Yesterday, reports began surfacing about the imminent shutdown of studios under the XBOX Game Studios banner, including Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion. It was suggested that Ninja Theory and Compulsion have gone, and that Double Fine is busy negotiating with XBOX and other publishers to stay afloat.
In a recent post on social media, the Double Fine team left a simple message reflecting on their thoughts about the situation.
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Is Double Fine Being Shut Down?
Recent reports have surfaced suggesting that a string of XBOX Game Studios companies are facing the axe. This comes mere days after Asha Sharma, the new CEO at XBOX, circulated an update to employees warning of imminent changes, including layoffs and studio closures.
Several studios are being targeted by these cost-cutting attempts, and according to the most recent claims, two of them have been effectively slashed by XBOX. That includes Ninja Theory, which days ago revealed an all-new game at the XBOX Games Showcase, slated to launch next year.
In a new post on social media, Double Fine, one of the studios reportedly being lined up for closure, addressed the situation:
Double Fine most recently released Kiln, a ‘pottery power-fantasy’ title that fuses creativity and destruction. It wasn’t a commercial hit, and it landed just a year after the studio’s last game, Keeper, which again wasn’t a heavy hitter in terms of sales.
Double Fine’s history stretches back some 20-plus years, and now, the future of the brand stands on a precipice. Per the most recent reports, the studio is trying to leverage a buyout to stay afloat and break free from XBOX Game Studios, much like other studios are trying to.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
The second i heard Double Fine had been bought by Microsoft i knew this was coming. I sure hope they can get out.
If a studio makes weird slop that only 10% of gamers would be willing to try, then they need to be shuttered. Double Fine made Psychonauts and nothing else that made a profit.
Excuse me, what about Brutal Legend?
too bad Brutal Legend was rad as heck. i’ve never cared about a studio’s profits as a gamer/consumer, btw. pretty strange take.
The idea that Double Fine games could ever be considered slop is wild. Niche art house nonsense with questionable mainstream appeal? Maybe. Slop? Absolutely never.
Shouldn’t need more than 100 people to make a game anyway every good game is made by a hand full of people. Too many people causes a loss in focus, a massive cost burden, and a massive amount of coding issues. That is why every AAA game is released in the worst possible state and monetized to all hell