Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast
Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast

Compulsion Games is Free From Xbox - Kinda Funny Games Daily 08.20.26

August 20, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Compulsion Games Goes Independent, 007 First Light Hits 4 Million Sales

Compulsion Games, the Montreal-based studio behind South of Midnight and We Happy Few, has officially separated from Microsoft through a management buyout. Studio CEO Guillaume Provost confirmed the deal in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz, revealing that the team now owns its original intellectual property again after buying it back from Microsoft. The news broke when the Steam version of South of Midnight flipped its ownership from Microsoft to Compulsion Games last week, though the studio initially had no comment.

Provost said management has acquired both the studio and its staff, meaning revenue from any Compulsion game sales now goes directly to supporting the studio rather than Microsoft. "We're confirming we're getting all of our publishing rights back," Provost said, though he acknowledged the legal work takes time. The studio must also assume ownership of its games on Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox stores. Provost did not disclose the terms of the deal beyond confirming it was a management buyout, calling it "a far better outcome than the alternative, which was the studio shutting down."

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **Show Open & Host Banter** - Greg Miller and Blessing Adeoye Jr. kick off the show, with Blessing recounting his recent trip to Tokyo for a FromSoftware Dusk Bloods preview.
  • 2 (09:26) **Compulsion Games Goes Independent** - The studio’s CEO confirms a management buyout, freeing itself from Microsoft and reclaiming its original IP.
  • 3 (31:24) **007: First Light Hits 4 Million Sales** - IO Interactive’s James Bond game reaches a major sales milestone, and its Switch 2 release window slips to “later in 2026.”
  • 4 (38:21) **15 Minutes of Black Myth: Zhang Quay Gameplay** - Game Science releases extended footage of the Wukong sequel, showing more enemy variety and refined combat.
  • 5 (43:35) **Golden Axe Animated Series Trailer** - Paramount releases a trailer for its comedic, meta-humor cartoon based on the Sega classic, premiering September 16th on Paramount+.
  • 6 (49:38) **The We News Channel** - A roundup of smaller gaming news items.
  • 7 (50:06) **Super Chats & Final Segment** - The hosts read audience questions and comments, touching on FromSoftware’s release cadence, photo tips, and a correction from Cliff Bleszinski.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

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Run of Show -

00:00:00 - Start
00:07:40 - Compulsion Games pulls off management buyout and separates from Xbox - Dean Takahashi @ Games Beat
00:24:38 - 007 First Light Hits Major Sales Milestone, Still Confirmed For Switch 2 - Ollie Reynolds @ Nintendo Life
00:32:15 - 15 minutes of Black Myth: Zhong Kui gameplay footage provide our first proper look at Wukong's successor yet - Sherif Saed @ Eurogamer
00:37:35 - The first trailer for Paramount’s Golden Axe cartoon contains magic, meta humour and a release date - Chris Scullion @ VGC
00:41:50 - Wee News!
00:43:58 - SuperChats & You‘re Wrong

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Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast

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