大事件!掃雷,紙牌與接龍給了手遊公司KING,微軟休閒遊戲部門(Microsoft Casual Games)不復存在……
當然,你可以說主打《糖果傳奇》的KING也屬於微軟,都是左手倒右手,沒什麼大驚小怪的——同樣的邏輯也適用於動視接管《最後一戰》;黑曜石併入杯賽;Playground和Turn 10合併為一個工作室,同時負責寓言與廢渣。
繼Double Fine與Compulsion Games之後,《腐爛國度》的開發商Undead Labs由員工買斷,與微軟脫離關係,且《腐爛國度3》首日入庫XGP。
除了《戰爭機器》開發商The Coalition,以及《廢土》、《發條橙》開發商InXile,Xbox全球遊戲工作室已被肢解得所剩無幾。之前尋求出售Ninja Theory的努力歸於失敗,該工作室的運氣不如兄弟單位那般好,微軟正與Ninja Theory的員工商談補償方案,未來該工作室將不復存在。
繼7月裁員1600人之後,今日宣布的重組方案又裁掉260個工作崗位,距阿莎姐規劃的2027財年(截至日曆年27年6月)裁員3200人目標還差一千多人,接下來要裁誰呢?
In just a few years, #Xbox has essentially lost 13 studios. • Undead Labs • Ninja Theory • Double Fine • Arkane Studios • Arkane Austin • The Initiative • Toys For Bob • Tango Gameworks • Compulsion Games • Alpha Dog Studios • Halo Studios • Roundhouse Games • Turn 10 I've included studios gutted prior to absorption, or that are no longer seperate independent studios making their own new games. If you don't think this will impact Xbox's output and cadence of releases going forward, I've a bridge to sell you. https://twitter.com/nib95_/status/2102433455971705319
大家把目光轉向The Coalition,《戰爭機器:事變日》面市在即,遊戲發布之日便是血雨腥風之時。
Just 4 days after Gears of War E-Day's story director celebrated the game going gold, he's been laid off by #Xbox. While the cinematic director at Halo Studios was promoted yesterday, only to be fired today. Harsh is an understatement. https://twitter.com/nib95_/status/2102483247980536144
阿莎姐的打手麥特·布蒂在Xbox官方部落格上宣布,動視將成立一個專門團隊,負責開發下一部《最後一戰》大作,該團隊獨立於年貨事業部。
Activision President tells staff it’s an 『honor』 to be trusted with Halo 「To now be trusted with what comes next is an extraordinary honor. That’s why we’re going to be incredibly thoughtful about the team behind the next game and bringing together dedicated resources with the right experience, expertise, and genuine passion for Halo. Our goal is to make the best Halo game in history, and we understand the responsibility that comes with getting it right and protecting what millions of players around the world have loved about the series.」 https://twitter.com/charlieINTEL/status/2102445106393399717
光環工作室(前343)只保留一支小規模團隊用於維護現有光環產品,許多開發崗位被撤裁,某些員工昨天獲得晉升,今天就被開掉:
El director cinematográfico de Halo Studios, Josh Daniels, fue ascendido ayer y despedido hoy. Si esto no es improvisado de nuevo, es de muy mal gusto. #Halo #Xbox https://twitter.com/RetroGamer_74/status/2102471623924388134
黑曜石則併入杯賽專門開發《異塵餘生》項目,KING主打休閒遊戲與手遊運營,此輪重組意在減少業務部門數量,整合開發團隊,強化遊戲產出。
玩家對於343並無好感,將光環交給動視並無不妥,但大規模合併是否為微軟擺脫遊戲業務將來出售資產鋪平了道路,現在還不好說。麥特·布蒂經歷過Midway破產重組與資產處置,他是阿莎姐接管Xbox後唯一獲邀留任的原領導班子成員,想必Midway的履歷為他加分不少。







