As part of the big XBOX shakeup, multiple former XBOX first-party developers were let go. Some are going to new owners; others such as Double Fine and Compulsion Games, are going back to being independent. Recently, Compulsion Games CEO Guillaume Provost shared that the deal was made on August 11 and the studio is officially back as an independent developer and have regained the ownership of their IP.
“We would rather eat rocks and drink gasoline than be split up” – Compulsion Games has officially completed its buyout from Xbox and now owns all its IP.
Players who buy games like South of Midnight are now supporting the studio directly, its CEO says.https://t.co/iWxhTjjSM2 pic.twitter.com/42y9D2nRgg
— VGC (@VGC_News) August 20, 2026
“I can confirm we have regained ownership of our IP, and that the publishing rights are transferring back to Compulsion,” Provost told GamesBeat. “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 said the decision to go back to being independent came from the team as a whole, after a conversation on the matter. They wanted to stay together instead of shutting down and having to look 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.”
Some staff decided to leave Compulsion or started to look for jobs as soon as Provost told the team that the studio was facing closure. Despite that, most of the studio leaders have stayed with the team.
Last month, Compulsion Games posted a message reaching out to other studios, offering collaborative work on any projects they may need a partner for.
According to Provost, some of the team is now working on a title that was in development when Microsoft announced its plans to close the studio in addition to speaking to other companies about potential partnerships.