Alpha Dog Studios – Video Game News, Reviews, Walkthroughs And Guides | GamingBolt https://gamingbolt.com Get a Bolt of Gaming Now! Sun, 12 May 2024 15:25:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 What the Hell is Happening at Xbox? https://gamingbolt.com/what-the-hell-is-happening-at-xbox Thu, 09 May 2024 11:01:59 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=586591 Where were you all those years ago when Microsoft announced its acquisition of Bethesda? I was sitting at my desk when I received the call – but no, on a serious note, it was on September 21st, 2020, when the announcement first came through. There was shock, some confusion and anger, but also the question: Could Microsoft do that?

Sure, it had been acquiring development studios left and right, but an entire publisher? It was a paradigm shift, regardless of how successful Bethesda’s titles had been over the years since a major player in the console wars could “buy” their way to exclusives.

About three and a half years later, four studios under Bethesda are no more. They include Arkane Austin, known for the controversial Redfall but also for the more positively received Prey; Tango Gameworks, lauded for Hi-Fi Rush and rumored to be developing it for the Nintendo Switch 2; Roundhouse Studios, which assisted on Redfall and is now being absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls 6; and Alpha Dog Studios, which released the mobile game, Mighty Doom.

Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7th, while Redfall development has ceased, despite the latter not receiving two DLC characters from its Hero Pass more than a year after release. The reason, per an internal email from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, is the “reprioritization of titles and resources.” “These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds, which you have nurtured over many decades.”

IGN reports that Arkane Austin was working on a “big update” and delivering the characters by Halloween before the announcement happened. Some members will be working on other Bethesda projects even though the studio is no more. However, perhaps the more concerning issue is that no one – not Microsoft nor the studios – has confirmed how many employees have been laid off, especially following the 1900 jobs cut last January.

The reaction from the industry is understandably livid. Even though fans were “assured” that Arkane Lyon is still alive and working on its project (presumably referring to Marvel’s Blade), director Dinga Bakaba has tweeted about how “absolutely terrible” this all is. “To any executive reading this, a friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.

“Don’t throw us into gold fever gambits, don’t use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t make our work environments Darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we have seen it before.”

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Moon Studios founder Thomas Mahler, who recently launched No Rest for the Wicked in early access, also said, “To everyone who’s been pestering me for years about why we didn’t allow Moon Studios to get acquired by a big publisher…That’s why. I’ve lived through the 90s and saw what happened when smaller studios got acquired by EA. Never again.”

You could justify these closures in several ways. Redfall was a failure, its player base was in the gutter. Reports of its development also weren’t great, with staff citing an unclear direction and how the project could have benefited from cancellation or a reboot after Microsoft’s acquisition. However, plenty of fingers were pointed at Microsoft as well. Why didn’t it support Arkane Austin at the time? Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer would later reveal that it had supported Starfield better, but that was more for reassuring fans than confirming any shift in philosophy.

Even if it didn’t want to continue pouring resources into the project, one has to ask: Why shutter the entire studio? Why not invest in existing IPs like Dishonored and Prey? Furthermore, what happened to Spencer assuring everyone there are no plans to shut down the studio? Perhaps the obvious response would be “Plans changed,” but it’s still a shame.

Then there’s the case of Tango Gameworks, which saw middling success with The Evil Within 2 and Ghostwire: Tokyo but struck gold with Hi-Fi Rush. Even if it was a Game Pass release, a new IP and shadow-dropping out of nowhere, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg said it was a “breakout hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations.

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“We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.” Was that not enough to save the developer? Did that not represent any value for the future? Was the recent PS5 release not good enough or something?

Roundhouse Studios could be explained as working more closely with The Elder Scrolls team, which it’s been doing more of lately. Alpha Dog Studios’ closure may be due to Microsoft shifting away from mobile titles. However, the bigger picture of troubling leadership over the years is becoming harder to deny.

Titles like State of Decay 3, Perfect Dark, Fable, Everwild and even the third-party Contraband are nowhere to be seen, with some having reports of troubled development. Some projects like South of Midnight, OD (developed by Kojima Productions), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion, Clockwork Revolution and Stoic Studio’s Towerborne are moving ahead. However, the sheer lack of updates for many of its heavy hitters for years is becoming concerning. That too after many years of no exclusives, disappointing releases and cancellations before the company’s “new era’ of acquisitions.

Then, there’s the 31 percent drop in Xbox hardware sales for Microsoft’s Q3 2024 fiscal year, fueling further queries into how much longer the company will continue investing in the same, especially with its new multiplatform approach. Some could point to the fact that the company posted $61.9 billion in revenue and $21.9 billion in net income and how Xbox’s content and services revenue is up by 62 percent. Or how Game Pass has reached 34 million subscribers, and overall gaming revenue is up 51 percent.

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However, much of the success of the gaming division is thanks to the recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the latter seeing a loss due to the operating costs of integrating into Microsoft. It’s also worth reiterating that despite the publisher contributing so much, it wasn’t safe from layoffs. Who knows where it could go in the following months? For that matter, who is to say that any project or developer is safe?

For years, public opinion has shifted on Microsoft’s acquisition strategy, whether it’s the lack of benefits for developers or the lack of oversight in managing them. At one point, one could have surmised that the company has nowhere to go but up in this regard, making changes and improving itself to live up to fans’ expectations and make good on the people creating its titles.

After this year’s layoffs, it showcased an alternative – cut costs and jobs, hype up future products, tout Game Pass subscribers and don’t look back. If all else fails, buy another publisher for billions of dollars and start afresh. Why not?

The question now isn’t what to look forward to from Xbox – it’s whether the brand and its developers will even look the same a year or two down the line, if they’re lucky to get that fair. But hey, at least there’s an Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th with the next Call of Duty to be revealed. Surely that means something, right?

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

]]> 586591 Marvel’s Blade, Deathloop Director Calls Microsoft’s Studio Closures “Absolutely Terrible” https://gamingbolt.com/marvels-blade-deathloop-director-calls-microsofts-studio-closures-absolutely-terrible Wed, 08 May 2024 09:24:29 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=586597 Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bikaba has taken to Twitter to condemn the closure of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Studios and Alpha Dog Studios by Microsoft. Calling these events “absolutely terrible,” he implored gaming company executives to “make us proud when times are tough.”

“This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human: to any executive reading this, a friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.

“Don’t throw us into gold fever gambits, don’t use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t make our work environments Darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we saw it before. For now, great teams are sunsetting before our eyes again, and it’s a f*****g gut stab.”

While he assured Arkane Lyon was safe, Bakaba asked, “Please be tactful and discerning about all this, and respect affected folks’ voice and leave it room to be heard. It’s their story to tell, their feelings to express.” He also called out any talk of an “immersive sim curse,” stating, “Please, let’s talk about the *real* challenges instead of rehashing irrational anxieties of the past.”

Arkane Austin’s closure followed the controversial release of Redfall, a co-op shooter that strayed far from the studio’s history of immersive sims. It received mixed reviews, and sales were “minimal,” though Microsoft claimed there were no plans to shut the studio down. Though its last update was in November 2023, the development team were reportedly working on new updates, with its two new DLC characters planned for this Halloween before the closure.

Refunds will be available for those who purchased the Hero Pass or upgraded to the Bite Back Edition, so stay tuned for further updates. As for Arkane Lyon, its next project is Marvel’s Blade, which Bakaba is directing. It’s reportedly targeting a launch in 2027.

]]> 586597 Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall Developers Shuttered by Microsoft https://gamingbolt.com/hi-fi-rush-redfall-and-other-developers-shuttered-by-microsoft Tue, 07 May 2024 14:23:41 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=586554 After layoffs earlier this year that impacted Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Xbox, Microsoft has shuttered four major studios under Bethesda. Arkane Austin (Redfall), Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush), Alpha Dog Studios (Mighty Doom), and Roundhouse Games will be shuttered due to a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” The number of employees laid off has not been specified.

In an internal email obtained by IGN, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said, “These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds, which you have nurtured over many decades.

“To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others, and some of our colleagues will be leaving us.”

Following its closure, some members from Arkane Austin will work with other Bethesda studios. Roundhouse Games will be folded into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online. Alpha Dog Studios and Tango Gameworks will be closed outright, with Mighty Doom to be sunset on August 7th (with in-game purchases disabled).

Booty added, “With this consolidation of our Bethesda studio teams, so that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP, a small number of roles across select Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will also be eliminated.” Microsoft will provide its “full support to those who are impacted in today’s notifications and through their transitions, including severance benefits informed by local laws.”

He also noted that the closures are “not a reflection of the creativity and skill of the talented individuals at these teams or the risks they took to try new things. I acknowledge that these changes are also disruptive to the various support teams across ZeniMax and Bethesda that bring our games to market. We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”

Upcoming releases from Bethesda studios include MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield: Shattered Space, The Elder Scrolls Online: Golden Road, Fallout 76’s Skyline Valley update and Marvel’s Blade from Arkane Lyon. id Software is rumored to be working on DOOM: Year Zero. Stay tuned for more updates, especially with the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th.

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