Top Stories

Capcom and Ubisoft developers surprised by DLSS 5 announcement: “We found out at the same time as the public" (4 min read)

Nvidia revealed DLSS 5 without notifying partner studios in advance, with Ubisoft and Capcom developers saying they learned about it alongside the public. Games like Assassin's Creed Shadows and Resident Evil Requiem were used in the reveal without apparent developer sign-off. (PC Gamer)

Ubisoft announces layoffs and the cease of game development at Red Storm Entertainment (1 min read)

Ubisoft is ending game development at Red Storm Entertainment, laying off 105 staff as part of its global cost-reduction plan. The 1996-founded studio will remain open, with remaining employees shifting focus to the Snowdrop engine, IT, and customer relations. (Gamesindustry)

Business & Finance

Understanding the 2026 Global PC & Console Game Market: Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo, and Kuro Claim Top 20 PC Game Spots (29 min read)

Newzoo's 2026 PC & Console report projects the combined market growing from $88.3B to $103.7B by 2028, with PC overtaking console revenue. Chinese titles — League of Legends, Valorant, Marvel Rivals, Wuthering Waves, and Genshin Impact — all rank in global top-20 playtime. (GameLook)

Crimson Desert Studio Investors See ‘Generally Favorable’ Reviews And Race To Dump The Stock As It Plummets 30 Percent (3 min read)

Pearl Abyss stock dropped ~30% on launch day after Crimson Desert landed at 78 on Metacritic, well below investor expectations. The stock had surged 125% year-over-year on hype, leaving it vulnerable to a sell-off once reviews landed. (Kotaku)

Studios & People

Embracer studio Crystal Dynamics continues steady stream of layoffs (3 min read)

Crystal Dynamics, the Embracer-owned studio behind the Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain franchises, is continuing an ongoing pattern of layoffs. The cuts add to a broader wave of workforce reductions across Embracer Group studios. (Game Developer)

On the ground at PlayerUnknown's 2-day in-studio modjam where devs broke their own game (11 min read)

PlayerUnknown Productions held a 2-day internal modjam in Amsterdam, letting devs freely mod Prologue: Go Wayback using UE5 assets and existing systems. Teams produced new mechanics, total conversions, and even mock Steam pages within 48 hours. (PC Gamer)

Games & Releases

Capcom’s next big game explores the horrors of AI - The Verge (5 min read)

Capcom's sci-fi action game Pragmata launches in April, built by veterans of Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Notably, the team hand-crafted all AI-glitch aesthetics without using generative AI tools. (Game Developer AI Tools)

AI/Tech & Tools

Former Cities: Skylines 2 Dev Studio CEO Reflects: "We Over-Relied on New Unity Tech" — The Team's Miscalculation Led to a Custom-Implementation Nightmare (1 min read)

Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen says Cities: Skylines 2's performance woes stemmed from betting on unfinished Unity tech — HDRP and ECS — that forced the team to build missing features themselves. A key warning for mid-sized studios planning around unreleased engine capabilities. (Automaton)

Culture & Community

'Text is evil:' How making Peak changed indie studio Aggro Crab (6 min read)

Aggro Crab shares how making Peak reshaped the indie studio's design philosophy, including a shift away from text-heavy communication in favor of more visual, intuitive game feel. A candid look at how a project can fundamentally change a team's approach. (Game Developer)

gg! see you in game!

-james