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

1983-like video game crash is becoming more and more likely if crap decisions like this keeps up.

[@dellyndigital]

@@ChrisJohannsen I agree, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens next. I hope creators and developers win more in the long run.

[@barrysmith4610]

If they close down Tango then as sad as this is they need to close down Rare as we haven't heard about Everwild in ages, they also need to close the Inquistion and 343 Studios especially 343 who havent done anything significant with Halo since it acquired the brand post Halo Reach. Siigghhhh

[@OneRandomVictory]

I don't think they'll close Rare down since Sea of Thieves is taking off on PS.

[@carlharrison3637]

Phil is a dodgy car salesman.

[@JugglernautNr9]

yeah, i thought that as well

[@lionsasbirds1017]

all higher corporate employees are dodgy car salesmen

[@redfoxsports4749]

Phil is not the one making these decisions. I would bet a lot of money he fought really hard to keep those studios. This is MS getting in the way

[@lionsasbirds1017]

@@redfoxsports4749 Phil is literally in charge of Microsoft Gaming. that's what a CEO is. he is the MS you are talking about. stop defending him blindly

[@Dash120z]

​@@lionsasbirds1017 he follows orders from Microsoft's higher ups, but I do agree he should be able stand his ground and make better decisions for the Xbox brand.

[@mtnman8783]

I miss the Xbox 360 era. They were killing it

[@atarifan80]

Despite Ring of Death it was a great console. Steady flow of games, great controller and ahead of the curve at the time with console features and updates

[@JugglernautNr9]

true

[@christopherboye5498]

​@@atarifan80It was halfway through the 360 era when all of this live-service crap started. Xbox Live Gold money got through their heads, which led them to this current route. There's a reason why Gears of War was their last great new IP.

[@GABESTA535]

First half of the Xbox 360 era. Second half wasn't great and set them up for where they are now.

[@504Trey]

I miss the PS2 era. They were killing it.

[@Davitron_87]

Between Xbox's complete lack of direction, and Microsoft pushing Windows 11 as nothing more than adware going forward. Microsoft have gone into self destruct mode.

[@shinodamasaru7945]

I prefer Win7. Looks stable. They should keep them on shelf.

[@MD-ng8rv]

I have win11 and I hate it. I cant uninstall it though cause i need it for work. Shit ass OS.

[@anaguma90]

MS has always been a shit company. They were really scummy back in the early PC era. The only reason they continue to exist is because of the grandfathered in monopoly on business software that they bruteforced.

[@bellissimo4520]

Windows 11 is NOT just "adware", please... it's also spyware (Recall) and ransomware (forced Bitlocker encryption).

[@homeland_fitness8431]

To be honest 2024 and beyond is a revolution for video games. The big players are killing the AAAs...and tbh I'm fine with that. Newer games and studios even indies are doing a better job with the art.

[@Mark-mu4pj]

That's true, in the last few years or more indies have been doing things AA/AAA "safe games" haven't done in years. Most are less broken at launch and more fun at times.

[@shreder75]

Nobody is safe. The dev behind deliver us the moon/ mars just shut down, too.

[@Mark-mu4pj]

@@shreder75 Yeah it's a crazy time in gaming, let's hope things do sort themselves out soon-ish, next couple years.

[@shreder75]

@@Mark-mu4pj yeah. But it goes beyond that. Things haven't been right since the whole damn world shut down, and i see no end in sight.

[@Mark-mu4pj]

@@shreder75 I agree, hasn't been the same since then, worse than before the world was on lockdown, i can see things getting better in the next couple years, how much i cant tell, maybe it won't :-(

[@thedon7941]

Why are we surprised they do this all the time.

[@shinodamasaru7945]

We forgot the issue when they released some bangers. They repeat again.

[@elhazthorn918]

Gamers are the worst at self control. "Company! You're terrible!" *Company releases game.* "Wow a new game!!"

[@isaiahrobertson6361]

And people wonder why they’re now making their exclusive games not so exclusive.

[@dusermiginte4647]

4 games to rival consoles.. 4... Four!

[@iSnags]

We talking about a company that said starfield is gonna be the next best thing since sliced bread .

[@jojocasimir1118]

The lies they told thank god I got it on game pass cause the protagonist not being voice is just a turn off I can’t play a game where the character is not voice just take away the immersion

[@P_D-px6iv]

​@jojocasimir1118 blame fans for that. One of Fallout 4s biggest criticisms was the voiced protagonist that's why they didn't do it again for starfield

[@Syldarin]

@@jojocasimir1118playing it at all, is a win for them. So by paying for gamepass You are activily supporting these practices on a monthly basis.

[@redfoxsports4749]

@@jojocasimir1118 as the other guy said, the fans hated the main character being voiced so they didn't do it for this game. Goes to show you can't please everyone.

[@elhazthorn918]

Starefield*

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

Cases like this just make another video game crash like in 1983 more and more likely to happen again.

[@videogamesruinedmylife3769]

only for triple AAA studios and publishers. When they are spending over $250 million on development for a mediocre video game that forces games as a services, microtransactions, full of bugs, day 1 patches, anti consumer practices and needs to sell over 6 million copies that cost over $100 per copy then, yea they will go bust. The video game industry as a whole, on the over hand is flourishing and the largest form of entertainment that is worth over $140 billion and still growing each year. last year there were over 12,000 games released on the steam platform. Many of the older generation of developers who created games like diablo 2 and even the original developers from square enix that were renowned for the finial fantasy series have gone indie. That's is why games don't feel and play like they used to from AAA studios as they lack innovation and creativity. Take suicide squad kill the justice league for example. Gamers are very vocal and tell the industry what they want in their games. we asked for a superman game and Warner bros studios gave us this. with the rising cost and time of game development, what we are looking at is a AAA studio / publisher to release 5 failed games for them to go bust cost $ billions. Eventually, large studios will be wiped out and mobile and indie gaming will take over

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

@@videogamesruinedmylife3769 Maybe the $100+ million budgeted games. Not a problem, photo realistic graphics has gotten over bloated and tiresome. I much rather if gaming graphics when back to what they were in the PS2-PS3 eras. I think mid budgeted studios, the AA types will also survive. $10-30 million dollar games don't require much sales target compared to the ridiculous 5+ million sales target $100+ million AAA games require.

[@fenrirsfolly92]

@@mr.sinjin-smythTry $200 million buddy, cuz that was the estimated budget for ff7 rebirth and it’s only increasing, keep in mind they have to sell almost 3 million copies (at full price) just to make that back let alone to fund their next project and that’s if money isn’t going to the console companies per purchase cuz they get what a 25-30% cut?

[@Ccubed92]

Lol the lies

[@videogamesruinedmylife3769]

@@fenrirsfolly92 you know what actually could work, as you pointed out Studios spend $200 million developing these huge single player worlds scaled to the smallest detail and then they relay on their player base to purchase that game once and play it. Once the game has been released developers should release additional single player story content set in that same world like rockstar did with GTA 4: episodes from liberty city. We have games like cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed‎, Batman: Arkham‎ series, Fallout (franchise), Infamous... etc. why not just use the same game base as an asset and continue to release single player content for it then sell it as dlc so long as there is player demand for it. This is the reason why Skyrim was so successful, due to the modding community they kept Skyrim alive years after it was released. If modders can do, it then so can AAA studios. Adding additional single player story content for games would cost a fraction of the development cost since the base game and assets have already been made.

[@jub8891]

xbox has been here for 20 years because they screwed over Sega with the dreamcast partnership.. then filled the void they helped to create

[@LegendaryEnigmaX]

Redfall and Tangos issue didn't become sales, it was staffing during redfalls development a lot of upper leadership left and when they would hire new people they would leave too because they didn't want to work on redfall, it's the reason why the updates for this game stagnated so much. Then with Tango after shinji left a decent amount of employees followed and it was difficult to regain leadership. Moon studios also shouldn't be talking about getting acquired because Microsoft didn't want to acquire them because of how the studio manages itself. So these studios closed down because passion died and low staffing.

[@landonewts]

Corpos gonna corpo. Large companies exist to make money and create obscene levels of wealth for upper management and stockholders. Developers/staff and gamers suffer. It’s getting really bad.

[@aaronhughey2134]

Microsoft please fire everyone at Xbox!

[@GTDGAMINGTILLDEATH]

Lol

[@michaelboden4177]

It is about time to start questioning Phil Spencer's leadership of xbox. It started promising under him but we still have a lack of good exclusives.

[@acezero12345]

Most of their games will come to ps5, the real question is when?

[@Mark-mu4pj]

More games will, but if you only support Xbox games on PS, then you don't care about the industry, you care about what you can get instead of supporting Xbox, (even though you want the games) and have been playing them for years, maybe care about PS and Xbox hoping they do well, people can have it all instead of being fanboys of one.

[@jojocasimir1118]

@@Mark-mu4pjmaybe if Xbox made better games we would support them better countless time they made terrible games ever since I was 10 I hated having a Xbox cause all they games suck ass when I finally got the ps3 it made me realize why the fuck did I even get a Xbox even the games I enjoy on it didn’t do no justice Xbox just need to shut down or start working with PlayStation

[@Mark-mu4pj]

@@jojocasimir1118 See that's your problem, it's always "maybe maybe maybe" there's thousands of Xbox games (you just don't care to look),, sure you don't need to like even half of them but maybe see past the "hate" and find some you do like, I've been gaming for over 30 years had almost every console from the 80s onward, had (every PS/Xbox) and seen this time and time again from them both, it's not just about "make better games", they both have to equally, doesn't always happen, as fans of gaming we should want both/all to do well, doesn't mean you have to like or buy them all (like me and others), just means stop the hating, it's not that deep of a thing, life is more important than games.

[@AllThingsInfamous1]

@@Mark-mu4pjwhy would anybody want to support Xbox? They literally have done nothing but buy studios and lay everybody off.

[@Mark-mu4pj]

@@AllThingsInfamous1 Same for PS, they've done nothing but buy and close studios/layoffs, circle of life in the industry, you don't need to support them mentally or physically, but, people want their games on PS and yet they're not willing to say, 'hey we can like both" is a problem, the problem is if Xbox did leave the entire gaming industry will be a barren wasteland, less people to be had for subs/buying games and the prices will sky rocket out of control that only the rich win and everyone else gets nothing/super high prices for games/consoles, it's not just an Xbox problem but an industry problem, gotta get past the hate it's not worth it in the end, either they lose or we all lose because of being fanboys, no more Xbox eventually no more PS, soon after no more Nintendo, it's a dominos game.

[@jojocasimir1118]

Bold of him to say they bring the greatest game never heard a lie that makes me laugh i literally sold my Xbox s to get a PlayStation 5 Xbox just suck

[@JugglernautNr9]

It went down for Xbox with the start of the Xbox One. The golden era with the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 is long gone and i doubt strongly that the brand will ever recover. There is almost no creativity or originality left and Phil Spencer, while appearing nice and all, is not up to the task.

[@Dash120z]

I wonder whatever happened to the team that was in the 360 era during Peter Moore's reign..

[@shark_bytes_666]

Often times a lot of people ask the same thing about your channel.

[@CavangoVulgora]

"Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies" 🎵🎶

[@kneau]

Are you familiar with _United States v. Microsoft Corp._ from the year 2000? How familiar? It may be time for a repeat.

[@zaltmanbleroze]

Not familiar no.

[@barrysmith4610]

I have ZERO hype for the Xbox Summer Showcase now. Siigghhhhh Phil and the team needs to go. Really sad as I really respected Phil but with this move I'm done being an Xbox fan.

[@cc-vd3oq]

It really feels like xbox is much more scummy in regards to the business side of things. Like how those emails leaked showing theyre trying to buy up other game company stock over time so they can eventually pressure them into mergers or flat out buy them out without getting as much negative publicity.

[@samflood5631]

And people complained that Sony and Nintendo are scummy.

[@lionsasbirds1017]

welcome to the rest of the world , buddy

[@roahnosh]

This is why I respect mihoyo who didn't sold out their company and instead continue to be privately owned. Now they are one of the biggest privately owned companies with hit games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. They are also releasing new game ZZZ which might become a hit as well.

[@sicdog1323]

It is sad to hear of Tango and Arkane Austin closing... but I'm curious if it's a lack of production issue. Like Arkane dragging their feet on fixing Redfall maybe. Or Tango lacking direction on their next project. Like being that XGS is now so wide spread maybe they closed studios that weren't very deep in their next project. Maybe they weren't making good progress. And in turn they're redirecting resources towards more productive studios working on bigger IPs. Idk, It sucks but I'd like to believe there's a good reason. Maybe they're narrowing their focus to put out better games more often. Try to have a growth mindset when these things happen.

[@samflood5631]

Fire the Fable franchise, then Scalebound and now Hi Fi Rush. Are you beginning to see why PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch are still doing well these days? At least both Sony and Nintendo don’t shut down their studios for stupid reasons. Why does Microsoft feel the need to shut down studios that could help bring in new audiences who enjoy fantasy, RPGs and action adventure? What other studio will Microsoft shutdown next?

[@fenrirsfolly92]

Ok so why did they shut down the London studio like 2 days ago after Jim Ryan visited and was all buddy buddy with ‘em?

[@schwubmexx]

​@@fenrirsfolly92Billion Dollar Company vs Trillion. And they probably closed them cause Helldivers 2 works and they probably don't wanna make more Live Service anymore

[@zaltmanbleroze]

@@schwubmexx that is non sense dude. Yeah London Studios was working on a live service game, they cancelled the Twisted Metal live service game but there is still Concord and Fair Games, the Horizon live service game all still set to be released. So Sony is definitely not done with live service games.

[@schwubmexx]

@@zaltmanbleroze We will see

[@aFLYER1980]

It's about time xbox management took responsibility for this mess, mainly Phil. Since Phil has been involved, xbox has been going downhill - he NEEDS to go

[@thatnig321]

Frfr

[@richardcody5619]

I think it's safe to say most gamers were more than a little uneasy about the initial acquisition of Bethesda by Microsoft. There was talk about benefits to both Xbox and Bethesda but flash forward to today and it all seems pretty predictable once initial goodwill was replaced with actual expectations for success that leadership at MS would look to cover their asses first under the guise of making the tough decisions but I would argue that those very decisions reflect a general lack of competency at the leadership level that clearly had no plan, failed to set expectations for success, failed to recognize never mind build upon existing successes and absolutely failed to support the very foundation for future success and goodwill from gaming community - their staff. Take a hard look at yourself, Microsoft.

[@RubyJones-sk9bq]

First mistake green always hated that goes with the outdoors not indoor activity. 2nd 1st party mostly misses

[@AthulMiju]

They need to fire Phil Spencer. He is really incompetent.

[@caitlinpanettieri4957]

This is so depressing, Xbox was my literal childhood, since the first Xbox console. I only just got the Series X for my birthday one the weekend and only now I'm hearing this craziness? Have I wasted my money? I've been too attached to Xbox for too long to convert to PlayStation. Now I'm scared. They better pull their heads out of their ass before it becomes the new Rockstar gaming.

[@ItsDatCajunStuff]

Sony: "Man, we screwed up bad recently." Microsoft: "I got you, fam."

[@Unown-mg1fj]

Makes me regret buying my Xbox

[@geetube79]

Microsoft: let's buy EVERYTHING. Microsoft 2024: throw it all out the window!

[@thatnig321]

Frfr

[@Adam-M-]

I just want a new Amped from 2K on Xbox. Shredders and Steep aren't quite the same. I would also like a new Project Gotham Racing or Rallisport Challenge.

[@goon5544]

They're just started getting an engine going with a few nice exclusives and some interesting ones in the works and now their ripping it apart.

[@Wingedlight-nn4hl]

I’m an Xbox fan through and through but Phil needs to be let go or at the very least demoted to a much lower position in the company. His so called “savior” period has long since expired and we need someone fresh to come in and take his place and do a serious restructuring of how things are handled cuz he clearly doesn’t know how to do it. I personally as an Xbox fan never really liked him and though he always looked a little smug whenever he walked on stage for an event. Hopefully whoever his successor is can get this company back on track but they need to know what they’re in for considering the almost impossible position he’s put his successor in.

[@RowKing2323]

Truly disappointed in Microsoft for the closures of Tango Gameworks. Finally a studio that they have that gave them a ton of great reviews and awards last year from both the media and gamer audience for which they haven't gotten for such a long time and they dicided to close that studio down. It's like committing business suicide over greedy. Hifi Rush got better reviews scores and won more awards than their competitor Sony Playstation biggest exclusive game for last year which is Marvel Spiderman 2. Also Hifi Rush also beat their own Xbox biggest exclusive for last year which is Starfield in both review scores and awards. How can they close that type of game studio, how is it even possible for Tango Gameworks to even get cut after receiving so much praise. Finally a Xbox owned Japanese studio with quality and they close it down, what Microsoft even thinking. Over 400 or more video games released last year and Hifi Rush was in the top five or ten of must play for 2023 and they closed that game studio are you kiddy me. As an strictly only Xbox gamer words can't describe how disappointed I am.

[@P_D-px6iv]

Reviews and rewards don't matter if the game doesn't sell Hi-Fi Rush sold very poorly as did all of Arkane Austins games None of them sold over 3m copies despite being out for 12+ months Starfield as poorly rated as its been has still sold over 3m copies in under 12 months

[@RowKing2323]

@@P_D-px6iv yes but they all was new Ip. Hifi Rush did not get half the type of marketing that Starfield got, alot of people didn't know that it existed when it got released. Since they are now a mutiple award winners imagine what their next game could have be. I'm also upset about Arkane Austin closeing down after just one game failure without receiving another chance but Tango Gameworks didn't do anything wrong, that just wrong.

[@P_D-px6iv]

@RowKing2323 doesn't matter if it was new or not plenty of new IPs sell over 5m copies in the same ammount of time Hi-Fi was out Just one game failure? None of Arkane Austin's games sold well at all iirc Prey 2017 didn't even break 2m copies sold Arkane Lyon is far superior Tango also never made any money The Evil Within games barely sold a couple million copies Hi-Fi Rush also didn't appeal to a majority of people, while the art style was a good direction and appealing to most people the core gameplay didn't

[@fenrirsfolly92]

Bruh it doesn’t matter how good the game is, even if it’s a 10/10 if it doesn’t sell the company is screwed. Why do u think people are constantly saying “support Indy devs and companies”? Because they do tend to make decent games but if they don’t sell good eventually they’ll shut down. That’s just how the industry is, u either make it or u don’t, besides if u look into they were most likely on the chopping block before MS even bought Bethesda, so they at least postponed the shutdown

[@schwubmexx]

​@@P_D-px6ivThats Shitsofts Problem. They invented the Shitpass. Of course it doesn't sell at all

[@ghostexezero]

They trying to get Fallout 5 going.

[@Ben_youth]

100%. With the new hype and season 2 of the show on the way. No way they’re gonna let the hype pass until after elder scrolls 6 is out THEN work on fallout 5.

[@theredlion8364]

They srsly bought a company for 70B and that company was f*cking Activision. Was that srsly worth it?

[@ANGRYWOLVERINE2060-ft2nc]

They don't know what to do is their problem. A few fans are now saying some of those employees from closed studios will be sequestered and assigned to work on Fallout5. I have my doubts. But that would explain why the numbers of people losing jobs isn't clear. There's no proof that is happening.

[@user-xe9zv7qb4c]

The developers should all get together and create a new company and make them wish they never got let go.

[@NoMadKid]

That’s why I was against Sony doing a revenge acquisition, imagine if they did, this mass studio closures would’ve been even more devastating.

[@jhankins2jh]

Sony is more into throwing cash at the studios to make a exclusive just for them lol the opposite

[@pixeljauntvr7774]

​@@jhankins2jh Which is far better. Because if they aren't happy with that studio output then they just don't hire them again. No shitting them down.

[@Lrx9]

Riiight. Why bring Sony up? If you actually did any research, Sony has closed studios but they were small niche studios with no prestige and a new start up which they divested quickly from…all total, 4 studios closed in 4 years. Microsoft (3 trillion dollar company) bought 2 major publishers in a few years. Sony (100 billion) no history of buying major publishers. in fact, they pretty much buy smaller studios that they have working relationships with. Bungie is the sole exception and imo they overpaid and was a mistake to buy them. Microsoft and Sony are not comparable at all.

[@zaltmanbleroze]

Sony is currently in a bid to acquire Paramount Pictures for 26 billion together with Apollo (a finance firm I believe). Think the last thing on their mind now is acquiring a game studio.

[@sammycrollmensah2309]

Still haven't forgiven Xbox for Killing Rares Donkey Kong Racing.. They cant destroy another game studio.. There must be a plan

[@cobalt-snake6125]

"What the hell are you doing?" is a question that can be directed at the entire modern video game industry. The whole industry has lost its way.

[@xbotLife]

They’re running a business that’s what they’re doing. Red fall was a BGS project and hi-fi rush although a great looking game is a niche genre and one that I personally could care less about. At the end of the day MS has a business to run so people just need to get over it.

[@boro955]

There's a new call of duty coming up? They haven't even properly fixed the current installment of that game. How can they move on to a new one?

[@JugglernautNr9]

people will spend full price money anyways

[@boro955]

@@JugglernautNr9 true

[@kingcobra66666]

​@@JugglernautNr9yeah man why the hell do people keep buying games like call of duty and forget about awesome games like hi fi rush,ghost wire tokyo,sunset overdrive,gravity rush etc..

[@JugglernautNr9]

@@kingcobra66666 people are simple, they come home from work or school and want to play what they always played. getting into new games is too tiresome and difficult. that's why it's always cod, fifa or fortnite

[@albertogonzalez1746]

Treyarch will be doing this years release all good

[@The-Vitruvian-Man]

Most of Xbox's big franchises are live service games with microtransactions--WOW, Diablo, Overwatch, COD, Halo, ESO, Fallout. Might as well call the next system the mtXbox for being a microtransaction box.

[@MultiSpokes]

They're in business. Do you want them to develop and give you for free? Come on.

[@The-Vitruvian-Man]

@@MultiSpokes Sir, this is a Wendys

[@lords585]

He gotta go. We need games..... good games. Bring back the 360 era kind of games.

[@whysoserious4464]

I play All of my second party games on my one x. But thank goodness I also have a PS5 and PS4. I would never be stupid enough to only have a Xbox knowing how they don't give a shit about their community.... Hell the Nintendo switch has More exclusive games then the Xbox has ever had

[@titanrahlgaming]

In a way, im glad i "murdered" my xbox one lol just wish I'd still had my Xbox 360 Elite from 2010 lol

[@peteuplink]

The only other company I've seen repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot so badly is Sega.

[@davefawcett4894]

Thanks

[@avasoss]

Can Xbox get rid of the update for saying bad words that can get you ban

[@jessann6143]

so heartbreaking....

[@TevyaSmolka]

I am sad and pissed off that tango game works got shutdown because damn it i loved hi fi rush it was freaking fantastic.

[@shinodamasaru7945]

RIP Hi-Fi RUSH 2

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@shinodamasaru7945 indeed which sucks because a hi fi rush 2 would’ve been amazing

[@Mark-mu4pj]

Just because a studio gets moved around or shuts down, doesn't mean the IP is lost or the next game doesn't come out.

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@Mark-mu4pj except without the original creators involved this ip will never see the light of day.

[@Mark-mu4pj]

@@TevyaSmolka Not exactly, the studio is just a place of work, the creators/devs who are still around (hopefully most) can create the game or they can get new people in to create it, most likely they'll be on hold for a time, i do hope to see Hi-fi Rush 2 in the future loved the first one.

[@richie1239]

This is why i gave in and got a ps5. The games lately are better and enjoyable (1st party). I lost my faith in xbox when starfield came out. Being such a fan of no mans sky starfield was such a let down. This has obviously happened to try and get elder scrolls and a new fallout out faster.

[@archangel2015]

Apparently Microsoft is pivoting into AI personal assistant research in hopes of getting a jump on Apple and google. There cutting the fat and this is part of there strategy.

[@jhitcho2026]

First Embracer group, now Microsoft. No corp is innocent.

[@NostalgiaNet8]

Being Xbox under Phil Spencer, and Microsoft being short tighted as usual.

[@reamoinmcdonachadh9519]

Truth be told, this is nothing new. After EVERY consolidation or merger comes rationalization, and that happens in every type of corporate environment, every sector of an economy. Sympathy quite naturally for affected, but it IS WHAT IT IS, and we know that NOTHING MATTERS BUT THE BOTTOM LINE, so sympathy notwithstanding (and I do wish all affected good luck, and swift resolution in finding something stable, something new to engage their time and efforts upon) there is nothing to be done until they learn to do business differently, ethically and honestly.

[@Original-Juice]

If GamePass continues to bring in the $$$ numbers that keep Xbox chugging along then they really don't have to do anything else. Sounds terrible for gamers but it's probably the reality.

[@deathmark1940]

Lies of phi

[@vanceg4901]

I heard Don Mattrick is open to coming back to Xbox.

[@tekyuinajarful]

Let's be serious, they own Rare. Tell me all the breakout massive hits they've had since then? Microsoft is basically going to devour studios a la electronic arts and suck all the good from gaming it can and replace it with micro transactions. We're just seeing it move faster than it has up to this point.

[@afd19850]

Fact is, COVID had a big impact. Conspiracy theories aside, people were stuck indoors playing games so the devs and publishers hired more people to make them. Now people have gone back to work and get outside, sales have naturally dropped. Now Tango games are reviewed by fans very well, but they are a niche studio. Did those reviews translate to more sales? If not then MS could be cutting their losses. On the plus side, Tango can find another’s publisher or go indie and be their own boss. Rather than make a more mainstream game. Re Arkane Austin, Prey was again, great but didn’t meet sales numbers. Redfall was a disaster. It’s no secret they didn’t want to make the game they made so it was almost a protest game. That clearly backfired in an industry where sales and $$$ are everything. I don’t like that the layoffs happened as ultimately real people have lost jobs. But I also can’t disagree with them.

[@TobyTheKoraidon.]

*looks at the video game crash of 83.* History is repeating itself…

[@thatnig321]

Frfr

[@maxxyian2yt243]

To be honest, not to make up an excuse for Xbox or crap on them but they were just never really passionate about gaming the same way PS and Nintendo have been.

[@PaulM68322]

The best place to play the best games...... so long as we keep them open - Xbox

[@scrubsscrubs694]

What are they doing? Closing shit studios and moving the staff to places they can be used more effectively. What's so hard to understand?

[@nathangainer6828]

Couldn't even let Sonys big f'up marinate in people's minds before they tried to top it.

[@andrewmilhoan3568]

Xbox looking more and more like they are copying Embracer groups business model.

[@Michael-el7iy]

Microsoft just sell the xbox brand smh

[@MrInuhanyou123]

Seem like people just eat the pr. MS is a trillion dollar corp. Why the hell would they even care about anything. All the care about is short term profits. Why would anyone think they care about their own workers let alone the customer

[@elhazthorn918]

So, I have a deadbeat brother. Whenever he's asked to do something, it's "I'll do it next week. I'll do it later." And five years down the line he's not done anything. Look at Phil Spencer and Xbox. "This will be our year! It's just around the corner!" and yet it never comes? 5, 10 years later, still nothing? Big deadbeat energy.

[@dmora2386]

Humans are short sighted, all these "layoffs" are still just the whiplash effect of the overhiring that occurred during the pandemic. Also, MSFT is a business first, they will do what is necessary to bring financials under control and will cut that fat where necessary. They are literally the most financially competent company on planet earth and have made me a lot of money. As an employee, never think the company has your best interest in mind, they do not, they are there to pay the shareholder and make money themselves. YOU are just a means to an end. Find a way to generate multiple streams of income, and even better, work for yourself so you're dependent on someone else controlling your money.

[@JfroTV]

Honestly starting to regret getting a Xbox over PlayStation smh we aren’t getting any awesome games lately at all

[@kepnach6453]

Yeah same here I’m really considering trading in my Series X and jumping to PlayStation

[@hectordanielmartinezpalest4569]

But you always have been pro Xbox and Microsoft, what about now ?

[@user-dq5pm1nk2h]

No worries. It is a rational move. Some devs used to say that the problem is hardware. It is about their work. They have become lazy and they want more money for nearly the same level as in past 10 years. And it is not about Ray Tracing. RT is not a huge problem with FSR 3.1. Not even mentioning advanced Mesh Shading techniques and Unreal Engine 5.4 (opens more frames and improves NANITE). There are ways to make graphics superb even without RT but it is up to them. They should definitely start using AI to make games even 10 times faster. I have seen work of machine learning method based on GTA 5. They have made some photos of the city and machine learning (AI) has turned basic GTA 5 graphics into photorealistic. The tools are there and are waiting. Will devs start asking for them and using them? It is up to them if they even want to work on something unique or not. But this is they key element. To start using them properly, not lying to boss that Series X is too weak. This is insane. XSX is 4x more powerful than Xbox One X (that is what Jason Ronald's crew says). Can you imagine this? Graphics designer tells you that there is not enough memory to play game at 60fps. Come on! It is a shame that some games even look like Half-life 2 and there is no power. They must be controled from time to time. Inside job. And it is not about native 4K if not possible. We gamers need to see improvement. This is not last gen platform. Sorry for my English. I'm not an Englishman. Have a good one.

[@AllThingsInfamous1]

Xbox and embracer needs to leave gaming for good

[@504Trey]

Also Playstation

[@sleepingconscious6110]

Playstation cowars quickly and gets back in line when they really piss of people but at the end of the day they still deliver good games cant say the same about xbox glad i left consoles and moved on to pc.

[@notjustforhackers4252]

Laughs in Linux and Steam Proton.

[@armyxveteran]

Laughs in FreeBSD

[@yven7401]

i own xbox and i really sad about this news, tango game works were a great studio, maybe microsoft should learn from sony on how to manage first party studio

[@Kingtoby1981]

That's one of the reasons I built a high-end PC. There is no need to purchase an Xbox anymore. The only reason why I purchased a Playstation is because their first party exclusives don't release *day one* on PC yet. When that time comes, I'll be leaving Sony Playstation as well

[@skulltula1352]

This is why I'm glad I left Microsoft a long time ago.

[@jankmedia1985]

There isnt going to be a video game crash. People who think that show that they only focus on AAA and ignore AA/Indie. There is no shortage of great games to play. Stop supporting trash publishers and start ignoring lazy reviewers who label AA games as "dated". AA games are what gamers say they want but they get talked out of playing the games. Just play the effing games to see what clicks with you, theyre on gamepass and PS+. Explore beneath the surface and find your next favorite publisher, studio, IP. AAA is the problem and most of those studios/games do not deserve support.

[@Dash120z]

exactly indie games will rise and AAA will continue to decline if they follow this path

[@knoble1985]

All they care about is new hardware the lacks the same decent exclusive games. Also their too obsess with focusing on new controllers with different damm colors instead of making decent exclusive games to play the dam controllers with. You still can't use custom music ingame which was a feature back on the 360 SMH!

[@canadianguy1955]

Watch Ninja theory be closed Next Month directly after they launch Hellblade II. Microsoft spent far to much money, and are now not even marketing their games. Hellblade II has seen so little marketing that, it would seem that Microsoft thinks it's going to be a failure before it even launches. Honestly the Xbox brand is in the trash, and I'm sad to see so many people losing their jobs due to such a poorly planned and operated company. I enjoyed the Hellblade, it was a unique and interesting niche game. It was designed to be a cheaper to buy shorter title. Now instead of $40 like the last game cost Microsoft wants $70 for the new game. Which is way to much for these short, niche games and all ready hurts this titles chances of success. But no way Microsoft keeps a company open that doesn't make live service cash shop trash going forward. The Xbox brand is dead and I honestly have no intention of helping them make it profitable again.

[@gamerguru2924]

Just want to point out the reports of these companies having staff refusing to work on their actual projects but pushing hair brained creative projects. There's a reason these companies have been stopped and bungies piss poor management shows this. you have to look at a bigger picture unfortunately only one side is being reported. Redfall alone made people ask for the studio to be burnt down

[@thomash29]

So fix halo back to its glory days

[@thatguyfawkes2328]

Don't turn studios into darwinists jungles? Is that guy essentially saying stop pushing meritocracy on us and don't fire us or close studio's even if we completely fail and loose the company a bunch of money?....Some of the people in the video game industry a dream job for many people complain about having to just show up in person to work and complain about "crunch" aka overtime hours and about things you would never hear anyone complain that much about who works normal working class and or blue collar job's a lot of them come off as entitled snowflakes and their probably a big reason a lot of AAA game's suck these day's the industry is filled with new people who are whiny entitled babies compared to the people who made up the industry in previous console gens.

[@CupOfTeaMatee]

so phil is only a problem when he shuts down a studio you love huh? what about lionhead? funny how nobody from the xbox community said anything when the creators of fable got shutdown.. but all of sudden when xbox shows a trailers for fable EVERYBODY is a fan now. yall make me sick.

[@lionsasbirds1017]

just wait til microsoft drops exactly 1 decent game. everyone will be singing a different tune

[@Craxin01]

Greed destroys everything.