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 on 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 brand-new.

Some of the positions include a Lead Technical Artist, UI Technical 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 with 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 Pokémon 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 intellectual 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 firm 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 other 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 declaration, 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 interested 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 Nintendo console, we may hopefully start to hear word about it soon. Hope springs eternal, and all that.

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Unity is starting the new year with a sizeable round of layoffs. According to Reuters, the company plans to ax 25% 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 Unity "restructures and refocuses on its core business, and to position itself for long-term and profitable growth."

At present, the company 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 structural 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 and 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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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 Shigenori 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 Vanillaware tackling tactics, I know this is the one I'm extremely eager 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, or innovative, but I'm almost 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 looking 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 know 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 60-100 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 overwhelming 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 way 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 special 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 moments, 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 unwillingness 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 confiscated, Kurtaj 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 Lapsus$ 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 stand 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 the 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 and information 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 and 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 pandemic 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 noticeable. A lot more was being sold on the show floor, for one thing, reflecting the increasingly 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 these 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 should.

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, like 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 moment in time where everything came together.

The made-it moment

When I talk about E3, I have to acknowledge my own perspective 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 event, 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 same 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 opportunity.

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, though, 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 can 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 becomes, 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 holding 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 there; 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 people'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 now, the day after, saying that the music was played "too fast" for award 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 something 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 for 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 our 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 everyone 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 screencaps have preserved it. Neither Gaza, 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 industry."

"We bring together a diverse group of game developers, game players, and notable names from popular culture to celebrate and advance gaming's position as the most immersive, challenging and inspiring form of entertainment," reads the awards show's About 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, it 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 developers from underrepresented communities.

But they, quite frankly, don't have the same save-the-date pull for a broader 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 suggested 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 that 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 have been hoping to see a new entry, especially from the original 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-Montreal.

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 studio 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 business 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 that 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, including Android, iOS, Amazon TV, Raspberry Pi, as well as Windows and modern consoles, GameMaker is one more alternative 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 departures 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 behind the move. 

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

The company also said it is “providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transition” 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 between Kotick and employees recently occurred. James Corden, the 'mastermind' behind Carpool Karaoke, emceed the conference, much like Jamie 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 executive 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 Independent Director of the board, Roelof Botha, has been appointed Chairman.

Unreal that he didn't go sooner

Many who've been following the story surrounding Unity's proposed "Runtime Fee" will be able to put the pieces together. 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 studios–probably won't be sad to see Riccitiello leave. However, we don't know who will take over 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-revival Telltale as a cinematic 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 the 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 have no further updates at this time."

Telltale declined to specify how many roles were let go, or which departments were affected.

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 primarily 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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Sources have told Kotaku that developer Naughty Dog has laid off at least 25 contractor positions. Naughty Dog is responsible for Uncharted and The Last of Us series.

According to Kotaku, the layoffs have only been sent internally and were sent off last week. The employees were notified that their contracts are set to terminate at the end of October, but no severance has been offered. It’s estimated that about 25 roles are being terminated, most of which are in the quality assurance department. However, it’s reported that some in the art and production department are also affected.

Furthermore, sources say that the multiplayer spin-off for The Last of Us is currently seeing some troubles. Bloomberg had previously reported that Sony was diverting money away from the project, but now it’s being reported that the spin-off is currently “on ice.” Not outright canceled, but on the back burner.

25 might seem like a small number against the studio’s estimated 400 employees (roughly 6% of their headcount), but this is part of a growing wave of layoffs across the industry. Personally, I’m having trouble keeping track. Recently, Epic Games terminated around 830 jobs, Embracer has been cutting positions with some regularity, Team17 reportedly plans to drop a significant number of roles. Bioware, Firaxis, and on and on. This is in spite of growing revenue across the industry spurred by hardware sales.

Naughty Dog has not yet released an official statement on the layoffs.

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Team17, the publisher of works such as Blasphemous 2, Gord, and Moving Out 2 has entered “a period of consultation,” meaning the company will seek to identify potential redundancies in the organization.

Eurogamer first reported that “significant job losses” at Team17 are expected, with the majority impacting the internal QA, and that company CEO Michael Pattison is leaving. Team17 confirmed that it's “amicably parted ways” with Pattison in a statement via VG247.

"We can also confirm that we have sadly entered into a period of consultation today within Team17 Digital, with Astragon and Storytoys remaining unaffected by the restructuring plans," the publisher said to VG247.

Employees were reportedly made aware of potential layoffs in a letter following an emergency town hall. In the letter, the company reportedly praised employees for the company’s significant growth in the first half of 2023.

“However, we recognise these results were against the backdrop of one of the most competitive years for high quality launches and deep peer discounting that the industry has ever seen,” the letter continued. “Within our Group, Team17 Digital in particular has felt the pressure of these challenges, as have many companies in our industry.”

This past March, Team17 experienced layoffs impacting its art and design teams, via Eurogamer. If this current consultation period results in layoffs, this will be the second round this calendar year. In the report by VG247, an unnamed source claims Team17’s marketing department looks to be shrinking by a range of “20-30%,” in addition to the loss of around 50 QA department roles reported by Eurogamer. 

Filling the vacant CEO role will reportedly be Ann Hurley, the commercial operations director for Team17. Pattison joined Team17 in 2021 after serving for over eight years at PlayStation. 

These reports indicate just one of the recent rounds of layoffs at gaming companies. Just in the last month, Embracer Group cut roles at Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics, as well as Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition developer Beamdog. Also, Epic Games let go of 16% of its employees, equating to about 830 people.

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In January 2022, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. Since then, Microsoft has had to overcome several hurdles to get the deal approved in various regions. The UK has been one of the biggest obstacles, though it appears some important progress has been made.

A press release from the Competition and Markets Authority reveals that it is pleased with the adjustments Microsoft has made to the deal following prior objections. As previously reported, Microsoft will no longer purchase Activision Blizzard's cloud gaming rights. Instead, they will be sold to Ubisoft. This is being done to stave off any sense of Microsoft's monopolization of cloud gaming.

Following the restructured deal, the CMA still had some remaining concerns about how "certain provisions in the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft could be circumvented, terminated, or not enforced." However, after Microsoft offered additional remedies, the CMA concluded that the "additional protection should resolve those residual concerns."

What happens if the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through?

Commenting on the new deal, Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA, stated that "Microsoft has now substantially restructured the deal, taking the necessary steps to address our original concerns." It is true that the deal has significantly changed, as Microsoft will no longer have ownership of Activision Blizzard's cloud gaming.

Microsoft president Brad Smith also issued a public comment on the deal, saying they are "encouraged by this positive development" in the review process.

Nevertheless, should the deal go through, it will significantly expand Microsoft's footprint in the gaming world. It'll introduce several major IPs to the company's gaming stable, including Crash Bandicoot, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. Microsoft will also gain ownership of Call of Duty, though it has committed to keeping the first-person shooter multiplatform.

It should be stressed that this doesn't mean that the deal has been finalized in the UK. If the deal is approved, Microsoft will be one step closer to sealing the largest gaming acquisition in history. The deadline for the closure is currently set for October 18.

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Earlier today, a massive amount of information was leaked through documents surrounding the Microsoft-FTC case. Now, Xbox head Phil Spencer has issued a response.

In a statement made on social media, Spencer confirms the Xbox team has seen the leaks and conversation, but characterizes them as being old.

"We've seen the conversation around old emails and documents. It is hard to see our team's work shared in this way because so much has changed and there's so much to be excited about right now, and in the future. We will share the real plans when we are ready."

- Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox

The Verge obtained an internal memo from Spencer sent to Microsoft employees today, which shares similar sentiments around the "unintentionally disclosed" documents.

"I know this is disappointing, even if many of the documents are well over a year old and our plans have evolved," wrote Spencer in the memo.

Plugging the leak

As part of a court order to resolve all sealing issues surrounding the FTC v. Microsoft case, documents were uploaded to a publicly available site. It was quickly discovered that a wealth of unredacted, non-public information was contained within, and the news quickly swept across the internet.

Earlier today, the FTC asserted it had not been the cause of the leaks, saying Microsoft had provided the link. The document has since been taken offline, but it isn't so easy to put the water back in the bottle with the internet.

The documents included info about a potential next Xbox, a prospective slate of upcoming Bethesda games, and hopes that Xbox could one day finally acquire Nintendo. It was a fascinating leak, providing a fairly big look into the planning and communications behind-the-scenes at one of the biggest companies in games.

Notably, these documents came from a set point in time. As Spencer notes, and most who follow the games industry know, things can rapidly change. But it will be interesting to see, years from now, just how much all of this pans out or diverges.

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Embracer Group has reportedly laid off more than 25 employees from Beamdog, according to former employees via LinkedIn, as spotted by GameDeveloper. Beamdog, the studio behind Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition, Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition, and Mythforce was acquired by Embracer’s Aspyr Media subsidiary in April 2022. 

“On Friday 26 people were laid off at Beamdog, and I unfortunately am one of them,” said former associate producer Misia Bloniarz via LinkedIn. “After 4 years at the company I look back at my time there fondly, and wish everyone the best.”

Others affected by the layoffs include former associate graphic artist Jill Hollett and former QA manager Erin McIntyre, who also confirmed their termination via LinkedIn. These layoffs are just one result of Embracer Group’s previously announced restructuring, with other studios — including Saints Row developer Volition — facing shutdowns or layoffs. In that announcement, CEO Lars Wingefors insisted on the “untapped potential” of Embracer.

“Across the group, we are now initiating multiple actions to strengthen our cash flow generation and leverage our portfolio of IPs to become a stronger company and setting out on a stable future to build even greater games to the benefit of gamers and fans across the globe,” Wingefors said. He then went on to say that, despite this action, there would be closures and layoffs in the group’s future.

This might not be the last time we’ll hear about Embracer holding layoffs or closures; earlier this month, the company was reportedly considering a sale of Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment, per Reuters. 

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Ever since Unity first announced its plans for a new runtime install fee, it's been trying to put flex tape over it with clarifications and responses. Now, it looks like there may be some backpedaling on the horizon. To some extent, at least.

According to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, Unity may opt to cap its upcoming – and highly unpopular – new fees at 4%.

The report goes on to say that this would be for studios/games that are making over $1 million, and that installs won't be retroactively counted. On top of this, installs will be calculated based on a "a developer's self-reported data rather than Unity's own nebulous estimate methodology."

What's the big deal?

A week ago, Unity performed an almost impressive display of self-immolation by introducing Runtime Fees as part of its new pricing plan. The policy goes into effect on January 1, 2024, and will mean that studios that have built games through Unity will have to pay a monthly fee for every new install.

This caused an immediate outcry from the community, with developers swearing off the company and its products. While Unity did try to clarify that this fee wouldn't affect the vast majority of game companies, the announcement was met with an enormous amount of derision and backlash.

There have been previous attempts to undo some of the damage. Recently, Unity issued an apology and said it would look into "making changes to the policy." While there's been no official word yet, Schreier's report gives some indication that the company may now have finally grasped the enormity of its own public flogging.

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It sounds like a new successor to the Switch could be approaching. New reports out of Gamescom 2023 say Nintendo showed off Switch 2 tech demos to developers behind closed doors.

Eurogamer reports these presentations took place to show off the technical specs of a potential Switch successor, or "Switch 2" as we'll call it. In its own reporting of the news, VGC corroborates with its sources.

Per Eurogamer, the developer presentations were shown tech demos. One included a souped-up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. VGC's source also claims Nintendo showcased Epic's The Matrix Awakens tech demo for Unreal Engine 5, reportedly utilizing Nvidia DLSS upscaling.

Nintendo has not formally announced any plan for a new Switch successor. Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser recently spoke to IGN, saying he's "stopped counting years" when it comes to the Switch's ongoing life cycle. And Nintendo did not comment on Eurogamer's report.

Even with the radio silence, though, Switch 2 rumors are brewing. A previous report pointed towards a launch in the second half of 2024. Eurogamer says this lines up with what it previously heard, though Nintendo may be keen to launch sooner.

With tech demos apparently going around, we may actually be getting close to a new Switch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHGShqcAHlQ

The long road here

Of course, there's still some gas in the tank for the modern Nintendo Switch. The handheld hybrid is just over six years old at this point, but it's still got some games hitting this holiday season. Namely, there's the Super Mario RPG remake, a new WarioWare, and the Style Savvy crew's next game, Fashion Dreamer. Plus, a ton of Pokémon DLC is in the works too.

Add that onto a year where the Switch got both Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4, and it's not a bad swan song if a Switch 2 is cresting over the horizon. We'll have to see what Nintendo's got in store.

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The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and ReedPop are no longer working together on the next E3. The companies have announced they've parted ways, and PAX organizer ReedPop will not be working on any future E3 events.

Alongside this news (via GamesIndustry.biz), the ESA informed the Los Angeles Convention Center that it will not host a show there in 2024. The LACC was the usual home for E3, but recent speculation pointed towards E3 leaving the venue behind.

ReedPop, which also hosts PAX and several other conventions, was brought on in 2022 to help bring the show back. (Disclosure: Before Destructoid, I worked at a now-shuttered ReedPop outlet, USgamer.) The resulting plans resembled something like Gamescom. An in-person event with both industry and consumer days was announced, and then canceled.

In a statement via GIbiz, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said the association appreciated ReedPop's partnership.

"While the reach of E3 remains unmatched in our industry, we are continuing to explore how we can evolve it to best serve the video game industry and are evaluating every aspect of the event, from format to location," said Pierre-Louis. "We are committed to our role as a convenor for the industry and look forward to sharing news about E3 in the coming months."

"We have enjoyed our time working with the ESA and appreciate their commitment to the games industry as a whole," said ReedPop games events head Kyle Marsden-Kish. "While we will not be involved with the future of E3 we look forward to seeing its evolution and where the ESA takes it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0W6bSU6iR8

An uncertain future

So, it seems like we're back to questioning what's next for E3. At this point, any 2024 plan seems rocky. Notably, GIbiz says the ESA is working on a complete reinvention of E3 for 2025.

If 2024 plans fall through, we will have gone five years—2020 through '24—without an in-person E3. All the while, events like Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest have swooped in to take the summertime slot.

I'd really wonder what a reinvented E3 can bring to the table to try and get everyone back on-board after multiple cancellations. Maybe a return to Vegas? Or maybe E3 evolves into something else entirely. We'll learn more as the ESA reveals its plans.

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Volition Games is shutting down. The studio behind games like Saints Row, Summoner, Red Faction, and more is being shuttered by parent company Embracer Group.

In a statement shared on LinkedIn, the studio announced the news. This past June, Embracer announced its restructuring plan, in which it confirmed there would be studio closures.

[caption id="attachment_400739" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Volition Games/LinkedIn[/caption]

"As part of that program, [Embracer] evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately," reads Volition's statement.

Volition also confirms that it's working with the team to provide job assistance and "help smooth the transition" for Volition members. "We thank our customers and fans around the world for all the love and support over the years," the studio says. "You will always be in our hearts."

We've reached out for additional comment from Volition and Embracer.

Thirty years of Volition

There's a lot of history in Volition Games, stretching back through the years. While Saints Row is likely their most well-known series, the studio also worked on the Red Faction series, Summoner, and the FreeSpace and Descent games.

Volition hit some rocky waters with its 2022 version of Saints Row, which garnered some mixed reception. It, like many other studios, was vacuumed up by Embracer Group. It's a disheartening thing to see, especially as the news slowly broke this morning from employees laid off and out of work amidst the studio's closure.

Embracer's restructuring is set to happen in phases through to March 2024, and will "include, but not be limited to, closing or divestments of some studios and the termination or pausing of some ongoing game development projects," Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said at the time.

For reference, the Embracer Group also has Gearbox, Crystal Dynamics, THQ Nordic, Plaion, Asmodee, and Saber under its umbrella.

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Longtime FromSoftware composer, Yuka Kitamura, has announced via Twitter that they will be leaving FromSoftware to work as a freelancer.

Kitamura has been with FromSoftware for over a decade, first appearing in the credits as Sound Designer for 2013’s Armored Core V. Their first composer credit was for 2014’s Dark Souls II, and they would continue on as a  FromSoftware composer through Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.

https://twitter.com/_Yuka_Kitamura_/status/1686310080512466944?s=20

Kitamura did not say if they would continue to work with FromSoftware in a contractor’s position. However, they did go on to say, “I would like to continue to express myself in-game music through various genres of music. I hope you will look forward to my music in the future!” So, whether or not they return for the next Souls-like FromSoftware title, it sounds like they plan to remain in the games industry, just not under FromSoftware's umbrella.

It still hasn’t been said if Kitamura will be doing the soundtrack for the upcoming Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC or Armored Core 6. They have put up a new portfolio website that lists their previous credits, and neither is mentioned. However, that may just be because they haven’t been released yet.

_{Lead image via Yuka Kitamura.}

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Recently, the ESRB and digital identity firm Yoti filed an application to the FTC. The application details a design for "Facial Age Estimation," used to guess the age of users using the front-facing camera of a cell phone. Reports of this application soon followed, speculating that the ESRB might use this technology to scan children's faces and verify their ages.

However, the ESRB recently responded to these statements, saying it would not be used for this reason. Instead, the ratings board says this tech is going to be used for parental consent when signing up for new games.

[caption id="attachment_393524" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image Provided by FTC & ESRB[/caption]

ESRB Responds to Reports about FTC Application

In an email sent to IGN, the ESRB clarifies the claims being made about their application for "Facial Age Estimation."

For those unfamiliar, the program allows users to scan their faces with their cellphones, in a similar manner to unlocking your phone with a scan. Reports about this application speculated that it might scan children's faces to verify their age, before they tried to purchase an age-restricted title. However, the ESRB has come out saying this would be used as part of the parental consent process, clarifying this in an email to IGN:

"First and foremost, this application is not to authorize the use of this technology with children. Full stop. Nor does this software take and store 'selfies' of users or attempt to confirm the identity of users. Furthermore, this application makes no mention of using age estimation to prevent children from purchasing and/or downloading restrictively rated video games, nor do we intend to recommend its use in that way."

The ESRB continues its email by claiming that the "verifiable parental consent mechanism" is only to be used by parents as an alternative to previous methods. This will not use any technology like Apple's FaceID scanners on iPhones; rather, it only verifies via a facial scan. The image itself will not be stored, but rather, pieces of the image are cross-referenced between a pre-existing database. The program could then determine if the face scanned is over the age of 25, to prevent older-looking teens and children from spoofing the scan, and spit out a binary "yes or no".

The ERSB says the facial scans are live, and not "facial recognition" which is used to determine identity. The representative goes on to describe a scenario in which this technology is used.

"When a child attempts to sign up for a new service (website, application, video game, platform, etc.), by U.S. law, they will be prompted to provide a parent’s or caregiver’s email address or other contact information. The parent is then usually sent an email asking them to confirm their consent for the collection of certain data from their child. If the company collecting the data is using Yoti technology, the parent will be asked for their consent and prompted to use their front-facing camera to scan their face (which must be live and in person). Yoti’s technology encrypts the information gathered from the scan, then breaks down portions of this scan to accurately estimate the parent’s age. Our application to the FTC recommends that the age threshold be set at 25 to prevent teenagers or older-looking children from pretending to be a parent."

The ESRB asserts the data used in the process will not be stored. Nor, will it be used for AI training, or shared with anyone. With it being a cut-and-dry way of verifying if the consenting parent is over the age of 25, the ESRB claims that it's a "highly privacy protective solution for VPC."

While the claims about "carding" young gamers when purchasing restrictively rated titles seem to be debunked, much is still unknown about how this is going to be used. The application and the ESRB email are largely theoretical, at this stage. However, where and how it will actually be used remains to be seen.

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The studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk video game series is parting ways with a chunk of its staff. CD Projekt Red is laying off around 100 workers, which it estimates is roughly 9% of the entire team.

As announced in a letter shared on CD Projekt's site from CEO Adam Kiciński, the layoffs will run up through Q1 2024. Its announced the layoffs now in the "spirit of transparency" and to give team members a chance to process. Additionally, CD Projekt assures that those affected have been offered a "comprehensive" severance package.

The reasoning behind these layoffs is CD Projekt Red's new direction, it seems. Kiciński writes that CDPR has reshaped its development process and incorporated Agile methodologies, and is now turning its eye towards staff.

"We’ve carefully assessed all teams in the company in terms of their expected contribution to the delivery of our strategy," said Kiciński. "There’s no easy way to say this, but today we are overstaffed. We have talented people on board who are finishing their tasks and—based on current and expected project needs—we already know we don’t have other opportunities for them in the next year."

The future of CD Projekt Red

CD Projekt has quite a few projects in development, as the letter notes. There are new Cyberpunk and Witcher games in the works. Plus, CD Projekt is also working on a new franchise, under the codename Hadar. All that, plus the impending release of Cyberpunk 2077's first and only big DLC expansion, Phantom Liberty, in September.

With all these games in the works, it's a little strange to see a cut like this. Especially since CD Projekt also made fairly recent cuts on other projects, like Gwent and Molasses Flood's Witcher spin-off. Hopefully, those affected can land on their feet.

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Hiiiigh definition Riiiidge Racer

The video game documentarians at NoClip have been steadily preserving and archiving a wealth of old industry footage, ranging from tech demos and presentations to classic commercials. Importantly, the team is also getting higher definition captures of certain events than we've ever seen before, like a 1080p HD recording of the infamous Sony E3 2006 presentation.

For those who weren't around or closely watching the industry at the time, 2006 was an important year for Sony. Notably, the console maker was soaring on the success of the PlayStation 2. Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America at the time, took the stage to lay out the future ahead for both the PlayStation Portable and the impending launch of the PlayStation 3.

Sony's ensuing showcase would result in many long-running memes stemming out from the showcase, including historically based crab battles and Riiiiiidge Racer. And of course, the price tag. The reveal of the $600 ($599, to be exact) price point for the 60 GB PS3 was the stunning conclusion to the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaWptXzfETo

Massive damage

This was streamed at the time, but due to restrictions of the time, was only ever available in lower resolution. With NoClip's restoration work, we can see the whole show at glorious 1080p.

Besides marking the start of a very rough generation for Sony, there's a lot of historical value in this recording. There are trailers for some eventual big PS3 games, like Metal Gear Solid 4. But there's also the canceled Eight Days, the AR game Eye of Judgment getting a live demo, and early looks at games like Final Fantasy XIII, in a now obvious mock-up of its eventual battle system.

This was an era where conferences had big showcase presentations while maintaining the slide presentation and industry side forward facing. Nowadays, E3—or whatever we're calling the summer of games news now—is a very consumer-focused show. You don't really see CEOs standing in front of fiscal projections these days. Not on a big stage, at least.

So enjoy this trip down memory lane with the Sony E3 2006 press conference, and a huge thanks to the folks at NoClip doing all this preservation work. Because of this, the giant enemy crabs can reach their true resolution potential.

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A little extra time to ensure it goes through

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are pushing back a notable deadline in the ongoing merger talks. Originally set for July 18, the merger agreement deadline for the companies has now been pushed out to October 18.

This extension is to allow for "additional time to resolve remaining regulatory concerns," according to a statement from Microsoft president Brad Smith.

"We will honor all commitments agreed upon with the EC and other regulators and continue to work with the CMA on the issues raised in the UK," said Smith. "We are confident about our prospects for getting this deal across the finish line."

Microsoft recently won over the FTC in a court case, denying a preliminary injunction on the deal. Not long after the decision was rendered, Microsoft and the UK's CMA seem to have gone back to the table, after the latter blocked the deal earlier this year.

"Given global regulatory approvals and the companies’ confidence that CMA now recognizes there are remedies available to meet their concerns in the UK, the Activision Blizzard and Microsoft boards of directors have authorized the companies not to terminate the deal until after October 18," said Activision Blizzard CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey in a statement. "We’re confident in our next steps and that our deal will quickly close."

Xbox head Phil Spencer also stated the company is "optimistic" about getting the deal done. Though it's worth noting that with these exceptions, the termination fees also go up. Microsoft's payable fee if the agreement doesn't go through bumps up to $3.5 billion on August 29, and higher to $4.5 billion on September 15.

The future of Xbox

Even with that billion-dollar pressure, the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal seems to be full-steam ahead. After the FTC ruling, it seems much more likely that Activision-Blizzard will fall under the Xbox umbrella by year's end.

The next big calendar day to watch for August 29, which is the CMA's updated final order date.

The post Microsoft and Activision Blizzard extend the merger agreement deadline appeared first on Destructoid.

The longtime Ubisoft developer has passed away

Emile Morel, a developer with a long legacy including many years at Ubisoft, has died at age 40.

News first began to spread around on LinkedIn, with colleagues posting tributes to Morel on the site (via IGN). Ubisoft Montpelier, his studio, has posted an official confirmation and statement:

It is with a heavy heart that we share the sudden passing of our friend and colleague Emile Morel. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and teammates all over the world.

We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the significant impact he made over the years on different games that make up the rich history of our studio.

For us, Emile was a close friend and a boundless source of positive energy. We all valued his passion and the way he told stories.

We will never forget Emile and his immense contribution to the BGE2 universe will forever endure.

True Freedom Lies Beyond.

Beyond good and evil

Morel had worked at Ubisoft for some time, with 14 years of experience at the company working on several notable titles. Morel served as a senior designer on Rayman Legends, as well as working on Test Drive Unlimited 2, 2008's Alone in the Dark, and Rayman Fiesta Run.

After the departure of several leads from Beyond Good & Evil 2, Morel took over as creative director on the project. The sequel was revealed at E3 2017 and has been in development for some time since.

We extend our thoughts and condolences to Morel's loved ones and colleagues.

The post Beyond Good & Evil 2 creative director Emile Morel dies at 40 appeared first on Destructoid.