Update 7/21/2026 6:51 p.m. ET: Alpha Dog founder Shawn Woods has shared the following statement with Kotaku:
It’s true that Alpha Dog Games is once again independently owned by its founders. We’re incredibly excited to have the name we put so much effort and pride into building back in our hands.
First and foremost, we’re grateful to Microsoft for working with us through the transition and enabling Alpha Dog Games to return to independent ownership. It means a great deal to have the opportunity to continue the studio’s legacy, which began in 2012.
Over the past several months, we’ve continued investing in the studio’s technology and development foundation, including updating key parts of the Unity-based game engine framework that Mighty DOOM was built on. That gives us a strong starting point as we consider what comes next.
We’re not ready to discuss specific projects or long-term plans just yet, but the excitement surrounding Alpha Dog Games over the past few days has honestly exceeded our expectations. It has been humbling to see how much our games still mean to players around the world. The passion from the community has reminded us just how special those experiences were, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future may hold.
As we begin this new chapter, we’re exploring opportunities with partners, publishers, licensors, and others who share our passion for building great games. If there’s an opportunity to work together, we’d love to have the conversation.
Original story continues below:
Two years ago, Microsoft shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and the dev of mobile Doom game Mighty Doom, Alpha Dog Games, in a shocking and brutal move. Since then, Tango Gameworks has managed to find a new home with PUBG publisher Krafton. And now, Alpha Dog is seemingly back in action, too, as an independent developer.
This comes from the LinkedIn profile of studio founder Shawn Woods (via The Verge). His experience at Alpha Dog Games has been relisted on his profile running from May 2025 to present, with the simple descriptor, “Independently owned, again.”
Alpha Dog Games was previously based in Halifax, and primarily focused on mobile games such as Wraithborne and Ninja Golf. It was acquired by Zenimax Media in 2019, and then acquired with the rest of Zenimax by Microsoft in 2021. The studio released Mighty Doom, a roguelike shoot-em-up, for Android and iOS in March of 2023 after a two-year soft launch. The game was shut down in 2024 following the studio’s closure.
At the moment, it is unclear what this new independent revival will look like or who all from the previous studio will work there. Kotaku has reached out to Woods for comment.
This news is a surprising momentary relief after an overwhelming tide of news surrounding mass layoffs at Xbox in recent weeks. 1600 people were let go, 1600 more are planned to be let go in the next year, and a number of studios are being cut loose, with Double Fine and Compulsion to go independent and Ninja Theory and Undead Labs finding new ownership. Arkane Lyon is currently in “consultation” in France, and its fate is yet to be determined. Given the way things have gone the last few years and now the last few weeks, it’s nice to hear that at least one studio flattened by Xbox’s acquisition spree around the industry is back on its feet again.
