he got the bonus *because* he laid those people off, that's how it works

IGN@ign.com · 4d ago

EA’s CEO got an $8 million raise thanks to how well Battlefield 6 performed — four months after the devs responsible for making the game got laid off. https://t.co/KZKhVBOL6O

150,000 marched yesterday in London for trans rights. Opened the Sky News app. Scrolled and scrolled. Nothing. BBC News app. Nothing. Guardian app. Nothing. This is what actual silencing looks like.

This was a fascinating exercise: find out what went wrong with creativity in the games industry. The conclusion: there are too many cowards controlling too many critical levers, and until we figure out how to put people -taste, creativity, and craft- back at the top, we're going to be stuck.

GamesIndustry.biz@gibiz.bsky.social · 2w ago

The games industry is stifled by a culture of fear, concludes a workgroup hosted by Rami Ismail. https://bit.ly/4vPbIzv

Back in October, Rockstar Games fired 34 employees for alleged gross misconduct. The severity of these firings could have spelled the end for a burgeoning union effort that was underway, but it didn't. In fact, the union is now *bigger* than it's ever been before. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym4z...

Rockstar Fired 34 People, but the Union Is Bigger than Ever

YouTube video by People Make Games

youtube.com

Layoffs leave the future of Xbox's award-winning accessibility efforts in doubt aftermath.site/xbox-layoffs-a...

This is just a reminder that some companies are publicly using "times are hard" as an excuse to lay people off when they could've absolutely kept them employed.

Very uncool to see your ex-employer who laid you off 6 months ago hiring for the role you were asking to be promoted to. 👍

Have any of you designed a camera system for a cinematic game before? Please talk to me! I want to know how you might have simplified the many, many cameras you have to setup by perhaps creating a design ruleset for camera shots/moments.

The main way in which AI has negatively impacted games industry jobs is not through actual automation of those jobs or even untrue claims about automation. It's by making capital unavailable because it's tied up in AI investments while also destroying the consumer base for video game hardware.

Hiya pals! If anyone has any feedback or experiences with accessibility at this year's Develop please drop me a message! I'll be emailing Tandem at some point in the next couple weeks with accessibility feedback post-conference and want as many opinions and experiences in there as possible

If I ever was able to start or run a studio, one of the key elements I'd bake into everyone's contract would be a very clear clause on profit sharing. Game does well, team should do well, not just execs. I'm so tired of teams taking the brunt of the work, and getting a sliver of the reward.

I'm angry that anyone in the games industry thought that laying people off has put a studio on a "good trajectory" and deserved an award? It's a slap in the face to those who were made redundant, and honestly a little disgusting to see this behavior being celebrated?

I'd encourage you to watch this speech from former employee, Isaac Hudd. Also, given this is yet *another* Edinburgh-based studio at the heart of *another* controversy affecting game workers in the UK, you'll spot some familiar faces from Rockstar who turned up to show their solidarity on the day.

Impact Year 3 cohort! Please welcome the latest round of amazing disabled and neurodivergent individuals advocating for the community and standing out in their careers in the UK games industry. Follow us this disability pride as we showcase each member!

There was a video going around where they add "Juice" to a game and literally almost every thing they added was an accessibility fail on any cert that covers it. Indies and hobbyists still share it all the time.

CutieKyubii🦊✨️💜@kyubii.bsky.social · last mo.

I see so many cool indie games all the time I'd love to try but gods DAMN like, almost ALL of them have way too much flashing and no accessibility options to turn off the flashing. 😭

Microsoft laying off accessibility roles is one of the most gut punching feelings. For a company that preached accessibility and added many accessible features to their games and hardware, I greatly worry about the direction they are going in.

Photos from my trip to Iceland to cleanse your feed. 🌋

Photos from my trip to Iceland to cleanse your feed. 🌋

What is actually the point of owning a console if the games are not physical? You might as well hook up a PC or steamdeck to your TV. It's way more flexible and the games are often much cheaper. I've only ever had consoles to actually own physical copies of games.

Microsoft this week: We're laying off half the industry. Sony: We're ending physical games. Nintendo: have u seen this splatoon weapon we call it the bloblobber

This is just a reminder that some companies are publicly using "times are hard" as an excuse to lay people off when they could've absolutely kept them employed.

It's so draining and embarrassing being part of the video game industry Some of us are *really* trying to do good work, and it just feels completely, constantly overshadowed by fucking idiots doing what they describe as "business" Honestly just don't even like saying I'm part of *this* anymore

At Laurane's talk (from Dotemu) about UI/UX on Absolum, I think all UI people can relate to this image.

I won't be at Develop Brighton this year. I'm finding certain games industry topics mentally exhausting, and incredibly frustrating. So I'm taking a little step back from events right now to give myself a break from these topics. Hopefully I'll be feeling less tired next year and see you all then!

Me, when not making video games: "Making video games is fun and I am eternally grateful that I get to call this my career." Me, when making video games: "Teaching sand to think was the pinnacle of humanity's hubris and we have been trapped within this hell of our own making ever since."

I've felt a real loss of passion for level design over the last year, so I'm creating a collection of game worlds I loved exploring, hanging out in, and that I have fond memories of. All in hopes of trying to re-ignite that excited spark I once had.

✨️ finally officially announcing my first game ✨️ WATERFUL: a peaceful nature-builder where you dig riverbeds to guide water through desert valleys 🏜️ make tiny ecosystems blossom! 🌴 grow a variety of plants 🦊 discover animals in the new habitats ⚙️ unlock contraptions to reach new areas

I really really wish it was easier to manage parental controls for games and devices but the settings are almost always hidden in places that are impossible to find and any updates to services mean you have to learn the process again. It's exhausting.

My take is, if execs want to erase the fun of the concepting phase by using AI, then maybe they need to take a moment and think about whether they actually enjoy their job anymore. There are plenty of other people who would excitedly take on the job given the opportunity.

Dr Holly Nielsen@hollynielsen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I’ve never understood the “no no don’t worry guys, we’re just using gen AI for concepts not final product” angle some execs are trying to take. Like concepts aren’t the time you want interesting fresh ideas, not amalgamations of existing stuff churned together

I'm looking for work! - Characters - Environments - Animations Whatever your needs, I can do it 💪 I've worked on Teardown, Vampire Crawlers and many more! Feel free to DM me or email zachary.soares@zsinked.com