I en usædvanlig ærlig og kritisk besked på mediet X, tager Arkade Lyon boss Dinga Bakaba skarp afstand fra Microsofts beslutning om at lukke Arkane Austin. Det er sjældent man ser en så kritisk besked fra nogen der står i spidsen for en first-party udvikler.
I en længere post på X skriver han:
This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human: to any executive reading this, a friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.
Og han fortsætter:
For now, great teams are sunsetting before our eyes again, and it's a fucking gut stab. Lyon is safe, but please be tactful and discerning about all this, and respect the affected folks' voice and leave it room to be heard, it's their story to tell, their feelings to express.
Det kom tirsdag frem, at Microsoft lukker Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Studios og Roundhouse Studios. Det vides ikke hvor mange mennesker disse lukninger vil påvirke, da mange vil blive relokeret andetsteds.