Raphael Colantonio, the founder of Arkane Studios, recently shared his thoughts on Microsoft’s decision to close Arkane Austin. In an interview with PC Gamer, Colantonio called the move “stupid” and “not a good decision.”
“I think if you look a little bit, it’s obvious that Arkane Austin was a very special group of people that have made some cool things and that could pull it off again,” Colantonio said. “I think it was a decision that just came down to, ‘We need to cut something.’ Was it to please the investors, the stock market?
They’re playing a different game.”
Colantonio, who left Arkane in 2017 to found WolfEye Studios, didn’t claim to know the exact reasons behind Microsoft’s decision. However, he emphasized the unique talent and synergy of the Arkane Austin team. “The only thing that I stand by is saying that the specific choice of killing Arkane Austin, that was not a good decision,” Colantonio stated.
He further expressed that recreating a similar team to Arkane Austin would be “impossible” or, at best, would “take forever.” Colantonio highlighted the magic that existed among team members like Harvey Smith and Ricardo Bare. “When you have that magic of Harvey and Ricardo etc, that all come together, it’s a specific moment in time and space that just worked out this way, that took forever to reach. Those people together can really make magic.
Microsoft criticized for closing Arkane Austin
It’s not like, ‘Doesn’t matter, we’ll just rehire.’ No, try it. That’s what big groups do all the time.
They try to just hire massively and overpay people to create those magic groups. It doesn’t work like this. So to me, that was stupid.
But what do I know?” Colantonio said. Microsoft’s decision to close Arkane Austin was part of a larger move that also saw the closure of Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Studios. However, Tango Gameworks was later saved by publisher Krafton in August.
The closure of Arkane Austin is a significant loss for the gaming community, given the studio’s track record of creating acclaimed titles. The future projects of the former Arkane Austin team members remain uncertain at this time.
Rashan is a seasoned technology journalist and visionary leader serving as the Editor-in-Chief of DevX.com, a leading online publication focused on software development, programming languages, and emerging technologies. With his deep expertise in the tech industry and her passion for empowering developers, Rashan has transformed DevX.com into a vibrant hub of knowledge and innovation. Reach out to Rashan at [email protected]
