“A gut stab”, Arkane boss criticizes Microsoft for shutting down Bethesda studios

The day started with bad news for the industry in general and Bethesda fans. Microsoftand Xbox decided to close Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin and Alpha Dog Games. In addition, they announced the takeover of Roundhouse Games and a round of layoffs that will affect various positions at Bethesda.

The news took everyone by surprise and, of course, there are gamers and developers angry with Microsoft and Xbox's decision. Dinga Bakaba, head of Arkane, went on a rant against the companies' executives and made an important call to the industry.

Arkane boss lashes out at Microsoft

Bakaba was very vocal and did not hesitate to directly and publicly criticize Microsoft executives. Through a message on his social networks, he showed his dissatisfaction and anger for the closure of Arkane Austin and the rest of Bethesda's studio. From his point of view, the tech giant is doing things wrong, as it is neglecting the most important thing in the industry: its developers.

“This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human : to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you .

“Don't throw us into gold fever gambits, don't use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don't make our work environments darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we seen it before,” he said.

From his perspective, Microsoft's decision is like “a gut stab”, as it implies the disappearance of very talented teams and the situation will affect many developers who have dedicated their lives to video games.

For this reason, he called for a halt to this type of moves by the big companies and their executives. Gamers supported the creative in his stance and also criticized Microsoft and Xbox.