• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Head of Arkane (Deathloop) Leaves studio

AAA business is completely fucked from a creativity point of view, probably got tired of all the dumping down and lowest common denominator targeting
 
Shanomatic said:
Do we need a thread every time someone leaves a studio? These games involve 100s of people at all levels of the hierarchy; one person, hell a dozen people leaving really shouldn't be news, especially in an industry as fluid as gaming.

Then again who am I kidding; it's very clear where you want this discussion to go.
Click to expand...
Studio director and COO leaving is definitely worth making a thread about and the studio director would be up there in the top 5 most influential people for a studio or game so when they leave it's definitely quite possible things will change. The only thing not needed was your knee jerk reaction of coping badly. Just forget about it if it bothers you so much. People will always create threads that you don't like for some subjective reason.
 
RiccochetJ said:
I change jobs every 3 years or so. Mostly because that's the best way to get any sort of decent pay increase. Staying at one company for 16 years seems unfathomable to me even if you are an executive or in a leadership role.
Click to expand...

Depends on what your goal is and what your ok with career wise.
 
Fbh said:
Seems reasonable to maybe want something else after 16 years at the studio. And can't blame him if he is looking for something a bit less time consuming.



Sony showed the game at basically every event they had since it got announced, they even made a state of play specifically for Deathloop. People around here were actually commenting about being tired of Sony showing it so often.

Also don't forget that Sony just got a timed exclusive deal. The game was still published by Bethesda so it was up to them to spend more on marketing if you wanted to see billboards or TV commercials
Click to expand...

Whooosh.
 
TheInfamousKira said:
Whooosh.
Click to expand...
images
 
ethomaz said:
Seems like he just wanted to delivery Deathloop after the acquisition.

Job done… I appreciate that because some will left before finish their projects.
Click to expand...
Coincidentally, Mikami has also said he may retire. I wonder if it's immediately after Ghostwire or if he's going to do another game right after.
 
Lmao some of you are so thirsty for negative Xbox news huh so now the game director is the head of the studio? Lmao 🤣 since when isn't the head of Arkane at the Austin studio and not the one in France. What is this nonsense?
 
This dude wasn't the head of anything, he was a studio director. All of the creative leads are still there, this is a non-story.
 
When someone leaves a company after such a long tenure, it doesn't mean nothing. But who know WHAT it means? (Speaking as an old man who has been with a company 15+ years)
 
I guess he didn't like the terms and conditions of being owned by Microsoft. However, he is leaving at the top because Deathloop is going to get several game of the years nominations/wins.

Hopefully his next project is great and everybody is happy.
 
If Harvey leaves, the studio is RIP. Its an absolute shame, best level designers in the business IMO. However, it was over when Rapheal left.
 
RaZoR No1 said:
SadLoop...

With all of the Directors etc. leaving here and there.. How much impact/ influence do they really have in a game development?
Click to expand...
A simulation game in which you manage and build a game studio into a top-tier AAA studio after top management and key personnel leave. /s. I'd play it to be honest lol
RaZoR No1 said:
Are they really the game changer which can decide if the game will turnout to be good or bad? Honest question.
Click to expand...
Can't generalize it. It may or may not have an impact. All depends on how much streamlined your projects are, how the project management is, and what the level of QA is.

The guys who made Until Dawn, excellent, high-polished game with an MC of 79 and User Score of 8.3, then made The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, an MC of 69 and User Score of 5.7. The difference, in that case, was the involvement of Sony and the project management and QA polish it brings.

But it doesn't happen all the time. So really can't look too much into it at the moment, but key personnel leaving does have an effect on the culture and workflows of the studios.
 
Heisenberg007 said:
A simulation game in which you manage and build a game studio into a top-tier AAA studio after top management and key personnel leave. /s. I'd play it to be honest lol

Can't generalize it. It may or may not have an impact. All depends on how much streamlined your projects are, how the project management is, and what the level of QA is.

The guys who made Until Dawn, excellent, high-polished game with an MC of 79 and User Score of 8.3, then made The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, an MC of 69 and User Score of 5.7. The difference, in that case, was the involvement of Sony and the project management and QA polish it brings.

But it doesn't happen all the time. So really can't look too much into it at the moment, but key personnel leaving does have an effect on the culture and workflows of the studios.
Click to expand...
That with Until Dawn is a good example.
Always wondered why or where they went wrong after their hit.

So inthe end it all depends on the team and team structure and only time will tell how Arkane will be after that.
 
RaZoR No1 said:
SadLoop...


With all of the Directors etc. leaving here and there.. How much impact/ influence do they really have in a game development?

Are they really the game changer which can decide if the game will turnout to be good or bad? Honest question.
Click to expand...
EmbraceLoop

Hard to tell how impactful one person can be on a project. I mean wasn't Cory Barlog responsible for the radical change in God Of War PS4. If you look at that example then yeah maybe one individual can make a difference. But industry people come and go all the time so it really shouldn't be any issue.
 
Sometimes you have to strike while the irons hot, as they say. Never a better time to look for a better opportunity than after a big success. He is probably just trying to leverage the success of deathloop into something. Not unusual imo.
 
I think I have talked about this before but with every big buy out the COs and talent is offered a retianer bonus if they stay until the current projects are done or for like a year or 2 to ease the transition. I imagine that is what this is. I expect Todd Howard to depart next year.
 
Hopefully the Fallout76 team leaves Bethesda next if more people are really going to be leaving Zenimax.
 
Last edited:
www.videogameschronicle.com

Deathloop’s director has been appointed as the new head of Arkane Lyon | VGC

Dinga Bakaba steps into the role previously held by Romuald Capron…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com

Dinga Bakaba took on the role of studio director at the company in October, following the departure of former head Romuald Capron.

Bakaba has also retained his position as Arkane Lyon's co-creative director, a role he shares with Deathloop co-director and studio art director Sebastien Mitton.
 
IbizaPocholo said:
www.videogameschronicle.com

Deathloop’s director has been appointed as the new head of Arkane Lyon | VGC

Dinga Bakaba steps into the role previously held by Romuald Capron…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com

Dinga Bakaba took on the role of studio director at the company in October, following the departure of former head Romuald Capron.

Bakaba has also retained his position as Arkane Lyon's co-creative director, a role he shares with Deathloop co-director and studio art director Sebastien Mitton.
Click to expand...
Awesome. He's good for the role.
 
REdfall looks terrible, I'm sure he didn't ask for that, especially not that horrible artstyle and character designs.
 
Bkdk said:
REdfall looks terrible, I'm sure he didn't ask for that, especially not that horrible artstyle and character designs.
Click to expand...
Instead of just coming in to throw fud at least do some research and know that the main studio in Austin is who's doing red fall not the one in France 🤦🏾‍♂️
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

New Rebs Gaming Halo Studios report - Studio head Pierre Hintze behind most of issues
23
363
KanKamAndNob replied
Eidos Montreal lays off 124 staff, head of studio David Anfossi departs
2
57
506
Zacfoldor replied
Amazon Game Studios boss Christoph Hartmann (formerly head of 2K) is leaving the company, Bloomberg News has learned
Business Game Dev Platform 
1
144
videogamedude replied
MindsEye Studio Head Warns That Those Who Tried to Sabotage The Game Will be Arrested
Drama Game Dev 
43
401
TheThreadsThatBindUs replied
Warhorse Studios Could Be The Studio Working On The Open World Lord of the Rings game
2
59
457
xanaum replied
Top Bottom