It's ?the weekend, and the Milton Keynes CeX store is always packed at these peak hours. Set within a busy city, the line is almost outside the door, and many customers are scurrying over themselves, se?arching for PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS5 games.

GameStop in North America is quite the opposite of this, with plenty of Funko POP toys stalking the aisles, some games, and a lack of custome?rs ?at most hours of the day (at least in my experience). GameStop Retro could be a difference maker.

I've lived i??n both Canada and the UK, and from my experience, shopping for games is quite different in the latter. CeX is everywhere in my home country and lets y??ou buy retro games as well as the latest and greatest. It sells used games, in addition to movies and tech like phones and Bluetooth headsets.

Meanwhile,? GAME, the GameStop of the U.K., is empty, with many locations now stuck in the corners of Sports Direct stores across the country. It's even stopped accepting trade-ins. It's bizarre.

On August 28, GameStop announced it was shifting some of its stores to a retro model. According to a video by Spawn Wave, the employees didn't have much time to prepare for the cha??nge.?

Despite the snickers from some in the online community, GameStop switching to a retro model could actually save the company if it can build a dedicated audience and community like CeX in? the UK.

CeX has grown a culture around used games

Time and time again, I see lines build up at CeX stores all across the United Kingdom, especially in more dense cities like Milton Keynes and Londo??n. That's because, for the past three decades, this store has built a culture around trading your stuff for ?decent money and getting great technology, movies, or recent video games.

There is a dedicated YouTube community with channels like Retro Ghetto and TVM, which create vlogs about what they find in these stores. That's how much of a following CeX gets within the British shores. It's a rush to go to a CeX and see what's available, despite how awkward of a name it is. It seriously calls its free Wi-Fi?? "Unprotected CeX."

In the United States and Canada, finding retro games is far less convenient. While some cities have independent game stores in their community, most don'??t. North Americans have to rely on the steep prices on eBay and Amazon unless they get lucky at a thrift store. On top of that, they may have ??to pay steep shipping prices.

While I lived in Canada, I barely bothered to build a retro game collection because I could never afford the prices that resellers wanted for their catalog. It would ??be a blessing if GameStop Retro could take a??way those frustrations and make retro gaming affordable like CeX.

It seems like GameStop Retro might have competitive prices against eBay and Amazon, which is a good sign. "The prices ?[are] not terrible; I've seen muc?h worse on like eBay [and] if it's at a convention, good luck, right?" said Spawn Wave, describing his experience at a GameStop Retro location.

By the way, the CeX website is stellar. It tells you how much stock each store has and lets you ?know immediately how much trade-in credit you'll get. It's always a mystery when you go to a GameSto??p, so having that front and center would help immensely with its customers.

Ever since coming back to the UK four months ago, I've built an extensive PS3 and PS4 library of titles. For just a few quid (£), I've been able to get games like Alpha Protocol, Final Fantasy XIII, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, experiences that are hard to get on modern platforms, and it's honestly addicting. If GameStop Retro can replicate CeX's value for money and decent trade values, it could work for the chain, even if it's hard to support GameStop, however, with what the company did to Game Informer an??d its?? staff.

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On?e of the longest-running institutions in games media is shutting its doors today. News broke this morning that parent company GameStop is closing G?ame Informer, after over three decades of magazines and online content.

This morning, GI staff were informed of the decision by GameStop corporate. The entire editorial effort has been folded, as both the magazine is shutting down and all staf??f have been laid off. Per former magazine content director Kyle Hilliard, the next issue was "about 70% done" and was going to have a "GREAT [sic] cover."

In a broad statement posted to the Game Informer social channels, the company confirms the closur??e. "While our presses may stop, the passion for gaming that we've cultivated together will continue to live on." Writers from the site have been sharing the news on their social channels as well.

Game Informer debuted in 1991 as a short magazine from now-shuttered video game retailer FuncoLand, as an in-house newsletter. In 2000, GameStop bought FuncoLand and thus took over the publication of Game Informer, which quickly became a major?? facet of its loyalty program.

Three decades of games coverage

At this point, I editorially need to disclose that I have appeared on several Game Informer streams and podcasts, and a??m also friends with several writers now laid off by GameStop. Aside from good practice, it's important to highlight because for many, many people, Game Informer was an institution of games media.

In 2010, Game Informer ranked as the 5th largest magazine in the United States, beating out the likes of Time and Sports Illustrated. Over the years, the outlet would continue to weather storm after storm; the general down-turn in print journalism, the shift to online, and numerous cuts from its parent company. Those cuts were made amid a push for NFTs and blockchain, as GameStop itself seemed to try and ride out its meme-stock status through the waves of retail store chaos.

All the while, legendary names and incredible cover??s still rolled out. Just recently, the GI staff attempted to resuscitate its print magazine efforts, re-launching a subscription service.

To describe Game Informer as an institution could feel hyperbolic, but honestly, that's what it always was. For some, myself included, it was the first glimpse of writing about games; an entire cover-to-cover magazine filled with previews, reviews, features, and writing about the current landscape. At its best, Game Informer revealed stunning covers, adorned with incredible and memorable artwork, filled with new details about the biggest releas?es.

Yet just as often, an issue of Game Informer was fi??lled with the thoughts and people that make up the industry. Short opinion pieces, intriguing interviews, sprawling features, and a personal favorite, letters from readers. I pulled out a bunch of my old issues of GI for the top photo you see here, and was reminded of just how much influence these early magazines had on me.

So now, the Game Informer staff are looking for work, as a long-held bastion of games coverage disappears in a blip. As layoffs persist in this industry and more in??stitutions are discarded or shorn to the bone, it's hard to even know what the future looks like.

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After over a year and a half of negotiations, SAG-AFTRA has officially called a strike on video game work. Going into effect on July 26 at 12:01 a.m., SAG-AFTRA members will be striking again?st companies like Activision Blizzard, Ele?ctronic Arts, and more.

The main "sticking point," as the Guild notes in its statement, are A.I. protections. Negotiations for a new contract with a bargaining group that includes the aforementioned publishers, as well as other major ones like Take-Two, Insomniac, and WB Games, have had A.I. as a focal point. Video game voice a??ctors and motion capture actors are seeking protections against the creeping influence of A.I. in games. As SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher puts it:

“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies t??o abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live �and work �with, we will be here, ready to negotiate."

Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA President

These negotiations began in October 2022 and have been ongoing, with the Guild approving a strike authorization vote in September 2023 with a 98.32% yes vote. The Guild says that some agreemen?ts have been reached on other issues, but it does seem like A.I. is the main cause for concern.

It may be warranted, too, as a recent Wired report explored how publishe??rs like Activis?ion Blizzard are already reportedly incorporating generative A.I. into development.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the companies said in a statement (via Kotaku) that they are "disappoi?nted" the union has walked away, and they remain "prepared" to resume negotiations.

"We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions," said spokesperson Audrey Cooling. ?"Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry."

Voice actors previously went on strike in 2016, over concerns about pay and royalties, among other issues. Where compensation was the concern then, it seems like the spread of tec??h that could have long-lasting implications on actors' livelihoods is now front and center.

"Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation," said Sarah Elmaleh, Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair for the Guild. "We refuse this paradigm �we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts,?? which provide A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve."

As? for the effect this will have on development, th?at will likely be seen in the coming years rather than the here-and-now. The strike is likely to affect in-development games the most, though even games coming out soon may lose out on the chance for recording anything like re-writes.

Meanwhile, a panel is planned for San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, featuring several SAG-AFTR??A game actors discussing their craft. It's certainly going to be an even-higher interest panel now.

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Even from a casual perspective, it's easy to see that the video game industry is worth a lot of money these days. You just need to look how much it costs to buy the average AAA release or Xbox increasing Game Pass prices agai??n to s??ee that. But how much is it worth in total?

Well, according to an analysis from management consulting firm Bain & Company (as reported by Financial Express), the global revenue of the video game industry will be over $300 billion g?lobally in the next few years. More specifically, it'll ex?ceed $307 billion by the year 2027.

If the prediction?? is correct, this will represent a 9% increase on compound annual growth rate, or CAGR. For a bit of perspective, the industry in total was wort??h around $199 billion as of 2022, Bain & company says.

All the video game industry buzzwords

It's no secret that gaming is currently in the midst of a "surge in deal activity," especially with the likes of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a jaw-melting $69 billion. It's possible, according to ?the report, that there may be an increase in similar deals, which means "success will hinge on good franchise management?, fan engagement, and the ability to attract and retain top talent."

The analysis also says that much of this growth come?s from younger games, adding that the industry is:

Being driven by th?e heavy engagement of younger gamers, particularly those aged 13 to 17, who spend about 40% more time in video game environments than on other forms of media, including social media, music, and TV.

Customer service is also an increasingly important factor. The nature of gaming, as many of us have come to know it, is cha?nging at a rapid pace, with players "expecting seamless transitions between gameplay, [socializing], and commerce in both physical and virtua?l worlds."

As a result, video game companies are adaptin??g to new trends and the shifting of the market in order to increase profits, which includes creating "highly [personalized] journeys for consumers, moving seamlessly across devices and plat??forms."

I'll be the first to admit that I don't really understand how global economics works. However, many of us will not be surprised to see the video game industry be worth over $300 billion within the next few years. Equally, people aren't blindsided by the fact that the way we consume ga??mes is changing. It's just a question of whether this is a good thing in the long-run. I suppose it depends on who's financially benefitting from all this, and I think we all know th?e answer to that (hint: it's not you or me).

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The Euro 2024 tournament is heading into the semi-final stages, and concurrently, EA's FC 24 is seeing a huge UK sales boost.

As reported by GFK Entertainment, the soccer (football) game took the top spot in the latest UK weekly sales charts, beating out games like Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, and the recently launched Luigi's Mansion 2 HD.

FC 24 is coming home with money for EA

England has been on shaky footing throughout the whole Euro 2024 tournam??en??t. It beat Slovakia by the skin of its teeth and eliminated Switzerland in a penalty shootout.

The squad's iffy performance and Scotland's earlier loss, however, haven't killed the UK footie fan enthusiasm around buying FC 24. The top 10 best-selling games this week, include:

1. FC 24
2. Hogwarts Legacy
3. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
4. Elden Ring
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
6. Minecraft
7. Grand Theft Auto V
8. F1 24
9. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
10. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition

It also helps that FC 24 added a new game mode dedicated to the Euro 2024 tournament. In past years, this could have been a game in and of itself, but it was added to this year's footie game at no extra cost as an u??pdate. EA added the official match ball and broadcast packages to the game, making it look authentic. You can take on the tournament mode and play as one of the 24 countries that have taken part in Euro 2024, including Scotland and England.

Another factor that might be attributed to FC 24's recent success is its recent discounts. Until July 11, the game is 80% off on Steam. It also has the same discount on PlayStation until July 17. This matched with the excitement ?around the Euro 202?4 tournament has likely spiked sales for this week.

FC 24 also took the top spot for the monthly chart. According to GFK (via GamesIndustry.biz), the top 10 for June 2024 consists of:

1. FC 24
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. F1 24
4. Elden Ring
5. Hogwarts Legacy
6. Civilization VI
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
9. Grand Theft Auto Online
10. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

The sales data consists of both physical and digital sales, but Nintendo's information regarding its sales on the Nintendo eShop hasn't been disclosed. As a result, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is at the No. 14 spot overall for June 2024; it also lau??nched on June 27, at the end of the month, not having enough time to catch up for the top 10.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door leaves the top 10

Nintendo fans might be unhappy to know the beloved remaster of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has left the top 10 UK sales chart, landing at No. 12 behind It Takes Two. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD took the top spot last week but has since dropped to third plac?e.

The Luigi's Mansion 2 remaster may not have impressed those who have played it. Destructoid gave it a 7 out of 10 score in its review, claiming it? looks like a "hospital painted in vi?brant colors."

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After two notable companies cut ties with him, video game streamer Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm has issued an official statement concerning his ban from Twitch and the nature of it. In a lengthy statement today, the streamer confirms he was messaging a minor in 2017, but goes on to clai??m that "nothing illegal happened."

Beahm's ban from Twitch in 2020 was surrounded with an air of mystery, as very little public reasoning was given for the streamer getting booted from the platform. Recently, though, an allegation from a former Twitch employee seems to have broken the dam. The Midnight Society—a game development studio Beahm co-founded�a href="//jbsgame.com/dr-disrespect-dropped-from-studio-amid-new-allegations-over-twitch-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cut ties with him yesterday following an investigation, and earlier today, headset maker Turtle Beach confirmed it was ending its partnership with Dr. Disrespect, who had moved to YouTube from Twitch. During this time, reports emerged reinforcing the reasoning behind the Twitch ban.

All the while yesterday, Beahm hosted a stream of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, before ending on a somber note that indicated he ??was, at the very least, taking a break from streaming. Today, he issued a formal statement on his Twitter, announcing his stance and confirming some details around the nature of the Twitch ban.

It's important to note that Beahm has been editing the statement since its publication, and you can view those revisions on X/Twitter. One?? consistent portion, though, is that Beahm is publicly confirming that he was messaging with "an individual minor" in 2017. Here's his full statement on the matter:

"Were there twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the dire?ction of being inappropriate, but nothing more. Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration regarding a civil dispute with twitch and that c??ase was resolved by a settlement. Let me be clear, it was not a criminal case against me and no criminal charges have ever been brought against me."

Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm, via Twitter

He goes on to say that, from a moral standpoint, he takes responsibility and says he should have "never entertained" the conversations; "that's on me. That's on me as an adult, a husband and a father. It should have never happe?ned. I get it. I’m not perfect and I’ll fucking own my shit. This was stupid," said Beahm.

The statement goes on to lambast "remarks and labels" thrown around on social media. "I'm no fucking predator or pedophile," Beahm writes. He then apologizes to h??is community, exp??resses apathy towards his haters, and then ends with this:

"Finally, if you're uncomfortable with this entire statement and think I'm a piece of shit, that's fine. But I'm not fucking going anyw??here. I’m not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago. I'm taking an extended vacation with my family as mentioned on stream and I'm coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders.

"They want me to disappear�yeah fucking right."

Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm, via Twitter

Midnight Society studio head Robert Bowling took to Twitter not long after Beahm published hi??s statement? with the following:

"This is a statement?? from me personally. It does not reflect any of my companies and has not gone through any legal or?? PR approvals.

"I??f you inappropriately message a minor. I can not work with you.

"Period.

"I promised to only act on facts, and I did."

Robert Bowling, The Midnight Society

T??witch has not made any official statemen??t on the matter, as of the time of this writing.

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Streamer Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm has been official?ly dropped from The Midnight Society, a game studio he helped co-found. The departure follows an investigation conducted?? by the studio into new allegations surrounding Beahm's ban from Twitch in 2020.

On June 21, a former Twitch employee took to Twitter to allege an unnamed person was? banned over use of Twitch Whispers, a now-defunct messaging system on the live-streaming platform, to "meet up" with a minor at TwitchCon. No name was given, but many content creators and reporters took it as a tweet about Beahm.

Beahm was banned in 2020, in a move that was understood at the time to be permanent, though the reasons around it were never given in overtly explicit terms. After the post emerged and started to get shared around, Beahm posted a statement on his own page:

"Listen, I’m obviously tied to legal obligat?ions from ??the settlement with Twitch but I just need to say what I can say since this is the fucking internet.

I didn’t do anything wrong, all this has been probed and settled, nothing ill?ega??l, no wrongdoing was found, and I was paid.

Elden Ring Monday."

Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm, Twitter

The Midnight Society drops Dr. Disrespect

This brings us to today, when Beahm's studio, The Midnight Society, announced it would be parting ways with its co-founder. In a statement, the studio says it was made aware of "an allegation??" against Beahm. It "assumed his innocence and began speaking with parties involved," and then announced that in order to maintain its principles and standards as a studio and?? individuals, it needed to act.

"For this reason, we are terminatin??g our relationship with Guy Beahm immedi?ately," wrote the Midnight Society.

Beahm has yet to make a follow-up statement. During a live stream today, Beahm said he felt "burnt out" and expressed a desire to "start something new, something different." The streamer implies he'll be taking a step back from br??oadcasting, and doesn't give an indication on when he might return.

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You w?ould think any company that let go employees might be struggling a bit financially. That's not the case with EA. In fact, the publisher's 2024 fiscal year appears to have been very lucrative since it made over $7 billion in net revenue, with CEO Andrew Wilson himself earning more than $25.6 million.

As spotted by Game Developer, EA revealed this in a recent Proxy Statement for its shareholders. Said statement also broke down how much each of EA's executives earned in terms of base salaries and bonuses. Altogether, these executives, including Wilson, made over $60 million. This past February, EA had opted to lay off 5% of its total workforce (estimated to be about 670 people), with the only explanation being that it was a result of the company's decision to move away from developing games based on licensed IPs (although it still has two Marvel?? ga??mes based on Iron Man and Black Panther in the works).

The full statement doesn't appear to make any mention of the layoffs, though one of Wilson's listed achievements is that he "oversaw a year of ??continued employee satisfaction sc??ores above industry benchmarks, with record high talent retention and strong talent attraction." Additional comments from Wilson himself only highlight how strong EA's fiscal year has been.

"Our teams are the best in the business, delivering awesome gameplay, innovation, and unmatched authenticity," wrote Wilson. "We’re proud of our performance in service of our stockholders, employees, players, and communities. Our business remains strong, and I could not be more excited about our future as we bring more amazing games and experiences to m??????????????????????????ore people around the world."

EA is by no means the only company to have laid off staff. However, there has been a shocking loss of talent within the industry. In the past six months, there have been more layoffs than in all of 2023, which comes in stark contrast to reports like this that?? talk about how well things are going.

In an executive summary, EA wrote, "During fiscal year?? 2024, we continued to deliver award-winning games and services to our players and generated strong financial and operating results. Hundreds of millions of players around the world came together and connected through our games, live services and content. We continued our efforts to value diverse teams and to create a healthy, inclusive culture that helps our people do their best work."

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Summer has always been a hype time for video games thanks to all the industry showcases. Summer Game Fest, the Xbox showcase, and a few others highlighted some incredible titles for everyone to look forward to, but we mustn't forget that the industry as a whole is in serious turmoil. In fact, as of this week, there have ?been more layoffs in the past six months than in all of 2023.

As spotted by Polygon, this is according to a blog by technical artist Farhan Noor that tracks in?dustry layoffs. While these are only estimated figures, the data highlights how dire things are at the moment. By the end of 2023, approximately 10,500 people working in the games industry lost their jobs. There were early signs that these cuts weren't going to slow down in 2024 and, as of this week, an estimated 10,800 people have been let?? go since the beginning of the year.

What tipped this year's figures past the landmark was the Tencent-owned Sumo Group's decision to reduce staff by up to 15%, meaning roughly 250 employees would've been affected (via GamesIndustry.biz). One of its subsidiaries, Timbre Games, was shut down entirely, as confirmed by this LinkedIn post. The studio was founded only three years ago and had yet to release a single game. These layoffs also came one day after a "busy weekend" where Sumo Group shared new announcements for its upcoming projects during Wholesome ??Direct and the PC Gaming Show.

Obviously, Sumo Group shouldn't bear all of the blame here. Many other companies are equally responsible for gutting their studios and firing staff, including the likes of Microsoft (which infamously shuttered three studios and absorbed another a couple of months ago) and Take-Two Interactive.

There are a number of factors responsible?? for all this, but it doesn't change the fact that the future of the industry is looking bleaker than ever. Many people who've been let go may very well never work in video games again, which means a lot of lost experience. It's reach??ed a point where it's become difficult to recommend anyone pursue a career in game development. All the while, company executives offer platitudes about how such layoffs are difficult but necessary decisions. That's easy enough to say when you're not the one out of work.

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If you've followed PC strategy games for a while, you may recognize names like Jake Solomon, Will Miller, and Grant Rodiek. You're certainly familiar with the games on their resumes; Solomon helmed the XCOM franchise for years, and collaborated with Miller on Marvel's Midnight Suns, while Rodiek hails from The Sims.

These three, alongside COO/CFO Nelsie Birch, have founded Midsummer Studios, a new developer looking to break into the life sim genre. Yes, it's some competition for The Sims.

Formally announced today, Solomon will be CEO and Creative Director, Miller will be Game Director, and Rodiek will be Executive Producer on an as-yet-unnamed project. The pitch? Well, it's all about life. Speaking to Solomon ahead of the official reveal, the CEO tells me their company name came from both his own life, experiencing midsummer festivals, and wanting something "welcoming an?d warm."

A new venture

Midsummer is starting small, having just about 11 people at the moment. There's some talent here, from Firaxis. And when I asked Solomon about starting a new studio in the current industry conditions, he notes how rough layoffs and funding restrictions have been.

For Midsummer, the company is opting for venture capital, with $6 million raised from investors so ar, including Transcend Fund, Tirta Venture??s, Betaworks Ventures, 1Up Ventures, F4 Fund, Krafton, and Day Zero Productions. Additionally, Midsummer is establishing some policies up-front: unlimited PTO, and shared equity in the company.

"I think it just makes sense," Solomon told me. "I think that a new game studio is a start-up. I know they don’t all work like this, but we just kind of viewed it as, the people who are joining us are taking a risk, for sure. Even if we’ve worked together for a long time, we’re a small studio. We, you know, haven’t done anything. So for people to join us, theyâ€??™re taking a risk. We’re the lucky ones to have them. So I think it made sense to say, anybody who joins the studio is going to get equity."

A day in the life

So why a life sim? Well, in some ways, it felt natural. XCOM does lend itself to some systems-driven storytelling, after all, and the War of the Chosen DLC for XCOM 2 leaned further into t??hose ideas with bonds between soldiers.

"Genuinely, what happened was, I made XCOM and I loved XCOM," said Solomon. "And one of my favorite parts of it was XCOM was like, player-driven narrative. We had a very thin narrative in XCOM, but really, the story was the o?nes you made up with your soldiers, and how they survived, and the choices they made. And there’s a lot of head-canon, a lot of projecting."

As Solomon iterated on this, a modern life sim looked like the right answer for how to keep pursuing that. The unnamed sim is set in a "small town," where everyone has lines connecting their lives, whether through family, friendship, romance, rivalry, or other situations. The creative director remarks that, from Stephen King to Gilmore Girls, small towns are a recurring s?etting in storytelling.

The idea is to have the player manage drama, big and small, while going about their day. But?? in a broader sense, the an?gle is storytelling. There are "themes," as Solomon describes, that the player will be able to establish early on.

"I want it to be, I’m looking for my soulmate and the town is filled with wacky characters," said Solomon. "Or I have a close? group of friends, and I’m estranged from my family. I want to succeed in my business, and whatever. And the game goes oh, if you’re trying to tell that story, then I’m?? actually going to generate a cast of characters in the town to help you."

The power of creation

While you can set the framework, though, Solomon also says there will be a creative mode. The systems of this life sim will be open to storytelling, but a??lso manipulation, whether that's altering characters' looks, moods, or tinkering with any oth?er setting.

Ultimately, Solomon points to those narratives and community as pillars of their project moving forward. It's why it seems likely that Midsummer's games will launch in e?arly access—that's just the plan now, though—and hear out feedback. It's also why systems play a big role in talking about this game.

"I think a game like this is like, half a toy," Solomon tells me. "That’s probably what’s most different about this from other games th??at we’ve made, is that this one is at least half a toy, if not more."

Th??at sort of creativity and freedom could lead to a burgeoning community, built up by word-of-mouth, sharing their stories and creations. The idea of creating a town, whether?? based around a compelling concept or a pre-existing set-up, veering into fan fiction, and sharing those with other players to have their own takes on the stories is compelling.

We'll have to see how Midsummer shakes up the life sim genre. While The Sims has long reigned supreme, new competitors seem to be emerging. And if it's got a bit of the emergent storytelling I personally dug from games like XCOM 2, then I'm all ears for whatever the full reveal.

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This morning, Microsoft confirmed it's closing four Xbox studios. Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Games are being complete??ly shuttered, while Roundhouse Studios is getting absorbed by ZeniMax Online St??udios to bolster its work there. It is, sadly, not an original or unique story.

Over and over this year, we've seen mass layoffs and studio closures. Embracer Group, once a vacuum absorbing companies left and right, has been selling them, ditching them, and laying employees off. Microsoft, at this point, is garnering a reputati??on too.

Earlier in 2024, Microsoft confirmed it was laying off 1,900 employees across Xbox and the recently-acquired Activision Blizzard. Today's closure doesn't have a head-count associated yet, and Xbox has yet to make an official statement on its own channels. The news of the studio closures was circulated through an email from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, acquired and verified by IGN. Individual studio accounts have shared the news. Microsoft declined to comment on IGN's report, though employees have since been expressing their frustration on social media.

To put these cuts into perspective highlights the ridiculous situation this industry is in. Arkane Austin had a stumble with Redfall, which will still remain online, but will not receive any further updates, with only a make-good promised for those who purchased the premium DLC pass. Compare that to a statement from Xbox head Phil Spencer, in a May 2023 interview with Kinda Funny:

"In terms of our commitment to the game�absolutely, the team at Arkane is taking the near-term feedback. We’re still working on the 60fps update. We have a good timeline for that, we're committed to getting that done. And we’re going to continue to work the game. I think we’ve shown a commitment to games like Sea of Thieves and Grounded, to continue to go and build gam??es. But I also know that these ga??mes are $70, and I’m gonna take full responsibility for launching a game that needs to be great."

- Xbox's Phil Spencer

In interviews, there were assertions that Arkane Austin, a team that had also produced games like 2017's Prey and the original Dishonored, would get support to bring Redfall back up. Now, the game will likely become a g??host town, and only some Arkane staff are moving to other positions.

Look at Tango Gameworks. Hi-Fi Rush was inarguably a breath of fresh air for Xbox at a time when it needed games, and went on to be critically acclaimed. The two most recent tweets in Tango's timeline are the news of its closure, and a retweet of the Bethesda account, congratulating the team for a BAFTA win.

Following a report that Hi-Fi Rush underperformed, Xbox's VP of Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg publicly refuted it, saying: "[Hi-Fi Rush] was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn't be happi??er with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release."

Just recently, Hi-Fi Rush was tapped to be part of a small slate of Xbox games heading to other platforms. Now, Tango Gameworks' games will remain available to play, but the studio is closing down.

Whether a studio releases a game that falters, or one that wins awards, the outcome doesn't really seem to matter. Booty's letter cites the following as the ??reason for these shifts:

"These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s? portfolio of blockbust?er games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.

To double?? down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look a??cross the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others and that some of our colleagues will be leaving us."

- Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty, per IGN

What does success look like to Xbox, though? Here's a breakdown from Microsoft's FY24 Q3 earnings, dated April 25, 2024:

Microsoft Corp. today announced the following results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, as ??compared to the corresponding period of last fiscal year:

• Revenue was $61.9 billion and increased 17%
• Operating income was $27.6 billion and increased 23%
• Net income was $21.9 billion and increased 20%
• Diluted earnings per share was $2.94 and increased 20%

And for an extra bit of Xbox context: "Xbox content and se?rvices revenue increased 62% (up 61% in constant currency) driven by ?61 points of net impact from the Activision acquisition"

This is not necessarily a new story for Microsoft, either. In January 2024, the same month it announced it was laying off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, Microsoft became the second company to reach a $3 trillion market cap.

There are questions now of what Xbox's game plan is. There are plenty of talks about how this shifts strategy moving forward. Anxieties abound, as the market continues to look flat in outlooks. Undoubtedly, there is a scrutiny placed on studios right?? now to perform, and perform in an environment where the metrics for success are opaque. There's a quote I'd like to cite here, though, that reminds us of what's at the center of all this:

"I reflect on friends of mine in the industry that have been displaced and lost their jobs and how just, I don’t wan??t this industry to be a place wh??ere people can’t, with confidence, build a career."

That's a quote from Phil Spencer, speaking to Polygon back in March about the layoffs rocking the industry. It? is ironic, yes, but it does cite the actual issue. When these decisions are made, when cuts are determined necessary by whatever metric is thrown at them, it's people who mak??e the games paying the price.

Reports have already indicated that talent is leaving the industry. It rubs a little salt in the wound that some of these layoffs happen in the wake of return-to-office mandates. But it seems almost a certainty that no sector emerges unscathed from 202?4. At the start of 2024, a friend joked to me that the motto for the next year would be "survive." I felt they were right, but I wasn't ready for just how right they were.

Where does that leave us now? A lot of talent, without jobs, in an industry where openings are difficult to find and, if you consider independence, publishing dollars are reportedly harder to come by. Here's another quote, about that tension between the "fuel" needed to make games, and the passion that's just as necessary to make them, from Larian CEO Swen Vincke:

Meanwhile, in June, Xbox will host a showcase as part of the annual Summer Game Fest festivities. Every year, events like SGF promise to talk about the biggest and brightest new games on the block. And, often, shows like this fail to address the very real con??ditions plaguing the industry, and the people, who make those games happen.

I'm curious what the tenor around Xbox's sh??ow will be, and what's said. Heck, I'm curious if t?hey sit down with anyone to talk this year. A lot of people lost their jobs today, and I hope at some point, someone has to answer, on the record, why.

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By now, we're all aware of the current state of the video game industry. Redundancies and studio closures have become all too common this past year or so, and the bad news just keeps coming. It seems as though the UK retail giant GAME is ?mak?ing staff aware of potential layoffs going forward.

According to a recent report from Eurogamer, staff have contacted the website anonymously to say they've been told to expect ??redundancies. No official word about this has come to light at the time of writing, but it's been said that most workers are being moved over to zero-hours ?contracts, which doesn't guarantee them a specific number of hours each week/month.

This goes for non-manageri?al staff, and staff have said the company will get in touch via phone or email to let them know about job statuses. Eurogamer has contacted GAME for comment.

Surprised it's taken this long

At one point, the bricks-and-mortar business was the go-to for a lot of gamers in the UK. It's been in operation since 1992, ??with more than 250 outlets across the country.

However, with the shift towards digital gaming, the likes of GAME a?re struggling to keep afloat in the modern era. In 2019, the company was bought out by Frasers Group, a British retail giant originally operating under the Sports Direct International brand. I??t was also announced earlier this year that the company would cease its popular trade-in service.

Having been a past employee of GAME, it feels like the last bastion of physical gaming retail stores is about to take its final bow. It's not certain what's going ??to happen to the brand, but the staff will be the ones affected most by the changes. Currently, there's no information on exactly how many jobs could be cut if layoffs do go?? ahead.

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Danish studio Die Gute Fabrik, responsible for indie titles such as the excellently unique indie Mutazione, has announced that the company is halting production of current projects. The studio points to the current "challenging funding and investment scene" in ga?mes as the big reason behind the decision.

The studio's statement goes on to say that the company stopped production on February 19, and used its remaining money to help the team? with a month of paid time.

The most important part, however, is that the studio isn't giving up on trying to find funding to resume production. They're only issuing this public statement to give a proper signal boost to the team members who are now looking for new jobs. B?elow the announcement, the studio also shared its hiring sheet.

Die Gute Fabrik says it wishes to resume production if?? it manages to acquire new funding, though that might not end up coming to fruition.

Die Gute Fabrik has made great games

Die Gute Fabrik actually stands for "The Good Factory", and it sure was �and hopefully will continue to be �a factory of great games. As mentioned above, Mutazione is a special indie title that many love and that also racked in var??ious awards.

The first thing you'll notice about Mutazione will likely be its uniquely gorgeous art style, but there's a lot more to unpack here as you fill the shoes of a teenager navigating a peculiar land inhabited by cute monsters. I'm aware that I made it sound a lot like Undertale, but this is a) very muc??h its own beautif??ul thing and b) maybe just me trying some subliminal tricks to get you to play this awesome title.

The studio concluded with a tweet saying that both Mutazione and its more recent game, Saltsea Chronicles, will remain on sale and that buying? their games is still the best way to support the team.

You have no excuse not to try it out, as you can play Mutazione on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and MacOS. Saltsea Chronicles is av??ailable for the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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The Walt Disney Corporation has just put a lot of money into Epic Games, all to make a new univ??erse. Disney announced today that it's purchased a $1.5 billion stake in Epic, with the latter working on a "new games and entertainment universe" for the former.

The announcement from Disney says it will be a multiyear project, for a new persistent universe that will be a "world class" games experience and also interoperate with Epic's ever-popular pop-culture mash-up machine, Fortnite. This new universe will have opportunities for people to "play, watch, shop and engage" with the likes of many of Disney's franchises. From classic Disney and Pixar to Marvel, Star Wars, and somehow James Cameron's Avatar, it's all here.

All of it will be powered by the Unreal Engine. And the deal is, of course, subject to regulatory approv?als.

"Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe," said Disney CEO Bob Iger in the release. "This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportuniti??es for growth and expansion. We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways."

A whole new world?

It's not the first time that Disney and Epic, or even Fortnite, have crossed paths. Epic's battle royale has featured skins, weapons, and events for several Disney properties through Marvel and Star Wars.

Heck, Disney's own video game efforts feel like they've been steadily ramping up. Disney Dreamlight Valley has been capturing its own mindshare within the life sim genre, and games ranging from Disney Illusion Island to Marvel Snap and Jedi: Survivor have all been notable in their own rights.

Epic itself has been in a peculiar position. The company's been steadily churning out Fortnite, and recently launched increased efforts for a games ecosystem within Fortnite, through Festival and Rocket Racing. The tech giant also cut 16% of its workforce last year, amid the wave layoffs we've seen throughout the games industry. And the Fortnite maker also fought long legal campaigns with Google and Apple over their app store prac?tices.

"Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio," said Epic CEO Tim Sweeny in today's announcement. "Now we’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities."

A partnership with Disney lines up. But $1.5 billion is a huge investment. And a new persistent universe, tied into Fortnite? I'm curious what this ends up looking like, and whether this is a sign of where games are headed i??n the next five or so years.

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While Sunday is usually a day of rest and preparation for the week ahead, this last one also saw some big reports swirl around Xbox. Several of those have further fuele?d beliefs that Microsoft and Xbox are looking to shift towards third-party options, including PlayStation.

Let's start with the reports themselves. Over at The Verge, Tom Warren reports from a source familiar with Microsoft's plans that Bethesda is considering bringing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PlayStation 5. Furthermore, a new "multi-platfor??m approach" is emerging within Microsoft, as The Verge reports, which would lead to some titles remaining exclusive and others heading to ex??ternal platforms in the future.

The second match lighting the powder keg was a report from XboxEra. The outlet says that, according to its sources, Microsoft is planning a PS5 launch for Starfield after the release of its announced Shattered Space exp?ansion. Additionally, XboxEra'?s report claims Microsoft is investing more into PS5 dev kits to support "ongoing development efforts."

Both reports arrive amidst swirling rumors of more Xbox games going multiplatform. Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves have also been the subject of reports lately, for possible third-par??ty p?orts.

Waiting for Microsoft

It is really, really important to stress at this point: Microsoft has not formally announced anything. I don't menti??on this to douse the discussion, but rather, to temper expectations. Also, to pre-emptively quell some fires.

Because, as Kotaku's Ethan Gach shared last night, some Xbox fans got whipped into a spiral over these reports. A whole lot doom-saying, speculation, and general fervor spun up around these. I spent most of my day Sunday blissfully offline, but when I opened the cursed bird app that evening, it was like the scene from Community where Troy comes back with the pizza and finds everything on fi?re.

Is it time to panic? No, not really. And not even just because none of this has been outright confirmed; that's p??artially it, sure, but I? wouldn't personally be surprised to see some or most of these plans to come to fruition. Xbox could probably use a shift in strategy, and looking to a multi-platform approach might at least provide an alternative.

As Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb pointed out, the dust feels like it's settling on this particular arc of the console wars. Companies seem to be moving on, and figuring out what's next. Questions would still remain about Microsoft's desire to even still sell Xboxes, if they moved to a more third-party approach; but considering Valve makes Steam Decks and still makes games, the idea's still got merits.

Platforms have already been trying to expand their horizons, too. After the success of projects like Sonic the Hedgehog, video game IP owners have been trying to cash in on a gaming-friendly environment in showbiz, at home and in the theaters. Whether Microsoft has been as successful in that department is a little more up-in-the-air, though Halo is still chugging along.

Platform wars

Point being, avenues for revenue could shift. I think we saw this best in the Epic v. Apple case, which not only resulted in huge swathes of discovery around the feud, but highlighted the issue?? at the cente??r: platforms. No, not the Mario kind.

Epic wanted Fortnite on iPhones without having to go through Apple's shop, which took its cut of profits from V-Bucks sales. And Apple, obviously, wanted that cut. The ensuing feud, alongside a similar one between Epic and Google, highlights what could soon be a factor around Microsoft games heading to PlayStation. Does Microsoft think the expanded buyer-base is worth ceding a cut to its long-time console competition? Is Sony willing to let Microsoft move copies of Starfield on PlayStation, in exchange for that cut?

A lot of current concerns narrow in about whether this means the end of a physical, tangible Xbox, and the possible devaluation of libraries built on those platforms. I'll admit, if this all pans out, it does leave me curious about what the next box looks like. Indeed, that disc-less Xbox plan that drifted around during the Microsoft-FTC case might b??e a bit more revealing about where they're heading than we'd expected.

There's always been a bit of an air that some, not all, of Xbox's games could head to other platforms. Especially with Activision Blizzard now under the umbrella??, that looks even more possible. But things have also been shifting at Xbox pretty rapidly. After the big buyout, the company cut almost 2,000 job??s. Maybe a new plan is in order. We'll have to see what Microsoft says, after all the furor dies down.

Honestly, if this means more people wind up playing Pentiment, then I say it's a good plan.

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The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance Studios has opened up some new positions for an upcoming project that's being built in Unreal Engine 5. It seems the studio is o??n the hunt for additional talent, just months after last August's layoffs.

As reported by VGC, Twitter user MauroNL �a games industry analyst �has noted that Striking Distance is embarking on a new venture. A total of nine vacancies have become available, with the studio intending to create something b??rand-new.

Some of the positions include a Lead Technical Art?ist, UI Te?chnical Artist, Lead Gameplay Animator, and a Lead Gameplay Engineer. What this elusive project will be is anyone's guess at this stage.

Can only go up from here, yeah?

With 32 people being laid off from the studio and director Glen Schofield leaving last September, things didn't look good for Striking Distance. The Callisto Protocol should have been a slam-dunk, particularly with it being billed as a spiritual successor to Dead Space.

However, poor performance left people unimpressed with the developer's first release. While recent scores on Steam have it at "Mostly Positive," overall it remains "Mixed." Even wi??th patches to fix issues, the damage appeared to have already? been done.

Now that a new game is said to be in the works, maybe some will give Callisto Protocol another chance. Still, what's left of the team is still trucking along on something. Maybe the next one will be more of a success.

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After plenty of online speculation around whether it would actually happen, The Pokémon Company has released a statement about "another company's game" released in January 2024. And we can say what we're all thinking: Palworld.

Though the company doesn't name Palworld or Pocketpair outright, the assumption is that's what this statement is about, unless Prince of Persia has a super-secret stage I don't know about. But the statement says The Poké?mon Company has received "many inquiries" regarding another company's game released in January 2024, and TPC says it intends to "investigate and take appropriate measures" to address any acts that infringe on intellectua??l property (IP) rights related to Pokémon.

"??We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future," the company signs off.

I'm not your Pal, buddy

After what's felt like ages, in Internet time, of speculation over whether The Pokémon Company would take notice and do anything about the similarities between the Pals of Palworld and its own ?pocket monsters, this is at least a fi??rm declaration that the company is paying attention.

I can't really speak to any legality for or against here, I just write the video game blogs. But I'd have to imagine that certain efforts like the Pokémon mod for Palworld didn't do much to douse the fuse on? this powder keg.

We'll see now if Pocketpair makes any response, even though they weren't explicitly named. In a recent interview with Automaton, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe said: "We make? our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of othe?r companies."

Other than that, we'll just have to wait and see whether TPC's investigation results in them taking any action. I used to think I'd always look back on the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard announcement as the most stunning start-of-year declarati?on, but now the War of the Monsters might give it a run for its money.

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Much of the gaming world is holding its breath in anticipation of the Switch 2, or whatever Nintendo decides to call the follow-up to its hybrid console. For now, we know nothing about it, but it seems developers are already working on titles for the mystery machine (not to be confused with the van from Scooby-Doo).

According to the latest GDC State of the Game Industry survey (as spotted by VGC), about 8% of development teams are currently developing a project for the Switch successor. Considering around over 3,000 developers were asked, this equates to quite a few people saying they're working on something? for the Switch successor.

??On top of this, when asked which platforms people in the industry were most inte?rested in as developers, 32% said the Nintendo Switch successor. This is above the Xbox Series X|S and the current-gen Switch, but just behind the PS5, which 41% are still interested in.

More are working on Switch 2 games than Amazon Luna

We've been getting hints here and there about the elusive system. Last year, it was rumored that the next Nintendo Switch had been demoed at Gamescom 2023, exclusively for developers.

Given what we've seen in the GDC report, it seems likely that the console must be in the works at this point. The Switch has been ??out since 2017 and even with the OLED edition launching in 2021, it feels like it's been coming to? the end of its lifecycle for some time now.

Those who are said to be working on Switch 2 games are almost certainly being asked to keep mum about it. But with a decent number of dev teams saying they are involved?? in projects for the as-yet-to-be-announced Nintend??o console, we may hopefully start to hear word about it soon. Hope springs eternal, and all that.

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If you've been paying attention?? to games l?ong enough, not even in the month-to-month big releases but the day-to-day news mill, you've seen stories about the theorized Nintendo Switch 2. This informal moniker has become one of the biggest question marks dangling over 2024.

Days into the new year, and even before the calendar flipped over, headlines with rumors, speculation, and discussion popped up everywhere. Where is the Nintendo Switch 2? What is it? When could it arrive?

It's really hard not to feel like we've been here before. I, myself, have done my fair share of reporting on and speculating about a new Switch. Before it was Switch 2, it was a Switch Pro. We're closing in on seven years of the Nintendo Switch??, and fans a??re wondering where its successor is.

Frankly, and I know I'm just laying out a rake to step on here, this is the most likely year yet that we'll see a Switch successor. As you'll read on down below, all signs are pointing that way, though predicting Nintendo's next ?move has always been a tricky target. More than anything, it feels like the collective speculation and curiosity about the next Nintendo console has boiled over, to the point that the ghost of '90s cheat cartridges has risen from the grave to add fuel to the fi??re.

Somehow, GameShark returned

Yes, that GameShark. The cheat machine you bought so you could mess with your Pokémon files is now back as "AI Shark," an AI-powered help engine. Apparently??, rather than cheat tools that manipulate hardware, AI Shark "focuses on aiding individuals in improv??ing their gameplay over time."

Look, does that sound like a computer that will tell you to just parry? A little bit, yeah. But the revived corpse of GameShark is somehow not the big news. Rather, it's a note about the AI Shark's release window, as spotted by Digital Trends: "The official launch is planned to coincide with th?e N??intendo Switch 2 in September 2024."

Either Altec Lansing and the AI Shark crew know something and let it slip, or they don't know for sure and just said that. Both options are equally amusing to me. Typing the sente??nce "GameShark is back as an AI tool, and it leaked the Switch 2 launch window" gives me a new appreciation for the strange times we l?ive in.

In a follow-up comment to Digital Trends, AI Shark pulled back on the stick. It "backtracked" on the September month, but also confirmed the tentative launch for platform is "Fall 2024," which it then backtracked on again in a second follow-up, noting "Nintendo has not ?officially clarified a launch." We have reached out to Nintendo for further information and clarification.

Whatever spurred the company to put that info in the press release, its own speculation and? expectations are out there. It's fair to ask why they'd do so in the first place. But GameShark is hardly the first. There's a Rainbow Road of Switch 2 rumors, stretching back for several weeks and months at this point.

Everybody 1-2 Switch

Analysts, speaking to sites like CNBC and GamesIndustry.biz, seem confident in a Switch successor arriving this year. Former Nintendo employees Kit and Krysta also shared their own expectati??ons for a Switch follow-?up.

"The time is finally here for a Switch successor, even though I can say a 'Pro' model actually did exist and certain developers were already working with the dev kit," analyst Dr. Serkan Toto told GIbiz, and he went on to speculate that it will price out at $400 and potential??ly see its games climb to the new-gen $70 price point.

Turn the clock back to July 2023, and VGC was reporting that a Nintendo Switch successor is set to arrive in the second half of 2024. Skip ahead a few months, and you'll read about rumors that Nintendo demoed a theoretical Switch 2 for developers at Gamescom 2023, from Eurogamer and VGC.

GameShark may have tipped the Jenga tower of Switch 2 fervor, but plenty of blocks were already pulled. Heck, even the broader Nintendo rumor mill is getting wrapped up around the potential of a new console. Known leaker Zippo makes mention of the next Nintendo console in write-ups about a rumored new 3D Mario and a full Xenoblade Chronicles X remake. (God, please, let that one pan out.)

The point being, it feels like everyone is talking about a Switch 2 but Ni?ntendo.

A Switch's legacy

Honestly, it's not like Nintendo has really needed to talk about a new console, either. The 1-2 punch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the COVID-19 pandemic injected Wii Sports levels of life into the Switch back in 2020, and it's not like the Switch hasn't delivered bangers every year since. Tears of the Kingdom took home our big GOTY trophy last year—in spirit only, I don't even know where you commission trophies these days—and the Pikmin fanbase seemed to love the latest entry.

Nintendo's been riding high on the success of the Nintendo Switch. So even nearly seven years removed from the launch of the console, the hybrid device still feels like a dominant force in the market. I personally ascribe the handheld PC revolution to the success of the Switch, alongside Valve's willingness to dive headfirst into the unknown. I still see developers get the "when's the Switch port" question beneath trailers and promotion?al materials.

So, is this finally the year where Nintendo ditches the Switch? Where it determines the path forward as? somethin?g new, whether that's a beefier hybrid or something new entirely? Could the clamshell design rise from the dirt, like GameShark before it?

As Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb recently pointed out, Nintendo's got a habit of hosting Directs in February. And outside of a few games like Princess Peach: Showtime arriving in the first quarter of the year, there aren't really any big, big titles (kicks Metroid Prime 4 under the fridge?? like a stray ice cube) on the horizon.

This is a year where?, more than ever, it fe?els like a new Switch is on the horizon. But I also recognize that we, collectively, have been in this boat before. Though I have to say, I really hope it's real, because "GameShark leaked the Switch 2 launch window" is just too good.

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Unity is starting the new year with a sizeable round of layoffs. According to Reuters, the co??mpany plans to ax 2??5% of its workforce, about 1,800 employees.

The layoffs are expected to be completed by March 2024 and it will affect all teams and areas of the business. The internal company memo states that this is being done as Uni??ty "restructures and refocuses on i?ts core business, and to position itself for long-term and profitable growth."

At present, the comp?any cannot determine what the related costs and charges will be though "charges will primarily relate to employee transition, severance payments, and employee benefits." There has also been no word on what struct??ural changes, though a company spokesperson confirmed that they are coming, Reuters reports.

These layoffs come after Unity faced great controversy in 2023 following the announcement of "runtime fees" for developers. Plans for these additional fees have continued, and CEO James Whitehurst states it is expected that the impact of this business model change will have "minimal benefit in 2024 an??d ??ramp from there as customers adopt our new releases."

Last year, the gaming industry witnessed waves of layoffs striking several companies. It appears the trend is far from over, with Unity's massive layoffs bringing a bad start to the year. VR studio Archiact has also already announced layoffs in 2024.

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The year 2023 is coming to a close. And as time carries on into the new year, we've got even more games to fill our endless backlogs, ranging from small surprises to our most anticipated known launc??he??s.

Really, 2024 is already shaping up to another big year for games. Right off the bat in the first quarter, we'll see RPG fans eating well with the likes of Infinite Wealth, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Persona 3 Reload.

Princess Peach gets to take the stage, and Ubisoft might deliver a bit of a surprise with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Also, we'll (probably) see the launch of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Skull and Bones. That's just in the span of January to March!

?But what are we looking forward to, here at Destructoid? We've put together a list of our most anticipated game of 2024 to this unranked, unordered list. Not to provide any sort of definitive must-watch, but rather, show you a smorgasbord of potential games to keep an eye on.

Our most anticipated games for 2024

Eric Van Allen: Metaphor: ReFantazio

I already won big last year, with my most anticipated game turning out to be the thunderous hit of the year. Not that this is a competition or anything. But I think we're in a particularly good era for role-playing games, and of all the good RPGs already on deck for 2024, Metaphor is the next one I have my eye on.

We've been in a real good spot for high fantasy lately, so this SMT take on the genre already had me intrigued there. Then it roped me in with incredible menus and art. Now, in a recent dev video, the team has highlighted a cool hybrid of action and turn-based combat, as well as a time management system that's very reminiscent of Persona. (Fitting, as Metaphor's got some big Persona names on staff, including director Katsura Hashino and character artist Shig??enori Soejima.)

Odd name aside, Metaphor: ReFantazio looks primed to be a Persona-caliber hit in the RPG space next year. Even against the likes of a new Like a Dragon and Vani??llaware tackling tactics, I know this is the one I'm extremely eag??er to dig into.

Zoey Handley: Chicken Police: Into the Hive

Each year, it's easier for me to pick a known quantity for most anticipated, rather than one I'm hoping lives up to its ambition. I picked Pikmin 4 for 2023, which came and went. It's great, truly. I very much enjoyed it. But then I moved on. It didn't leave a lasting itch. So, while Hollywood Animals looks great on paper right now, Chicken Police: Into the Hive feels like a safer bet.

I loved 2020's Chicken Police: Paint it Red. The noir photomanipulation aesthetic gives it a unique look and feel; it's the passion behind the narrative? that still sticks with me. There's a lot of love behind the world and characters, and you can feel that craft throughout. It makes the odd misstep, but earnestness is often more valuable than lawlessness.

This carried through to the recent small prologue game, Zipp's Cafe, which has only made me more excited about Chicken Police: Into the Hive. I don't know if it's going to be polished, impactful, o??r innovative, but I'm a?lmost certain that it will be exactly what I want.

Timothy Monbleau: Visions of Mana

Picking a most anticipated game for 2024 was honestly really tough, since there are a lot of promising RPGs on the horizon that are right in my wheelhouse. In 2023, I had the chance to try out Persona 3 Reload, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Dragon’s Dogma 2. And frankly, I’m lo?oking forward to all of those.

However, I often find that my most anticipated game isn’t necessarily the one I think will be a slam dunk, but the one I just want to be good the most. And from what we know of 2024, nothing compares to Visions of Mana on that front. It’s Square Enix’s first all-new console Mana game in well over a decade, and the little we’ve seen so far looks appealing. I love the vibes and the designs so far, and if the gameplay can continue the upward trend of quality we’ve seen between the Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana remakes, this could turn out to be a real hit.

Also�if I’m being honest, I really wanted to put Ys X here. However, I can’t exactly do that without any guarantee that it'll actually come out in English next year. So I’m also kind of picking Visions of Mana because it’s the most similar-looking title to Falcom’s flagship series that’s on my radar right now. I’m not saying that’s a good reason to pick Visions of Mana as my most anticipated?? game, but it undoubtedly is a reason.

Steven Mills: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Wow, 2023 was an amazing year for games but 2024 is already looking like it's going to be just as good, especially for RPG lovers. It was hard not to join Eric here and go with Metaphor: ReFantazio. I'm a huge fan of the SMT formula, but Metaphor's setting has me even more interested.

But after much back-and-forth, I went with Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. Being able to explore the world of Gaia on current-gen systems is going to be a blast. Cosmo Canyon? Costa del Sol?! The Gold Saucer?!?! As great as Final Fantasy VII Remake was, it feels like it's going to end up being an appetizer compared to what Rebirth has in store. More importantly, it looks like the narrative will feature even ??more mystery and chaos in the story we all kno?w from our childhoods, and I'm all for it.

I'm also very excited about the upcoming Factorio expansion, Factorio: Space Age. I have over 1,000 hours in the base game and still find myself going back in with various mod packs. The expansion looks as though it will expand on the base game with another 6??0-100 hours of content while also building upon the core systems that are already there. As I said, 2024 looks like it's gonna be a great year.

Smangaliso Simelane: Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Hellblade: Senua’s Saga is a project that tries to do something a little different from your average game. It attempts to depict psychosis, but in a way that is authentic and utilizes different senses. The result is a work of art that is sometimes overwhelmi??ng but never sacrifices authenticity.

I love Hellblade, but it is rough around the edges. It features puzzles that are frustrating to solve, and the combat leaves much to be desired. Well, we have a sequel on the w??ay and it looks like we’re going from an experimental AA game to a fully-fledged AAA title set to outshine its predecessor.

We haven’t seen much of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2’s combat and gameplay yet, but the visuals are stunning. This is Ninja Theory’s chance to improve and fully flesh out the innovative ideas introduced in Hellblade. My hopes are high that we’ve got something specia??l on the way.

Andrea Shearon: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

Endwalker put a nice bowtie on some of Final Fantasy XIV's biggest threads, bringing one of the realm's biggest battles to a close and bookending some of our earliest beginnings, harkening all the way back to A Realm Reborn's theme song, "Answers." Now, it's time to start fresh with a new expansion in Dawntrail.

In a year where I backed off my usual FFXIV routine, it's nice to look forward to another big adventure with Dawntrail's breezy summer ambitions. As more of a hermit, swamp creature kind of gal, version 7.0's summer vacation-style episode wasn't my cup of tea at first, but it's grown on me. If anything, I've learned to trust the process when it comes to XIV,?? and at some?? point, it'll deliver on the emotional turmoil and extensional crisis story beats I crave.

Though a journey focused on Meracydia is my dream, I'm excited for what's to come in Tural. Dawntrail era updates include major improvements to FFXIV visuals, new glamour features, two DPS jobs, and the return of one of my Endwalker favorites, Erenville. Throw in a couple ?of dragon cameos and more awkward Estinien momen?ts, and I promise I won't complain again until 8.0.

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Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old hacker behind the massive GTA 6 leak last year, has been given an indefinite hospital order.

Kurtaj is a member of the international gang Lapsus$, which was behind various high-profile cybersecurity attacks over the past year. It is estimated that attacks on Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar have cost the companies up to $10 million. Per the BBC, Kurtaj expressed apparent ?unwill??ingness to stop conducting similar attacks.

It turns out that by the time he committed the GTA 6 hack, Kurtaj was already on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE. The BBC reports: "Despite having his laptop confiscate?d, Kurt??aj managed to breach Rockstar, the company behind GTA, using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV and a mobile phone."

Kurtaj and another unnamed member of the Laps?us$ hacking group are the first to be convicted, while others are thought to remain at large, according to the BBC.

In July, Arion Kurtaj was deemed unfit ?to stan??d trial following a diagnosis of acute austism. The court then had the jury focusing not on whether Kurtaj had done it with criminal intent, but solely on ?whether or not he had perpetrated the alleged crimes at all.

Regarding th??e mediate fate of Kurtaj, BBC reports: "He will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."

The news arrives just a few days after news broke of a massive hack at Insomniac, leaking details about in-development games an??d informati??on about the studio.

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It's really hard not to have some degree of reverence for E3. For those who grew up with games being streamed a?nd broadcast, it was the big show. It was the place ??where the biggest reveals of the year happened. And now, it is dead.

That's dramatic, I know. But in all seriousness, the ESA has officially declared E3 done. After more than two decades, the show will cease to exist, following several canceled or online-only years, and a broken partnership with PAX organizer ReedPop. (Disclosure: I used to work under ReedPop?, at the now-shuttered USgamer.)

Frankly, this was the death knell we all knew would toll. It's easy to point at the COVID-19 pan??demic as part of ??the problem, and it was. But speaking as someone who attended E3 2019, the decline was already visible.

For context, I only attended three E3 events: in 2015, 2016, and 2019. Each year felt drastically different in their own ways, though the gap between '16 and '19 was notic??eable. A lot more was being sold on the show floor, for one thing, reflecting the increasingl?y consumer-focused lean for an otherwise industry event.

This is normally the?? part where some might celebrate the collapse of what wasn't working, and laud whatever comes next?. Out with the old, in with the new. But in the wake of this confirmation, I'm left wondering what we've left behind, and what any road ahead looks like.

A flag in the ground

E3 was, for many years, that one show everyone had on their mind. It was where the biggest reveals would happen. New games, like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Halo 2, would debut. Heck, this was where the actual consoles were fully detailed and shown for the first time. I'm sure for the developers of th?ese games, it felt like the culmination of a lot of hard days' work, putting these massive reveals together and finally showing them off.

There's some wild history that crops up, just through conferences alone. Sony would make waves with its price point for the first PlayStation in 1995, then again with its PlayStation 4 presentation in 2013. Maybe it's because these moments took place on a stage, with big screens, lights, music, and pageantry, that they feel like grander gestures than a price point reveal normally s??hould.

Of course, it's not just about the ??fuel for console wars and conference comparisons. It was also about taking that same stage, that same place that would connotate prestige and reverence, and seeing the absolutely wildest shit happen.

The Wii Music presentation. The "bam, there it is" Kinect showcase. Really, every single waking, bonkers moment of Konami's E3 2010 press conference. At its greatest heights, E3 could feel like a magnificent show; at its lowest, lik?e watching a bad improv show. It was beautiful for the highs, lows, and the incredible breadth that it could span in-between.

These moments became part of the general culture, to the point that E3's impact on culture around gaming needs to be emphasized. People like Reggie Fils Aimé and Ikumi Nakamura became well-known names for the average viewer.

And that was part of the draw, right? Put the industry in front of the consumer. People at home get to watch, as a cavalcade of new and interesting things gets put in front of them. Sure, it's marketing. And at least some notable moments were later unveiled to be either smoke and mirrors, or technology that never really panned out for consumer use. But it's also a mo?ment in time where everything came ??together.

The made-it moment

When I talk about E3, I have to acknowledge my own per?spective too. I'd watch it on streams, even before I had aspirations of "making it" in the industry. And when I got to go my first even?t, it was a huge moment. It was, in many ways, validating.

To use an extremely blunt comparison, it was like the first time I worked a college football game as a camera op. There's a tangible, electric energy in being around other industry people as the ??hive buzzes. Everyone is active and working. People from around the world are converging in one place, to do one thing. It's an espresso's worth of adrenaline.

And feeling like you're there, doing the s??ame work, taking part in this big, grandiose event in your own way? It never got old. And it's not really the same rush I get working a PAX or a low-key preview tour oppor?tunity.

But more than that, it was a convergence point for the industry. I've already discussed what that meant for the viewer at home. For those in person, thoug??h, it adds an element. This was where people could network and meet. Collaboration thrives in that environment. As much as E3 was a consumer-facing preview of games to come, it was also a show for the industry; business room meetings were taking place just a short walk from the conference halls. If you wanted to interview the big minds behind the newest games, those opportunities were available.

For new talent coming into the industry, these opportunities were precious. It was a chance to do the work, be seen doing so, and meet others in the industry. I c??an really just speak for myself in this situation, but I know that being at shows like E3 helped me gain connections and climb up just a bit further. And it's something I'd want others to have a chance at, too.

The future

So E3 was validating, grandiose, hilarious. It was a spectacle, and now it is no more. The question b??ecomes, what takes its place?

Fortunately, we already have a solid look at that answer. This year's combination of Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards seems like the outlets that many of the big names have moved to. A biannual trailer fest, and one has an awards show bolted onto it.

While I already voiced concerns around The Game Awards, I will say that Summer Game Fest offers something a bit more interesting. It's not quite as big or over-the-top as the E3 show floor, but frankly, it really shouldn't be. Fun as it was to see a marching jazz band jaunt around the halls for Mafia 3, I prefer a smaller-scale industry event.

But outside the Keighley-run events, it feels like everything is shifting to disparate corners. More streams and showcases are the norm, propped up by Nintendo's huge success with Directs and the adaptations made during the pandemic years. Companies feel a bit more assured in announcing their news on their own terms, and their own channels, rather than hol??ding onto it.

I'd hope that some of the access doesn't fade, amid all this. Nor the spectacle, or ridiculousness. Sometimes I think the industry, or at least facets of it, are a little too concerned with secrecy and legitimacy. There's so much value in being able to hear from developers about their games, and putting them on stages to share the news. We all love the Keanu "breathtaking" moment for Cyberpunk, but I also love when devs wear their hearts on their sleeves.

As for E3, I'll miss the spectacle but I won't miss the excess. It's sad to lose such a convergence point of culture, news, and industry, but hopefully the structures that build out of this fall can offer something new, different, maybe even better. For everything else, we'll always have Wii Music.

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The Game Awards 2023 concluded last night, with Baldur's Gate 3 taking home ?the trophy for Game of the Year. It was a big moment for Larian, and during the winner's speech, studio head Swen Vincke took time to honor those who put in so many hours and work, especially those who couldn't see this award.

"Along the way, we lost quite a few people also, so we want to dedicate this to all the people that we lost," Vincke said, specifically citing lead cinematic artist Jim Southworth, who died last month.

It was a touching moment, the kind that sticks with you from an awards show like this. And at the time, the prompter visible to speech winners displayed "Please wrap it up." As Axios' Stephen Totilo reports, this?? wrap-up sign would appear after 30 seconds, and start blinking after roughly 15 to 20.

For Vincke, at least, the play-off music did not start. Though if you watched the Awards last night, you probably heard it a few times. Developers of games released in 2023 got very little time on the stage, and that was for the few that made it up ther??e; as with years past, many awards and winners were quickly read off in rapid succession. No speech. Only a short nod, and then on to the next??.

What we did see for great stretches of time on-stage were upcoming games. Projects that were new, unreleased, sometimes even nascent. In one of the more infamous moments of the night, Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele took the stage to show off OD, a new... experience? I'm still not sure what it was, aside from a video of peop??le's faces screaming and a door.

It was neat, and I've always loved a good tumble down the theory pit that comes from any Kojima teaser. But it was just people, talking on a stage, about a game. As Aftermath quick-mathed out, 13.5 30-second speeches ?could have taken place in the time that Kojima and Peele spent on stage. It was an awards show for 2023 that spent more time looking at unreleased games coming "soon" than games it was awarding.

Speeches themselves have long been some of the most memorable, human moments of The Game Awards. Sure, Christopher Judge went a little long in his speech, but it was also a great one. Greg Miller's win for Trending Gamer in 2015 led to a great speech, calling for recognition of devs who don't always get to take the stage. Ryan Green's moving speech for winning the 2016 Games For Impact Award for That Dragon, Cancer still tears me up now, watching it years later.

Meanwhile, Neil Newbon's heartwarming acceptance from last night, about representation and fans feeling seen in Baldur's Gate 3 was met with a "wrap it up" and music. He wasn't the only one, either.

Showrunner Geoff Keighley has addressed this no?w, the day after, saying that the music was played "too fast" for a??ward winners' speeches.

"By the way - I do agree that the music was played too fast for award winners this year, and I asked our team to relax that rule as the show went on," Keighley stated on Twitter. "While no one was actually cut off, it’s somethin??g to? address going forward."

And at this point in the blog, the more cynical among you might be wondering why I treat this as a shock. Because frankly, the show has been leaning this way for some time. Every year, it feels like the awards buckle further under the weight of expectations. The Game Awards constantly serve as both press conference, a la its summertime sibling Summer Game Fest, and as the "Oscars" of video games.

Every year, the disparity becomes more apparent. Developers were loud about the issues this year, too. Prominent people in the industry voiced their discontent, seeing ??a show opt f??or star power over recognition.

"The Game Awards skipping through the awards and minimizing people's years of work just to play ten minutes of bland ads is a joke," said Clay Murphy, principal writer on Control and Alan Wake 2. "If this is ?going to be ou??r industry's big award show then we should demand better."

And even going into the show, there were concerns The Game Awards 2023 wouldn't rise to the moment. "Great for video games, bad for the video game industry" has become a mantra for 2023. Layoffs ran rampant through the industry throughout 2023, seeing many workers who make the experiences the Awards laud lose their jobs, and even some studios fully shut down.

Keighley had addressed developer struggles before, citing one particular developer's own woes with their company, and responding to reports around Activision Blizzard by barring the company from that year's show, aside from nominations.

"I also realize we have a big platform which can accelerate and inspire change," Keighley wrote at the time. "We are committed to that, but we all need to work together to build a better and a more inclusive environment so everyon??e feels safe to build the world’s best games."

Members of the Future Class, The Game Awards' program to highlight the "bright, bold and inclusive" future of video games, signed an open letter urging the Awards to comment on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. As Kotaku's Ethan Gach notes, it seems like an old tweet where The Game Awards account acknowledged the invasion of Ukraine was deleted at some point, between its original posting and now, though screencap??s have preserved it. Neither Gaz??a, nor the wave of layoffs, were mentioned.

It would be incredibly easy for a viewer to ask, why should The Game Awards address this at all? The stick-to-video-games mentality, much like stick-to-sports, makes it easy to just focus on how the? night should be a fun time for all, ??without all that "other stuff" involved.

For one, I don't think it's too much to ask more of the industry's awards show. In fact, it'd really be asking the show to live up to its own premise. As stated on The Game Awards' website, it is a show that "recognizes and upholds creative and technical excellence in the global video game in?dustry."

"We bring together a diverse group of game developers, game players, and notable names from popular culture to celebrate and advance gaming's position a??s the most immersive, challenging and inspiring form of entertainment," reads the awards show's Ab?out page. "We strive to recognize those who improve the wellbeing of the community and elevate voices that represent the future of the medium."

In some ways, it lives up to that; there were certainly notable names from popular culture, and the Future Class itself is a program I like, for the recognition it offers. (The seats they give them should be better, though.)

But for a show meant to recognize excellence, to acknowledge that which has been achieved and not that which could be achieved, i??t falls short. It felt like, as some have more succinctly put it, Winter E3.

There are other options out there, ones that do feel more representative of the achievement one would like to see. The DICE Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and the BAFTAs all seem to nail it. Shows like The Spawnies work to uplift and celebrate develo??pers from underrepresen?ted communities.

But they, quite frankly, don't have the same save-the-date pull for a broad??er audience that The Game Awards has. The Game Awards put itself in this position, ?maneuvering to be the biggest annual representation of the industry's achievements, and that position does—or at least, should—entail responsibility.

Developers voiced that they were feeling let down, after a year where some of the industry's finest work was met with hardship and constraints. Their struggles were not acknowledged, and their wins were hardly given time to sink in. Instead, Keighley iterated multiple times throughout the show that it? was a great year for gaming. And now, here's Gonzo.

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It's been a tough ol' year for people working?? in the corporate video game world. Publishers and studios have been laying people off at an alarming rate. Embracer Group is just one example, and it's recently been suggeste?d that the holding company may be closing down Free Radical Design.

That's according to sources who recently spoke to VGC. It seems that an email from Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors has confirmed that the TimeSplitters ??studio will be no more come December 11, "following the completion of a consultation process."

At the time of writing, this has not been confirmed by the company. However, recent revelations that Embracer will be laying off hundreds of people suggests tha?t Free Radical could well be for the chop.

No more TimeSplitters then?

Aside from the ongoing bleakness that is the current video game industry, seeing Free Radical go could well spell the end of a possible TimeSplitters revival. The series has been lying dormant for a long time and fans ha??ve been hoping to see a new entry, especially from the origi??nal developer.

Embracer Group is an enormous company with ownership over many video game developers and publishers, including THQ Nordic, Saber Interactive, Gearbox Entertainment, and Eidos-Montr?eal.

Around 900 jobs are expected to be lost during the restructuring, and rumors about Free Radical being shut down had been circulating. Essentially, if you've been holding out for a new TimeSplitters game, you might be? out of luck. Unless another st??udio can take over it, but it may not be the same under a different team.

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Oh, it's been a trying time for developers, especially those who've been hurt by Unity's recent new controversial fees. As a result, many have been hightailing it outta there, looking for alternatives. In the midst of all this, one company has decided to engage in some savvy busines??s acumen.

GameMaker has decided to go in the opposite direction and make itself free. A recent post on the company's website is celebrating Thanksgiving by offering a free-to-use license for non-commercial purposes. On top of this, there's also a new "one-time fee" for a commercial license, replacing its Creator/Indie subscriptions,? while Enterprise remains the same.

While it can't be assumed th??at this is in direct response to Unity's "Runtime Fee," GameMaker head Russell Kay says the team has seen "other platforms making awkward moves with their pricing and terms," so saw fit to go in the other direction. Mum's the word, Kay. Mum's the word.

If you haven't heard of it, you soon will

Offering support for all kinds of platforms, in?cluding Android, iOS, Amazon TV, Raspberry Pi, as well as Windows and modern consoles, GameMaker is one more alternat??ive for developers to use.

If you've ever played Hotline Miami or Undertale (or both), then you've played a GameMaker title before. And with free usage for? non-commercial endeavors being offered, there's probably going to be a few more people eager to jump ship.

As for what's going on with Unity at the moment, alongside the carnage it's created, the company may also be laying off staff. You know, that thing that's been a plague on the industry this year and is almost certainly going to ?make people dislike Unity even more? Yeah, that thing.

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Today, Ubisoft will lay off 124 employees as part of a cost cutting strategy. These depart??ures are happening across several of its departments, including many at its Canadian offices.

The layoffs are hitting a variety of departments at Ubisoft, including some administrative teams, Ubisoft IT, and Hybride, the company’s SFX studio. In a statement to Kotaku, the company explained ?the reasoning be?hind the move. 

“Ubisoft is proceeding with a collective dismissal in its Montreal establishment within the framework of a reorganization of i?ts production support services across Canada, by consolidating these functions Canada wide, Ubiso??ft will be able to optimize its resources to be more sustainable in the long term.�nbsp;

The company also said it is “providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transitionâ€???and emphasized that the current restructuring won’t ??have an effect on its production teams. 

Déjà vu

Ubisoft as a whole has been facing challenges lately. Lengthy delays for games like Beyond Good and Evil 2 and xDefiant have undoubtedly affected the company. Just this May, Ubisoft let go dozens of employees at its North Carolina and Newcastle locations. Employees at the time said they were given no notice that they would be losing their jobs.

Sadly this is part of an ongoing trend in the gaming industry this year.  In September Epic Games cut 16% of its workforce. Just last month Naughty Dog and Telltale Games were hit by a? wave of layoffs. More than a dozen different companies have faced layoffs in? the back half of 2023 alone. 

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No, you're not reading that wrong. Former late-night host and Cinderella star James Corden reportedly hosted a town hall meeting for Activision. The company, run by Bobby Kotick, is making headlines as Microsoft may close its $68.7 billion purchase of them on Friday.

According to sources speaking to Windows Central, an internal meeting bet??ween Kotick and employees recently occurred. James Corden, the 'mastermind' behind Carpool Karaoke, emceed the conference, much like J??amie Kennedy did at E3 2009: unnecessarily. Kotick, who has been CEO of Activision since 1991, responded to a bevy of questions.

He talks about the potential for AI and VR, as well as Elon Musk's Neuralink. Weirdly, he also mentions that, with Microsoft's advanced technology, a potential Guitar Hero revival was teased. A repeated phrase that popped up a lot during the meeting was "magic", as Kotick believes Microsoft will keep it alive, just as ??Activision has for more than 40 years.

It seems like the company, likely to soon become part of Microsoft, wants to deliver fresh content to consumers. Having already absorbed studios Blizzard and King, Activision can finally work on creating a bigger legacy. However, it seems they want to experiment with new technologies more than to build upon what they have. Microsoft had said they wanted to compete with Apple and Google in mobile gaming, which led to them purchasing Activision. While some may dislike the company, Call of Duty, Candy Crush Saga, and World of Warcraft continue to make millions of dollars every year. Where the future might go is unclear. But please don't let James Corden be in Call of Duty.

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Unity has not been in a lot of indie developer's good books lately. The controversial new fee caused many to turn their back on the development toolkit and its creator. Following on from this, Unity CEO John Riccitiello?? has now decided to leave the company.

Unity has announced the departure of Riccitiello as President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, "effective immediately." The business execut?ive has been with the company since 2014, having come from Electronic Arts.

As it stands, Unity will be without a permanent CEO for the time being. However, James M. Whitehurst �who has served as Senior Advisor at IBM �will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, ??the company's Lead I?ndependent Director of the board, Roelof Botha, has been appointed Chairman.

Unreal that he didn't go sooner

Many who've been fol??lowing the story surrounding Unity's proposed "Runtime Fee" will be able to put the pieces t??ogether. While there doesn't appear to be any official statement as to why Riccitiello has resigned, it's too much of a coincidence for the recent debacle to not be a major factor in the decision.

Some will be pleased that the former COO of Electronic Arts is now out of the picture, though the controversy is still around, it seems. As far as we can tell, Unity intends to go ahead with a version of its contentious new pricing plan. The company did backtrack a little bit on the policy, but some may feel it's too little too late.

As such, a lot of people–especially independent developers and st??udios�a href="//twitter.com/AggroCrabGames/status/1711483208226021775" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">probably won't be sad to see Riccitiello leave. However, we don't know who will take ove??r on a more permanent basis, nor whether this will affect the controversial fee that caused a stir among the gaming community.

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It looks like Telltale Games is the latest studio ??hit by the wave of layoffs rolling through the games industry. Following a report of layoffs, Telltale has confirmed to Destructoid that it recently let go off members of the team.

First news of this came from J.H., a developer who worked at the pre-reviv??al Telltale as a cinem?atic artist.

"This is a sore subject, but I feel it necessary to add to the gaming layoff news: Telltale laid most of us off early September," said J.H. He went on to explain he can't disclose the current status of The Wolf Among Us 2, as it's under NDA.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for ?Telltale Games provided Destructoid t??he following comment:

"Due to current market conditions, we regrettably had to let some of our Telltale team go recently. We did not take this action lightly, and our commitment to storytelling and finding new ways to do so remains the same. We are grateful to everyone for their dedication along this journey, and we are working to support everyone impacted. All projects currently in development are still in production, and we ha?ve ??no further updates at this time."

Telltale declined to specify how man?y roles were let go, or which departments were affecte??d.

Telltale Games was revived after its closure by LCG Entertainment, which set to work releasing a few projects under a 'new' Telltale banner. Between re-releases like Batman Shadows Edition and a collaboration with Deck Nine on The Expanse, the Frankenstein-ed Telltale seemed to be picking up steam, with The Wolf Among Us 2 just over the horizon.

The anticipated sequel to the original Telltale's Fables adaptation was delayed earlier this year, pushing it into 2024. In an interview with IGN, Telltale CEO Jamie Ottilie said the delay ?was p??rimarily to avoid burnout or shipping an unfinished game. Development was also shifting from Unreal Engine 4 to 5.

This adds Telltale to the growing number of studios that have cut jobs this year, in what's been a dishearteningly massive wave of layoffs across the industry. A brief list includes Epic Games, Striking Distance Studios, CD Projekt Red, multiple studios owned by Embracer Group including Beamdog and Crystal Dynamics, Ubisoft, BioWare, Relic, Riot, Firaxis, and Microsoft. Plus reports of more at Twitch, Naughty Dog, and Team17. On top of all that, there was also the shutdown of Dang!, PixelOpus, Vanpool, and Volition Games.

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