An email sent to the staff of several Bethesda studios by Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios and shown to IGN today, has confirmed the closure and reorganization of the studios and signaled a shorter future for a 2023 release. The major news for the purposes of this site relates to Arkane Austin, creators of last year’s Redfall which launched to underwhelming reception.
Along with the studio shutting down Booty also confirmed that Redfall’s previous update will now be its last and that plans for future development have been halted. Most gutting of all, this seemingly includes the Offline Mode for single-player campaigns that was reportedly scheduled for release this month. The beleaguered game will remain online for the time being but with no studio to support it the chances that it will now be shut down, possibly within a year’s time, don’t seem too far fetched. Redfall remains available on Steam and Xbox Series X|S.
Meanwhile, Tango Gameworks, makers of Hi-Fi Rush, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and The Evil Within series will be shutting down alongside Alpha Dog Studios who most recently created Mighty DOOM for mobile (now shutting down August 7th). Finally, Roundhouse Games’ staff will be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to support The Elder Scrolls Online. A portion of Matt Booty’s email can be read below with the entirety reprinted over at IGN:
Today I’m sharing changes we are making to our Bethesda and ZeniMax teams. 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 that some of our colleagues will be leaving us.
Here are the changes going into effect:
Arkane Austin – This studio will close with some members of the team joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda. Arkane Austin has a history of making impactful and innovative games and it is a pedigree that everyone should be proud of. Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game. 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.
Alpha Dog Studios – This studio will also close. We appreciate the team’s creativity in bringing Doom to new players. Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7 and we will be turning off the ability for players to make any purchases in the game.
Tango Gameworks – Tango Gameworks will also close. We are thankful for their contributions to Bethesda and players around the world. Hi-Fi Rush will continue to be available to players on the platforms it is today.
Roundhouse Games – The team at Roundhouse Games will be joining ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS). Roundhouse has played a key role in many of our recent game launches and bringing them into ZOS to work on The Elder Scrolls Online will mean we can do even more to grow the world that millions of players call home.
Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios – May 07, 2024