We now know that Microsoft wasn’t kidding when they said they had no intention of pulling Call of Duty from PlayStation. Whether the Game Pass Gambit pays off or not, Black Ops 6 is selling great on Sony’s console. Also: the rest of the Circana report on U.S. Video Game Spending for October, a pair of Mass Effect alums run into funding trouble, and more.

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TIME STAMPS

• [00:] – Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for October 2024
• [00:] – Investment Interlude
• [00:] – Quick Hits
• [00:] – Labor Report

SOURCES

• Thought Pennies cuts headcount as project loses funding | GamesIndustry
• Heart Machine is Undergoing Layoffs | Sol Brennan on LinkedIn
• A Message to the Reflector Community | Reflector
• Humanoid Origin, the Studio Co-Founded by Mass Effect Director Casey Hudson, is Shutting Down | Humanoid Origin on LinkedIn
• BioWare alum Mac Walters freezes indie studio Worlds Untold amid funding search | Game Developer
• Report: Kwalee lays off “at least 10” people | GamesIndustry
• 2K Games’ motion capture studio votes to unionise | GamesIndustry

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

• Exclusive: Sony is in talks to buy media powerhouse behind ‘Elden Ring’ | Reuters
• FromSoftware parent Kadokawa confirms buyout interest from Sony | GamesIndustry
• Play Ventures raises $140m in third gaming fund | GamesIndustry
• Tencent acquires majority stake in Kuro Games | GamesIndustry
• Bandai Namco subsidiary Bandai Namco Online to be dissolved and merged with parent company | GamesIndustry
• My.Games sells hyper-casual game publisher Mamboo | GamesIndustry