Idle Sloth

BREAKING: Amazon Game Studios boss Christoph Hartmann (formerly head of 2K) is leaving the company, Bloomberg News has learned, as Amazon continues its retreat from the PC and console video-game space in favor of its cloud gaming service Luna.

Vince Zampella (Call of Duty, Respawn, Battlefield 6) has reportedly died in a car crash.

www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/v...

Blizzard is focusing on its established franchises rather than trying to develop new IP. The company plans to put out 1-2 big releases a year from here on out, Faries tells me www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Blizzard President Talks Culture, Bonuses and Releasing More Games Johanna Faries, who took over as president of Blizzard in 2024, reveals what’s coming from the storied studio

I spoke to Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment, about improving the company's culture, fixing the opaque bonus system, her ideal game release schedule, Xbox pressure, and much more www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

New Games Coming to Game Pass in November

Nov 5:
Dead Static Drive
Sniper Elite: Resistance

Nov 6:
Egging On
Whiskerwood

Nov 7:
Voidtrain

Nov 11:
Great God Grove
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Pigeon Simulator

Nov 12:
Relic Hunters Legend
Winter Burrow

Nov 14:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

⭐️ ARC Raiders Review Roundup ⭐️

Game Rant 10/10
Prima Games 10/10
Eurogamer Germany 10/10
DualShockers 9.5/10
Destructoid 9/10
GamingBolt 9/10
GameSpot 9/10
Push Square 9/10
INVEN 9/10
The Nerd Stash 9/10
XDA 9/10
GameStar 8.6/10

Metacritic: 87
OpenCritic: 94

New posters for ‘FALLOUT’ Season 2

Project TAL - Announcement & Gameplay Trailer

A single-player, open-world action RPG that delivers deep immersion, strategic combat, and a rich narrative shaped by your journey.

Targeting a Console and PC release in 2027

🚨 NEW GAME PASS DROP 🚨

Service: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and PC Game Pass
Game: PowerWash Simulator 2
Genre: Simulator game
Game Mode: Single-player, Online Co-op, Split Screen Co-op
When: NOW
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC and Cloud Gaming

🚨 NEW GAME PASS DROP 🚨

Service: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and PC Game Pass
Game: Bounty Star
Genre: Action game, Adventure
Game Mode: Single-player
When: NOW
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC and Cloud Gaming

Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins Management’s goal of 30% profit margins for gaming has led to job losses, canceled projects

SCOOP: For the last two years, Microsoft has pushed Xbox to hit profit margins of 30%, an ambitious target that's far higher than the industry average.

This chase for profit has led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs, and rethink everything.

Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

‘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