‘We would rather eat rocks and drink gasoline than be split up’: Compulsion Games has completed its buyout from Xbox
The South of Midnight studio now officially owns all its IP
Compulsion Games has now officially completed its management buyout from Xbox.
Last month Xbox announced plans to cut thousands of jobs as part of what CEO Asha Sharma called “the most significant restructure in Xbox history”.
Compulsion – which was acquired by Xbox in 2018 – was one of the studios affected by this major ‘reset’, but rather than being shut down entirely the studio instead successfully negotiated a deal to leave Xbox and return to being an independent developer.
The deal would also enable the studio to retain the rights to its previous IPs – Contrast, We Happy Few and South of Midnight – something that has now officially taken place.
Speaking to GamesBeat, Compulsion CEO Guillaume Provost said the deal was completed on August 11, stating: “I can confirm we have regained ownership of our IP, and that the publishing rights are transferring back to Compulsion.
“It’s just that there’s a transition period where that happens with different platform holders. Buying the games is supporting the studio as a result of that change.”
Provost also added that the decision to become independent again was made after discussing the situation with the team, who wanted to stay together instead of shutting down the studio and looking for work elsewhere.
“I did this deal for the team first and foremost,” he said. “I asked the team: ‘Do you want to stay together?’ The team told me we would rather eat rocks and drink gasoline than be split up.”
He added that some staff left Compulsion or started looking for jobs as soon as he told them the studio faced closure, but most of the studio leaders have stayed with the team.
According to Provost, some of the team is now working on a title that was in development when Microsoft announced plans to close the studio. The company is also talking to other companies about potential partnerships.
Last month the studio posted a message on its LinkedIn page reaching out to other studios, offering collaborative work on any projects they may need a partner for.
