Xbox closed Tango because they didn't make money. My take is just ust because they haven't made money in a while, and aren't making money today doesn't mean they won't make money in the future. Xbox chose not to cultivate that money making future. Also, if Tango makes a GOTY tier game and still doesn't make money who's to say the next highly awarded game will make money? Wait five years, get all the awards, still make no money. Maybe it doesn't work in a gamepass system, maybe break even is too high for running an expensive foreign studio, we don't know. I would say Tango and Hifi have value beyond how much money they will make, so you keep them open for mindshare.But we already know why Xbox closed Tango. They weren't actively working on a game. Their past performance with HFR didn't matter. And that's the crux of it. You can make a fantastic game, a new IP no less, and still not have the chance to continue.
Nobody is under the illusion that MS is particularly evil, all corporations are. But MS are acting in a way that reeks of incompetence and shortsightedness. And if people are going to assign blame to the people who have propped themselves up to be the faces of Xbox, then they are completely right to do so. If Spencer, Bond and Booty can walk out to the cheer of the fans, have articles written about them about how they are saving Xbox, then they should also face the music when they do something vastly unpopular.
Lastly, personally I don't find it interesting at all whether MS' market share/PR image changes. This move will absolutely be good for their bottom line. Doesn't make it any less tragic (and stupid imo).
I don't know if Spencer and Bond would make decisions like this. They aren't stupid, they know what a PR hit this would be. They aren't innocent but this feels like forces that don't care about the PR/mindshare dictating moves. The big shots didn't say close Tango, but they did say make Xbox make financial sense.
In an effort to understand the logic here (not agree with it) you have to assume they aren't just tanking the brand for fun, so why? Cause if they are tanking for fun then every move could be illogical and random.
On market share, I meant long term. It may be good to shareholders now, but it could end up starting the downfall of.... something at Xbox even if it's just Phil's career.
Let's stop pretending like these studios actually made money. That doesn't mean they deserve to be closed, real human beings worked there ,but how do you choose which one of your 35 children to shut down. If studios has to close to make the math fit, what would be better choices? Or I can just say Phil is incompetent, Sara is a shill, Booty needs to be fired, and Xbox is stupid. Still wouldn't know why though.