Visited China for the first time last week. An overwhelmingly beautiful country, filled with kind people and the spiciest noodles. 10/10. Would travel again.

It's important to remember that studios regularly cut trailers for internal milestones, greenlights, or even just as proofs of concept. They're not necessarily indicative of the state of the game or marketing readiness.

IGN@ign.com · 3w ago

A Mass Effect 5 trailer was reportedly ready to go before EA canceled the game and shut BioWare down. https://bit.ly/4sk37ER

TODAY is the last day to register to vote in several states. I urge you to double check your state's deadline, verify that you are registered, and make changes to your registration if needed. Then contact three friends or family members and have them do the same. https://whenweallvote.org/

This video does a great job of illustrating the incredible complexity of launching a live service game to unpredictable outcomes, being measured in planning and investment in case of failure, and the massive challenges of scaling rapidly in the event of success. Highly recommend giving it a watch.

danny o'dwyer@dannyodwyer.bsky.social · last mo.

The first episode of my new series on ARC Raiders is now live. It covers the challenging first year of the live game, and why the studio decided to drop monthly updates for a bigger, more substantial swing. I'm very proud of these. (made by @secrettape.bsky.social) www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBim...

I'm only vaguely aware of the major criticisms, but personally, I'm having a blast with Wolverine. Satisfying hyper-violent combat; big bombastic setpieces; solid, well-paced story and not some 20 - 30 hour slog. Basically a playable Marvel movie, which is exactly what I want from a Wolverine game.

Push Square@pushsquare.com · 2mo ago

Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Marvel's Wolverine?

IGN has survived and thrived because of the talent, passion, and commitment of the people behind its content. Unfortunately, the company has time and time again demonstrated that it believes that to be an abundant, easily replaceable resource. Sending positive vibes to all those impacted.

Kotaku@kotaku.com · 2mo ago

Sources tell Kotaku that several staff have been laid off at IGN amid a fresh round of cuts, including long-time video hosts https://kotaku.com/sources-ign-layoffs-hit-multiple-departments-and-long-time-hosts-2000734361

Coincidentally, "this game plus this game" (or similar language) is not uncommon in game dev and publishing...

Jessica Cogswell 🌸@jessicogs.bsky.social · 3mo ago

As a games journalist, I try to avoid saying “this game looks like this game plus this game” because it feels dismissive and kind of mean but holy shit I need some studios to start making games that don’t look like “this game plus this game”

Gamers on the internet talking about Steam CCU data

Amidst the constant turmoil and cynicism about games, Big Walk is just pure, goofy joy. What an absolute delight.

Everyone's mid-life crisis manifests differently. Some make a major career pivot. Others abandon their old life and everyone they've ever known to start over under a new name. Me? I learned how to get pretty OK at making pizza.

GTA6 gameplay premiering first on Netflix seems less indicative of the future of games marketing than it is of A) Netflix's broadening content strategy and B) a reaffirmation of GTA's unique status as a massive pop culture release, far beyond any other game.

IGN@ign.com · 3mo ago

Rockstar has announced that a special Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look will premiere on Netflix Thursday, August 27. https://bit.ly/4fCr7hK

People will be quick to see this as "be vocally critical of AI and other trends = profit," but the more critical takeaway here is that rushing to invest in, adopt, and champion the latest emergent tech as a focal point for your business is bad, short-term focused strategy.

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 4mo ago

One hell of a chart... Via @superjoost.bsky.social superjoost.substack.com/p/ubisoft-an...

"It's not as bad as we thought" 3,200 people are losing their jobs and joining the tens of thousands of games professionals already laid off in the last few years to try to find work in an impossible job market, slowing economy, and rising inflation. Yeah, it's pretty damn bad.

An all-digital future was a lot more appealing before massive global component shortages made it impossible to find and afford a drive capable of storing more than two games at once. 🫠

IGN@ign.com · 4mo ago

Sony has announced physical disc production ends in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles. https://bit.ly/4xYfYyJ

This actually seems like an interesting in-world way to deliver paid cosmetics than just a random bundle of items attached to a SKU—and potentially with more variety and player agency than fixed skins.

Eurogamer@eurogamer.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Update: Some in-game GTA 6 shops are "only open for business with the Ultimate Edition" www.eurogamer.net/grand-theft-...

Disappointingly relevant again:

Scott Lowe@scottmlowe.bsky.social · 2y ago

The trend of shutting studios down completely is of particular concern. It fails to consider the tech, workflows, talent, and culture that take years to establish and, most critically, the knowledge and experience of shipping a game as a team. You can't assign a $ amount to it, but it's invaluable.

Congrats to the entire team at @thatsnomoon.com on the reveal of Crossfire! It's so surreal to remember a time when it existed only as words and concepts in a pitch deck and to now see it fully realized.

That's No Moon@thatsnomoon.com · 5mo ago

Unite to survive. Enemy operators, Layla and Cross, must form a fraught alliance against a lethal threat neither could overcome alone. Introducing our debut game, Crossfire, coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, and PC. Wishlist now: crossfire.start.page

Can we please stop turning every pessimistic, disgruntled take this dude utters on the internet into a headline?

GameRant@gamerant.bsky.social · 5mo ago

During a livestream of the State of Play, original God of War creator David Jaffe has some choice words for God of War Laufey's reveal. bit.ly/4o9eJbx

The pacing of 007 First Light is what makes it such an effective adaptation—at least, in my time so far. The story, character development, and gameplay systems all progress in an organic and engaging way without getting mired in gaming tropes. More like this, please! www.polygon.com/007-first-li...

007 First Light's opening chapter is the best gaming tutorial of all time

007 First Light's opening hour breezes on by

polygon.com

There's an important discussion to be had about the massive paradigm shift for career expectations in the modern job market, particulary in the games industry. This is absolutely not how to talk about it. 😬

Aftermath@aftermath.site · 7mo ago

'We've been a little bit too romantic about the idea that we should have employees and give people long-term job security' is an extraordinary thing for a video games CEO to say on record: aftermath.site/video-game-job...

When I'm not posting lukewarm gaming takes, I'm usually cycling and for the month of May I'm raising money for the American Cancer Society. If you have the means, please consider making a donation to support a worthy cause (and get a sweet, sweet tax deduction): www.gofundme.com/f/scott-lowe...

What sticks out to me most about Xbox lately is the speed at which they're moving. Changes—big or small—and their public rollout take forever in any big corp, but in 2 months, we've seen major strategic shifts, Game Pass price cuts, removing future CODs, rebranding the org, next-gen vision, etc.

Tom Warren@tomwarren.co.uk · 7mo ago

scoop: Microsoft is bringing Xbox back and scrapping Microsoft Gaming. During an internal all-hands today, Microsoft's new Xbox CEO announced the return of the Xbox org and lots more. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/report/91748...

Congrats to all the nominees! Awesome to see Arc Raiders getting recognition across so many categories, including GOTY. So well deserved! I've been completely obsessed since launch.

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences@official-aias.bsky.social · 10mo ago

We're excited to announce the nominees for the 29th Annual #DICEAwards! 64 games are nominated this year, led by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ghost of Yōtei with 8, Arc Raiders, Dispatch with 6, Blue Prince with 5. Check out our full list of nominees here: www.interactive.org/awards/29th_...

And the winner of 'Best Dressed at The Game Awards' is...

Hitting dates in dev is hard even when you're not making the highest budget, largest production, and most technologically, graphically, and systemically advanced games in the industry. Let them cook.

Eurogamer@eurogamer.bsky.social · 2y ago

GTA 6 delayed to 2026 www.eurogamer.net/gta-6-delaye...

Arc Raiders takes The Last of Us-style combat, scavenging, and crafting, applies it to a PvE-PvP extraction shooter, and wraps it all in a gorgeous Fallout-like world. And honestly, I'm 100% here for it.

This is rad. GI returning with renewed investment and an emphasis on editorial independence and support for the original staff is a rare bright spot of hope in an otherwise challenging media landscape.

Game Informer@gameinformer.com · 2y ago

Game Informer is back! The entire team is returning and we can't wait to reconnect. Come join us to celebrate the best in games, the people who make games, and the people who play games from all around the world. www.gameinformer.com/letter-from-...

Props to the social marketing agency that did the unthinkable and found a way to use LinkedIn authentically in a campaign tactic. 👏

Film Updates@filmupdates.bsky.social · 2y ago

Billy the Puppet has seemingly denied rumors that ‘SAW XI’ has been canceled by changing his LinkedIn status to ‘Employed’ and issuing a new statement: “I’ve seen the rumors. They say it’s Game Over. You all should know me better than that. The game is never over.”

I've committed most of my life to the games industry at this point. I've been around for some of its highest highs and lowest lows, but I've never seen anything like the last few years. Absolutely brutal and no signs of letting up. My heart goes out to everyone impacted.

Jason Schreier@jasonschreier.bsky.social · 2y ago

BREAKING: Warner Bros. Games is shutting down Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego, sources tell Bloomberg News. Warner Bros. is also canceling the Wonder Woman game.

Can you hear that? That's the sound of every publisher with a Q3/Q4 release scrambling to shift their launch dates and marketing campaigns.

IGN@ign.com · 2y ago

GTA fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Grand Theft Auto VI is still set for a Fall 2025 release, Take-Two Interactive confirmed during an earnings call. bit.ly/4aR4jXr