Ubisoft leadership has all but given up on fixing the company’s culture as Tencent increases its ownership stake. Also: NPD for August 2022, GameStop bleeds, Square Enix reconsiders how it approaches studio ownership, 343 loses its leader, and Microsoft and Sony continue to butt heads in the UK over Activision acquisition.
GameStop and Unity are making ugly moves, drawing the ire of consumers and developers. Also: E3 returns as the ESA gives up on being an event organizer, a surprisingly meaty list of new investments, NPD for June 2022, another Activision studio moves to unionize, and a double FAFO!
The Video Game Industry Celebrated Pride with a Bear Market (News Show): The pandemic boon is quickly becoming a memory as inflation, rising prices, and a thin release slate put pressure on developers and publishers. Also: Activision workers list demands for workplace safety, the Communications Workers of America back Microsoft’s Activision acquisition, and Québec may be set to quash its local game scene.
The game industry loves to trot out its support for Women’s History Month, but most companies are avoiding standing up for abortion rights. It’s time for developers and publishers to take a stand. Also: Paradox…
Square Enix bids farewell to its western CEO and studios, but Embracer is ready to hug ‘em tight. Also: Sony makes the new PS+ even more confusing, Activision shareholders sign-off on acquisition, and more.
QA workers at Activision-owned Raven Software have been given the go-ahead from the NLRB to unionize. Also: Hardware supply continues to be challenging according to latest NPD report, Nintendo is facing its own labor issues, and Sony scores a partial victory in court.
Activision Blizzard is accused of participating in a cover-up related to the death of one of its employees at a company retreat. Also: An update on video game industry action over Ukraine crisis, Epic purchases Bandcamp, Intellivision in trouble, and more.
Let’s talk about Elden Ring! So… which class did you roll? Have you found any good weapons? Why is that angry giant shouting at me?! Oh wait… uh… shoot… news… um… OKAY! Call of Duty…
Team17’s decision to dabble in NFTs has empowered employees to talk about the company’s history of workplace problems. Also: Trouble at Intellivision, Microsoft gets ahead of regulation, and SPACs run into problems…
Another week, another round of companies thinking they can make NFT fetch happen. Also: 35 states back Epic against Apple. Wordle has a new owner, Activision is actively union busting, a bunch of investment stories, and a double dose of FAFO goodness… badness… FAFOness.