Note from the editor: Starting this edition, I’m starting to include foreign language news sources. English language gaming news sites tend to be western-centric, neglecting key gaming countries such as China, Japan, and Korea. Use your browser’s translate feature to read the original source in English.

Top Stories

Battlefield 6 teams hit with layoffs despite ‘biggest launch in franchise history’ - The Verge (3 min read)

EA cut an unspecified number of staff across Criterion, DICE, Ripple Effect, and Motive following Battlefield 6's launch — despite EA calling it "the biggest launch in franchise history" with 7 million copies sold in three days. (The Verge)

Outersloth reveals its game funding agreement with developers (3 min read)

Outersloth, Innersloth's indie game fund, has publicly released its standard developer contract. Key terms: 50% revenue share pre-recoup, dropping to 15% after — and rights cover all platforms even if funding is platform-specific. 💡 (Gamesindustry)

European Developer Employment Report: Over 25% Were Laid Off Last Year, 13% Left the Games Industry (7 min read) (Originally: 欧洲开发者就业报告:去年超25%的人被裁员、13%离开游戏业)

A 2025 survey of European game developers found 26% experienced layoffs, with 13% leaving the industry entirely. Junior roles were hit hardest — 39% exited the field — while artists, designers, and QA reported the lowest job security. (Gamelook)

Business & Finance

Microsoft boss Nadella vows to "always" invest in video games following Xbox leadership change (3 min read)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reaffirmed the company is "long on gaming" in an internal Q&A with new Xbox chief Asha Sharma, calling games one of Microsoft's "main identities." He noted gaming's broader tech impact but stressed Xbox must deliver "best-in-class" execution. (Gamesindustry)

Studios & People

Roblox launches two new developer programs, Incubator and Jumpstart, to support "ambitious creators eager to build and scale" (3 min read)

Roblox opened applications for two new creator programs: Incubator, a six-month mentorship track for experienced teams building commercial games, and Jumpstart, a rolling program for newer and experienced creators. Both offer access to Roblox subject matter experts and audience-building support. (Gamesindustry)

Helldivers 2 devs "underinvested" in the shooter's engine, Arrowhead CEO admits, who pledges "things can/will get better" despite recent improvements (5 min read)

Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani admitted the studio "underinvested" in Helldivers 2's Autodesk Stingray engine, which stopped receiving updates in 2018. Accumulated tech debt caused widespread bugs and a bloated PC build, though ongoing fixes are showing measurable improvement. (GamesRadar)

Shinji Mikami forms AAA studio Unbound (2 min read)

Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami founded fully independent AAA studio Unbound in 2022, which began operations in 2023. The studio has ~50 staff, targets 150, and is building original IP for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. (Gamesindustry)

Ballistic Moon, Studio Behind Until Dawn Remake, Officially Dissolved (4 min read)

Ballistic Moon, the UK studio behind the 2024 Until Dawn remake, has been formally dissolved via voluntary strike-off after failed attempts to secure new funding. The studio shed roughly 60 staff in two rounds of layoffs shortly after the game shipped. (The Gamer)

WarioWare director Goro Abe leaves Nintendo after 25+ years (2 min read)

WarioWare series director Goro Abe has left Nintendo after nearly 30 years, retiring at the end of February. He's joining Osaka Electro-Communication University as a professor in its new Game and Social Design department. (Gamesindustry)

Games & Releases

Ghost Of Yotei's Legends Mode Will Have No Season Passes, Microtransactions (4 min read)

Sucker Punch's Ghost of Yotei Legends co-op mode launches March 10 with all cosmetics unlockable through gameplay only — no microtransactions or season passes. A notable contrast to Sony stablemate Marathon, which launched to criticism over aggressive monetization. (The Gamer)

Slay the Spire 2 dev hates microtransactions, even though players would definitely pay for them: 'A lot of our players threaten to buy all and any cosmetics we may ever release' (5 min read)

Mega Crit co-founder Casey Yano confirmed Slay the Spire 2 will have no microtransactions, priced at $24.99 in early access. The studio is also expanding mod support to reduce friction for modders compared to the original. (PC Gamer)

AI/Tech & Tools

Intel has released the SDK for XeSS 3 so hopefully it won't be long before Arc GPU owners get in on native multi frame gen action (7 min read)

Intel released the XeSS 3 SDK on GitHub, enabling developers to add 3x and 4x multi-frame generation support to their games. Integration requires swapping existing XeSS DLL files — a relatively low-lift update. (PC Gamer)

Sumo partners with Arm to help test mobile game capabilities on new AI-powered chips (3 min read)

Sumo Digital is partnering with Arm to test its neural accelerator technology, which Arm claims can deliver PC-quality graphics on mobile. 📱 Demos are expected at GDC this week. (Gamesindustry)

Modder helps Sony unwittingly beat Valve to the punch: 'I ported Linux to the PS5 and turned it into a Steam Machine' (7 min read)

Software engineer Andy Nguyen ported Ubuntu Linux to a PS5 Slim using a firmware exploit and open-source Mesa drivers, then ran Steam and GTA 5 Enhanced with ray tracing enabled. The project required bypassing Sony's hypervisor and building custom GPU drivers for the console's modified RDNA hardware. (PC Gamer)

Policy & Labor

Valve sued by The Performing Right Society for allegedly using its members' musical works "without permission" (2 min read)

The Performing Right Society has filed legal proceedings against Valve under UK copyright law, alleging Steam distributes games using PRS-licensed music without a licence. Developers shipping music-heavy titles on Steam should monitor this closely — a ruling could reshape platform-level music licensing obligations. (Gamesindustry)

Nintendo of America sues US government over tariffs (3 min read)

Nintendo of America sued the US government seeking a full refund — with interest — on tariffs paid since last year, joining 1,000+ companies challenging the measures. The case highlights ongoing hardware cost pressures facing platform holders and developers who manufacture in Asia. (Gamesindustry)

Culture & Community

GDC confirms return to San Francisco in 2027 (2 min read)

GDC Festival of Gaming is confirmed for March 1–5, 2027, staying in San Francisco's Moscone Center despite persistent cost concerns and international attendance anxiety driven by US immigration policy. (Gamesindustry)

"The fundamentals of FPS should drive our decision": Battlefield 6 designers say developers have a "responsibility" to make games intuitive (5 min read)

Battlefield 6 designer Jac Carlsson argued at GDC that FPS fundamentals — low input latency, intuitive movement, and aligned player perception — should anchor design decisions before aesthetics. He called it a developer "responsibility" to make controls feel grounded in real-world sensory logic. (GamesRadar)

Big Walk Developers Wish 'Friendslop' Had A Nicer Ring To It (3 min read)

House House devs (Untitled Goose Game) expressed mixed feelings about the "friendslop" label being applied to their upcoming co-op game Big Walk, welcoming the genre's popularity while noting the "slop" half undersells the craft involved. (The Gamer)

gg! see you in game!

-james