Layoffs have hit PlayStation subsidiary Firesprite, which let go of game director Alex Barnes today. At time of writing, the exact number of affected staff (him included) is unclear.Barnes, who'd been with the company for seven years, directed its 2023 game Horizon: Call of the Mountain. On Twitter, he called it a "tough time" in recent months, while thanking those who've "continued helping each other through all this."In February, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced its plans to cut 900 jobs as part of a reevaluation of its operations. Along with Firesprite, Sony London, Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games were hit with redundancies or fully shut down.
Unity has named former Zynga COO and EA SVP of strategy and operations, Matthew Bromberg, as its new CEO.Bromberg joins Unity to permanently replace long-serving CEO John Riccitiello, who stepped down in October 2023 following a protracted debacle surrounding the introduction of a new runtime fee.The company's attempts to charge developers what essentially amounted to a per-install fee backfired almost immediately. Unity eventually reworked its plans but suffered huge reputational damage as a result of the fumbled rollout.The appointment of Bromberg means interim CEO Jim Whitehurst has joined the company's board of directors as executive chair. In turn, that will result in Roelof Botha transitioning from chairman of the board back to lead Independent director of the board.Botha s…
Unity has named former Zynga COO and EA SVP of strategy and operations, Matthew Bromberg, as its new CEO.Bromberg joins Unity to permanently replace long-serving CEO John Riccitiello, who stepped down in October 2023 following a protracted debacle surrounding the introduction of a new runtime fee.The company's attempts to charge developers what essentially amounted to a per-install fee backfired almost immediately. Unity eventually reworked its plans but suffered huge reputational damage as a result of the fumbled rollout.The appointment of Bromberg means interim CEO Jim Whitehurst has joined the company's board of directors as executive chair. In turn, that will result in Roelof Botha transitioning from chairman of the board back to lead Independent director of the board.Botha s…
Lords of the Fallen developer CI Games has delivered its "best year" ever in revenue terms after raking in over $60 million during fiscal 2023.The company said that revenue total represents a 400 percent upswing year-over-year, and comes with Lords of the Fallen having sold approximately 1.3 million units in under three months.Over that 12-month reporting period, CI Games recorded a gross profit of approximately $6.48 million and a net profit of approximately $3.57 million. EBITDA amounted to roughly $24 million.CI Games Group CEO, Marek Tymiński, described the 2023 fiscal year as a "period of continued momentum" thanks to the launch of Lords of the Fallen, which was the most expensive title in the company's history and generated 83 percent of sales revenue across…
Amazon has renewed its live-action Fallout show for a second season after branding the series a "hit."The show premiered on April 10 in over 240 countries and looks to have won over both critics and audiences around the world."In its first four days, the high-octane fueled series has become a hit with its global audience, ranking among the service’s top three most-watched titles ever and the most-watched season globally since Rings of Power," reads an Amazon press release.The news means the transmedia wheel will keep on turning for the foreseeable future, with Fallout adding to the success of other high-profile video game adaptations based on The Last of Us, Cyberpunk, Super Mario Bros., and Sonic the Hedgehog.Fallout was executive produced by Westworld showrun…
UK developer Atomicom is no more, and Starlight Games has been formed in its wake. Headed up by Psygnosis and alum Gary Nichols, the new-ish studio already has gained a big hire in design director NIck Burcombe.Per GamesIndustry, Starlight will effectively replace Atomicom as a developer. The entire team will remain intact, and they'll still operate in the same Liverpool office.Burcombe, who co-created the original Wipeout, is heading up development on a futuristic sports game. Starlight also has a strategy sci-fi project in the works, along with multiple Unreal Engine Fortnite experiences.Currently, Starlight has no deals in place with a major publisher. Deals it hoped to land in 2023 fell through because they weren't "mutually beneficial," said Nichols, who stressed t…
Gloomhaven developer Flaming Fowl has a new project in the works by the name of Ironmarked. But until it's gauged enough interest for the game, it'll be on ice for the forseeable future.Flaming Fowl released a demo for the game on Steam, and asked players to wishlist it so the team can find more funding. At the same time, the studio has let go of over half its staff.The layoffs were attributed to a lack of a general lack of industry funding. With Ironmarked, Flaming Fowl hopes the demo will "help those leaving us [find] new roles elsewhere, by demonstrating their outstanding work on the project."While not entirely the same, Skybound Entertainment made a similar plea with players last week. In crowdfunding to develop a triple-A game for Invincible, it's banking on a…
Valve has updated Steam's refund policy so that it covers titles that offer 'Advanced Access.' The tweak means any playtime amassed prior to a title's official release will now count towards the Steam refund period.Valve's current refund policy allows people to return a title "for any reason" if the refund request is submitted within 14-days of purchase and they have no more than two hours of playtime.Until now, however, playtime accrued during an Advanced Access period wasn't tracked by Valve. That created something of a loophole. For instance, someone could purchase a specific version of a game to secure advanced access (often included as a bonus via deluxe or special editions), dip into the title before it launched, then ask for a refund when it h…
Longtime Ubisoft veteran Cécile Russeil has now been promoted to the French studio's executive vice president.Per the press release, she'll primarily lead the company's teams focused on group synergy. Along with HR and legal, she will also head up the Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility division. Ubisoft notes these departments will have "greater agility, consistency, and influence" from her leadership.Russeil first joined Ubisoft in 1990 as an executive assistant, then again in 1995 as lead legal counsel. She established its legal function in 2000, and has been the team's chief officer since 2015.Her new position comes weeks after Ubisoft elevated publishing VP Brenda Panagrossi to serve as general manager for its US market. "Cécile offers invalua…
The action-MMO Wayfinder is currently unavailable to buy, but developer Airship Syndicate isn't giving up on the game.On Twitter, the studio explained it turned off sales as publishing responsibilities transfer over from Digital Extremes. Last November, the Warframe studio gave full ownership to Airship as it reduced its third-party output.Those who bought Wayfinder before now can still access and play the game "with no interruptions." A specific timeframe for its return to digital stores wasn't given.Airship Syndicate is also taking this time to give Wayfinder an overhaul that "remains consistent with our standards and beliefs." These changes will include a business model reflective of its new status as a publisher.
Ascendant Studios has recently furloughed most of its remaining staff, according to Phoenix Labs engineer Kris Morness.In a recent post on LinkedIn, Morness claimed the furlough has affected "around 30 folks." This was further corroborated by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, who added the studio had yet to comment on the matter.The last furlough news we had was with Crop Circle Games back in February. In March, that ended with the studio being closed entirely, allegedly in an underhanded manner.Since the launch of its debut game Immortals of Aveum in mid-2023, Ascendant has been in rough straits. Almost a month after launch, it cut about half its staff (out of a then-total of 80-100 people).Those cuts were due to Immortals' poor launch sales. While EA hasn't commented o…
Ascendant Studios has recently furloughed most of its remaining staff, according to Phoenix Labs engineer Kris Morness.In a recent post on LinkedIn, Morness claimed the furlough has affected "around 30 folks." This was further corroborated by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, who added the studio had yet to comment on the matter.The last furlough news we had was with Crop Circle Games back in February. In March, that ended with the studio being closed entirely, allegedly in an underhanded manner.Since the launch of its debut game Immortals of Aveum in mid-2023, Ascendant has been in rough straits. Almost a month after launch, it cut about half its staff (out of a then-total of 80-100 people).Those cuts were due to Immortals' poor launch sales. While EA hasn't commented o…