Top Stories

"Devastating": Game devs send outpouring of love to Sony's latest closed PlayStation studio Bluepoint, saying "the sheer amount of institutional knowledge lost is quite literally staggering" (5 min read)

Sony closed Bluepoint Studios, shuttering the 70-person team behind acclaimed PlayStation remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls. The studio was acquired by Sony in 2021 and reportedly pivoted to a God of War live-service game that was canceled last January. Game developers expressed concern about the loss of institutional knowledge and questioned why Sony would dismantle a studio known for prestige remake work. (GamesRadar)

Todd Howard says Bethesda isn't 'fully ignoring' AI (5 min read)

Bethesda director Todd Howard stated the studio isn't "fully ignoring" AI, pushing back on the perception that the company has dismissed the technology entirely. While Howard didn't detail specific AI integration plans, the comment suggests Bethesda is evaluating AI's role in development workflows, even as the studio remains cautious about its broader implications. (Game Developer)

Ubisoft is laying off 40 devs at studio working on Splinter Cell remake, but confirms the game is still in production (3 min read)

Ubisoft laid off 40 employees at its Toronto studio, which is developing the Splinter Cell remake. The company confirmed the remake remains in active development despite the cuts, and said affected staff will receive severance packages and career placement assistance. Toronto will continue contributing to other Ubisoft projects. (Eurogamer)

Business & Finance

Sony’s PS5-Era Studio Acquisition Spree Has Been A Disaster (4 min read)

Sony's PS5-era acquisition spree of 11 studios since 2019 has largely failed. Three studios—Bluepoint, Neon Koi, and Firewalk—have closed, while most others shipped few or no games. The company's forced pivot to live-service flopped, with Concord shutting down after two weeks. Only Housemarque and Insomniac delivered meaningful results, leaving developers at remaining studios facing uncertain futures. (Kotaku)

Starbreeze revenue rises 19% to $24.5m in 2025 (3 min read)

Starbreeze reported 2025 revenue of $24.5 million, up 19% YoY, but posted a net loss of $44.6 million. Payday 2 and 3 combined drove most revenue; the studio is cutting costs in its work-for-hire division to improve financial resilience and predictability. (Gamesindustry)

Studios & People

XCOM designer Jake Solomon announces surprise closure of his studio alongside a first look at its canceled life sim, 'the game we poured our hearts into' (6 min read)

Jake Solomon, former Firaxis creative director and XCOM designer, announced the surprise closure of Midsummer Studios. Before shutting down, Solomon shared pre-alpha footage of Burbank, a life sim combining life simulation mechanics with narrative drama inspired by shows like Gilmore Girls. Solomon spent 23 years at Firaxis before founding Midsummer to pursue the project. (PC Gamer)

Who needs a publisher, anyway? "I mean, who does physical any more?" (11 min read)

Filippo Beck Peccoz, a composer who worked with Mimimi Games before its 2023 closure, has transitioned into game directing with his debut psychological thriller Imprinted. He founded studio Cobalt Lane and opted for self-publishing with German government funding rather than pursuing traditional publisher deals, citing the rise of self-published games and the ability to retain creative control. (Gamesindustry)

Games & Releases

PC sales of High On Life were just behind PlayStation, the 'lead platform,' but Xbox trailed behind despite its 7-month console exclusivity deal (4 min read)

High on Life 2 launched simultaneously on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S last week, reversing the first game's seven-month Xbox exclusivity. Squanch Games CEO Mike Fridley cited PlayStation as the franchise's "lead platform" in sales, with Steam coming second. The simultaneous launch avoided dual marketing pushes and responded to Game Pass subscriber declines post-price hike. (PC Gamer)

The new game from Disco Elysium's studio feels like the first Christmas after your parents' divorce (9 min read)

ZA/UM released a playable demo for Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, its follow-up to Disco Elysium. The spy-themed RPG is solid but remains heavily shadowed by its predecessor and the studio's internal turmoil—founders departed amid allegations of financial malfeasance, leaving a fractured team to finish the project. (PC Gamer)

Life is Strange developer Don't Nod adds a dash of Alien: Isolation anxiety to its usual cinematic formula, and I think it works (7 min read)

Don't Nod's Aphelion, a sci-fi cinematic adventure launching around summer 2025, blends the studio's narrative focus with platforming and survival elements. Players control two ESA astronauts separated after a crash on a hostile planet, using tools and unique abilities to reunite. Early preview builds show Jusant-style climbing paired with Alien: Isolation-inspired tension, though platforming frustrations with fall deaths need polish before release. (PC Gamer)

Slay The Spire 2 Enters Early Access On The Busiest Possible Day (3 min read)

Slay the Spire 2 enters Early Access on March 5, 2026—the same day Marathon and Pokémon Pokopia launch. Mega Crit delayed the sequel from 2025 due to team personal circumstances and the desire to add more polish. The original 2019 deckbuilder is credited as a progenitor of the roguelike deckbuilding genre. (Kotaku)

AI/Tech & Tools

Judging by the GPT-4o situation, game developers will have a big problem if they get serious about AI chatbot NPCs (8 min read)

OpenAI's retirement of GPT-4o sparked user backlash over losing their AI companion; Replika faced similar outrage when it removed erotic roleplay features. As developers experiment with LLM-powered NPCs, they face a new problem: players forming emotional attachments to AI characters. Updates or changes to these systems could trigger significant community friction, making AI NPC development a risky proposition. (PC Gamer)

13-year-old Decima engine allows Death Stranding team to 'accomplish many things that would be difficult to achieve elsewhere' (5 min read)

Kojima Productions continues using Guerilla Games' 13-year-old Decima engine for Death Stranding 2, leveraging its runtime rendering analysis tools and open-world capabilities. The engine handled a 25-million polygon desert scene while maintaining stable frame rates. Kojima and Guerilla collaborate on engine improvements, sharing modifications that benefit both teams' development pipelines. (PC Gamer)

Culture & Community

'Art and science and procreation, that's about all life is good for:' Two former freeware developers are still trying to keep it weird in an era when companies 'sell games to people in 5-second clips' (7 min read)

Indie duo Talha & Jack Co discusses how experimental game design has become harder to fund as the industry scales. They note that publishers require financial guarantees that conflict with creative risk-taking and boundary-pushing, making it tougher for weird, unconventional projects to find backing in an era of short-form marketing. (PC Gamer)

Influencer-hosted Convergence indie showcase returns today, featuring 30 new games (2 min read)

Convergence, an influencer-hosted indie showcase, returns today with 30 games and 28 pre-show titles. Hosted by Jessie Cox and Dodger with additional creators, the event streams at 7:30PM UK time across YouTube, Twitch, Steam, and IGN, reaching 1.5M gamers. Featured publishers include Secret Mode, Kwalee, and Super Rare Games. (Gamesindustry)

2XKO to reward for players participating in community events (3 min read)

Riot Games is offering in-game rewards to players who participate in 2XKO community events, including the Tampa Never Sleeps online tournament and FGC Meetups. Players must register to be eligible for the rewards. (Esports Insider)

gg! see you in game!

-james