2024-02

Electronic Arts is laying off 5 percent of its workforce, which accounts for roughly 670 employees. CEO Andrew Wilson issued a company-wide letter informing staff of the publisher's restructuring, which will mean sunsetting some live service titles and ceasing the development of certain projects. In his letter, Wilson states that EA is restructuring to become more streamlined in order to deliver "deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere that build community, shape culture, and grow fandom." To that end, the company will be moving away from licensed IPs and shutting down certain titles to shift its development resources.  "We are also sunsetting games and moving away from the development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry," says Wilson in the letter. "This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation,...

Remedy Entertainment, which released Alan Wake 2 to critical acclaim in October, has acquired the full rights to the Control franchise from publisher 505 Games. Released in 2019, Remedy developed Control but it was published by 505 Games, which also had a stake in the franchise's rights at the time. Now, after a roughly $18.4 million purchase, the entirety of the Control franchise belongs to Remedy.  This includes the original Control game, its in-development sequel Control 2, the multiplayer spin-off Project Condor, and all future Control products.  "The Control franchise is in the core of Remedy," the studio writes in a statement released today. "Having acquired the full rights to Control, Condor, and Control 2, Remedy is now in a position to make the right product and business decisions focusing on long-term franchise growth."  With this deal, all publishing...

Remedy Entertainment has acquired full rights to the Control series for 17 million euros and will focus on its long-term growth....

Life is Strange: True Colors developer Deck Nine has announced it is laying off 20 percent of its staff. In the statement announcing this news, Deck Nine didn't name a specific reason for the layoffs, instead stating the studio has been affected by the industry's worsening conditions. Twenty percent of Deck Nine's staff is equal to roughly 30 employees, according to a report from Eurogamer.  Here's Deck Nine's statement, in full:  "Like many others in the games industry right now, Deck Nine has been affected by the games industry's worsening market conditions. Today we made the difficult decision to lay off 20% of our staff. These people are amazing, talented, and awesome developers. They have made a huge impact during their time at Deck Nine Games and we did not take this decision lightly. Please hire these people if you can,...

NetEase Games has pulled back the curtains on its newest studio, BulletFarm. Led by David Vonderhaar, whose experience includes leading the teams behind the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, BulletFarm aims to develop a new triple-A game that utilizes first-person gameplay with an emphasis on co-op in Unreal Engine 5. It will be set in an original universe.  This unannounced and untitled game will "craft a more intimate and relatable experience while offering a fresh take on first-person gameplay," according to a press release.  BulletFarm is taking a remote-first approach to game development but considers itself a triple-A studio headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Joining Vonderhaar is the studio's creative director Chris Cowell. The studio is currently looking to hire in various roles to fill out the founding team.    "Starting this new studio has given me...

A massive sweep of layoffs has rocked various Sony first-party studios today, including Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games, and Insomniac. Another victim is Firesprite Games, the UK studio behind The Playroom games and The Persistence, and an additional casualty from that studio is reportedly a new Twisted Metal title. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Firesprite had a Twisted Metal game in the works that has now been canceled. He reports that the game was a live-service title was very early in development, so it was not yet officially greenlit. You can read his full report here.  NEW: As part of today's mass layoff, Sony has canceled a Twisted Metal live-service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite, Bloomberg has learned. Firesprite will also lay off an unspecified number of people. https://t.co/pvCDsS7yxe — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 27, 2024 Twisted Metal was...

A video game based on the Paranormal Activity film franchise has been announced. Developed by Darkstone Digital, makers of the 2022 horror game The Mortuary Assistant, along with publisher DreadXP and Paramount Pictures, the upcoming game is slated to release in 2026.  Like the films, Paranormal Activity will feature found-footage-style gameplay as well as a “Haunt System,” which dynamically changes the types of scares that unfold based on players’ actions. Unfortunately, a brief teaser trailer doesn’t do much but show some logos, so we may be waiting a while to see the game in action.  “We are thrilled to work with Paramount Game Studios and to have the opportunity to bring the world of Paranormal Activity to gamers everywhere,” said Epic Pictures CEO and DreadXP producer Patrick Ewald in a press release. “The films are steeped in rich lore...

After recently revealing the full launch roster for WWE 2K24, we now know the superstars arriving post-launch. 2K has revealed the five DLC packs rolling out throughout the year, and they include the Best in the World, one of the biggest female superstar signings in recent memory, and even a Grammy-nominated recording artist.  CM Punk headlines this DLC roster, marking his first appearance in a WWE game since WWE 2K15 in 2014 (the year he walked out of the company). It would appear the Voice of the Voiceless’ recent social media campaign to be included in the 2K24’s DLC plans paid off faster than expected, and he’s part of the first pack, no less. I smell a work, but it’s good to have him back in an official in-game capacity, regardless. Other big highlights include Jade Cargill, Pat McAfee, and...

After recently revealing the full launch roster for WWE 2K24, we now know the superstars arriving post-launch. 2K has revealed the five DLC packs rolling out throughout the year, and they include the Best in the World, one of the biggest female superstar signings in recent memory, and even a Grammy-nominated recording artist.  CM Punk headlines this DLC roster, marking his first appearance in a WWE game since WWE 2K15 in 2014 (the year he walked out of the company). It would appear the Voice of the Voiceless’ recent social media campaign to be included in the 2K24’s DLC plans paid off faster than expected, and he’s part of the first pack, no less. I smell a work, but it’s good to have him back in an official in-game capacity, regardless. Other big highlights include Jade Cargill, Pat McAfee, and...

While the main headline event from today's Pokémon Presents showcase was the announcement of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it wasn't the only new game that got announced. It shares that status with Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a new mobile game that allows players to collect, trade, and battle with the franchise's signature trading cards. Check out the reveal trailer below: While there are several features available in the game, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket seems to focus the most on the collection aspect, which is fitting given the renaissance of physical card games in recent years. While no details on microtransactions are given, the end of the trailer notes that players will get two free packs a day – implying that more than that might come at a cost. You'll also be able to trade cards with other players and battle...