Jason Schreier

One of 2023’s most depressing trends is major games studios laying off employees in an increasingly crowded job market. Now Bungie has become the latest PlayStation studio to do so, though the extent of the layoffs is not yet clear.

[UPDATE] According to a new article posted on Bloomberg, Bungie has internally delayed Destiny 2: The Final Shape to June 2024, whereas Marathon is now slated for 2025.

Bungie joins the ongoing number of studios to have job cuts.

Destiny maker Bungie is the latest Sony Interactive Entertainment studio to be hit with layoffs.

Destiny 2 developer Bungie has reportedly been affected by lay-offs, becoming the latest in a long line of video game studios to undergo downsizing in 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically shifted how employees work in several industries, including gaming. As the world recovers, different studios have been trying different strategies to adapt to changed employee expectations. This becomes obvious when you compare Insomniac and Roblox Corporation.

A journalist has claimed that Microsoft's 343 Industries is working on a new Halo campaign within Unreal Engine.

Microsoft has beencleared to acquire Activision Blizzard by UK regulators, removing the last hurdle standing in the way of closing the deal.

Ever since the big GTA 6 leak last year where 90 early developmental gameplay videos surfaced, fans have become increasingly impatient about its release date. GTA 5 debuted in 2013 and has gone on to become the 2nd best-selling video game of all time. Despite its amazing action-packed gameplay which players have enjoyed throughout the last decade, fans have repeatedly asked Rockstar Games for any information about its sequel, GTA 6. Their wishes were fulfilled last year when a user named ‘teapotuberhacker' leaked the developmental videos, after which Rockstar issued a statement confirming the development of GTA 6, without hinting at a release timeline. However, analysts have now predicted the GTA 6 release date.

Following the finalisation of Microsoft's purchase of Activision-Blizzard-King earlier today, Bobby Kotick has confirmed in an email to staff that he will resign as CEO on January 1, 2024.

Ever since its official announcement in February 2022, Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) has become one of the most anticipated games of recent years. The popularity of the franchise can be assessed from the fact that GTA V was released in 2013 and it still continues to be popular. But despite the excitement, Rockstar Games, the game developer and publisher, has kept its cards close to its chest when it comes to its release date, trailer launch, gameplay, and more. But last year's leaks and subsequent information from different sources have shed some light on GTA 6. Delightful, it was!

French police have former Ubisoft execs in custody.

Naughty Dog, the renowned Santa Monica-based game development studio owned by Sony, is cutting jobs, albeit not internally. The news comes from a fresh Kotaku report. Citing anonymous sources, it reveals that at least 25 contract workers were cut last week, mostly in the quality assurance department (though art and production teams were also reportedly affected in some capacity). The report also says the affected employees received pressure not to disclose the news. They won't get any severance, either. Their contracts expire at the end of this month, and they are expected to keep working until then.

Sony is reportedly «uncomfortable» about outgoing PlayStation boss Jim Ryan's pivot to games as a service.

Fortnite developer Epic Games is set to lay off 870 employees as it seeks to lower costs, a Bloomberg report reveals. In a memo sent to workers earlier today, chief executive officer Tim Sweeney said the company had been spending a lot more money than it was earning for quite some time. He said: «I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see this was unrealistic.»

Epic Games has said Mediatonic’s work on Fall Guys remains a “company priority” following reports that the UK studio had been hit hard by layoffs.

Epic Games recently laid off almost 900 employees from its studios, seemingly including Mediatonic, developer of Fall Guys. It started with Dextero reporting that the team had been laid off, indicating its closure. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier later reported that while the studio was hit “very hard” by the layoffs, it hasn’t been closed.

Update – September 29, 1: 20 AM: In response to the recent wave of layoffs at Mediatonic, the renowned studio behind the hit game Fall Guys and owned by Epic Games, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier clarified that while the studio has indeed faced significant staff reductions, rumors suggesting the complete closure of the studio are unfounded. While the layoffs are undoubtedly a challenging development, Mediatonic remains operational.

2023 has sadly been a year that has seen widespread layoffs across the games industry, and another major company has now joined that list. As per a report published by Bloomberg, Epic Games of Fortnite and Unreal Engine fame is laying off 16% of its workforce, which translates to a whopping 870 employees.

Mediatonic, the once-independent developer behind platformer battle royale Fall Guys, has seemingly been hit especially hard by the massive layoffs at Epic Games today - to the point that one director at the studio has shared a photo of the studio logo in a depressing anagram: "decimation."

Epic Games announced today that it is laying off 16% of its staff, or 830 people. It’s also divesting recent purchase Bandcamp and spinning out SuperAwesome, which will result in 250 more people leaving the company. Allegedly these layoffs are fueled by an excess of spending and Fortnite’s growth slowing down. Bandcamp joins Songtradr, while SuperAwesome will be its own company headed by current CEO Kate O’Loughlin.

Epic Games will lay off around 830 employees, or 16% of jobs at the company. The Fortnite maker says it has no plans for further cuts and cites slimmer margins from its shared revenue as part of the decision.

Sony Interactive President Jim Ryan—the man who's led Sony's PlayStation division since 2019, is stepping down from his role as president and retiring from the company.

Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, is reportedly laying off nearly 900 employees, which accounts for around 16 percent of its entire workforce.

Epic Games is reportedly laying off around 16% of its workforce.

Over the past few years, Epic Games has been one of the biggest success stories in the industry. The massive popularity of Fortnite changed the entire gaming landscape, establishing the blueprint for a successful “live service” title. The profitability of Fortnite allowed Epic to do things like launch the Epic Games Store with better profit sharing for publishers, push a lot of cutting-edge new technology with Unreal Engine 5, and more. Unfortunately, it seems Epic’s run of unfettered success may have hit a speed bump.

Jim Ryan, PlayStation head and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, is leaving the company after an almost 30-year stint. In a press release, Sony confirmed that he will be retiring in March 2024, with COO Hiroki Totoki being appointed as the interim CEO of the company from April 1, 2024. Ryan merely served four years as CEO, having replaced John Kodera in 2019, and most notably oversaw the launch of the PS5, which has sold over 40 million units worldwide, as of July. It's unclear who will eventually be taking over as the new CEO, but for the time being, Totoki will assume the role of SIE chairman in October.

Naughty Dog will celebrate The Last of Us Day tomorrow, but you shouldn't go into its livestream expecting any news on new games or TV shows. The PlayStation Studios developer has taken to Twitter to kill any excitement by confirming it'll be focusing on «art, merch, and more». The studio continues: «While we're honoring the series' 10-year legacy, we will not be discussing any future game or TV show projects.»

It’s a big, unexpected day for Sony PlayStation fans. New information has surfaced online that the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, will be stepping down from the company. What might shock some fans is that while Jim Ryan only served as the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment since 2019, they were a part of the Sony company all the way back in 1994. Details are scarce, but details are coming from a reliable source online, along with a press release that offers a bit more insight. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Jim Ryan is retiring from his position leading the PlayStation business, Sony announced Wednesday. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier first reported the news Wednesday afternoon before Sony published its news release. Ryan will step down in March 2024 after 30 years at Sony and PlayStation.

The head of PlayStation will depart from his role at the company next year. Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan is retiring from his position at Sony in March 2024, with other executive leadership taking his place in the interim.

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is reportedly stepping down from his position as Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO.

There’s a really interesting new rumor about the next The Last of Us game, that takes aim at a report from no less than Jason Schreier.

Industry veteran Glen Schofield, known as the founder of Visceral Games and later of Sledgehammer Games, has left Striking Distance Studios, according to a scoop by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. In the reported statement, Glen Schofield said his departure was a bittersweet one, although he leaves the studio in the good hands of Chief Development Officer Steve Papoutsis, who will step into the CEO role. Papoutsis and Schofield have worked together on eleven games, including the original Dead Space.

Ever since Unity first announced its plans for a new runtime install fee, it’s been trying to put flex tape over it with clarifications and responses. Now, it looks like there may be some backpedaling on the horizon. To some extent, at least.

Update: Polygon reports that a «reporting party» told responding San Francisco police «an employee made a threat towards his employer using social media.” According to the police, the employee who allegedly made the threats works in an office outside of California.

By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.

A week after Unity announced dramatic changes to its Unity Engine business model — drawing immediate and widespread condemnation from the development community — the company has reportedly told staff it'll be making adjustments to the controversial new pricing plan.

In the wake of its hugely controversial engine pricing changes, Unity has closed a number of its offices over what it has called a «potential threat».

Stig Asmussen, the director of such critically and commercially lauded titles as EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is departing from the company, per Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.

Stig Asmussen, the director behind the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, is leaving Respawn Entertainment and EA to «pursue other adventures».

Borderlands developer Gearbox is reportedly up for sale by parent company Embracer Group. As per Reuters, the Swedish conglomerate is looking to restructure following a $2 billion (about Rs. 16,586 crore) deal with Saudi Arabia government-funded Savvy Games Group that fell through, earlier this year. The fallout resulted in the former cutting down on spending, in addition to closing down studios and laying off its employees. Having been acquired merely two-and-a-half years ago, Gearbox is now the latest victim, with some alleged third-party publishers expressing interest in acquiring the developer. No names were mentioned, though they were described as “international gaming groups.”

Since its debut in 1997, the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series has become one of the world's most popular game franchises, with a player base of millions. It offers a unique open-world fast-paced gameplay that is filled with action, adventure, exploration, as well as RPG elements. While there have been 7 installments in the Grand Theft Auto series so far, none have captured the world's attention like the latest entry, GTA 5, which was released over a decade ago in 2013. Although it still remains ever-popular, players have long been asking Rockstar Games about Grand Theft Auto 6 or GTA 6.

Something has smelled a little off about this year's Call of Duty since the earliest rumors of its development. For the first time in series history, CoD is going back to the sequel well after just one year with a new Modern Warfare 3. In another break in tradition, all multiplayer guns, cosmetics, and progression from Modern Warfare 2 (2022) will carry over into MW3.

As the official launch for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is only days away, Activision has begun to confirm crucial details about the upcoming FPS game. 

This year's Call of Duty has been revealed as Modern Warfare III, and it's coming November 10. Publisher Activision dropped a brief teaser, featuring an abstract mosaic of familiar characters from the franchise — Captain Price and Vladimir Makarov — and a voiceover saying, “Never bury your enemies alive.” There's also the mention of ‘heads of snakes,' which possibly alludes to the ultranationalist Russian Makarov, who also served as the main antagonist of the original MW3 (2011). Sledgehammer Games is taking the lead on developing the sequel, which is part of a trilogy of Modern Warfare soft reboots, which started back in 2019.

After months of rumors and a regularly scheduled logo leak from a Doritos standee, Activision is finally ready to announce that this year's Call of Duty is Modern Warfare 3. It's releasing November 10, and a more formal reveal will happen during a Warzone event sometime soon.

Activision has whisked back the curtain on this year's Call of Duty instalment, eliciting exactly zero gasps of surprise from anyone. As widely rumoured previously, it's titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and it's releasing on 10th November.

Baldur's Gate 3 continued to break Steam concurrent player records over the weekend. In our last report, the game had reached 646K simultaneous users, placing itself in the #10 spot on the all-time chart.

It’s a pretty big week for Larian Studios, with Baldur’s Gate 3 finally exiting early access and being available for PC. The studio prides itself on its role-playing games, as evidenced by theDivinity: Original Sin series and CEO Swen Vincke isn’t looking to sell out anytime soon.