Alpha Dog Games – a studio shuttered by Microsoft two years ago – has reemerged as an independent studio.
Two years ago – in what was the beginning of Microsoft's apparent new trend of yearly summer layoffs – Microsoft shut down Prey developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games, as well as folding Roundhouse Games into ZeniMax Online Studios. While Tango Gameworks was eventually revived by PUBG publisher Krafton, the other studios remained closed for the last two years.
However, out of nowhere, the LinkedIn profile (via Vice, spotted by regular LinkedIn sleuth Timur222 on Twitter) of the studio's founder, Shawn Woods was updated with the section under Alpha Dog Games saying "independently owned, again." Bethesda acquired the studio back in 2019, where it was then brought under the Microsoft banner following its purchase of ZeniMax.
While the update was reportedly only added to his profile recently, Woods' profile lists this tenure as "May 2025 – Present" suggesting that the studio actually went independent last year while Phil Spencer was still head of Xbox.
Earlier this month, Microsoft started its fifth batch of layoffs since spending $75 billion on acquiring Activision Blizzard in 2023, which resulted in Compulsion Games and Double Fine both going back to being independent developers, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs being purchased by currently unknown buyers, and Arkane "reviewing potential strategic options." And in 2024 – shortly after being purchased by Microsoft as a part of Activision – Crash Bandicoot and Spyro developer Toys For Bob went independent.
At the time of writing, "Independently owned, again," is the extent of what Woods has had to say about the return of Alpha Dog Games, so it's unclear what the studio is working on. While Microsoft's layoffs have done untold damage with the amount of developers now looking for work and the years of knowledge leaving the industry due to an ever-increasing lack of opportunity, it's a little glimmer of light to see studios retaining their independence.
