I’ll level with you. I’m keeping this intro brief because I’m currently plonked in the middle of a Manchester cafe that presumably doesn’t realize the words ‘air’ and ‘conditioning’ can be combined to create a majestic climate control device.
Fear not, dear reader, it’s only a heatwave.
This will be my final Patch Notes for a couple of weeks. I’ll be jetting off to Cologne next Tuesday for my annual pilgrimage to Gamescom in pursuit of industry insights, decadent hummus (if you know you know), and perhaps even a bit of juicy gossip. I’ll be taking a much needed vacation when I return, so the next couple of editions will be penned by another member of our talented Game Developer team.
Who exactly? No spoilers yet (mainly because we haven’t decided).
Oho. You almost got me rambling. Nobody needs that today—least of all you. In fact, I suspect what you really need is a concentrated dose of NEWS, and as luck would have it we have just the thing…
via Game Developer // You might not realise it from the headline, but layoff connoisseur Embracer Group recently switched out its CEO, Lars Wingefors, for a new chief executive in Crystal Dynamics veteran Phil Rogers. Alas, it seems the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. Rogers this week told investors that Embracer will deploy ‘targeted cost initiatives’ in relation to underperforming business. He confirmed that could mean additional divestments are in the offing. Will we also see layoffs? Who knows, but Embracer has been rather trigger happy in that regard previously. Rogers also explained that Embracer is keen to use AI technology to streamline its processes and support its teams. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.
via Aftermath // Payment service provider Stripe has denied it is prohibiting the sale of LGBTQ+ content, including video game and media on platforms like Itch. The company spoke to Aftermath about the situation after its support team reportedly told anti-censorship campaigners that it won’t be processing payments related to LGBTQ+ content. Stripe apologised for the conduction and claimed those employees were “mistaken.” The full story is well worth a read, and comes after both Itch and Steam began heavily moderating the sale of adult content, reportedly at the behest of payment providers.
via RockPaperShotgun // In related news, Valve recently told RPS that PayPal support for Steam has evaporated in some regions due to concerns over the type of content being sold on the platform. Valve previously confirmed that one of PayPal’s acquiring banks axed support in some regions in early July, impacting consumers attempting to make Steam purchases via PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD and USD. On its support page, Valve said it is “uncertain” when the situation will be remedied. It then told RPS the withdrawal is “regarding content on Steam, related to what we’ve previously commented on surrounding Mastercard.”
via Game Developer // Another week, another union. We could get used to this. Blizzard’s Story and Franchise Development (SFD) is the latest Microsoft-owned team to unionise in tandem with Communications Workers of America (CWA). SFD is the World of Warcraft maker’s in-house cinematic, animation, and narrative department—and became the first union of its kind to form n North America. Parent company Microsoft has already recognised the union, whose members will join CWA Local 9510 in Orange County, Calif. One member of the SFD organising committee said the unionised workers intend to preserve what makes Blizzard special.
via Game Developer // Speaking of unions, freelance reporter Nicole Carpenter this week laid out how the power of collective acton could enable the video game industry to address a longstanding miscrediting issue. It’s not uncommon for developers (both in-house and external) to be omitted or improperly credited on projects they’ve worked on. It’s a deeply harmful practice that can stall careers and create uncertainty as to who is actually making the games we play, but what is the solution? According to some people, unions might just hold the answer.
via Game Developer // In what must be one of the game industry’s most outrageous legal tit-for-tats, Krafton has responded to the lawsuit levelled against it by Unknown Worlds’ former executive team with a series of claims that paint former studio leaders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill as cash-grabbing truants. The South Korean publisher once again insisted that all three downed tools as soon as it purchased Unknown Worlds and placed their own “monetary interests” over those of the development team and Subnautica 2 itself. We’ve done our best to summarise the scathing rebuttal, and we expect this saga is far from over.
via Game Developer // A group of unionized Arkane Studios workers in France this week published an open letter to leaders at Xbox and Microsoft to lend their support to the Palestinian-led BDS movement and demand their parent company sever ties with Israel. The move follows extensive reporting that indicates Microsoft cloud and AI technology is being used by the Israeli regime to monitor Palestinians and even plan military action. Union workers at Arkane, known for producing titles like Dishonored and Deathloop, accused Microsoft of being an “accomplice” to genocide. “Microsoft has failed both its teams & its customers by being actively complicit of the invasion and war crimes happening in Gaza,” they wrote in the open letter. Microsoft has yet to respond to our request for comment, but has previously denied that its products have been used to “target or harm people” in Gaza.
via Automation Media // Tekken and Ace Combat maker Bandai Namco is still working hard to create a new in-house game engine capable of supporting large-scale projects and open worlds. You might not even be aware this project was even in motion, and that’s because it’s been around three years since the Japanese company last spoke about the initiative. This week, however, the company posted a series of photographs on X to reveal it has been training employees how to use the mystery engine. It’s hard to glean much from the snaps, although we can see what appears to be an ecstatic snowman in one shot. 10/10. No notes.
via Krafton // Pour one out for PUBG: Battlegrounds players who’ve yet to make the leap to current-generation hardware. This week, Krafton announced it will be ending support for the battle royale shooter on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November. The company said the shift will take place on November 13, 2025, and described it as a “necessary step toward aligning PUBG Console with current-gen consoles” and providing player with “more stable gameplay.” Remarkably, the news comes around five years after both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S hit shelves, which shows just how blurred the lines between console generations have become in the current era. Even so, Krafton said the news is weighing heavily on the team and has requested a modicum of understanding during this trying time
