Legendary game designer Sandy Petersen, known for his work on Doom, Quake, Call of Cthulhu, and the Age of Empires series, expressed a tough stance on the future of major game companies amidst restructuring at Xbox.
We don't need to save Blizzard. We didn't need to save Microsoft, id Software, Ensemble Studios, or Atari. We don't need to save any game company. If they die, let them die. They will be replaced by new game companies, which will probably be even better. The gaming industry will continue to exist.
The developer reminded that studio closures often lead to the emergence of new teams and projects. As an example, he cited Ensemble Studios — the creators of Age of Empires. After the studio closed in 2009, its former employees founded several new companies, including Robot Entertainment, Boss Fight Entertainment, NewToy, and Petersen Games. According to Petersen, this is how the industry develops: old companies leave, and new ones appear in their place.