Microsoft has enacted another round of job cuts as it closes numerous Bethesda teams including Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games.
As reported by IGN, other studios impacted by the closures include Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks. Roundhouse Games will be joining ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online.
Alpha Dog Games’ Mighty Doom will be shut down on August 7th. In-app purchases for the game will also be turned off. According to AppMagic estimates, Mighty Doom, launched last year, has generated $10.5 million from global player spending to date across the App Store and Google Play, racking up 7.6m downloads.
Development on Arkane Austin’s Redfall will end, though services will remain online for the time being.
A “small number” of staff at Bethesda’s publishing and corporate teams have also been laid off as part of the cuts.
“Tough decisions”
In a statement to staff, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said Microsoft wanted to focus on “high-impact titles” through a “reprioritisation of titles and resources”.
“These changes are not a reflection of the creativity and skill of the talented individuals at these teams or the risks they took to try new things,” said Booty.
“I acknowledge that these changes are also disruptive to the various support teams across ZeniMax and Bethesda that bring our games to market. We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced plans to lay off 1,900 staff following the long-awaited completion of its Activision Blizzard acquisition.
The United States’ Federal Trade Commission called the move into question, citing Microsoft’s previous claims that Activision would remain largely independent and “maintain the pre-merger status quo”.
Blizzard also axed 68% of employees in Ireland in February, according to the Irish Examiner.
