Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that ninja138 situs does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams. Microsoft has made a huge number of cuts to its gaming business since acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
You don’t have to wait for a sales window to grab a gaming bargain – the best free Steam games are all available to download and play without charge. Valve is launching the first version of a new tool for Steam to measure performance in games. The first, as the company plans further improvements to the feature. One of my favorite action games of all time, which is heavily inspired by the John Wick movies, is on sale now for less than $10 on Nintendo Switch. Having Druckmann focused on making killer video games is probably the right move for Sony. According to developers who worked on the project, via VGC, Everwild has been in development in some form for over 10 years, but struggled to nail down a clear direction, even after a recent reboot.
I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously.
The Super Mario Odyssey Team Developed Donkey Kong Bananza
The first global tests of Where Winds Meet will soon take place, the last before the release of this promising action RPG in Chinese climates. Amid major layoffs at Microsoft, reports have emerged of a troubling situation at the studio responsible for the Halo series. Final Fantasy’s biggest flop almost killed the entire series, but it only made it stronger – it’s learned a lot from this very expensive misstep. It’s going great in the company’s Xbox division too, according to a memo sent to employees by Phil Spencer. A Microsoft representative confirmed with PC Gamer that the reported memo is accurate. Microsoft is reportedly laying off around 9,000 people in total, and a lot of them are coming from the Xbox business.
Stealth Games
“More realistic reflections and surfacing amplify the used-future design key to the look of our universe,” says Survios’ TQ Jefferson. Hinako converses with a doll before eventually meeting her sister while the town of Ebisugaoka is revealed in all its glory. Sony Interactive Entertainment has begun raising the price of games and expansions on the PlayStation Store in select regions, explaining the decision by difficult market conditions. Assassin’s Creed fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Black Flag remake, but Ubisoft is showing them no mercy with another „teaser”.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset is currently on sale, but I hope it’ll drop to a new record-low this Prime Day. We’ll be back on Sunday to live blog the Xbox Showcase, but until then, have a great weekend. Marvel Cosmic Invasion continues Disney’s licensing blitz of the Marvel franchise.
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Save up to $425 now and tap into powerful takeaways, peer insights, and game-changing connections. Backyard Baseball 2001 is getting remastered for Steam, iOS, and Android as Backyard Baseball ‘01, releasing July 8th. While the PS5 Pro may get crisper graphics in 2026, PlayStation architect Mark Cerny says his next console won’t come that quick.
PlayStation’s tweet has given us the reminder that HDR exists on the PS5. Let’s talk about the firestorm that just exploded in the Marvel Rivals space. Going against every odd, team Sentinels has been given the title of number one team… It looks like Epic Games basically thrilled FNs players with the abysmally blurry thumbnail shot for a Festival “Deep End” emote in the item shop. The whole VALORANT community is abuzz with talks regarding the new map, Corrode, and the agents that dominate on these chaotic grounds.
Here’s all you need to know to solve today’s game, plus my commentary on the puzzles. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty had to reportedly pull the controller away from Spencer when he tried an early build in March. Electronic Arts is officially sunsetting BioWare’s disastrous looter shooter, having removed it from online storefronts. Reports indicate that the simulation-styled racing franchise has been cancelled along with Turn 10’s getting hit by massive cuts. The Warbond Token allows players to pick any premium Warbond of their choice rather than being stuck with Steeled Veterans.
The company first laid off around 1,900 employees in January 2024, mostly from Activision Blizzard King. Following that, three ZeniMax Media studios were closed in May 2024, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, although the latter was purchased by PUBG owner Krafton and revived in a last-minute deal. Finally, another 650 employees were cut in September 2024, again mostly from Activision Blizzard King. Additional details regarding the Microsoft layoffs and which divisions have been impacted (sources tell Variety that the cuts in gaming do not make up the majority) are expected to be shared later Wednesday. “We continue to implement organizational and workforce changes that are necessary to position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” a Microsoft spokesperson said Wednesday.
Windows Central reports that Perfect Dark developer The Initiative will close as part of the reductions sweeping the company, and its revival of the 2000 first-person shooter game has been canceled. “We continue to implement organizational and workforce changes that are necessary to position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones told WIRED. The company says that although gaming is impacted, it does not make up the majority of layoffs, and these cuts will affect people in different regions, tenure, and teams. Following rumors of reductions that first began last week, Microsoft is set to lay off more than 9,000 employees worldwide Wednesday, including some in the Microsoft Gaming/Xbox division.
