It's official: Relic Entertainment has become an independent developer again. For the first time since it was acquired by THQ in 2004, it's in charge of its own fate.The Vancouver studio split from Sega Europe in late March and has now secured funding to stay indie for the foreseeable future. It's entered a partnership with investment firm Emona Capital that will let it "return to its roots."CEO Justin Dowdeswell said Emona will invest in the studio's current property portfolio, which includes the Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War series. The firm will also support Relic teaming with other publishers and IP owners."We see a huge opportunity to unleash Relic’s creative potential as an independent studio," he said. "The talent, te…
Embracer CFO and deputy CEO Johan Ekstrom is stepping down after five years, and the company already has his replacements lined up.Deputy CFO Muge Bouillon will be appointed CFO on September 1, 2024. Crystal Dynamics CEO Phil Rogers, who was recently named leader of Embracer's newly-formed Middle-earth Enterprises and Friends business, will take on the role of deputy CEO of Embracer on June 1, 2024. Both Bouillon and Rogers will serve as members of the executive management team.Ekstrom will officially depart on March 31, 2025. After assisting with the leadership transition he will focus on helping Embracer realize its plan to separate into three companies.
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The executive team at Lightspeed Studios has gained a new hire in Michael Pattison. Per the press release, he's been brought on as the vice president of its publishing division for PC and console games.Pattison previously worked at Sony Interactive Entertainment, THQ, and Capcom. Under the former, he lead the team for worldwide third-party relations, along with global marketing and brand management.More recently, he operated as Team17's CEO until late 2023. His hiring comes months after the alleged underperformance of Lightspeed's zombie survival game Undawn, which was said to be a big financial blow to parent company Tencent.Lightspeed VP Steve C. Martin called Pattison's hiring "invaluable as we continue to innovate and create exceptional game experiences for our…
The ESA's made a small shakeup to its executive team, adding Sue Madden to its ranks. As executive director of the ESA Foundation, she'll lead the organization's titular, education-focused arm.Madden has worked as the foundation's interim ED since 2023. She's previously led her own philanthropic consulting firm for nearly 15 years, and worked at the Gannett Foundation and BAE Systems.The ESA Foundation provides grants and scholarships to aspiring developers, along with financial support to schools and nonprofits. Madden will oversee fundraising efforts toward a "diverse pipeline" for the "next generation of industry innovators and leaders."
Australian studio Mighty Kingdom is laying off 28 percent of its workforce.Mighty Kingdom CEO David Yin shared the news in a statement posted on X and claimed the studio needs to pursue a "strategic rightsizing to streamline our operations and prioritize core business to align with our vision of the future."The Adelaide-based company currently employs 160 people, according to its website. That means around 45 workers are likely to be impacted by the cuts.
Mighty Kingdom's history in games
Mighty Kingdom was formed in 2010 and has built game experiences with notable partners including Lego, Disney, Mattel, Sony, Funcom, and Moose Toys…
Australian studio Mighty Kingdom is laying off 28 percent of its workforce.Mighty Kingdom CEO David Yin shared the news in a statement posted on X and claimed the studio needs to pursue a "strategic rightsizing to streamline our operations and prioritize core business to align with our vision of the future."The Adelaide-based company currently employs 160 people, according to its website. That means around 45 workers are likely to be impacted by the cuts.
Mighty Kingdom's history in games
Mighty Kingdom was formed in 2010 and has built game experiences with notable partners including Lego, Disney, Mattel, Sony, Funcom, and Moose Toys…
Square Enix is reportedly preparing to lay off employees in its American and United Kingdom offices. According to Video Games Chronicle's Andy Robinson, who spoke with sources familiar with the plans, Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu shared the news with employees earlier today.Kiryu informed workers that it would be dismissing employees working in publishing, information technology, and the Square Enix Indie Collective in the month ahead. Employees in the United States may be ousted as early as June 2024, while UK employees will benefit from the legally-required one-month consultancy period.A spokesperson for Square Enix confirmed the news to Game Developer. "After several months of analysis and discussion among our leadership team, we have made the difficult decision to rest…
Tim Bender, co-founder of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, claims that publishers across the industry should eliminate recoup terms and clauses to ensure developers are getting a fairer deal.During a wide-ranging interview with Game Developer (more on that soon), we asked Bender what developers should be wary of when negotiating publishing deals. He claims one of the biggest red flags you can encounter is the presence of recoup clauses that deny "critical cash flow" post-launch.Although he understands why recoup terms are still commonplace—he claims the idea of using them has simply become "ingrained" in the industry—he believes publishers should seriously reconsider leveraging terms that place developers at risk."If we went by what I thought was fair, it wo…
Ubisoft's free-to-play spinoff of Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is no more. The company's full-year 2023-2024 financial results stated that The Division Heartland was canceled as part of its "cost reduction" plan, and resources from that game will be distributed to develop the upcoming XDefiant and upcoming Rainbow Six Projects.No other information was offered on the cancellation. The game was in development at Ubisoft's North Carolina-based branch Red Storm Entertainment. This would be the fourth project Ubisoft has publicly canceled since the beginning of 2023.The Division Heartland was meant to bring the looting-and-shooting of the Division franchise to a games-as-a-service (GaaS) model. The Division 2 is arguably already a "live service" game, with…
Phoenix Labs appears to be executing another round of layoffs, eliminating what may be over 100 employees. Former employees on LinkedIn are reporting the loss of their jobs and stating that all projects in development have been cancelled.Word of the layoffs also comes from Polygon senior reporter Nicole Carpenter, who says some laid-off developers mentioned they were laid off during a mass Zoom call.Phoenix Labs has now confirmed that it laid off employees earlier today. The company wrote in a statement that it did so to "focus on our best-in-class live service titles, Dauntless and Fae Farm, and serving their communities."The company said this restructuring is a "last restore to ensure Phoenix Labs can survive, and thrive in the long term."On LinkedIn, former principal…
Update (05/17/24): Singularity 6 has told Game Developer it has laid off 36 staffers to navigate through a "tough economic period." The studio said it will continue supporting Palia following the job cuts."Unfortunately we have had to restructure and reduce the size of our team as we stay focused on supporting Palia and serving our community long term. We had to let 36 of our colleagues go yesterday, in an effort to navigate this tough economic period," reads a statement issued by a company spokesperson."We thank our departing team for all their work; we are committed to providing the best assistance and transition we can. We hope the industry will provide homes for these talented colleagues."Original story: According to reporting by Polygon's Nicole Carp…