Business

Editor’s note: This story was drafted before the Internet Archive suffered a massive DDOS attack, and links to archive.org currently do not function. Check back later to take your own deep dive in the Fat Babies archives. Hello dear readers. Chris is out this month for some well-deserved R&R, leaving the pilot’s seat open for …

More details on the alleged circumstances surrounding Annapurna Interactive’s staff exodus have emerged. Bloomberg’s newest report corroborates and expands on parts of last week’s story about the studio’s alleged friction among upper management and broken deals, and offers new details. Per the report, much of the conflict concerned Nathan Gary (then-president of both Annapurna Interactive …

Netflix has shuttered its Southern Californian AAA game studio Team Blue after less than two years of operation. As reported by Game File, along with the studio closure, three of Team Blue’s most notable hires have also left the company. Blue was Netflix’s fifth internal game studio, and said to be working on a new …

The former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, Shawn Layden, has stated that “AA is gone” during a talk, cautioning AAA studios’ over reliance on blockbusters as a  “death sentence.” The remarks were made on stage at Gamescom Asia, where Layden also referred to the loss of mid-budget games as a “threat to the ecosystem” …

Game Developer has learned that eight developers from 11 Bit Studios were let go in December 2023, and it went without mention by the Frostpunk 2 creator. Recently, former studio writer Anna Sokalska explained that it has been “nine months after layoffs at 11 Bit, [and] I’m still searching for a job.” At 11 Bit, …

The Game Developer Collective recently conducted a survey about virtual reality games. Of those asked, 56 percent find the market is “currently declining or stagnating.” 38 percent believe the latter, and 18 percent the former. Conversely, 23 percent find that the market is growing modestly over time. As with consoles, the price of VR headsets …

PLAY Magazine’s upcoming 46th issue on October 15 will be its last. “The unfortunate truth is that at some point all games must come to an end,” wrote editor Oscar Taylor-Kent. “That time has now come for PLAY as well.” The original incarnation of PLAY released in June 1995, and has focused on Sony’s PlayStation …

Players will be able to play and buy games via the Xbox App on Android, starting next month. The news was announced by Xbox president Sarah Bond on X, following the US court ruling this week that Google must open its Android marketplace to competitors. “The court’s ruling to open up Google’s mobile store in the …

Today is the day: SAG-AFTRA has resumed negotiations with game developers to secure rights for video game voice actors and performers. Last week, the actors union announced talks would resume with triple-A developers like EA, Take-Two, and other heavy hitters. Since July, actors have been striking and advocating for support online. Yesterday, October 22, SAG-AFTRA …