Not the only ones. There are supposedly at least 3 studios considered for closure, among which is also Obsidian.
I feel like microbrain wants to offload costs of making games unto crowdfunded indies and just reap the profits on its store/platform.
I haven’t heard Obsidian added to the list; just Arkane. But word from Sharma was that they’re doubling down on their biggest franchises, like Fallout, Halo, and Elder Scrolls, at the expense of smaller stuff. That’s the same strategy EA, Ubisoft, and other publishers their size followed until they realized that there’s nothing to replace the core franchises once their popularity wanes; then they found someone to buy the company off of them.
I’m honestly sorry for all the developers that Microsoft acquired in their buying spree around before and during 2020.
Same for all Indies bought up by larger companies. At best they seem to get broken up and dispersed in the company. Most just seem to be ballast used to pad stock value, then tossed when it’s the least bit beneficial to their owners.
Archive link without the “let us sell your data or else” banner
I saw this one coming, sadly. Xbox announced they’re laying off people, and while I like Compulsion Games it’s predictable that they’re getting the boot.
They made 3 games in the last 13 years and none of them have been big hits.
2013: Contrast (mediocre reviews)
2018: We Happy Few (messy development, mediocre reviews)
2025: South of Midnight (decent reviews, reportedly underperformed)
It sure feels like I’m the only person on the planet who actually, positively enjoyed Contrast.
There are at least two of us!
