Compulsion Games Regains 3 Game Rights in Xbox Split After 3,200 Layoffs
Updated
Updated · MobileSyrup · Aug 20
Compulsion Games Regains 3 Game Rights in Xbox Split After 3,200 Layoffs
3 articles · Updated · MobileSyrup · Aug 20
Summary
Compulsion confirmed it is independent from Xbox again, and CEO Guillaume Provost said the studio kept rights to South of Midnight, Contrast and We Happy Few.
Those rights were transferred during a transition period, but Provost said game purchases now directly support the Montreal studio rather than Microsoft.
The separation helped Compulsion avoid a potential shutdown during Xbox's broader reset, which earlier included 3,200 layoffs and divestitures across multiple studios.
Provost said some staff left when closure risk emerged, though most management stayed and part of the team will keep developing a new project started under Xbox.
The buyout gives Compulsion control after South of Midnight won a Peabody and swept the Canadian Game Awards, but it now must secure funding in a battered games industry.