Former Xbox Dev Compulsion Games Shares Open Letter To 'Studios Across The Industry'

South of Midnight dev is back in business

by Craig Reid
1 hour ago

Former Xbox Studio Compulsion Games Shares Open Letter To 'Studios Across The Industry' 1

South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games, formally part of Xbox Game Studios before announcing its independence during the latest wave of layoffs, has popped out a call on LinkedIn to let the industry know they're ready to cook by inviting potential partners to "leverage the talent and creativity" of its award-winning team.

"With Compulsion Games returning to its roots as an independent developer, we are expanding opportunities to collaborate with studios across the games and entertainment industry. We invite partners to leverage the talent and creativity of the award-winning team behind South of Midnight...With deep experience in creating acclaimed original IP, we bring our artistry, technical expertise and collaborative approach to every project."

Here's a look at the full statement:

Former Xbox Studio Compulsion Games Shares Open Letter To 'Studios Across The Industry' 2

Compulsion Games is a Montreal-based developer known for its expressive and wonderfully strange games. From the drug-fuelled alternate Britain of We Happy Few, to the film noir-inspired world of Contrast, and the gator-filled swamps of South of Midnight, the studio has always dished out plenty of charm with its projects.

We here at Pure Xbox are big fans of South of Midnight, donning it "a triumph" in our 9/10 review of the action-adventure game. It pleases us to hear the studio is already gearing up for its next project, and we're hoping the other studios affected by the Xbox Reset - Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, and Arkane - can all find a bright future ahead too.

What would you like to see Compulsion Games do next? Let us know in the comments below.

[source linkedin.com]

1
Shinato2024
1 hour ago

If they try to make another game with South of Midnight's budget now that they're independent, they'll go bankrupt. I liked the game, but given the reported budget, it's absurd for a title like that to cost so much. Anyway, I hope the studio stays grounded with its future projects.

2
themightyant
1 hour ago

@Shinato2024 And if they try to make a game of the budget of We Happy Few or Contrast they likely won't sell enough to keep the studio funded. It's a super-tough market right now.

Feels like damned if you do, damned if you don't, unless you get lucky.

I would hope that a sequel to South of Midnight would be significantly cheaper and have the benefit of knowing what they need to fix (gameplay/combat) without having to spend years iterating as much. Might be their best shot imo.

3
MinervaX76
51 mins ago

Sounds like they are trying to get some contracts as support studio for other studio/publisher projects rather than jump into their own venture. Maybe it’s just an attempt to get some additional money flow while they embark on their next project.

4
Mr-Cage
51 mins ago

Hopefully they do well in the future if they are smart and do things right there's no reason they shouldn't be!

5
MinervaX76
49 mins ago

@Shinato2024 technically they could make a South to Midnight sequel or prequel at a fraction of the budget by leveraging existing assets and engine. Sequels can be way cheaper to develop IF they don’t try to make everything from the ground up.

Think that’s what Ninja Theory is aiming for with the new Hellblade entry.

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