Where did January go? What a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-month. I’ve only been back in the office for a few weeks but it feels as if I never left.
A testament to my ability to seamlessly pick up where I left off that demonstrates poise, prowess, and professionalism? If any of my bosses are reading then, that is absolutely the case.
For everyone else, the reality is it has simply been a madcap month. An onslaught of news has seemingly bent the fabric of spacetime, leaving me staring February dead in the face before I’ve finished nibbling the Christmas biscuits.
In the span of four weeks we’ve seen Ubisoft announce a monumental rightsizing, even more independent video game outlets make their (very welcome) debut, and the launch of a one particular title that some reckon could be an early GOTY contender. Shout out to Cairn.
Of course, there’s still a week’s worth of news to digest before we can box the month away, so let’s crack on with that, shall we?
via Game Developer // After losing the GDP of a small nation in the span of six years and shuttering a bunch of its internal VR studios, Meta (the company formerly known as Facebook) says it isn’t walking away from VR just yet. The company’s embattled Reality Labs division—which houses its Meta Quest business—continues to bleed cash, but Meta told investors there is still light at the end of what must be an extremely long tunnel.
via Jank // The rise of independent media continues! This week, Jon Hicks, Brendan Caldwell and Graham Smith—whose bylines you might have clocked on PC Gamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and Gamesindustry.biz—launched Jank, a new reader-supported website all about PC games. The publication will strive to deliver the sort of offbeat coverage that more traditional, ad-supported websites perhaps cannot justify (such as this piece where they get developers to climb a mountain in Peak).
via Game Developer // Some Ubisoft workers have had enough. After the French publisher announced plans to implement a five-day RTO policy and cut even more jobs, unionized employees in France have called on all staff to down tools in February to send a clear message to management, who they claim refuse to take responsibility for their “catastrophic” decisions.
via Game Developer // Sticking with Ubisoft, the company this week proposed a round of voluntary termination at its headquarters in Paris, France, that could result in up to 200 people exiting the company. The move comes with the publisher attempting to restructure its business around five ‘Creative Houses,’ meaning years of upheaval look set to continue.
via North Shore News // Meanwhile, over in Canada, a group of laid off workers from Ubisoft Halifax protested the decision to shutter the mobile-focused studio. A group of over 50 former employees and supporters took to the streets in downtown Halifax, holding signs that implored Ubisoft to “nerf exploitation” and “play by the rules.” Ubisoft Halifax was shuttered just weeks after the majority of staff at the studio voted to unionize. Ubisoft suggested its decision to close the location was unrelated to those unionization efforts.
via Day of the Devs // Are you working on a cool new video game that would look perfect showcased alongside other very cool video games? Great, because Days of the Devs is heading back to San Francisco in March and has opened submissions for its first event of the calendar year. If you’re interested in exhibiting your work alongside other wonderful indies, then complete the submission form before the deadline on February 2. Chop chop!
via Game Developer // Gaming revenue remains in decline at Microsoft, with the Xbox maker reporting yet another downturn in Xbox hardware during the second quarter of the current fiscal year. Xbox hardware revenue decreased by 32 percent year-on-year “driven by lower volume of consoles sold,” but given Microsoft has proclaimed that everything is now an Xbox, maybe that’s all part of the plan.