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Microsoft announced it closed several studios under its Bethesda and Zenimax branches, including Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. Some of the affected developers will be let go, while others will be folded into other teams in order to "[prioritize] high impact titles" (Thanks, IGN and @Jasonschreier!)

Arkane Austin's most recent title was the vampire-themed multiplayer shooter Redfall that released to widespread disappointment, but the studio was perhaps better known for 2017's sci-fi immersive sim Prey. Redfall itself will no longer be updated, but will remain online. Players who purchased battle es or editions will be eligible to receive remuneration.

On Twitter, Arkane Lyon Co-Creative Director Dinga Bakaba lamented to closure of his studio's sister team and criticized the excutive decision-makers behind it.

Permission to be human : to any executive reading this, 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.

Dinga Bakaba, Arkane Lyon Studio/Co-Creative Director

Tango, meanwhile, produced games like The Evil Within series and Ghostwire: Tokyo before "shadow dropping" Hi-Fi Rush in 2023. Other studios to close include the mobile-focused Alpha Dog Games and Roundhouse Games, the latter of which will have its staff folded into the Elder Scrolls: Online development team.

You can find Tango Gameworks' official announcement embedded below:

Microsoft also recently announced an patch for Starfield, set to release on May 15, 2024. Meanwhile back in March, Blizzard's Diablo 4 became the first of the studio's games to the Xbox Game library.

Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin have been closed down by Microsoft. Both Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall will continue to be available but will not receive any further updates.

The post Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin Closed appeared first on Siliconera.

Microsoft fired over 1,900 staff from subsidiaries, with layoffs at Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and Zenimax. As well as the layoffs, Activision Blizzard will also be losing President Mike Ybarra and Chief Design Officer Allen Adham. [Thanks, The Verge!]

In a statement obtained by The Verge, Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer promised to navigate the process "thoughtfully" and provide severance packages according to employment law. The firings work out to around 8.6% of the company's entire 22,000 person workforce, spread across several of the companies previously acquired by Microsoft in the past few years.

Activision Blizzard President Mike "Qwik" Ybarra will also be leaving, alongside Chief Design Officer and Blizzard cofounder Allen Adham. Ybarra's successor is expected to be announced sometime during the week of January 28, 2024. Additionally, Blizzard's in-development survival game has also been cancelled, with some of the personnel transferred to other projects.

You can read Mike Ybarra's farewell message in the tweet below:

As a reminder, Microsoft finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard back in October 2023, after the FTC injunction against the plan was denied. Blizzard also announced an expansion for Diablo 4, titled Vessel of Hatred, back in November 2023.

Over 1,900 staff will be fired this week from Microsoft subsidiary companies, with the layoffs affecting people at Activision Blizzard, Xbox and Zenimax

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Zenimax Media, the company that owns Bethesda Softworks, id Sofware and Tango Gameworks, has filed a trademark in the U.S. for “Nuka Cola”. Nuka Cola, as you may recall, is a popular drink in the Fallout universe.

The post Zenimax Files Trademark For Fallout Drink Nuka Cola appeared first on Siliconera.

ZeniMax, the parent company of Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda Softworks, id Software and The Evil Within make Tango Gameworks filed a trademark for Soulburst in the USA.

Soulburst may not be a new game—it could be able content since ZeniMax also filed trademarks for Dawnguard and Hearthfire, two able packs for The Elder Scrolls V.

ZeniMax also ed "Fus Ro Dah," after the meme.

The post ZeniMax s Trademark For "Soulburst" appeared first on Siliconera.

Aside from Shadows of the Damned, Shinji Mikami is developing another game with his own studio, Tango Gameworks. Mikami hasn't said much about the project, but a posted photo of environment designer Eirou Yoshii may have given us a glimpse of it.

Some kind of circular object (maybe a well?) and dead trees?

Yoshii appears to be an ex-Capcom employee. His previous titles include Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 4, and Monster Hunter Tri.

The post A Very Early Look At The First Game From Tango Gameworks? appeared first on Siliconera.

After a couple years out of the spotlight, Resident Evil 4 designer, Shinji Mikami, recently re-emerged as the founder of Tango, his new development studio. Mikami, in collaboration with PlatinumGames, then went on to design the recently released Vanquish, published by SEGA.

Today, ZeniMax, who are the parent company of Bethesda Softworks (The Elder Scrolls series) and id Software (Doom), announced that Mikami will be developing games for them in a deal where ZeniMax have acquired Tango, now known as Tango Gameworks.

“It’s refreshing to find a publisher who understands, trusts, and s the development of blockbuster games and works to make it a collaborative effort,” said Mikami. “The library of AAA franchise titles ZeniMax owns speaks for itself. We are very excited to be ing ZeniMax and working with a company that is dedicated to creating the best games ever made.”

ZeniMax announced their acquisition of id Software in June 2009, and were quick to point out that the developer would continue to be run under the supervision of founder John Carmack with little interference from their parent.

The post ZeniMax Acquire Shinji Mikami’s Studio, Tango appeared first on Siliconera.

We often talk about the opposite, that is bringing Japanese games to the West, but what about moving in the other direction?

Gamasutra has an enlightening interview with Tetsu Takahashi that discusses the process, rating issues, and how to expand the market for Western developed games in Japan. In Takahashi’s eyes, investing more on localization and marketing helps.

As a counter-example, that’s a picture from the Xbox World Collection, a series of Western games published by Microsoft Japan with no localization whatsoever. Voice acting and text were left in English – for a Japanese game. s only had a Japanese instruction manual and a series of web lessons to navigate through games like Simpsons Hit & Run and Counterstrike. That… didn’t work so well.

Anyway, read the interview, think about Takahashi’s points, and discuss if companies bringing Japanese games to the West should utilize similar strategies to expand the market here.

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