Phil Spencer has finally opened up about Xbox shutting down studios that were making great games and he got applauded for doing it. Spencer talked about how difficult it was for him to make these “hard decisions” during a live show and the audience cheered for the sad billionaire.
Appearing in IGN Live 2024 after the Xbox Games Showcase, Spencer was asked about shutting down Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Despite making great games like Dishonored and Hi-Fi Rush, the latter of which sold well and won many awards, Spencer said he still has to make sure Xbox is profitable.
"In the end, I've said over and over, I have to run a sustainable business inside the company and grow, and that means sometimes I have to make hard decisions that frankly are not decisions I love, but decisions that somebody needs to go make,” Spencer said. "We will continue to go forward. We will continue to invest in what we're trying to go do in Xbox and build the best business we can, which ensures we can continue to do shows like the one we just did."
The Xbox boss also claims that he didn’t immediately comment on Arkane Austin and Tango shutting down as a way to let people mourn for them. Spencer wasn’t asked about the new Xbox studio that opened after Tango and Arkane Austin were shut down, but fans should feel bad because he’s a gamer like you and me.
Fans also saw Spencer quite a bit during the Xbox Games Showcase, where he and other executives talked about these devs making awesome games. Seeing them do that made the show more uncomfortable for a bit, since studios can make a game that reviews and sells well like Hi-Fi Rush, only to get shut down anyway.
Hi-Fi Rush is readily available on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. It was a great game and the fact that Microsoft shut down developer Tango Gameworks for making successful should never be forgotten.