With the LitRPG genre, authors combine the deep storytelling of novels with the game elements of MMOs and RPGs, creating a more interactive experience. Humble's LitRPG Audiobook Bundle offers as many as 15 of those books, making this a pretty great deal for fans who are looking to fill out their libraries.
The bundle includes 15 different audiobooks that blend RPG mechanics and genre fiction. You'll even get a few full series. They include the Chronicles of Sir Crabby books, about a sentient crab fighting through an RPG-esque ocean, written by the author of the Noobtown series; the first two entries into the Qi=MC2 series, about a character trapped in a strange world and forced to take on challenges to increase his strength; and the first two Speedrunning the Multiverse books, about a godlike character battling through the multiverse to alleviate his boredom.
According to an IGN report, the team was working on DLC for the game and a series of updates that were expected to be released soon. But due to recent events, it's highly unlikely that we'll see the studio's work come to light. Prior to the studio closing, players would have received two new characters who were a part of the Hero Pass by Halloween.
One of these updates would have included an offline mode that was teased in the past. In an interview with Eurogamer, Harvey Smith, the game director of Redfall, said that the team was "looking into and working actively toward fixing that in the future."
A Prey fan account that's been diligently counting down the days, quite literally, for a sequel to the 2017 FPS, has thrown in the towel now that Arkane Austin has been shuttered.
Early on Tuesday, Microsoft confirmed that it had closed several Bethesda and ZeniMax studios, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Arkane Austin, of course, is the studio behind the popular Dishonored series as well as Deathloop, Redfall, and 2017's Prey. The latter is a game many have wanted a sequel to for years, and although that prospect has appeared rather slim given the deafening silence from all who would be involved, that studio's closure is the nail on the coffin.
Breaking a 2,556-long streak of tweets reading simply, "no," the Twitter account 'Has Prey 2 Been Announced Yet?' shared this utterly tragic tweet on Tuesday after the news of Arkane Austin's closure:
2017's Prey is mostly unrelated reboot of the cult classic 2006 FPS of the same name, developed by Human Head. A sequel to that game was in development at one point but was quietly shelved back in 2011 until Bethesda officially canceled it in 2014.
Despite its enduring popularity with both players and critics, 2017's Prey is considered a commercial flop, which is probably a big reason Microsoft never gave the green light for a sequel.
In case you're eager for some insights into Microsoft's thinking after a year of Xbox executives celebrating Hi-Fi Rush as a "break out hit" and saying "we don't quit" on games like Redfall, you aren't the only one.
After laying off thousands of employees over the past couple years, games industry executives appear to be adopting a more efficient method of what they euphemistically call "reprioritization": closing entire studios. Take-Two axed two studios just last week, and now Microsoft has bulldozed four more, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, which it acquired when it bought Bethesda in 2021.
The dissolution of these talented, well-respected teams has reinforced the feeling among gamers and developers that nothing is good enough to earn security under big publishers today. In one popular tweet, indie developer Maisie Ó Dorchaidhe listed 11 things "that will no longer keep you safe in this industry," including "a good game," "a profitable game," and "long hours and sacrifice."
Indeed, Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush was deemed by Microsoft to be a "break out hit" in "all key measurements and expectations" last year. And in his email to staff today (acquired by IGN), Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said that the studio closures "are not a reflection of the creativity and skill of the talented individuals at these teams or the risks they took to try new things." Rather, Microsoft is "prioritizing high-impact titles."
The message being heard is that you can do everything right, but still be deemed 'low-impact' at any point by the suits upstairs, and then it's curtains. In the wake of the announcement, fans and developers have expressed fury, heartbreak, and unease, especially over the future of other Microsoft-owned studios, which include Obsidian, inXile, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory.
"Extremely cool and not devastating at all how even studios and devs who make award winning or best selling games aren't safe from ✨restructuring✨ and ✨divesting resources elsewhere✨," wrote Firaxis writer Emma Kidwell.
"I don't understand the closure of Tango Gameworks," wrote Helldivers 2 studio CEO Johan Pilestedt. "I mean... Why close instead of divest [sell]? Surely the team would easily have been able to find a new home."
"I cannot imagine hearing you're being let go because of prioritisation of *another developer* is especially good for morale," said Larian publishing director Michael Douse, "especially if you’re in another regional office of a shuttered sister office 🤦♂️- imaging reading that and working in Obsidian, or something. Wild."
Notices of unfilled positions at other studios, a common sight in the aftermath of layoffs and studio closures, have been popping up, too. Alan Wake 2 director Kyle Rowley said that Remedy "took a lot of inspiration from both Evil Within and Evil Within 2" when making Alan Wake 2, and encouraged ex-Tango developers to apply. BioShock creator Ken Levine said that he's "sad and disappointed" by the closure of Arkane Austin, and is seeking designers from the studio to work on his new game (although it bears mentioning that Levine's last studio, Irrational, closed so that he could start his current one).
According to Booty's email, "some" Arkane Austin employees will be moved to other teams at Bethesda. One of the other studios that closed, Roundhouse Games, will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios. Tango Gameworks and the fourth shuttered studio, Alpha Dog, had no such stipulations—they just closed.
"I just want to say that I love all the people at Arkane Austin so much," wrote its former studio director, Harvey Smith. "Great times, hard times, we went through so much, together. Of course, today's news is terrible, for all of us. Your talent will lift you up, and I will do anything I can to help."
In January, Microsoft also canceled a survival game in production at Blizzard, which it acquired with Activision for $68.7 billion last year, and laid off its development team as part of 1,900 job cuts across Xbox.
Monster Hunter has become one of Capcom's biggest franchises over the years, and if you're looking to experience one of the more interesting spin-off titles, then you should check out this PC preorder deal for Monster Hunter Stories right now. Originally released exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 (and later ported to iOS), this new release updates the quirky adventure with improved high-definition visuals, full voice-overs in English and Japanese, and throws in a wealth of extra content.
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