2023 and 2024 have seen significant layoffs across the game industry. Studios of all sizes have been affected, and 18,000 layoffs are estimated to have hit since 2023.According to Omdia analyst Liam Deane, the layoffs are such where companies aren't as bothered by them anymore. In fact, he speculated studios are less image-conscious about them now than in previous years."Companies become less worried about the risk of losing talent to the competition," he said in a chat with Game Developer. "Making cuts two years ago would have made you look bad to investors; now it's just part of an industry-wide trend."A survey from Game Developer Collective revealed 44 percent of participants experienced layoffs at their company in 2023. Before 2024 is over, it'll easily surpass the 10,000 cuts seen last year.The situation has been so fraught that developers like Dwarf Fortress' Tarn Adams and Strange Scaffold's Xalavier Nelson Jr. have openly critiqued the executives behind these layoffs in recent days.Omdia is hopeful the layoffs will recede as the games market grows throughout the year. But while they're optimistic things will look "more positive" closer to the end of 2024, the industry doesn't have eight months to hope things will work out.Combined with companies recognizing (and then bypassing) worker-led unions and toxic player behavior, developers are going through a lot. Last September, developers answering an IATSE survey they admitted they don't know if the industry has a future, or at least a future with them in it.Getting laid off and having to apply at studio after studio is draining on those affected, to say nothing of how those losses hit remaining staff. Not to mention, the cost of living at major development hubs like Seattle and LA keep steadily rising.Poaching may be the least of the industry's problems as the year continues and more studios face layoffs or outright closure.Omdia and Game Developer are sibling organizations under Informa Tech.
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Two weeks after release, Firewalk Studios is taking its debut shooter Concord offline on Friday, September 6.While acknowledging its high points, director Ryan Ellis admitted the PlayStation 5 and PC game's initial launch "didn’t land the way we’d intended."Concord released on August 23, and its alleged underperformance has dominated conversation around the game. On Steam, it's had low numbers since launch, and PlayStation hasn't commented on its sales or player metrics.Firewalk will "explore options" to improve Concord so it finds a better audience. Current players will be refunded for their digital (on PlayStation Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store) and physical purchases, then lose access to the game after September 6.
Indie developer Blingame revealed it had to kill the Xbox Series X|S version of its 2022 game, Haak, owing to a tumultuous porting process.Over the weekend, the studio released a statement detailing how it spent "over 14 months" trying to bring its game to Microsoft's console. That ended up being a "nightmare," mainly owing to "many" alleged bugs in Microsoft's Partner Center.Last year, Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox Series X|S port hit a snag pre-release owing to the S console. Those issues were later resolved, but the two games indicate a potential larger issue with bringing titles to Xbox as a staggered release.Porting games can already be tricky for various reasons. A lack of proper support from console makers cuts multiple ways, especially in …
Indie developer Blingame revealed it had to kill the Xbox Series X|S version of its 2022 game, Haak, owing to a tumultuous porting process.Over the weekend, the studio released a statement detailing how it spent "over 14 months" trying to bring its game to Microsoft's console. That ended up being a "nightmare," mainly owing to "many" alleged bugs in Microsoft's Partner Center.Last year, Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox Series X|S port hit a snag pre-release owing to the S console. Those issues were later resolved, but the two games indicate a potential larger issue with bringing titles to Xbox as a staggered release.Porting games can already be tricky for various reasons. A lack of proper support from console makers cuts multiple ways, especially in …
For Remedy, the first half of 2024 has been quite fruitful.In the six-month period for January-June 2024, the Alan Wake developer saw a revenue growth of 33.7 percent from last year's period to €21.1 million (or $23 million). For the period's operating profit, Remedy reported a loss of €5.3 million, down year-over-year from €10.4 million.The three-month second quarter (between April 1 and June 30, 2024) saw revenue of €10.3 million, up 16.2 percent from last year's €8.9 million. It also had its own operational loss of €3.2 million, down compared to €4.8 million in the same period last year.Still, there's been "improved profitability" overall compared to last year's fiscal period.And while Alan Wake II still hasn't become fully profitabl…
Canadian VR studio Archiact is shutting down after over a decade. The company laid off an undisclosed number of workers in January but will now be pulling down the shutters for good.Archiact has published over 35 titles to date and worked on notable projects such as Doom 3: VR Edition and Marvel Dimension of Heroes.It also ventured into self-publishing for Journey to Foundation, a sci-fi adventure based on the 'Foundation' novel series that launched in December 2023 for PS VR2, Meta Quest, and Pico.Archiact had over 100 employees at the beginning of the year. Those who remain at the company will be laid off when the studio closes in just two weeks time."Archiact's journey is coming to a close. On August 12, we informed the staff that the studio will close in two weeks,&…
Adam Boyes, longtime co-CEO of Iron Galaxy, has departed the Rumbleverse studio. Per the developer's website, he'll remain with the company until the end of the year. Chelsea Blasko will then take the reins as its sole CEO.Boyes joined Iron Galaxy in 2016 after stints at Starbreeze, PlayStation, and Capcom. He noted he stayed "twice as long" here than his earlier jobs, which speaks to "[Iron Galaxy's special culture and the outstanding people who work here.""I want to offer my sincerest thanks to the people who welcomed me to lead this company with them," he continued. "Dave Lang, thank you for trusting me to push the boundaries of what Iron Galaxy could accomplish. Chelsea, thank you for teaching me so much about building a strong culture.…
Over a full year ago, EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was making its way to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Now, the publisher has announced the game is arriving on last-gen on September 17 for $50.The game originally launched on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S in April 2023. At the time of its last-gen announcement, Wilson suggested the move would benefit both the game and Star Wars as a video game property."I would love to see more in the Jedi franchise over time," he said last year. "It's one of the great beats in the Star Wars Galaxy this year. […] As we bring it to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, we think there'll be another little bump there for the franchise."While Jedi Survivor isn't the only current-gen game to stick aroun…
The fallout of Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm's ban from Twitch in 2020 is still being felt, as the streamer unveiled some new changes to combat sexual harassment on its platform.In a new blog post, Twitch underlined that sexual harassment "is never okay or acceptable" and clarified its policy in reflection of Beahm's actions so they'd be "easier to understand."Chiefly, the policy's language now prohibits "unwanted comments" about someone's body (like implied or sexually charged emojis), sexual advances or objectification, and negative statements related to a person's "perceived sexual behavior or activities."Likewise, recording or sharing nonconsensual images or videos is equally not tolerated, and Twitch warned s…
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EA has made a brisk start to the current financial year (FY25) after exceeding its net bookings guidance for the first quarter.The publisher, which is currently laying off 5 percent of its workforce, delivered Q1 net bookings of $1.26 billion, exceeding its high-end guidance range of $1.25 billion. The company said that surge was "driven by stronger performance across Madden NFL 24, FC Online and FC Mobile."Breaking down those numbers in an earnings call, EA CFO Stuart Canfield explained full game net bookings totaled $168 million. Live service and other net bookings totaled $1.09 billion, bolstered by the "outperformance" of EA Sports Madden NFL during Q1."The greater-than-expected results from EA Sports Madden NFL 24 are a strong proof point in the power of a thr…