After the bomb dropped by Schreier, further news arrives from IGN USA in addition to the confirmations of those directly involved: Xbox has closed four Bethesda studios , namely Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Studios and Roundhouse Games.
It is probable (but there is no direct confirmation) that the limited success of Redfall , launched in May 2024 and negatively received by the public and critics , weighed on the closure of Arkane Austin . The game will no longer receive updates of any kind and Microsoft will start refunds for those who purchased Hero Pass and the Bite Back Edition.
Tango Gameworks, on the other hand, launched Hi-Fi Rush in 2013 with moderate success , however it cannot be ruled out that the closure was also decided following the abandonment of Shinji Mikami . The studio seemed to be working on new projects but now all activity has been interrupted, as also confirmed by Tango Gameworks’ social profiles.
Alpha Dog Studios, the team behind Mighty Doom, has been permanently shut down as has Roundhouse Games, both Bethesda-owned companies. Roundhouse employees will be incorporated into ZeniMax Online Studios and will contribute to the development of new content for The Elder Scrolls Online.
An important strategic move for Bethesda , which thus sees the number of its active studios reduced, Microsoft’s objective is to contain costs and optimize production processes.