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South of Midnight Wins a Game of the Year Award After Recent Split from Xbox

Former Xbox studio Compulsion Games is experiencing a whirlwind of a 2026 as it wins a big award after its divorce from Xbox.

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Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight is still winning awards more than halfway through a 2026 that saw the studio leave Xbox and strike out on its own as an independent team.

south of midnight wins games for change’s game of the year award

Between Compulsion Games’ three released titles in Contrast, We Happy Few, and South of Midnight, it’s South of Midnight that has received the most awards and nominations. It took home The Game Awards’ Games for Impact prize and nearly swept the Canadian Game Awards, bringing home a Game of the Year trophy in the process. South of Midnight brought its award-winning art style, music, and storytelling to a broader audience earlier this year when it came to PS5 and Nintendo Switch gamers.

Despite the game’s accolades, Compulsion Games found itself in a tough spot over the past few months, as it was swept up in Xbox’s big “reset” that saw devastating job cuts across the division.........

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