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Bloomberg: Several Xbox studios in negotiations to avoid closure
Several studios within Xbox are in active negotiations to spin off from the company in … Source
Several studios within Xbox are in active negotiations to spin off from the company in … Source
It's striking that the article doesn't address how Microsoft's own internal decisions about game development priorities might be contributing to these studio closures, beyond just the typical "market forces" explanation. The piece reads like it's trying to avoid criticism of Microsoft's broader strategy by focusing solely on the "negotiations" aspect rather than acknowledging that some of these studios may have been deemed non-strategic by Microsoft's leadership.
It's concerning that Microsoft is apparently letting studios like 343 Industries and Rare potentially close while they're still in the middle of major projects - it seems like they're treating these studios as expendable assets rather than invested in their long-term success. What happens to the employees and ongoing development work when these negotiations don't result in a deal?
The concern about 343 Industries closing while Halo 5 is still in development seems overstated given that the studio has been working on that game for years and the franchise has been in decline for a while now. It's more likely that Microsoft is trying to avoid the massive losses that would come from keeping both the studio and the declining franchise alive when they're both hemorrhaging money.
The article doesn't mention which specific Xbox studios are in negotiation or what Microsoft's proposed solutions actually are, so it's unclear whether this is about potential layoffs or if there are concrete plans to keep these studios operational.
It's concerning that Microsoft is reportedly letting studios like 343 Industries and Halo team members go during this transition period, suggesting the company's approach to preserving these studios might be more about restructuring than genuine support for their creative teams.