850°

Is Xbox Live Dead?

"Sony may have been in the console race for longer than Microsoft has, but one thing is evident: Microsoft know how to create a strong online offering. They’ve been at it for the last ten years, who else could be doing a better job? Well, up until around a two years ago that may well have been the case, but now they’re no longer top dog when it comes to offering consumers value for money. For me, the tables began to turn on the Washington based giant thanks to the arrival of Sony’s PlayStation Plus."

Read Full Story >>
thegamershub.net
NukaCola4186d ago

Well the fact is, LIVE won't die if people play Xbox. You aren't afforded the right to play online for free with MS so you have to pay to enjoy all the features you get on PSN and WiiU for free, at a price dictated by MS. Plus Xbox and COD are one this gen and the kids need their COD and they pay to play.

I do have to say, since you get everything LIVE has for free with PSN, minus a couple technical features like chatting, PS+ is a baller service for anyone who can afford the $50 a year to be in the club.

ShadyDevil4186d ago

One thing that really grinds me is that you used to need XBL Gold to run Netflix and Hulu+ and Amazon. Not sure if you still do, which means if you don't have gold but have a sub for either one of those services you would need AN ADDITIONAL service on Xbox 360 just to stream. Not the case with PSN and their Playstation platforms.

darthv724186d ago

but what is disheartening to me is that netflix has really gone downhill since not reestablishing their deal with Starz.

Al i seem to see is all tv shows now on the new releases. A few newer movies but my interest in the service is really dropping.

I used to use my 360 for netflix streaming but I now use my lg bluray player. So that could be one reason for me to drop gold. Although i do enjoy some multiplayer now and then but not enough to keep the live...alive.

I just reupped my sub for another year. We will see how much i use it this year before I make my decision.

GrandTheftZamboni4186d ago

I don't care about free online gaming and sh*tload of free games with PS+. All I need is cross-game chat and Facebook app. Waa.. Waa...

/s

GuyManDude4186d ago

@darth

Do what I do: get Netflix for one month, watch everything there is to watch, cancel for two, resin for one, cancel for two.

$32/year, still get to watch everything.

BattleAxe4186d ago

Optional PS+ with lots and lots of free games and themes > Mandatory LIVE with no free games and maybe the odd free theme.

Play Beyond!
Make Believe!
Playstation!

Blacktric4186d ago

You also need to be a Gold member to be able to use some ingame services. For instance, you can't redeem SHIFT codes for Borderlands 2 if you don't have a Gold account.

saoco4186d ago

@ Blacktric,

what!!! that's just stupid. no, that's too far.

pixelsword4186d ago

Far from dead...

...far from cheap also.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4186d ago
Elwenil4186d ago

I'm as big of a Sony fan as anyone but taking a look at all the people on Xbox Live playing games, there is no way I could ever claim it was "dead". I may not agree with why people pay for Live, but I can't deny that there are a lot of people on it. With all those people, I don't see how anyone could say it's dead.

BattleTorn4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

Roughly about eqaul numbers play on XboxLive vs PSN, no?

At least the online-activity for more AAA games are equal, if not sometimes more (see:COD), on Xbox Live.

caseh4186d ago

@Elwenil

Agreed, all the times i've heard 'x is dead' or 'x is dying' yet you will find online communities for nearly any game that has ever had one still in effect.

MSG4 (MGO) is a good example of a game thats apparently dead, logged in the other day for a blast. 4 Years on and I still had no problems getting a game.

I don't even own an Xbox and i'm not naive enough to believe LIVE is dying, its quite a laughable statement really.

Staircase4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

@caseh

Considering the Metal Gear Online servers closed in June, I really doubt that.

CandyCaptain4186d ago

@caseh It's dead now, as they patched it out of the game. At least we got trophies out of that. <.<'

caseh4186d ago

@Staircase

I may have exagerated when I said the other day but people were saying it was dead within the first year.

4 years later and it still had an active community right up to the point where the servers closed.

JellyJelly4186d ago

@BattleTorn - Sony do not release numbers on their PSN activity. If you have a source for it please share. All they release is their total number of users, which include PSP, Vita and PC users, as well as multiple accounts.

From what I've read it seems much harder finding people to play with on PSN, sometimes even when it comes to exclusive games. That's something you rarely experience on Xbox Live.

MaxXAttaxX4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

Those are very high numbers on both consoles.
BOTH communities are large.

No one is saying that it's literally "dead".

andibandit4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

At the moment the Communities are fairly equal in COD on both systems, with the xbox having around 700k online users at peak hours and the PS3 having around 600k.
I expect the Xbox community to distance itself further since alot of people like me, spent their money on Halo 4 this month and are dying to try out BO2 when i get some money between my hands next month. That and the fact the PS3 Version is to say it mildly, temporarily Fu... Up.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4186d ago
BattleTorn4186d ago

"minus a couple technical features like chatting,"

I nearly split my gut. LMAO.

""minus a couple technical features" ... "like chatting"

BAHAHAHA. Do you know how much I am in a Party-Chat? More than I game! (cause I enter one before I launch a game, or remain in one while changing games)

If I wanted to talk to a friend, who was in-game, on PSN - I'd have to call him!

calis4186d ago

wow...really. You'd have to call him? With, like, a real phone?

HammadTheBeast4186d ago

I can pay $50 for a Skype plan, or use it for free. What's your point?

Shepherd 2144186d ago

Last night me, playing Halo 4, and two other good friends playing Zone of the Enders HD and Madden 13 were all in a party chat talking about how badass Skyfall was and other things for hours. Me being in my mid 20s now and with the few friends anymore that I rarely get to see, Party Chat is pretty crucial for me. You can't do what I just described on PS3, we would all have to compromise on heading to Home or all 3 or 4 of us to be in the same game, which gets annoying at times. Sometimes I just feel like relaxing and not playing anything while I chat while everyone else bitches at black ops 2 and talks to me simultaneously.

Not saying PSN+ is inferior, but there are plenty here that mock Party chat and say it's not that great. To me and hundreds of thousands of others, it is. That's all I want to point out.

HSx94186d ago

Seriously, I use Party Chat so much it's like second nature. It's a pretty big feature if you ask me.

Elwenil4186d ago

@Shepherd214,

Honestly, that sounds like a nightmare to me. My background is mostly PC gaming and we use Teamspeak or Ventrilo which allows anyone to be doing anything while in chat but it always drove me nuts having someone not in the game or in a different game on comms. The idea that half my team can be in a chat with people talking about god knows what instead of coordinating in the game is something I want no part of and many clans I have seen have similar rules.

Army_of_Darkness4186d ago

Using a real phone is sooooo 90's:-) lol!

DarthJay4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

People claiming that a phone is the answer don't get the point. Party chat is amazing, and if it ever comes to PS4, I guarantee you will all wonder how you ever gamed without it and guaranteed be the first singing the praises.

kreate4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

@darthjay

That's Cuz some ppl actually do want it while the rest of the gamers would be happy Cuz its a single blow to shut the mouth or fingers of the Xbox fanboys claiming a cross game chatting feature is worth the money.

Ps3 has cross game chat. Its text activated while Xbox live is voice activated.

Wtf? Psn has cross game chat? I must be nuts huh?

EDIT: if its just "party chat" ps3 has it in the form of both text and voice up to 16 ppl.

MaxXAttaxX4186d ago

Seriously, you guys are trying too hard.

PS Vita offers Party-chat for free. Up next PS4.

It's time to stop claiming that party-chat is worth $60 every year.

MRMagoo1234186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

The last thing i want when trying to strategise with a team is other ppl in chat talking about a tv show they watched last night or the game they are playing, trying to say that is a good idea is beyond a joke.

Also whats up with everyone saying the games are on loan i have 4 games from ps+ and i only got them during the free time they gave me to try it and the games still work months on ??

pixelsword4186d ago

Some people say using a phone is no bother.

Other people say getting up to change a disc is no bother.

Different Strokes for different folks.

Gaming_Guru4186d ago

The PlayStation 3 does have cross game game, but it's in a text message format up to 16 people with three chat room up at once, making that 48 people at once.

To be honest I don't really use cross game chat especially playing online because it defeats the purpose. I think it's an overly hyped feature, like backwards compatibility, the majority will most likely not use it. Microsoft even removed that feature for Netflix without any complaints.

MysticStrummer4185d ago

I honestly wouldn't use cross game chat. I ignore psn text messages and my phone when I game. For single player stuff I want to be immersed in the world as much as possible. For multiplayer I want to talk about the same game to people who are playing the same game. If I want to "chat" I get in a party chat outside a game, but otherwise my mic is used for strategy and the occasional trash talking when I'm doing well.

OT - Hell no XBL isn't dead. That's just stupid. Yet another classic N4G headline that's designed to get hits. I wish people would do what I do and refuse to play along with this crap. If it didn't work to get hits it would go away or at least become much less frequent.

Shepherd 2144185d ago

Elwenil

Okay? Maybe it's a nightmare for you but it's a blessing for me.

It's the games fault if they don't require you to exit party chat to talk to teammates. CS GO requires you exit party chat to play, so does Dark Souls and certain COD playlists. If people wanna stay in party chat and not talk to you in game then they aren't as serious about the match as you anyway and it never mattered to begin with.

You don't need to communicate while playing single player madden or FFA halo 4 anyway so why not join a party chat with someone dicking around in AC3 and talk about how michael bay is F-ing up TMNT?

cooperdnizzle4185d ago

Cool story man. The main thing is most people who are gamers are in fact gamers, they don't want to chat like a little girl on a phone , they want to play there game end of story. gaming is about gaming, get a phone..

BitbyDeath4185d ago

@Sherperd, i can see where your coming from, i personally wouldn't use it but can understand why others would.

The bigger question is if PSN get it free on PS4 (as Vita has it now) then don't you think MS should stop charging?

Also if Sony can offer it for free then don't you think MS should not be charging right now as well?

+ Show (14) more repliesLast reply 4185d ago
shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

I hope sony does big things with gaikai.

They are using their new moneys to support it.
http://www.egmnow.com/artic...

Next gen I will be a psn & still be a steam user. great times.

MS is the closest to being like apple out of the three companies. imo.

Hell they compete with apple also.

lol I wish steam tried to charge for multi-player. lol it would have one user per day, 80 petitions and would get hacked in the same day.

Xbox users are a weird bunch.

aquamala4186d ago

Cloud saves are not free on psn

nukeitall4186d ago

Everybody keeps telling me how PSN is sooo much better, yet it is so much harder to schedule a game with my friends. Especially friends I don't communicate with outside of the online gaming community.

How the heck does PSN people schedule a game?

On XBL, I jump in to the party and when a spot opens up or my friends finish a game, they let me know and I jump in. That makes online gaming with friends sooo much easier.

Can't do that on PSN, so I think most people on par feature wise while PSN gives better value really doesn't use XBL for online gaming *with* their friends.

Nitrowolf24186d ago

"On XBL, I jump in to the party and when a spot opens up or my friends finish a game, they let me know and I jump in. That makes online gaming with friends sooo much easier."

Is that like a feature??
IDK , don't own Xox but I typically just PM them or invite them to a group chat (works in-game).

insomnium24186d ago

LOL you said "jump in" twice.

MRMagoo1234186d ago

i find it very easy to get friends together on the ps3 , if you think its a challenge maybe you should stick to the xbox lol.

MysticStrummer4185d ago

On PSN your friends can let you know when a spot opens with a text, so what you described can in fact be done on PSN.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4185d ago
ALLWRONG4186d ago

But you don't get all the same features on PSN.

JimmyDanger4186d ago

One thing people never seem to mention about LIVE is that (with the exception of older EA games because they insist on running their own servers) - any game for 360 I've bought - I can play online, regardless of age.

If I pick up any random old launch title - and I have a friend who has it too, and we want to play online together - no worries. A game of ChromeHounds anyone (a 3rd party game that came out 6 years ago)? Not a problem. A game of Motorstorm Pacific Rift (a 1st party game that came out 4 years ago) - out of luck, grab a black texta and cross that "online multiplayer" checkpoint off the back of the case.

That's another network maintenance/infrastructure thing that makes the $5 a month worth it to me. And as someone with widely varied taste in games, who is prone to nostalgia on occassion - it suits me.

Not to say PS+ isn't a great service - just putting it out there.

DragonKnight4185d ago

That's probably a case of P2P servers vs Dedicated servers. It's a known fact that Live games typically use P2P more than Dedicated and vice versa for PSN. I don't know, I'd rather have the less lag and better stability myself.

killerhog4185d ago

Hey you wanna play phantasy star universe? Oh... The servers were shut down. Guess ill play resistance: fall of man (a game that came out 6 years ago).

Also, last time I checked, Ms didn't have many genres the ps3 does. Compete with LBP? Nope. Compete with god of war? Nope. Compete with mod nation racers? Nope. So you must have a very small diverse taste in games. Or do you mean you have a widely varied taste in shooters? Cause that's was sells the most and releases the most on the 360.

Also, a lot of the old classic games from the past, can also be bought on the ps3. Yeah Xbox has some exclusive oldies, but so does the ps3.

So to end this, I'm not saying the 360/XBL is a bad service, but just putting it out there.

JimmyDanger4185d ago

@killerhog

I've got kart racers and platformers. Those genres aren't exclusive to Sony man.

I believe Sony has more first party shooters than MS anyway this gen.

NeverEnding19894186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

I think PS+ is a great service and is forcing Microsoft to step their game up next gen.

That being said, online gaming isn't the same without party chat. I went almost a year without a PS3 (it broke, wasn't paying $150 to fix it). It was only after I returned to PSN that I realized how critical Live is to any multiplayer .

Let me give this example. I don't have facebook, I use Live as a social networking tool. I was playing through Fallout: NV a few months back for the 2nd time and spent nearly 2hrs one night playing and catching up with a friend from high school who now lives 9 hours away. I had laready played through the game and didn't need to pay attention to listen to every conversation. I could NEVER picture myself doing this over PSN, where it seems like SONY forces you to stay away from multiplayer.

PS+ is better in terms of value, but Xbox Live is far and away the better service.

ATi_Elite4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

Blah hah ha hha hah ha ha funniest thing I heard all year!!!!

Xbox Live is FREE MONEY for Microsoft! It will NEVER DIE!!!

.......and guess what? Next Gen You Sony Lovers will have to pay a Fee too just to play online!

Sony is losing money from it's other business ventures and watching MS make all that FREE Money from Xbox Live has got to have Sony Execs scratching their heads!

Even with the Fee Xbox Gamers were online more than PS3 owners! Xbox Live = FREE Money for MS!

SamPao4186d ago

If you think Sony's going to charge next gen you must be out of your mind.
The vita is out, it has crossgamechat, guess how much you have to pay... Zero.

MasterCornholio4186d ago

And for one subscription we have access to plus on 2 platforms.

The other day I downloaded Chronosphere and Uncharted on my Vita. Plus ever since I got plus I have a collection of over 10 PS3 games for free.

Xbox live might be better in some aspects but plus provides a lot more value with the extra content. Like Kaz said PlayStation plus was created with the gamers in mind.

Motorola RAZR i

Motorola RAZR i

killerhog4185d ago

Yeah, I wouldn't say there's more people playing online on the 360, as majority only play shooters on the 360. You have to include games of other genres that sell more and have a bigger community on the ps3. Examples would be grand turismo (racing), tekken (fighting), mmo's (ms xbox 360 doesn't have any), create play and share (Ms doesn't have any), you get the point?

Sony is also making free money of off Ps Home, but you blind individuals declare that "dead" then add in Ps+ etc..

shempo4186d ago

die or not fact is ps+ is way better than live for the last 2years get over it

4185d ago
Anon19744185d ago

Ridiculous title. Of course XBL isn't "dead". If anything, it's thriving and guess what? It can do that even if a competitor also offers a similar service. Imagine that. Two products co-existing without one killing off the other. Who knew?

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 4185d ago
ShadyDevil4186d ago

Although I do agree slightly, because PSN+ is a better service, it is a service though. You essentially REQUIRE XBOX LIVE to properly run your 360. However it does give back with their recently booming REWARDS program. Granted it doesnt give full $60, $40, $20 stuff for free like PSN+ does...or massive discounts but it still gives slight amounts back.

Although PSN+ is a superior service than XBL (Gold) I wouldnt say XBL is dead since the fanbase is still astronomical.

GillHarrison4186d ago

I love PSN+, but I still perfer Xbox Live only because of the party system.

WetN00dle694186d ago

And the a stable connection AND No Maintenance!
Just those two features alone make it XBL>SEN.

DragonKnight4185d ago

"And the a stable connection AND No Maintenance!
Just those two features alone make it XBL>SEN."

What? You can't be serious. I think you forgot the /s when you said "stable connection" and "no maintenance."

Yeah, that must be it.

NYC_Gamer4186d ago

How is it dead?millions of gamers are paid members.

ShadyDevil4186d ago (Edited 4186d ago )

It was a metaphorical title..read the article. It compares Xbox Live and Xbox Live Gold to PSN+ what they offer and such. PSN+ is a better service in the end as it straight up gives free games. for $60, you get your moneys worth ($60 a year) in the first month. Not to mention discounts, betas, first dibs on demos and certain releases and Day 1 Digital. Oh and cloud save storage (which is also offered on Xbox Live Gold)

NYC_Gamer4186d ago

100% agree,PSN+ is the better service value wise because of all the discounts and games they pass out to members...

Ben_Grimm4186d ago

PSN+ has Live beat when it comes to offering games. But everything else you mentioned like demos (which is standard), discounts and digital DL's are offered the same on Live.

SonyStyled4186d ago

i think PS+ is $50 a year, $17.99 for 3 months

FunAndGun4186d ago

It is Playstation Plus

PS+

-----

There is no Playstation Network Plus

There is no PSN+

Summons754186d ago

Psn+ dose not give free games. Stop paying for the subscription and see how "free" they truly are.

Not saying either is better I refuse to pay for both but ps+ is a bunch of false advertisement.

Supreme Entity4186d ago

"Psn+ dose not give free games. Stop paying for the subscription and see how "free" they truly are.

Not saying either is better I refuse to pay for both but ps+ is a bunch of false advertisement."

Yeah, stop paying for the Xbox Live Subscription and see how fast your multiplayer gets taken away for the game you rightfully PAID for. I've been with Xbox for 7 years, but I woke the **** up and got tired of paying for access to my multiplayer games that I paid full price for.

You don't understand that there are a lot of naive people out there, not just hardcore gamers that don't know any better, and purchase the Xbox thinking they get Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, etc once they unpack the system and set it up. Then they get pissed off when they see they have to pay another fee to access all of that when they're already have a subscription to each service.

CraigandDayDay4186d ago

But that's just like how when you stop paying for Netflix, you don't get to keep watching videos on it.

LOL

Or maybe stop paying for your cable or satellite. I bet you can't watch your tv shows anymore. I bet ya. haha

SixZeroFour4186d ago

@supremeentity not fully disagreeing with you but multiplayer isnt taken away from you if you stop paying for gold subscription, ONLINE multiplayer is, you are still technically still able to play splitscreen and via lan party (i think, havent done that since halo 2)

Roccetarius4186d ago

You mean games that you don't get to keep if you unsub? Same thing happens on Live, you lose the features.

Gotta love these ''service wars''.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4186d ago
NastyLeftHook04186d ago

how to make a article on n4g? just ask a question and make the title controversial and or/stupid.

what is going to be the goty?
is far cry really good?
is ps3 dead?
is psn dead? is this or that dead?
why this sucks
why so and so in the gaming industry is stupid.
ect
ect

but then again you get your reviews all in one convenient place here on n4g amongst all of (imo) the bs around here.

Starfox8114186d ago

The title did its job of hooking you in though. Give the article a read before you judge. Well made points.

NastyLeftHook04186d ago

it may have hooked me but it did not catch me.

-1 for this site.

linkratos4185d ago

It probably only hooked in people who dislike Xbox. If the title was used for something Sony related in a similar way people would be losing their shit. I have seen this happen many times.

aviator1894186d ago

I understand the article and gave it a good read and there are some valid points, but another title should have been used, imo.

Maybe something like: "psn+ extends reach and appeal over former crowned opponent live." - something like that but shorter..

mcstorm4186d ago

I agree too. But xbox live is far from dead as it offers things psn dose not offer and the xbox was made around live not the other way round like psn.

Also i find live a better online experience than psn. Yes paying £40 a year for free rent of games is a good idea but for me this dont work as i buy games i want on day one.

We are all different and have different needs. For me live fits my needs better than psn so thats the one i pay for.

I do expect ms to change live alittle when the next xbox comes along but i also expect sony to change psn next gen to.

SonyStyled4186d ago

PS+ offers launch day free releases. ratchet and clank all 4 one for example...

Show all comments (187)
370°

Report Claims Xbox Is Planning More Cuts Following Studio Closures

"The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn’t finished.

This week, Xbox began offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax, which it purchased in 2020 for $7.5 billion, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. Others across the Xbox organization have been told that more cuts are on the way.

Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said.

Game Pass has not seen the massive growth that Xbox boss Phil Spencer may have been hoping for."

Read Full Story >>
purexbox.com
just_looken8h ago

Sense it seems very few remember that human's were around before 2020 the next studio to close will be bethesda based no doubt on the history of.

Fallout 76
Elder scrolls online
elder scrolls blades mobile
fallout mobile
The vr versions of old games

Then you got starfield pissing out cash nothing to cover it.

I doubt tod's team or any sub team is making m$ cash they are no doubt on the chopping block for job cuts

If you can remember before 2020 even fallout 76 was made with over 4 studios.

-Foxtrot9h ago

"Speaking about the closures more broadly, Booty said that the company’s studios had been spread too thin — like “peanut butter on bread” — and that leaders across the division had felt understaffed. They decided to close these studios to free up resources elsewhere, he said"

So what you're saying is...you bought all these studios and you guys can't run them.

Jesus.

Inverno9h ago

Spread thin after firing over 2000 employees a few months prior. So basically they created the problem and their solution was to just fire more people. Absolute geniuses over at Xbox, of course can we even believe this to be the reason for the closures?

just_looken8h agoShowReplies(1)
Profchaos7h ago

Leaders can't run them hire more management create new roles don't shutter entire studios cause you can't figure out how to run them.

Unless the reality is this whole consolidation thing was really an excuse for IP harvesting

Eonjay9h ago

Reports are suggesting that Game Pass will be getting a price hike soon and that Call of Duty may not be added to the day one offering. I honestly have a hard time believing this but it does beg the question why exactly did GP fail? I think the answer is that it just didn't get the growth that it anticipated. Jim was right but I wish he wasn't because at the end of the day, its gamers, devs and other front-line workers who have to absorb the blow for Spencer and team's miscalculations.

8h ago
NotoriousWhiz8h ago

And out of the ashes something even better than Xbox will be born.

Eonjay8h ago

Honestly as long as is not a situation where the industry has to contract in order focus wealth on a few people who are already trillionaires..

Barlos2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

It's already here and it was born before Xbox was even a thing. It's called PlayStation.

Tacoboto7h ago

I think 2022 killed the Series X.

2021 was a good year for Xbox though and maybe the best in a long long time, hardware and software and as a publisher. Halo Infinite launched to popularity, Forza Horizon 5 blew everyone away, Psychonauts 2 was so well received, Flight Simulator on console, Deathloop even on PS5 & PC.

But they followed that up with next to nothing. Then 2023 with Redfall, a disappointing Forza, Starfield, and 2024 leads with closures and layoffs. And some tweets reminding us Hellblade is days away.

The only disappointment with the PS5 is not enough Sony games. Xbox followed up no games with disappointing ones.

Scissorman9h ago

For all the armchair executives who were calling for Sony to release its big-budget AAA games on PS+, the same exact thing would have happened at PlayStation. Game Pass has killed Xbox. Congrats.

shinoff21839h ago

There's not many of of us clamoring for Sony to do this because most of us understand it would kill Playstation. I'm sure there's a few but I've not seen alot of it myself.

9h ago
Show all comments (57)
290°

Xbox Has Had More Studio Closures Than First Party Game Releases So Far In 2024

Twisted Voxel writes: "We've almost reached the end of the 1st half of 2024, and Xbox has had more studio closures than first party game releases in the year so far."

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
1d 4h ago
KicksnSnares1d ago (Edited 23h ago)

Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones, Avowed, Towerborne, and Call of Duty are still to be released this year. Marcus Fenix collection to be added to the list with the Xbox showcase, hopefully.

anast21h ago

Those are all coming to PS5 too.

Tech516h ago

"Xbox Has Had More Studio Closures Than First Party Game Releases So Far In 2024"

they kept the IPs though. they'll be making them under the MS brand i'm guessing. like minecraft all those years ago.

solideagle20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

the keyword is so Far...

on topic: Ouch!

Hedstrom18h ago

Kinda missing the forest for all the trees statement!

shinoff218318h ago(Edited 18h ago)

Bet all those don't make it though this year

romulus2317h ago(Edited 17h ago)

If we're going to talk in "still to be's" there still could be more studio closures from Microsoft this year as well.

DOMination-14h ago

How much confidence do people have in these games being good though? I hope they will be (especially Avowed) but from what we know of them so far, it's hardly a guarantee, is it?

And even if they do turn out to be good, how much of that will be down to Xbox and its leadership? Most of these games were either sequels to games made before being acquired or started development before being acquired.

And just a note on Hellblade II - it is out in two weeks and unless I'm missing something, I don't see much in the way of previews or advertising from Microsoft. Not ideal for a niche game that looks like it probably cost a lot of money to make. It genuinely feels like another game being sent out to die and then have the studio shut down.

Elda13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

To me...Avowed graphics look cheap, the game looks generic as well as boring.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 13h ago
anast21h ago

Popcorn is good. Anyone want some?

anast16h ago

I wouldn't mind a caramel and cinnamon mix actually.

dumahim16h ago

That does sound good. I have trouble just finding caramel corn.

anast12h ago

I find it interesting that people have to resort to praising how they were randomly born in a certain location to say they're not weird. But, I'm not sure this kind of stupidity can be generalized over an entire group of people, at least, I'm being optimistic here.

Eonjay20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

Sony doesn't have to bother fighting the next Microsoft acquisition. The massive layoff by themselves should be enough to get the next big buy blocked.

Hofstaderman19h ago

Vindicates Jim Ryan. Don't know who didnt see this coming except those frothing pro acquisition fanboys who are not commenting here for some reason....

Tacoboto17h ago

What did happen to Obscure?

Tody_ZA17h ago

Obscure is working on his thesis on how to spin this.

Elda17h ago

Exactly. Where is the mayor & spokesperson of XB?

badz14917h ago

Obsecure where are you? Don't tell us Phil fired you too

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 17h ago
MatrixxGT15h ago

Let’s not pretend Sony is setting the world on fire with its first party either….it’s been crickets from them as well. In fact they even said not to expect any at all this year.
MS is a dumpster fire and Sony isn’t fighting anymore and it shows. I fail to see how this is a good thing.

Skuletor11h ago

Wasn't it no new existing IP entries? That would still leave room for new IPs, maybe we'll see one or more of those this year.

Sonic188115h ago

I was actually thinking about that. You beat me to it

MrDead20h ago

So if MS hadn't spent $80 billion consolidating the industry just think of all the games and jobs that would have saved.

MS is a drain on gaming and have been nothing but a negative.

MrCrimson18h ago

not exactly like the studios were putting out good games anyway. Industry needs to restart from the ground up; if games like battlebit or manor lords can be made by teams with 10 people - then there's something fundamentally wrong with having 500 man teams put out glitchy overmonetized crap.

shinoff218318h ago

Interesting. Prey was a good game, evil within was dope, and hi fi was the best Xbox game that Xbox has had in so many years. That's according to the base.

romulus2317h ago

HiFi Rush was a really good game actually so that's hardly the reason for shutting down Tango.

Show all comments (53)
960°

Microsoft Closes Redfall Developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks, and More

Microsoft has closed a number of Bethesda studios, including Redfall maker Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and more in devastating cuts at Bethesda, IGN can confirm.

Moegooner1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Hi-Fi Rush studio??? Seriously?? Goes to show quality matters lil to MS.

Worst gen ever. All big 3 battling are for who sucks the most. They just keep one upping one another.

-Foxtrot1d 18h ago

This does feel like a “quick Sony is getting shit on for Helldivers, let’s announce it now to minimise impact”

thesoftware7301d 18h ago

That is silly. Let's say there is some weird conspiracy. This announcement would effectively take ALL the attention away from the HD2 situation, especially since there is no longer an HD2 situation. I don't think anything will minimize this impact.

Tacoboto1d 18h ago

... so they announce it on a Tuesday? 36 hours after Sony cleared up everything?

You people care more about the next conspiracy than anything else.

Nevermind that Sony followed the golden rule of minimizing impact by announcing horrible news on a Friday.

Eonjay1d 18h ago

The constant weekly weird Sony drama is part of the industry's problem. Everyone else feels they can get away with murder. Also, what is the point of spending all that money if you just start shutting studios down. And... Redfall wasn't Arkane's fought. Microsoft new the shape the game was in but needed something for GamePass after a whole year of no releases into the service. Them taking it out on Arkane seems really disingenuous and distasteful. And WTF did Tango do? Didn't Todd just release a statement saying how he would never retire. Fire his ass.

romulus231d 18h ago

Well if that was the reason for the timing it didn't work.

darthv721d 17h ago

wow... i did not have them closing Tango and Arkane Austin on my bingo card.

Hofstaderman1d 17h ago (Edited 1d 17h ago )

Yes it does. Arkane Austin I can understand but Tango Gameworks made an excellent game in Hi Fi Rush.
On review, it want really all on Austin for Redfall and its failure, they were forced to make a multiplayer games when their expertise was always single player driven first person games.

-Foxtrot1d 17h ago

Guys I’m not being all that serious…relax

Outside_ofthe_Box1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

"I don't think anything will minimize this impact."

It already has. Notice your comment(or lack there of) vs HD2.

On another note, I would like to see Microsoft buy more studios and do more shadows drops on subscription services like they did Hi-Fi Rush. It's great for the industry I was told by people on here.

Zeref1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it works. Same thing with layoffs. All of a sudden everyone has layoffs around the same time

Cacabunga1d 13h ago

MS will always make it to amaze me by showing the worse version of themselves every single time..

peppeaccardo1d 13h ago

MS proving to the world that ttheir leadership cannot drive success from these new acquisitions. They have ran the numbers and they have realized that long term, without a clear direction from the motehrship, these are a loss for the company hence they need to be cut. I might be wrong but I am absolutelly sure that if these developers would have not been purchased by Microsoft they would be still on business. A shame ...

senorfartcushion1d ago

Both things have happened but N4G's commenters (90% Playstation ) will follow suit

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 1d ago
Einhander19721d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

10/10 deflection, the ol' Sony too deflect...

Let's not discuss the fact that PlayStations struggles have largely been caused by the fact that game pass has reshaped how consumers spend causing them to spend less as they play what is on subscriptions and don't buy games as much because they either have become subscription gamers or they fear the game will come to a subscription so they don't buy things.

And it's not just PlayStation, the whole industry has been effected, many big studios are struggling across the board to match sales targets from pre-game pass releases which is especially apparent in things like sequels.

Heck the best example was Microsoft's own Starfield which should have easily blasted past 10m sales by the end of 2023 going by sales of similar Bethesda games yet was only able to achieve 3m which of course was almost entirely on Steam.

Moegooner1d 18h ago

Or maybe it's because Sony hasn't released multiple worthwhile SP games like they normally do each gen and the ones they did released actually sold well.

Layoffs aren't because studios are struggling, but because major publishers want to maximise profit gains.

Profchaos1d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

Absolutely it's a service that's changed the way we view and consume games overall for the worse games have little value when they are part of a sub and become disposable doubly so if they are a day 1 freebie often it's the kiss of death for a game to be day 1 on gamepass as PlayStation players look at it like why do I have to pay 60 dollars for back 4 blood, payday 3 or outriders it'll be on PS plus soon enough and funny enough those games always fail to meet expectations sales are poor and longevity is poor.

When I see a game get a day 1 tag outside of first party my first thought is always something is wrong with it and it can't stand on its own feet so the publisher has made a deal to recoup development cost.

Even first party games have dropped in quality noticeably so since gamepass with gears 5 being the only good release I can think of since gamepass started

Petebloodyonion1d 17h ago

Wasn't aware that Gamepass is available on PlayStation.
Or are you telling us that a service from a console lacking in sales is so great that it affects the morale and buying habits of ppl lacking access to the service?

Also pretty sure that saying all of them competing for who sucks means the whole industry and not just Sony and MS.

Nitrowolf21d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

This is what people online want. They just don't know or understand it. So many have warned about consolidation, and exactly what they have fear has been happening

This isn't the end, expect more bought out studios to be closed in the next few years

Hofstaderman1d 17h ago

Spot on. All in the name "growth" to appease investors and shareholders. Can't sustain the lie though...it will always implode as illustrated by these closures. Applies to MS and Embracer.

TiredGamer1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

This. ^

Publishers are slowly mitigating all development risk since every new big/medium budget game has become too big to fail. Games are too expensive to make and the profitability for titles rests on a hair’s edge. When you need to sell 5 million copies of a game to be profitable, you know that we’ve turned a new page in gaming. The real victims here are the smaller studios/games that bring so much character and variety to the industry, like with Hi-Fi Rush.

It looks to me that Hi-Fi Rush did not fulfill financial expectations for moving the GamePass needle, and the sales from the PlayStation port experiment did not measure up either. So it gets the boot.

Sad day and era for gaming.

notachance1d 8h ago

yeah smaller ABK studios like Toys For Bob are now in dangers

notachance1d 17h ago

I just don’t know how the hell a company that can spend $67b to purchase a publisher decided that it’s okay to close the studio that produces their best game last year.

Whoever the higher up there that decides this is completely out of touch of how the game industry works, the damn xbox division as a whole would’ve been closed already if they weren’t sustained by other MS divisions.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

I got in an argument with someone on reddit and they weren't haven't that Xbox isn't propped up by other divisions argument. They swore up and down that Xbox was pulling its own weight. I just stopped after a couple back and forths

TiredGamer1d 11h ago

Didn’t move the GamePass needle and the PlayStation port couldn’t save the return on investment….

SeTTriP1d 11h ago Show
dumahim1d 17h ago

So this is what happens when you're pleased with the sales and investing in the studio? Good guy Phil at it again.

Sonic18811d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

From Aaron Greenburg:

"Hi-Fi RUSH was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release."

😂😂😂 🤥🤥

Lightning771d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Once again MS creates their own problems and they create their own animosity. Idc about their shitty excuse and "reasons" they're a incompetent company, plus all their Xbox fanboy influencers are dwindling I noticed. How many excuses can you make for a company like MS? Consoles are down and they're losing their own fanboy influencers also. That's all they had to cheer lead them now they're leaving them. Pretty nobody will be on MS dude no matter if they (if they ever but I doubt it) get their act together.

Trashy ass ppl and company....

If they go under eventual it's because of their own doing nobody else's.

porkChop1d 13h ago

Yeah overall this gen is pretty shit. Everyone is making horrible decisions, great devs are getting either gutted or entirely shut down regardless of quality or success, very little in the way of innovative games, etc. This industry needs to see some drastic changes.

badz1491d 3h ago

where are all the cheerleaders for MS acquisitions amid all these?? you guys happy now? this will not be the end of it, maybe just the beginning!

OptimusDK18h ago

Maybe it has to do with this:
Hinji Mikami is leaving Tango Gameworks in the coming months.On February 23 it was reported that Mikami would be departing Tango Gameworks. Bethesda has stepped in to confirm the report of Mikami's forthcoming departure from the studio he founded over a decade ago.

Mikami originally founded Tango Gameworks in 2010 after departing Capcom, having lead the development of iconic games like Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 18h ago
shadowT1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Tango Gameworks and Arkane?

RaidenBlack1d 18h ago

Arkane Austin (Prey developer)
Not Arkane Lyon ( Dishonored developer)

Crows901d 18h ago

Prey was fantastic. Red fall was shit because they were forced to do shit they didn't want to make.

Atkane Lyon did death loop I believe....I hated that one.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

I personally liked prey more.

RaidenBlack1d 17h ago

@shinoff2183
Because Prey was creative and different
Other than the live service Redfall, all other single-player Arkane projects have been creative and interesting

Tankbusta401d 16h ago

@Crows90

So just because people don't want to do something in life...bad quality is excused? Look what happened over that bad quality? no more studio

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d 16h ago
MrDead1d 18h ago

Will be more soon, I've said it before I can't see MS keeping Bethesda. I think they'll strip it's IPs and slowly close everything, it's what they do.

VariantAEC1d 16h ago

No one wants to admit it, but yeah MS has a long history of pillaging other smaller corporations for IP and dispensing with everything else.

Zeref1d 15h ago

That doesn't make any sense lol. How would they make money from these IP'S with no developers?

MrDead1d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

@Zeref
"That doesn't make any sense lol. How would they make money from these IP'S with no developers?"

MS don't care about the studios, they want the IP's. They'll keep the big ones in house, the game engines they run on and licence the rest. Stacks of cash to be made from licensing IP's ...or just sit on them so no one else can use them.

blackblades1d 11h ago

@Zeref silly fool, buy them for the IP have there other studios make the games using the IP names to sell them. We all know having a popular franchise name can sell

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d 11h ago
Einhander19721d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Well xbox fans you got what you asked for... and honestly deserved...

It was so easily predictable that game pass was never going to be able to support all these studios.

If Microsoft can't win they are going to burn it all to the ground...

Countdown to Phil Spencer telling us "it's better for the gamers this way" yet again.

Barlos1d 17h ago

Agree but gamers didn't ask for people to be out of work.

VenomUK1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

@Barlos They indirectly did. Every person who made a wish list of who Microsoft should buy next and were sending tweets to Phil Spencer and Xbox with proposed studios, played a part.

The saddest part is the studios were closed because of the underperformance of their last games, and if they had been given a chance then their next games could’ve been great and succeeded. But it is the same old Phil Spencer Microsoft problem which is not giving them a chance, and that’s why he is not able to manage game studios.

VariantAEC1d 16h ago

Yeah they did. Just because they refused to see what everyone with a brain was telling them doesn't mean they didn't know. They were told, they should've put up a fight and they didn't. This is the result. But who knows even if MS' fans weren't such boot-lickers, MS could've carried this out against their fans wishes anyway. Unfortunately, we have the hardcore MS defense bots running to deflect from any bad news and maybe, just maybe, MS felt empowered to do more damage as a result of their fans cheering this all on.

anast1d 15h ago

They sold themselves out. Once people buy you they can do what they want. None of this should have been a surprise. When companies get bought out, they eventually get dismantled.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

Xbox fans were to busy daydreaming of Ms curbstopping Sony they didn't look at the big picture.

Einhander19721d 17h ago

Not disagreeing at all.

I want to add that from the day Microsoft announced game pass, before they even started buying up studios it was obvious that game pass wasn't going to be able to support itself.

It was so dumb that they doubled down on it by spending 100B on a service they knew only existed through subsidization.

They should have realized there was no way that adding massively more costs on a subscription they were subsidizing was certain to fail. Especially after seeing how it had devastated sales across the platform as a whole.

Heck by the time this generation started during covid when the console sales were similar PlayStation was already outselling xbox on multiplatform games 8:1 yet they still doubled down on it.

1d 17h ago
Relientk771d 19h ago

This is beyond wrong. Like wtf!? Especially Tango Gameworks with Hi-Fi Rush. I've heard nothing but good things about that game. Just because Arkane Austin screwed up one game release doesn't mean you need to close them. It sounds like they were forced to do a multiplayer game when they're a single player studio. They could have made a Prey 2 or some other game next.

Just wow awful news.

Einhander19721d 18h ago

Apparently PlayStation owners didn't buy enough copies of Hi-Fi Rush...

romulus231d 18h ago

"Xbox says Hi-Fi Rush was a success "in all key measurements" amid rumors of poor sales. Following rumors that Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fish Rush didn't meet sales expectations, Xbox marketing VP Aaron Greenburg is defending the "break out hit" as a success by all metrics."

According to Aaron Greenburg it was a success so they shouldn't have even needed PlayStation owners to buy it. That being said, I bought it and really enjoyed it, it's a great game. Shame MS closed them down.

RpgSama1d 18h ago

@Romulus23

All lies by the Green Bug, that just means that a lot of people fired bullets or whatever in the game, that's the key measurements they care to share.

Tango did NOT deserve to be closed down, they have not released a single bad game.

Crows901d 18h ago

That's usually what happens when you don't release it at the same time as other platforms....same thing happened with tomb raider reboot sequel. MS got exclusivity for a year and then when it came to PlayStation it barely sold. Nobody cared anymore.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

Still waiting on the physical release pre order window

VariantAEC1d 16h ago

Well... I did my part. Hi-Fi Rush is a good game, but I don't think its MS' style. We don't really know how well it did or didn't perform by the numbers or whether it broke even. This could just be another MS blunder.

Elda1d 15h ago

Exactly. MS purchasing a 3rd party studio & keeping games off of other platforms probably hurt them in the long run, then finally putting Hi Fi Rush on PS which in turn PS fans probably didn't care to buy & support Hi Fi Rush after a year later of release. Hi Fi Rush was released on Gamepass so it probably never really made any money selling solely.

Eonjay1d 14h ago

@romulus23

Let's hope it didn't sell well because that would make this worse. Also I could have sworn I read an article about their next game in the works.

Seraphim1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

I was wondering if that played any part considering the timing, though, XB claimed the game to be a success last year only on XB & PC. Regardless MS f'd up there too. They shadow dropped HiFi on XB/PC last year at the perfect time. This year when they released on PS not only had the hype died, but there were so many solid games available the first 3 months of this year to play.

I almost bought it on PC last year, but now that it dropped on PS I just have far too many games to play to bother...

If MS needs PS and even Switch sales they need a better strategy. At the very least a release date where players are more inticed to buy said game. The problem is always going to be that if they want exclusives the hype for these games will be dead a year later. The exceptions might be some of their heavy hitters.... 2 cents

Angyobangyo23h ago(Edited 23h ago)

PS and PC owners probably bought more copies that Xbox owners.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 23h ago
CrashMania1d 18h ago

I can only imagine the little amount of revenue both games generated, sent straight to gamepass and excluded from the largest current gen console userbase. Not to say both games would have done well if they were on PS5 too, but you heavily damage to a games revenue when you put it on a stagnating sub service for a poorly selling console, can't really see people going out in droves to sub to GP to play this.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

Gamepass subs(most of Xbox players) don't buy games all like that so it's not sustainable. It's reality.

RaidenBlack1d 18h ago

Yea Austin made one of the most creative game of last gen with Prey and were forced to take risk with Redfall and now the whole studio is being closed.

Aphrodia1d 18h ago

Yes, that Tango gameworks/ Hi-Fi closure was an eye opener for me as well. Neither played it nor was interested in it myself but all I heard was everyone acting like it was the second coming of guitar hero or something.

I don't know what else to say other than modern gaming is an overwhelming sea of mediocrity and there's not enough voices of reason speaking up and saying that most games made these days are just not very good.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

Your playing the wrong games then. There's always been shovelware type games. Going back to wii, snes, nes, ps1 Xbox og. That's a bs blanket statement. As an older gamer since atari days I'd personally say this is a great time. If you can't find anything to play. That's on you

With all that said in no way or form am I speaking of multi-player games, gacha, or whatever. I'm strictly speaking on single player games.

Aphrodia1d 15h ago

you are hilarious. trying to validate your comment by excluding over half of the games out there today. Pathetic man.

Neonridr1d 17h ago

I'm more devastated at the loss of The Evil Within.

Chevalier1d 6h ago

Wait I was told Xbox had great engagement numbers?! Some Xbox fans said they bought games when I told them Xbox customers don't buy games?

So Xbox bought studios to keep games off other platforms and forgot they conditioned Xbox customers to not buy games. Whoops.

So anyone else think Outer World's 2 dies 🤔? I'm thinking a small game losing out on Nintendo and Playstation gamers buying will kill this IP. But it's okay Xbox fans can get more COD! Halo, Gears and Forza! Woot that's a 'win'. Yay Gamepass FTW

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 23h ago
CrashMania1d 19h ago

Can't wait to see the usual try spin and play this down. So much for the heroic MS and Phil saving these studios eh.

Eonjay1d 18h ago

By the end of the day IGN will be talking about how this is right for the industry. Don't worry, Microsoft's PR is making the call now.

RpgSama1d 18h ago

Tango did NOT deserve to be closed down, they have not released a single bad game, and I'm sure Arkhane failed just because they were both rushed and pressured into making a GaaS game they had no experience in doing and no support to get it completed out of the gate.

PrinceOfAnger1d 18h ago

Not a big deal only hi fi rush was good

Sony has closed
Manchester studio
Japan studio
Pixel opus
London studio
Ready At Dawn ...

RupeeHoarder1d 18h ago

The difference being Sony has a large group of other studios that have done something positive. Microsoft just closed the studio to the only good game they released in the past year (Hi-Fi Rush).

CrashMania1d 18h ago

They all suck as well of course. But MS spent 10s of billions on these publishers for mass consolidation, every made a song and dance about how MS would save them, using their endless Windows, 365 and Azure money to keep them open forever and how Phil was some hero.

Nothing is safe unless it makes money, even for MS.

romulus231d 18h ago

It is a big deal.

Microsoft has closed
Fasa Studios
Digital Anvil
Ensemble
Lionhead Studios
Press Play
Arkane Austin
Tango Gameworks

Einhander19721d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

Wow how far back do you want to go back.

Lionhead Studios
Aces Game Studio
BigPark
Carbonated Game
Digital Anvil
Ensemble Studios
FASA Studio
Good Science Studio
Hired Gun
Microsoft Studios Japan
Microsoft Studios Victoria
Team Dakota
Xbox Entertainment Studios
Xbox Live Productions
Lift London
Access Software
Salt Lake Games Studio
Twisted Pixel Games
WingNut Interactive

And more before this, this was just their cuts during xbone era that Phil cut while he was at the head.

And some of those PlayStation studios were merged not closed, most of the UK studios were folded into each other.

Japan Studio was renamed to Asobi not closed, aAsobi was an internal team of Japan Studio the "closure" the press misinformed people about was more or less a name change, the studio is in the same building and when the change happened less than 5 people mostly leadership positions chose to leave the studio to form Bokeh Studio, which still works closely with Sony.

And even if your deflection stood on it's own, Microsoft spent 3 Billion 3 years ago almost to the date to buy Zenimax and has already closed 2 of it's biggest studios and decimated Zenimax's support studio structure.

It's no wonder Todd Howard was talking about "more frequent releases" and letting other studios make their IP's games. The days of big budget huge Bethesda games is over...

In fact sadly Microsoft has ushered in the end of big budget gaming as we know it with their obviously unsustainable subscription industry change.

And I feel fully confident that this isn't the end of studio closures from these recently purchased studios.

Abnor_Mal1d 18h ago

Ready At Dawn was never a Sony owned studio, and only made a few smaller God of War games and a Jax and Daxter spin off, and of course The Order1866.

They are currently owned by OcUlus Studios.

MrDead1d 18h ago

How many times has MS fired Bethesda staff since they purchased it? I think it's been three rounds so far

BehindTheRows1d 17h ago

Deflection is the finest form of delusion.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

London studio what have they made recently. Really the worst one was Japan studio. That sucked.

In reality though your deflecting. The fact of the matter is Ms just closed the studio that made their highest rated game in years. That's insane.

Hofstaderman1d 17h ago

Also many of those staff were absorbed into other studios.

VariantAEC1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Ready At Dawn was never a PS first party studio.
Manchester was closed and it was proposed that London should be closed, but their website is still up with no news about it being closed on their official site anywhere. So it's possible that the proposed closure just did not happen to get fufilled. Meaning London Studio *MIGHT* still be open running lean.

Edit: Japan Studio was closed with some staff making up the new Asobi Team Studio who's first title was the PS5 pack-in game "Astro's Playroom." Pixel Opus was closed and not replaced or spun-off their only games were Entwined and Concrete Genie they also helped publish Journey according to Wikipedia.

Chevalier1d 6h ago

Man you got crap info

Sony never owned Ready at Dawn. It's now owned by Oculus.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 1d 6h ago
Tacoboto1d 18h ago

Phil needs to step down. What kind of usual spin do you want?

More and more people lose jobs but the people at the top stay the same. Hardware sales tank despite billions and billions spent. The math is plain and simple.

Sonic18811d 17h ago (Edited 1d 17h ago )

I'm still trying to figure out what was the real reason to acquire Bethesda for millions or Billions of dollars if you're closing down studios 🤔 What were their true intentions 🤔 I mean do Microsoft really want to be a third-party publisher? It sounds like they're confused.with their future in gaming

VariantAEC1d 15h ago

@Sonic1881
To rape each studio for their sweet succulent ultra-valuable IP. This is Microsoft's favorite past-time.

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