With news of Microsoft closing Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks (makers of much loved Hi-Fi Rush), it's clear the previous markers of success don't apply. When studios aren't safe even when they make a hit, something is deeply, deeply wrong.
Apologies to Hbomberguy for ripping off the title format.
I am angry at the state of the games industry. Even when the higher ups at game companies were at their greediest, you could usually at least understand the logic behind their decisions. With the recent, baffling news that Microsoft is to shutter Tango Gameworks (among others), despite the studio providing Xbox a bonafide smash hit in the form of Hi-Fi Rush (on top of countless other layoffs and closures from studios making some of the most successful games ever, such as Naughty Dog with The Last of Us), that logic seems to have gone out of the window. In this analysis piece, I discuss how we got here, how the industry is becoming increasingly hostile towards not only art but seemingly monetary success, and the indie devs and studios like Larian and Supergiant proving that it doesn't have to be this way.
The games industry is broken—some might say beyond repair.
0:00 - The games industry makes no sense right now 0:51 - The baffling closure of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks 2:42 - This is destroying the industry 4:06 - The ones who remain 5:13 - The music industry and the importance of creative control 7:21 - People want more sustainable games 8:23 - Supergiant can do it, why can't you? 9:08 - The Baldur's Gate 3 studio is (technically) still indie 10:29 - You must retain control 11:47 - Outro
