Top Stories

Remote working down, mid-level contraction, and Eastern migration: the signals we're seeing in games job data (7 min read)

Job market data from Sorcery.gg reveals a 4% global contraction in available game dev roles, but with stark geographic shifts. US jobs dropped 25% while China surged 25%, now leading the US for the first time. Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia saw ~50% growth. AI role hiring peaked in September then crashed. North American studios are cutting mid-level positions (down from 51% to 42% in the US) while prioritizing senior/leadership roles, suggesting cost-focused restructuring. European studios are investing in junior talent pipelines. (Gamesindustry)

The Source Of Highguard‘s Mysterious Funding Was Reportedly Chinese Tech Giant Tencent (3 min read)

Tencent's TiMi studio group reportedly funded Wildlight Entertainment's four-year development of Highguard, according to Game File. Wildlight kept the backing secret despite Tencent's typical transparency about Western studio investments. The revelation comes after the studio's mass layoffs and as Highguard hemorrhages 95% of its PC concurrent players post-launch, raising questions about the game's viability. (Kotaku)

Business & Finance

Global game content sales rose 5.3% to $195.6bn in 2025 (3 min read)

Global game content sales grew 5.3% to $195.6 billion in 2025, hitting a new high despite continued funding drought. Private funding fell 55% year-over-year, while outsourcing now represents 35.5% of developer spending, up from 30.6% in 2017. Layoffs totaled 9,200 in 2025, down 40% from 2024 but part of a four-year total near 44,000. Roblox captured 67% of net market growth. (Gamesindustry)

Remote staffing platform Mellow launches new indie support program (1 min read)

Contractor management platform Mellow launched Indie Launchpad, offering six months of full access to hiring, contracting, and invoicing tools for $1 per contractor per month. The program targets studios up to 15 people and aims to support 50 indie studios through 2026. Mellow's data shows operational overhead consumes 5–15% of indie budgets, with manual contractor management costing $5,000–$15,000 quarterly. (Gamesindustry)

Studios & People

G.I. Joe Snake Eyes game not cancelled following reported Atomic Arcade studio closure, but its ultimate fate remains unclear (2 min read)

Hasbro closed Atomic Arcade, the studio it created in 2022 to develop a G.I. Joe Snake Eyes game. The game itself is not cancelled and remains in development while Hasbro evaluates its path forward, though the studio's closure adds uncertainty to the project's timeline and team structure. (Eurogamer)

Games & Releases

Mewgenics has sold 1 million copies worldwide (3 min read)

Mewgenics has sold 1 million copies worldwide, reaching a major sales milestone for the indie title. The figure marks significant commercial success for the game. (Game Developer)

Embark Studios is cracking down on players who abused Arc Raiders' recent duplication exploit and other glitches (3 min read)

Embark Studios completed an investigation into Arc Raiders' duplication and infinite ammo exploits that disrupted the game's economy and balance. The studio will issue warnings for low-severity cases, delete exploited coins, and suspend players in severe cases. Embark acknowledged the exploits stemmed from design flaws on its end and is implementing stricter protocols for future incidents. (Eurogamer)

AI/Tech & Tools

Steam Deck OLED stock affected by component shortages (2 min read)

Valve confirmed Steam Deck OLED will be "intermittently" unavailable in some regions due to ongoing RAM shortages. The company previously delayed launches of new hardware including the Steam Machine and VR headset to early 2026. Sony may push PS6 release to 2028-2029, while Nintendo faces potential Switch 2 price increases if memory costs remain elevated. (Gamesindustry)

Culture & Community

Former Capcom Developer Has Spent Over $500K On Microtransactions In His Own Gacha Game (3 min read)

Yoshiki Okamoto, former Capcom producer and creator of Monster Strike, revealed he's spent over $520,000 on microtransactions in his own gacha games to understand high-spender experiences firsthand. Okamoto justified the spending by noting that using admin privileges would prevent him from genuinely understanding player feelings, emphasizing the importance of artificial scarcity in gacha design. He's set to retire in early 2027. (The Gamer)

Obituary: Sega Console designer Hideki Sato has passed away (3 min read)

Sega console designer Hideki Sato has passed away. Sato was instrumental in the design and engineering of multiple Sega hardware platforms, contributing to the company's console legacy. His work influenced game development across generations of Sega systems. (Game Developer)

Discord competitor experiencing "incredible surge of new users" following the leading chat platform's controversial age verification announcement: "Hosting capacity has been reached in many regions" (3 min read)

A Discord competitor is experiencing a surge in new users following Discord's controversial age verification announcement. The platform has hit hosting capacity limits in multiple regions as users migrate away from Discord in response to the policy change. (GamesRadar)

*gg! see you in game!

-james*