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[Wastelander92]

With a new year will come a new wave of layoffs as tech gets more into AI development. Which studios, specifically first party can you see getting axed next year? For me it's:
MS:
Compulsion
Double Fine
Ninja Theory

Sony:
Bend
MM

 

[Flabagast]

MS:
- Double fine
- Arkane Lyon

For Sony, I think Bend is the most likely

 

[The_hunter]

Whoever made high guard.

 

[simpatico]

Sony should get some sort of tax credit for the charity they give to Media Molecule. No way they shut it down now after keeping their lights on for decades and asking nothing in return. To conglomerates, the developer names are like game IPs. They can always staff them up and down with autonomous international coders are the situations dictate. There's no real upside in killing off any of these IPs if there is any good will around them.

 

[KyoZz]

Arkane Lyon

I want my Dishonored 3

 

[blacktout]

I think there's some confusion here about what gets first party studios shut down. It's not usually just for creating games for a nichè audience. It's for going over budget and/or creating games that end up in development hell for years.

Compulsion and Double Fine have both shipped games recently and both produce AA games for AA budgets. I doubt either are on the chopping block.

 

[Wastelander92]

I think there's some confusion here about what gets first party studios shut down. It's not usually just for creating games for a nichè audience. It's for going over budget and/or creating games that end up in development hell for years.

Compulsion and Double Fine have both shipped games recently and both produce AA games for AA budgets. I doubt either are on the chopping block.

Didn't Phil say AA and Tango were picked because there's were the farthest out?

 

[diffusionx]

Why would Sony shut down MM now, they haven't done jack shit for a decade and Sony is cool with it. But I do think Fairgame% will get its merciful death in 2026.

I think MS is going to shut down the studios OP mentioned as well as the one making the Blade game.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Who is doing project dark?

What about Turn 10?

Tango gameworks?

Arkane Austin?

....
Well, I dunno... I'm sure Xbox's incredibly bright future is free of any studio closure. They are a well-oiled machine, firing on all cylinders, ready to dominate the PlayStation Store and the world!!!

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

All MS ones except 343, who will continue to inexplicably survive like a cockroach

 

[photogaz]

I don't think Sony will shut MM before they release their next game. If it flops, then maybe after.

 

[Labadal]

If I was a Bungie employee, I would be nervous.

 

[Loomy]

Whoever made high guard.

High Guard is rightfully mocked because of where/how it was unveiled. The gameplay, however, is exactly what people who play competitive team based shooter games like.

Don't be surprised if it finds an audience.

My guess is Ghost Story Games shuts down shortly after Judas is released. That's assuming it comes out next year.

 

[AmuroChan]

Haven
Firesprite

 

[evanft]

I'm still flabbergasted that Media Molecule hasn't been shut down.

 

[bitbydeath]

Just to play it safe:

Obsidian Entertainment
343 Industries
The Coalition
Compulsion Games
Double Fine Productions
inXile Entertainment
Mojang Studios
Ninja Theory
Playground Games
Rare
Turn 10 Studios
Undead Labs
World's Edge
Bethesda Game Studios
ZeniMax Online Studios
id Software
Arkane Studios (Lyon)
MachineGames
Blizzard Entertainment
Activision Blizzard's Infinity Ward
Activision Blizzard's Treyarch
Activision Blizzard's Sledgehammer Games
Activision Blizzard's Raven Software
Activision Blizzard's Beenox
Activision Blizzard's High Moon Studios
Activision Blizzard's Elsewhere Entertainment
King

 

[Poppinfresh]

What studio is making the new Fable?

That one is almost guaranteed to be shut down.

 

[asdasdasdbb]

It's for going over budget and/or creating games that end up in development hell for years.

Yep, look at Monolith for instance. And maybe Naughty Dog, we'll see.

 

[semiconscious]

I'm still flabbergasted that Media Molecule hasn't been shut down.

sony can't do it, because mm's just too doggone adorable!: https://www.mediamolecule.com/about/kitchen

 

[NahaNago]

I don't think any will be shut down next year.

 

[Arsic]

Microsoft reaper Phil incoming in 2026. I don't expect anything else to fold but shit they own. Oh and whoever did vampire masquerade 2.

 

[Shifty1897]

Bend is on the chopping block. They fuck up one milestone and it's all over. Hiroki Titoki wants to send a signal to Bungie.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Bungie.

 

[Saber]

Bethesda and whoever is wasting money making that ugly Fable.

 

[asdasdasdbb]

Bungie.

Just by getting Marathon out... I think they will be safe in 2026. You're right though, things can't be great there.

 

[AZRoboto]

I don't know how Media Molecule stays around. I couldn't get into LBP and Dreams seemed so poorly marketed on Sony's side that it seems they were obviously being positioned as the go-to sacrificial studio.

I hope no studios under MS go under. Especially Compulsion and Ninja Theory - South of Midnight is my biggest surprise of 2025 and Hellblade was such a unique experience I know I want to see what they come up with next. Double Fine, it sucks they received no marketing for Keeper but I hope it too is a sign they're free from scrutiny, because Psychonauts 2 was such a phenomenal game

 

[L*][*N*K]

Microsoft is playing Battle Royale with their studios so who knows what milestones they are using as a way to decide to who kill next year bur we will for sure see some

 

[Mayar]

Make an arena, write the names of Microsoft studios on the floor, then you need a chicken...

 

[phant0m]

Bethesda and whoever is wasting money making that ugly Fable.

Nah, Playground Games has FH6 on the docket too, they'll be fine.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Fable cancelled though. Zero showing at TGA after being in dev for so long is not a good sign.

 

[Bernardougf]

 

[violence]

Double fine

 

[StueyDuck]

Bend is probably on the way out... because grrrr white bikers amaright?

Days gone 2 would've made bank

On Microsofts end I see ninja theory going, one of the cod studios is going to disappear also.

Ubisoft will axe alot of their international support studios.

 

[DeepSpace5D]

I can see Compulsion and Double Fine getting the axe from MS if I'm guessing.

On PS side I wouldn't be surprised to see in 2026 an announcement that Fairgames was cancelled and Haven studios shut down.

 

[ADiTAR]

Retro Studios.

 

[vodka-bull]

I don't think any AI could develop a worde game than Bethesda, so I'd like to see Todd Howard getting replaced by someone who knows how to do games properly.

 

[KanKamAndNob]

Personal choices: Compulsion, 343 Industries (fuck calling them Halo Studios) and Playground.

Realistically: Probably only Compulsion, but wouldn't be surprised to see Fable cancelled and the team getting the boot. As cancerous as 343 is, I don't see them being dissolved though. Downsized maybe.

As far as Sony, I don't think they're feeling the need to do anymore layoffs. Ghost of Yotei has probably sold over 4m at this point, so Sucker Punch is good, Insomniac has Wolves, so they're safe too, Naughty Dog as much as I don't like current ND is beyond safe.

 

[GHound]

Haven Studios is getting dusted when Fairgames doesn't push a million in a week.

 

[Cr1ptkeeper]

Bungie.
I think Marathon will be a huge failure. It's a game mostly made for teenagers and people in their early 20s. The people that grew up with Bungie are in their 40's now. They should've just made a single player fps game with a MP module included, that's what their core audience expects.

 

[I wasn't selling any]

I want my Dishonored 3

Isn't that off the table after Death of the Outsider? Without some kind of a retcon or prequel what else there is to tell?

 

[Fbh]

I'm kinda surprised Media Molecule is still around, they haven't released anything remotely successful in like 15 years.
I guess it's the benefit of being a small team?

What studio is making the new Fable?

That one is almost guaranteed to be shut down.

Nah, that's Playground games, they also make the Forza Horizon games which are some of the most successful first party MS games.
Though yeah I could see them downsizing the team and basically cutting out everyone not involved in Forza

 

[Sephimoth]

Bioware

Further MS studios (take your pick)

 

[Mownoc]

I'm amazed Media Molecule are still open, they're a prime candidate unless their current project is making good progress and actually impressing Sony execs.

MS... well I think we're going to see another large round of layoffs very soon. Compulsion, Double fine and Ninja Theory as you mention, are all high risk.

 

[Team Andromeda]

Retro Studios or they will see massive layoffs

 

[Fabieter]

Sony should get some sort of tax credit for the charity they give to Media Molecule. No way they shut it down now after keeping their lights on for decades and asking nothing in return. To conglomerates, the developer names are like game IPs. They can always staff them up and down with autonomous international coders are the situations dictate. There's no real upside in killing off any of these IPs if there is any good will around them.

MM is also doing alot of techy stuff for sony. No need to shut them down.

 

[Emmy Ator Best]

I can see Microsoft closing Compulsion, Double Fine and Ninja Theory. Also laying off the Fable team at Playground after it releases.
Sony is closing Haven because Fairgames is clearly doomed. I think Media Molecule and Bend will get the chance of releasing something but if it flops then they're getting shut down.

Retro Studios.

Retro Studios or they will see massive layoffs

It's insulting to even suggest it. Nintendo is better and doesn't take part in layoffs or studio closures.

 

[Ellis]

The Fable team of Playground to be let go or moved to another part of the studio.

Announcement of the game being cancelled will come with that news.

 

[yurinka]

I'd say:

• Compulsion shut down
• Double Fine sold to its heads and let go to become independent
• Turn 10 restructured to become a support studio of Playground during a long time while they rework the Turn 10 team to make another big Forza Motorstorm reboot somewhere in the future
• The new Playground studio in charge of Fable in case they aren't able to release it this year or of they release it and don't achieve good enough results

Whoever says a Sony team they're completely delusional.

I'm amazed Media Molecule are still open

Sony should get some sort of tax credit for the charity they give to Media Molecule.

All their games have been profitable and they earn many awards with each game, it would be completely retarded and nonsensical to shut them down.

It's also a relatively small studio with a big percentage of their staff being people hired directly from the university or from their own community, meaning their salaries are lower than the average worker hired with AAA experience, so the cost to run them is pretty low and to shut them down wouldn't save a lot of costs. And well, Sony is having record profits and revenue so they don't need to shut down any studio.

Have to be pretty delusional to think Sony would shut them down.

Bungie.
I think Marathon will be a huge failure. It's a game mostly made for teenagers and people in their early 20s. The people that grew up with Bungie are in their 40's now. They should've just made a single player fps game with a MP module included, that's what their core audience expects.

Bungie is the main money maker at Sony and the main reason of why Sony's first party games make twice the revenue they did last generation. It's like saying Take 2 should shut down Rockstar or that Nintendo should shut down Nintendo EPD because they don't know what are they doing.

Bend is probably on the way out...

All their games have been profitable, Sony won't shut down a studio just because they cancelled a game. All studios cancel games at some point, just that in most cases people outside the company often never know about they existed.

 

[geary]

Rockstar after GTA 6 fails to sell 100 mil copies in first month.

 

[Team Andromeda]

It's insulting to even suggest it. Nintendo is better and doesn't take part in layoffs or studio closures.

Grow up

 

[Disciple of MSSP]

Rockstar after GTA 6 fails to sell 100 mil copies in first second.

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