...what

From ‘Outstanding’ and a good reminder that investing in the arts is a win-win, not a lose-lose, proposition.

Napkin math suggests that the US could make a billion dollars a year just supporting laid off game devs like this, to say nothing of the downstream effects

52 Obsidian employees laid off according to a WARN notice in California www.gamefile.news/p/xbox-cuts-...

I see I need to make a clearer point. Framing things this way puts the blame on the consumer - the consumer that spends hundreds of millions of dollars on subs every month - as though it is their fault for freeloading. But is it the consumer's fault that the model was built the way it was? No.

DAWG WE'RE DOING STATE-RUN GAS PRICES AT PRICE CONTROLLED RATES DESPITE INCREASING SHORTAGES TO PACIFY THE PEOPLE AND THEY'RE SCREAMING ABOUT HOW THEIR OPPONENTS WANT COMMUNISM I AM GOING TO LOSE MY ENTIRE GODDAMN MIND

Unions are more popular than ever, but we need you - and you need you - to start doing the work. The next intro to organizing training with CODE-CWA is this Sunday, July 12. You should be there, and bring one friend to learn with you! code-cwa.org/upcoming-tra...

There are only two choices on the table for the game worker right now: give up or get organized. And giving up repeatedly has only led us to this absolute shitshow, so let's take a look at what organizing really means (uvw-cwa.org, btw)

To players who are mad: we see you! The secret sauce to saving the games industry is developing player solidarity with workers. If you're seeing what's happening to gamedevs across our artform and you're mad about how devs are being treated? Tell them!

SICK OF THIS CRAP? INTERESTED IN BEING RADICALIZED RATHER THAN BEING LED TO DESPAIR? We gotchu. 💪 Sign up for free, virtual organizing seminars w/ @codecwa.bsky.social: code-cwa.org/upcoming-tra... In the US or Canada? Join United Videogame Workers: uvw-cwa.org/membership

UPDATE: A WARN notice filed in Texas indicates 136 employees have been laid off at id Software, with another 22 people roles being cut at Bethesda Game Studios' office in Austin. Out of those 158 workers being laid off in Texas, 146 are represented by labor union Communication Workers of America.

One way you can show Microsoft your concern is here through the XBOX Player Voice feedback platform: feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/ide...

Studios in the Bethesda organization like id Software (Doom) and ZeniMax Online Studios (Elder Scrolls Online) are not shutting down but are cutting a significant number of staff this morning, per sources.

BREAKING: Xbox will cut 3,200 jobs as part of a major reorganization, and divest from five studios: - Compulsion and Double Fine will go indie - Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will be sold - Arkane to enter consultation process Here's the full story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Even now there's misinformation floating around, so let me make this clear: Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs, or 20% of the organization. 1,600 jobs will be eliminated today, and then another 1,600 (including the studio divestments) in the next 12 months. Full story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

every job i see these days is like: LEAD CONTENT ANALYST, Puppy Killing Factory (remote). $350,000 - $500,000. You will edit our internal newsletter (circulation 500). Associate Editor, Nonprofits, Global Good Magazine (in office, NYC). $27,000 - $28,000. Lead ALL of our fundraising efforts!

Union workers establish hardship fund to support devs impacted by layoffs

Proud to announce our HARDSHIP FUND: uvw-cwa.org/hardship-fun... If you've been recently laid off and need support, we got you.

Every day I think about how people who don’t make games utterly hijacked the videogame industry and then told everyone who makes games that the videogame industry no longer needs them. For all my rumination, I still can’t quite convey the scale and parasitic vileness of the medium’s appropriation.

The Verge: MS currently weighing closing at least five studios including Arkane Studio (Blade) and exploring options to sell Arkane Studio Xbox layoffs reportedly starting July 6th. "the layoffs will lead to studio closures or spinoffs, potential mergers of studios, and canceled games."

of course the blade game is on the chopping block. you know why.

Some of Xbox's unionized groups have been negotiating contractual layoff protections at the bargaining table for months, and say Xbox has been dragging its feet. https://kotaku.com/xbox-unions-layoffs-help-2000711624

Executives and shareholders cannot be trusted with the games industry. That's why we, the workers, are taking it back.

NEW: Xbox confirms to Bloomberg News that it has pulled out of IO Interactive's 'Project Fantasy' video game. “We expect to invest about the same in content as we did last year. What's changing is where we're investing and the kinds of projects we're backing.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

LOUDER

Opinion: Everything hurts and no one knows when the pain will end

The video games corporation is discontinuing their popular product, the video game

After a decade of working at Bungie, today was my last day as I am being laid off. If anyone needs a Producer, let me know.

Bungie and Sony deemed me too powerful to continue working for them and—fearing for their very lives—have loosed me upon the world.

i dont have anything else to add to this conversation other than organize or just continue to suffer through the consequences of random people's leadership decisions

"I just don't think unionizing the games industry will work" Okay so why is it working then 👀

Saying one of the most prolific live service titles “fell short of expectations” in a massive layoff announcement is a slap in the face to every dev and every player who knows how much Destiny meant in an industry where longevity is rare. Whose expectations did it fail? The investors? The execs?

Funny how it’s always the people who actually worked at the studio and not the select few who are responsible for all its poor decisions

Today's layoffs include most of the Destiny team, some people on the Marathon team, and even various Sony staff who supported Bungie, according to people familiar with the situation.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed throughout this commencement speech at the University of Arizona for his praise of AI. This comes just a week after another commencement speaker who mentioned AI was booed at a school in Florida. Read more: www.404media.co/ucf-ai-comme...

I am so proud to be endorsed by the United Video Games Workers, a direct-join union which represents anyone in the video game industry. This differs from other union models, which organize workers in a single company or specific department or office.

shit from an ass

Saw my goat @adamfriedlandnyc.bsky.social tonight 🙂‍↕️ my silly unhinged man. #NetflixIsAJoke

I have escalated my aversion to Spotify.

'The Avengers' released 14 years ago today

First teaser for the villains of ‘Spider-Noir’ 🕷️ • Brendan Gleeson — Silvermane • Jack Huston — Sandman • Abraham Popoola — Tombstone Releasing May 27 on Prime Video (via IGN)

James Gunn says 'Clayface' takes place before 'Superman' “It’s the first DCU film out of chronological order"

‘Gang of Dragon' developer Nagoshi Studios has deleted their trailers and YouTube account This comes after NetEase pulled funding when it was discovered the game needed another ~$44M to be finished

Changing the logo when everything else in the company is fucked.

NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani says the Warner Bros & Paramount merger should be stopped "Thousands of jobs at risk here in the city. Streaming bills going up as competition disappears. And two of America’s most powerful media companies under one roof, deciding what you watch and what you hear"

Since this post is aggregating my Bloomberg column, I kinda feel the need to clarify that the Imagine Dragons game is not "live-service" (designed for recurring monetization). It's a $15 multiplayer shooter with no microtransactions. Here's the original article: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

This infuriating attitude shows up on the bookshelves in learning environments, too. We expect girls to empathize with boys, but we kneecap every opportunity to let boys empathize with girls. And look where we are.

Daily bunny no.3285 made it home safely