Head of Arkane Lyon (Deathloop) leaves the company after 16 years

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-head-of-arkane-lyon-has-left-after-almost-17-years-at-the-deathloop-studio/

Capron joined the developer as chief operating officer and production director in January 2005, before also being appointed studio head in April 2019.

He stepped down last week, shortly after the launch of the studio’s latest game, the critically acclaimed Deathloop, and seven months after Arkane’s parent company ZeniMax Media was acquired by Microsoft.

In a LinkedIn update, Capron said he had taken the “very hard decision” to leave Arkane as he felt “the need to try something new” and also spend more time with his family.“I’m very proud of what we accomplished with this amazing team,” he wrote. “The successful launch of Deathloop is just another proof that Arkane has a very bright future and unique place in our industry.

“I’m letting the studio in very good hands, under the leadership of [game director and co-creative director] Dinga Bakaba, [art director and co-creative director] Sébastien Mitton, [technical director] Hugues Tardif and [executive producer] Morgan Barbe, who – I’m sure – will keep on pushing ambitious and innovative projects.

“As for my own future,” he added, “my goal is to keep on helping video game companies, and others, to make their creative vision become a reality, since that’s what I love to do. Stay tuned…”

Thoughts, SW? Will Arcane be just fine under MS?

Meh. I’ve never been particularly drawn to their games myself but I’m sure that they’ll be fine.

Hope they can make another masterpiece like Dishonored or Prey under MS.

I wonder if he ever started working on Redfall before he left?

Bet sales were mediocre.

@SolidGame_basic: I think you overestimate the value of his role.

This happens all the time when acquisitions happen.

That's Arkane Austin. From watching the NoClip documentary about Prey I got the sense that they don't really collaborate on projects.

Arkane should really be aiming for indie studio type stuff with lower budget, I think. They seem to almost get consistently fucked in sales.

If anything the AAA production emulating generic Hollywood crap they were obligated to present probably hurt it from whatever actual good gameplay exists. To average joe probably just looked like another generic FPS

Wacky characters! Wowwwwwwwww. What's going on it's Karazyeeeeeeeeeeeee! We've seen in like, 600 other trailers.

Also gamers are racist.

Poor PlayStation sales because it was an Xbox studios game the probable cause

TC very conveniently forgot about about Bruce Straley leaving Naughty Dog after UC4 and just before TLOU 2. He also forgot that Sony lost the head of SIE and SIE WW studios in a short span of time very recently. I wonder why!

Unless there's a sudden mass exodus, people leaving or joining doesn't matter much.

Good for them, hope they enjoy their next adventure!

Also TC, it's "Arkane", not "Arcane".

Wonder why can’t be MS great management skills

This thread made me aware of his existence. I'm gonna guess that they'll be fine and that they'll probably continue making average games like they always have.

Dishonored and Prey are much better than any of childish nintendo games lol.

@ghosts4ever: Ummm...no.

Well. No.

Prey is by far most old school and intelligent game of last gen. it was even more old school thanb Doom and Eternal since Doom is mix of modern and old school.

Prey is pure old school and also have one of the most mindblowing twist in gaming.

You said "old school" four times in that post.

I'll be sure to give you my impressions when I play it.

if you play like its FPS. you wil hate it. because its immersive sim first and foremost. it focus more on exploration and immersion with deep and complex level design, big inventory, RPG elements etc.

Its System shock 2 spritual successor.

Play it like immersive sim.

Yeah, when I buy a game, I know what kind of game it is that I'm buying. But thanks.

I haven't played the System Shocks, sadly. But I played the demo of the SS remake, and enjoyed it.

All the best to him.

As for Arkane, I hope they go back to making great games and stop trying to be cool and edgy like with Deathloop and Redfall.

Didn't help that the game released with FC6, Battlefield 2042, Back4Blood nipping at it's heels. I bought it for my PS5, but I am a huge fan of single player games, as well as the online biggies......but most can't afford and/or justify to spend full price on 8hr or so campaigns.