Microsoft has closed several Bethesda studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. These closures have meant that development has ended on Redfall, with those who pre-purchased never-to-be-released DLC promised “make-good offers.”
Bethesda is shutting three studios
Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty confirmed the closure of three Bethesda studios — Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios, and Tango Gameworks — in an internal email seen by IGN. “Some members of the team” at Arkane Austin will be moved to other Bethesda studios, but job losses are the most likely outcome for the majority. This is to “create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”
The result of the closure is that development has ceased on Redfall. This means the game’s Hero Pass DLC, included in the Bite Back Edition of the game, will not be released, nor will the game receive the previously promised offline mode. However, the email did promise that “the game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy and we will provide make-good offers to players who purchased the Hero DLC.”
A tweet from Arkane Studios provided a link for players to sign up to receive details on how they can receive this credit, but the link is not working at the time of writing.
Despite the success of Hi-Fi Rush on Xbox and the game’s recent port to PS5, developer Tango Gameworks has also been shuttered. Booty confirmed it will “continue to be available to players on the platforms it is today.” Rumors are circulating that the unannounced but PEGI-rated Nintendo Switch port of the game has been canceled, although Microsoft has not confirmed anything either way.
Alpha Dog Studios’ most recent title was mobile game Mighty Doom. This game will also be shut down on August 7. Microsoft will be turning off all in-game purchases imminently. Finally, Roundhouse Games will be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online.
