Xbox President Addresses Bethesda Studios Closure, Says It’s About Keeping Company Healthy Long-Term

Earlier this week, Xbox shut down four Bethesda studios, including Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, the team behind last year’s Hi-Fi Rush. While each of the four affected studios, which also included Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games and Bethesda support studio Roundhouse Games, released a statement on the closures, Xbox remained silent.

But four days later, Bloomberg Dina Bass interviewed Xbox President Sarah Bond and asked her about the Bethesda closures, to which Bond cited the desire to keep the Xbox business healthy for the long term, even during difficult transition periods .

Here’s what Bond said:

“It’s always extremely difficult to have to make decisions like this. I go back to what I was saying about the industry, and when we look at these fundamental trends, we feel a deep responsibility to ensure that the games that we create, the devices we build, the services we offer are there at all times, even when the industry is not growing and when you’re going through a transition period And the news that we announced earlier this week is. the result of this and our commitment to ensuring that the business is healthy in the long term.

“That said, our commitment to having our own studios and working with partners to create games big and small – we are a platform you can play on. [Grand Theft Auto], but you can also play Palworld, or you can play Call of Duty or you can play Pentiment, it doesn’t change. And frankly, our commitment to Bethesda and the role it plays is part of Xbox and everything we do.

“It’s actually pretty fantastic. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to check it out. The Fallout TV show was on Amazon, and it was great to see people fall in love with that universe , but also what it did for the games themselves, and the people who come back and explore everything in them. There are more great things coming from our studios later this year. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – I was a huge Indy fan growing up – so you I should check that out But right now, for us and our teams, we’re focusing on the people affected and doing everything. we can to help them through this difficult transition.

Bass then asked Bond specifically about the closure of Tango Gameworks after Hi-Fi Rush, which by Xbox’s own accepted metrics, was a great success. Bond’s response here was less straightforward – you can read it in full below:

“One of the things I really love about the games industry is that it’s a creative art form, and that means the situation and successes of each game and studio are also really There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so we look at each studio, each game team, and we look at a variety of factors when faced with decisions and trade-offs like this. But it all comes back to our long-term commitment, the games we create, the devices we build, the services, and making sure we prepare ourselves to be able to deliver on those promises.

While it’s great that Bond addressed these closures at Xbox, it still lacks the clarity you’d expect from one of the biggest companies in the gaming industry. Neither Microsoft nor Xbox, including Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, have yet addressed the layoffs and closures in an official capacity.

For more, find out how Redfall should have received a big offline game update this month before Xbox shut down Arkane Austin, then find out how Xbox would plan to bring Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to PlayStation 5. After that, check out this story on how more job cuts at Xbox are reportedly on the way, then read how the company plans to put Call of Duty on Xbox game Pass alongside a price hike.

What do you think of Bond’s answers? Let us know in the comments below!