Alan Feely

‘Perfect Dark’ Developer Lays Off Staff After Funding Deal Falls Through Crystal Dynamics was close to moving the game to Take-Two, but negotiations fell apart

SCOOP: Perfect Dark was almost revived.

The game's developers were close to a deal with Take-Two to fund and publish the game following its cancellation by Xbox in July, sources say, but negotiations fell through, leading to layoffs at Crystal Dynamics last week. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Play Nice A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2024 From a New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist comes The Social Network for t...

You can now get the ebook version of Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment (a New York Times bestseller!) for just $3, which is less than my coffee cost this morning. This week only!! www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jason...

the thing about layoffs of this scale is that so much is happening it involves days and days of discovering fresh horrors

And another thing: I’m not making a Pentiment sequel please don’t put in the newspaper that I am making a Pentiment sequel

Post from Matt Turnbull: These are really challenging times, and if you’re navigating a layoff or even quietly preparing for one, you’re not alone and you don’t have to go it alone. I know these types of tools engender strong feelings in people, but I'd be remiss in not trying to offer the best advice I can under the circumstances. I’ve been experimenting with ways to use LLM AI tools (like ChatGPT or Copilot) to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss. Here are some prompt ideas and use cases that might help if you're feeling overwhelmed: Career Planning Prompts: “Act as a career coach. I’ve been laid off from a [role] in the game industry. Help me build a 30-day plan to regroup, research new roles, and start applying without burning out.” “What kinds of game industry jobs could I pivot to with experience in [Production/Narrative/LiveOps/etc.]?” Resume & LinkedIn Help “Here’s my current resume. Give me three tailored versions: one for AAA, one for platform/publishing roles, and one for startup/small studio leadership.” “Rewrite this resume bullet to highlight impact and metrics.” “Draft a new LinkedIn ‘About Me’ section that focuses on my leadership style, shipped titles, and vision for game development.” Networking & Outreach “Draft a friendly message I can send to old coworkers letting them know I’m exploring new opportunities.” “Write a warm intro message for reaching out to someone at [studio name] about a job posting.” Emotional Clarity & Confidence “I’m struggling with imposter syndrome after being laid off. Can you help me reframe this experience in a way that reminds me what I’m good at?” No AI tool is a replacement for your voice or your lived experience. But at a time when mental energy is scarce, these tools can help get you unstuck faster, calmer, and with more clarity. If this helps, feel free to share with others in your network. Stay kind, stay smart, stay connected.

Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing - after the Microsoft layoffs - suggesting on Linkedin that may maybe people who have been let go should turn to AI for help. He seriously thought posting this would be a good idea.

Hello! We are excited to be heading to Gamescom 2025 in Cologne, Germany, again this year! If you will also be attending, we are offering an AI Roundtable where you can provide us your feedback on how you'd like to see us use AI in our tools and processes to make the game development and publishing experience more efficient.

Meanwhile this email came from Microsoft this morning.

Xbox Executives Were Blown Away by an Upcoming Game. Then They Canceled It. Blackbird, a new game from ZeniMax Online Studios, impressed Xbox boss Phil Spencer earlier this year

NEW: In March, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was so impressed by the demo of a Zenimax game codenamed Blackbird that Matt Booty had to tell him to stop playing so the meeting could continue. Yesterday, they canceled it.

Inside one of Xbox's most shocking cancellations: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

This morning, Zenimax Online Studios told staff that their MMO project Blackbird was canceled and abruptly deactivated the team's access to Slack. Three hours later, team members have no idea if they have jobs. They still have access to email and Teams but have not heard from HR or management

Devastated. I've been impacted by the latest round of Xbox layoffs.

I've loved this job, my team, and everyone I've had the joy to work with.

I don't understand and am completely heartbroken 💔

I can confirm that Xbox is canceling the long-troubled project Perfect Dark and closing The Initiative, per email from Xbox studios president Matt Booty seen by Bloomberg News. First reported by Windows Central

Many of Xbox's subsidiaries are getting hit by the layoffs this morning, including Call of Duty studios such as Raven. Big cuts at Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 - nearly 50% of staff, per source.

As one illustration of just how sloppy and chaotic today's mass Xbox layoff has been, some employees at Zenimax Online Studios are now watching their Slack accounts abruptly get locked out. No message from HR, no word on whether they still have a job, just an ominous Slack deactivation

BREAKING: The new MMORPG project from Zenimax Online Studios, maker of Elder Scrolls Online, has been canceled as part of the Xbox layoffs, sources tell Bloomberg News. The project, code-named Blackbird, had been in development since 2018. Still more news to come this morning.

BREAKING: As part of today's cuts, Xbox has canceled the troubled Rare game Everwild, according to people familiar. News on the job cuts is coming in drips — not sure why Xbox didn't announce it all at once — but I'll report what I can as I confirm it.

Microsoft Begins Deep Job Cuts Across Xbox Division European subsidiaries such as King were informed about the job cuts on Wednesday

BREAKING: Mass layoffs at Xbox have started. Candy Crush maker King told employees that it is cutting 10% of staff, or 200 jobs. Bethesda's Europe offices were hit too. U.S. offices are expected to inform people this morning. More to come shortly www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The @wire.xbox.com team is expanding - we're looking for an LA-based writer to help us with event coverage and more. Details here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/42...

Here's a hot take: I liked Avowed way more than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Sony's Bend studio, which canceled a live-service game earlier this year, is laying off 30% of staff today (around 40 people), Bloomberg News has learned. The studio has been spinning up a new project following the cancellation.

We’re officially t-minus one week until the Xbox Games Showcase followed by The Outer Worlds 2 Direct on June 8 | #XboxShowcase #TheOuterWorlds2

Thank you @microsoft.com for the new THIS IS AN XBOX controller, a fine addition to my collection!

"Minecraft: Volume Alpha" the main theme from 'Minecraft' from Daniel Rosenfeld has been added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry for its cultural impact.

www.loc.gov/programs/nat...

Black Ops 6 Season 3 Roadmap

Multiple pieces of ripped paper are layered on top of each other. The frontmost piece features the logo for EA Sports College Football 25 at the top followed by text "It's always game time" below it. Beneath that are visuals for 3-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Amazon Fire Stick, and a custom-designed Xbox Wireless Controller with accompanying text labeling each item. There are logos for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play below the items and a legal blurb at the bottom: "No purchase necessary. Open only to legal residents of Xbox supported regions (excl. Russia) (Amazon Fire Stick only available for US residents), 18+. Ends at 11:50 p.m. PT on Apr 10 2025. See Official Rules: https://xbx.lv/4iMs2va"

EA Sports College Football 25 is available today with Game Pass Ultimate 🏈

Follow and repost with #GamePassAlwaysGameTimeSweepstakes for a chance to win.

No purchase necessary. Ends April 10, 2025. Rules: xbx.lv/4iMs2va

GDC 2025 is complete for me. Lots of both planned and unexpected connections with friends. Insightful and productive conversations about the current state of the game industry. Leaving feeling tired, inspired and excited about the potential future of Xbox and the industry.

Today I’m playing Doom: The Dark Ages starring the big man, Johnny Doom.

Preview on the 31st.

5 years at Blizzard and I finally have my sword! #Diablo

Microsoft Ability Summit 2025: Accessibility in the AI era - The Official Microsoft Blog Today, we hosted the 15th annual Microsoft Ability Summit, with over 20,000 attendees from 164 countries coming together virtually to discuss the future of AI and accessibility. Microsoft has a long-s...

Great to see the Xbox Adaptive Joystick launch today. Thanks to the Gaming and Disability community for the important collaboration on design to ensure this device meets the needs of players with limited mobility… because when everyone plays, we all win. Read more: www.aka.ms/aauzm2u

So excited for Detective Dobson, coming to Xbox PC (and steam) April 24th - will be Xbox Play Anywhere when the console version ships later this year too! @dotson.in

GameSpot’s documentary on STALKER 2 drops Wednesday @ 9am PDT. This project represents hundreds of hours from so many talented people.

Not an easy video to get through given the subject matter, but—especially now—it’s an important to story to tell.

some “damned” good news