Layoffs in the games industry: When it rains, it pours | Kaser focus
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2024 is only two months away and we have already seen 7,800 layoffs in our industry.
Sometimes I feel like this fact needs to be reiterated because it is very easy to become numb to the situation. Occasionally I have to remind myself that this situation is not normal – it is a disaster. I want to give myself and everyone hope by saying that things are cyclical and our industry will bounce back from this. But honestly: the longer this dark phase lasts, the greater the impact on the entire industry is likely to be.
It’s hard to report on layoffs even in the best of times, but the last few weeks have been nothing but one hit after another: Microsoft, Eidos Montreal, Sony, Electronic Arts, Build a Rocket Boy, Deck Nine, Supermassive, ZA/UM , Crop Circle, Hidden Path and The Good Factory. These are just the ones I can remember at the moment, and that was only a month ago. I don’t have anything to add to that per se – I just want to remind everyone of the magnitude of what’s happening so we don’t all get used to it and stop caring. If we do that, nothing will get better.
Okay, let’s see – positive news, positive news, is there any? I suppose the Pokémon presents this week were a nice change. There hasn’t been much news, but we’re getting a new Pokémon mobile game, this time bringing back the nostalgia of card battles (I can’t believe how long it’s been since I first had a Pokémon card stuck in my head). Hands). The announcement of Legends: ZA intrigued me as it appears to be a future version of Lumiose City, as opposed to Legends: Arceus’ journey into the distant past.
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As for the games I’m playing this week – I don’t know, it’s hard to find escapism in games given what I know about the industry. But given that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth just came out, I guess I can’t be too depressed (assuming my husband lets me come within a country mile of the PlayStation 5). Also, I think I’ll finally get into Helldivers 2 properly now that some of the server issues have been fixed. If all else fails, there’s always Tomb Raider to fall back on.
What to play this week:
What’s new:
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake
- Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
- Welcome to ParadiZe
- Dice people
- Shiren the Wanderer: The Mysterious Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
- Terror in Oakheart
- Disney Iwájú: Aspiring Chef
New to subscription services:
- Maneater (Xbox Game Pass)
- Madden NFL 24 (Xbox Game Pass)
- Indivisible (Xbox Game Pass)
- Space Engineers (Xbox Game Pass)
- Gravitar: Recharged (Prime Gaming)
- Call of Duty HQ (GeForce Now)
- Diablo IV (GeForce Now)
- Fort Solis (GeForce Now)
- Hearthstone (GeForce Now)
- Overwatch 2 (GeForce Now)
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