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- Xbox recently closed a few of its important studios like Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin.
- The Silent Hill creator was recently asked to address the closure, and he believes that preserving the core style of games is key to avoiding such instances.
- He pointed to FromSoftware as an example of a team that sticks to a mostly consistent style despite releasing different games.
When developers saw Xbox closing big studios like Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, many were rightfully concerned about their future. While some expressed disappointment over their coworkers losing jobs, others were concerned about the industry as a whole.
Everyone had different perspectives on the main cause behind these closures. According to the creator of Silent Hill, preserving a core identity may be the key to avoiding similar fates for other studios.
Why it matters: This statement has led to a major debate. While some argue it’s great for developers to try completely different things, others believe Keiichiro Toyama is right.
Keiichiro Toyama no longer works on Silent Hill, but he is often credited for being the man behind this IP. Recently, he stated that preserving a certain style is very important for all game developers.
Referring to FromSoftware, the developer pointed out how each game from the studio has a distinct identity that was established more than a decade ago. Thanks to this style, the studio sold 5 million Shadow of the Erdtree copies within a few days.
Not changing everything every time might be the key to surviving.
-Keiichiro Toyama
The developer likely referred to Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush in this instance. This title was a huge departure from anything the studio had done up to that point, even though it was extremely well received.
Redfall is a similar example since it broke away from Arkane’s traditional single-player style game and ended up being a complete failure. It seems Keiichiro Toyama believes in studios sticking to a similar type of game.
However, this comes with the inherent risk of stagnation, with developers relying too often on the same tried-and-true formula.
Previously, many studios like Naughty Dog changed styles completely, going from a developer who specialized in platformers to a story-driven action-adventure team. Many studios have been able to establish completely new identities for themselves after making such transitions.
Nonetheless, Keiichiro Toyama raises an interesting point here. He also addressed the closure of Japan Studio in the same interview, outlining the different ideologies of his team and Sony.
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[News Reporter]
Bawal is an MBBS student by day and a gaming journalist by night. He has been gaming since childhood, growing fond of the creativity and innovation of the industry. His career as a gaming journalist started one year ago, and his journey has allowed him to write reviews, previews, and features for various sites. Bawal has also been cited in reputed websites such as Screenrant, PCGamesN, WCCFTech, GamesRadar, and more.
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