Top Stories

Sony announces major layoffs at Bungie, including most of the Destiny team (1 min read)

Sony confirmed major layoffs at Bungie affecting most of the Destiny team and some Marathon developers following Destiny 2's end-of-life. Studio head Justin Truman stepped down. Sony has reduced Bungie's valuation from $3.6 billion to approximately $2.8 billion since the 2022 acquisition. (Engadget)

Business & Finance

"Mission Impossible is high on my list" – how Paramount plans to use co-dev to exploit its archive, while building its own all-new IP (8 min read)

Paramount Games Studio merged Skydance's studios with Paramount's IP, creating a 170-person division led by Dan Prigg. The studio plans to develop AAA titles through co-development partnerships, with announced projects including a Platinum Games Ninja Turtles title and BlooberTeam's Star Trek: Shadow Frontier. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Microsoft significantly increases Xbox prices worldwide and withdraws 2TB model citing "components crisis" (2 min read)

Microsoft raised Xbox Series S and Series X prices by $100–$150 effective August 2, citing component storage and memory costs increasing 2.5x. The company withdrew the 2TB model and cited expectations for another doubling by fall 2027. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Studios & People

Keywords has laid off 128 employees in San Francisco (2 min read)

Keywords laid off 128 employees at its San Francisco office, confirmed by a WARN notice filed June 22, 2026. The affected roles and departments remain unclear. (Game Developer)

Policy & Labor

Epic's Sweeney claims Steam AI labels are "really irresponsible of Valve" (2 min read)

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called Valve's Steam AI disclosure labels "really irresponsible," arguing they harm developer success by stigmatizing AI tools. Sweeney framed AI as a productivity tool comparable to asset stores and photoscanning. (GamesIndustry.biz)

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