‘Fortnite’ developer Epic Games loses 830 employees in layoffs

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or Modern Warfare 3 are on their way to Xbox Game Pass this year, Microsoft has confirmed, as there wasn’t enough time to sort out a “secret celebration drop”.Activision Blizzard stated that there were no intentions for its “upcoming and recently launched games” like Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4 to be playable through Xbox Game Pass this year.Yet, rumours swirled that there was something in store. In the latest episode of the official Xbox podcast, Microsoft CEO of gaming Phil Spencer explained that there simply wasn’t enough time to arrange the games’ arrival on Game Pass.The acquisition of Activision Blizzard was only finalised last week following repeated revisions to the terms of the agreement.

Frontier Developments, the developer of series like Elite, F1 Manager and RollerCoaster Tycoon, has announced that there will be an unknown number of redundancies to reduce annual operating costs.The news broke through the London Stock Exchange on October 17, stating that a period of “disappointing financial performance” had led to the decision.As a result of the layoffs and a new constrained spending strategy, Frontier Developments aims to cut annual operating costs by up to 20 per cent.“The organisational review and resulting actions are expected to conclude by early 2024, placing Frontier in a strong position to deliver efficiently on its strategic plan over the medium term, and capitalise on future opportunities,” read the statement.Redundancies will be subject to consultation and for that reason it has not been disclosed how many developers and other employees of Frontier will be affected. This reorganisation is expected to wrap up in early 2024.It has been a tricky year for Frontier, with a year-on-year drop in revenue from £114million to £104.6million for the financial year ending in May 2023.Furthermore, Frontier shuttered its third-party publishing label Frontier Foundry in June, which led to “£28.7 million of non-cash intangible asset impairment and accelerated amortisation charges” impacting the total operating profit.According to VideoGameLayoffs.com, a website managed by developer Farhan Noor, more than 6,000 jobs in the games industry have been lost over the course of 2023.Epic Games cut over 800 roles in order to cut costs, and Embracer Group closed Volition only two months after celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Hexworks has shared that the PC and PS5 versions of Lords Of The Fallen will launch “as intended” while the Xbox version may not be totally ready.In a post to X (fka Twitter) on October 12, the developer expressed its gratitude for the content creators who have been playing Lords Of The Fallen to identify technical issues ahead of the sequel’s arrival.“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the content creators who have worked with us to enable the rapid deployment of patches, updates, and performance improvements ahead of tomorrow’s exciting launch of Lords Of The Fallen,” it said.“As such, PC and PlayStation 5 players will be able to enjoy the game as intended.

Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee is facing accusations today from the city Ethics Commission of violating governmental ethics laws by accepting and failing to report excessive gifts, including some received during a trip to Las Vegas in 2017 that he took along with former Councilman Mitch Englander.

Following a staff attempt to unionize, LGBTQ+ nonprofit Outfest laid off five employees, while its executive director, Damien Navarro, has taken an unanticipated leave of absence. The organization’s board said the layoffs were pre-planned. Photo: Outfest

Starbreeze Studios has claimed that matchmaking issues with Payday 3 have been fixed, following the heist shooter’s rocky launch last month.Following its release on September 21, Payday 3 struggled with significant server issues that prevented players from matchmaking and starting heists. Due to the game’s always-online nature, this meant Payday 3 has been frequently unplayable, and last week Starbreeze claimed a third-party matchmaking partner was responsible for the errors.Today (October 2), a post on Starbreeze’s website announced that “initial matchmaking issues” have since been fixed, and the studio “will now intensify the commercial activities around Payday 3“.Tobias Sjögren, the CEO of Starbreeze Entertainment, also thanked players for their “patience” with Payday‘s launch.“Our community is the engine that drives both our games and our company forward,” he shared.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Zurich Avenue, headed by producers and former Zurich Film Festival execs Karl Spoerri and Viviana Vezzani, has quickly amassed an impressive slate of projects since launching last year, including Annette Bening starrer “Nyad.” Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s film, which chronicles the attempt by 64-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to Florida, unspools at the Zurich Film Festival. Zurich Avenue co-developed the Netflix film, which was produced by Black Bear Pictures and Mad Chance.

Creative Assembly, the developer of Total War, has announced that this week’s cancellation of Hyenas has led to layoffs.Sega Sammy stated that it expected “record losses of approximately 14.3 billion yen [£78.6million]” in this fiscal year and as a result, “structural reforms aimed at increasing efficiency” were necessary.Hyenas had a closed beta last month, signifying that the sci-fi extraction shooter was approaching a potential release in some shape or form. However, the game was one of an undisclosed number of titles that were cancelled in order to safeguard the stability of the publisher.In a post to X (previously Twitter), Creative Assembly expressed its regret for these events that have led to losses at the company.Following an internal announcement to our employees, please see the below statement: pic.twitter.com/b6LPonVagV— Creative Assembly (@CAGames) September 28, 2023“We have made the incredibly difficult decision to begin a redundancy consultation process in some areas of our UK operations, alongside ending development of Hyenas,” it said.“We have always aimed to operate as a ‘people-first’ studio; that is foundational to our values and culture.

@Bandcamp to Songtradr.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Epic Games is slashing its workforce by 16%, laying off about 830 employees, as it looks to cut costs and put the Fortnite maker on viable financial footing. The cutbacks were announced in an internal memo from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.

Total War: Pharaoh has had to push its launch on the Epic Games Store to “early 2024”, with Creative Assembly stating that it is as “disappointed” as the fans are.This is in order to introduce “additional social functions” to the game, and the team will require a more flexible time frame to fulfil those features.Fans had realised that their pre-orders through the Epic Games Store for Total War: Pharaoh had been refunded, signalling that some sort of update from Creative Assembly was on the way.“We apologise to all our fans whose plans are affected by this news. Know that we’re disappointed too, and that we otherwise look forward to welcoming you into Ancient Egypt early next year,” continued the post to Total War‘s official X account.The game’s launch on Steam and Mac is unaffected and Total War: Pharaoh will arrive on October 11.

Criterion, the developer of Need For Speed, has been brought on board the Battlefield series by publisher Electronic Arts.The developer, based in Guildford in the United Kingdom, has joined DICE, Ridgeline and Ripple Effect as the teams that are working on constructing a “connected Battlefield Universe”.Electronic Arts had revealed that the next Battlefield game would be a “reimagination” of the series following the chaotic launch and support for Battlefield 2042 from 2021 onwards.The reallocation of Criterion, though, will engender “an immediate positive impact” on Battlefield 2042 and pre-production on the next title.“Criterion has a rich history in gaming, having worked on Battlefield, Battlefront, Burnout, and of course, Need for Speed. I’m thrilled to have a studio with such pedigree join the studios I oversee,” shared Vince Zampella, Respawn Entertainment founder and EA Entertainment general manager, in a post to Electronic Arts’ blog.Criterion Games contributed to the development of Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 2042 but its most recent release was Need For Speed Unbound. This entry was the first game that Criterion was credited as the core developer since Most Wanted in 2012.The last “volume” of downloadable content for that game arrived in August, adding a custom Porsche 911 Carrera S and Porsche Taycan Turbo S to celebrate of the 75th anniversary of the manufacturer.Zampella addressed the future of Need For Speed in the announcement, however, did not offer any specifics.

last year’s funeral for Queen Elizabeth II and the May coronation of King Charles III. The beleaguered prince made the comments during the closing ceremony for the sixth annual Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany, reports Deadline. “A week ago I stood here and told you about the significance of being able to wear your nation’s flag again,” said the Duke of Sussex.

Prince Harry became visibly tearful as he gave an emotional speech at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games.The royal began his speech in German, before going on to say that the Invictus Games are "more than a sporting event" and are also a "platform for positive change." Harry's wife Meghan Markle could be seen supporting her husband from the crowd as she joined those applauding the Duke of Sussex's speech. During the closing ceremony, Harry also revealed an emotional moment he had shared with Master Corporal James Gendron during the games, when Harry noticed a pair of bagpipes in the Invictus 2025 tent. The Duke of Sussex recalled: "While we were chatting, I noticed bagpipes lying on the floor in the corner.

Prince Harry marked his 39th birthday while sipping on beer with his wife Meghan Markle at The Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Duke of Sussex turned 39 on Friday, 15 September while attending day six of the global sporting event which he founded in 2014. Despite their busy day of engagements, Harry and Meghan looked happy and relaxed as they watched the volleyball final between Poland and Colombia at Centre Court.

Ascendant Studios, the Californian company founded by former Electronic Arts developers, has lost almost half of its employees in a wave of layoffs.Polygon‘s report attributed this to the poor commercial performance of its debut title, Immortals Of Aveum, though no sales statistics were supplied in the official statement. CEO Bret Robbins said he was “heartbroken” to be imparting the news and that it was a “painfully difficult, but necessary decision that was not made lightly”.“I am so proud of what out independent development team has accomplished with Immortals Of Aveum,” he continued in a post to X.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked so in love as they put in another PDA-filled appearance at the Invictus Games. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could barely keep their hands off each other as they watched the Ukraine vs Nigeria volleyball match at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Thursday.The couple, who stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020, were seen embracing and gazing at each other lovingly during the appearance - while also posing for selfies with fans. During the outing, Meghan comforted a German volleyball player who had been left devastated after breaking his leg when he slipped on a wet court.

Team USA all the way Wednesday at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games.The Duke, 38, and Duchess, 42, of Sussex attended the Wheelchair Basketball Final in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Wednesday and watched as the US beat France. Markle added a pop of red, white, and blue to her all black outfit after a Team USA supporter seated behind her gave her an American flag badge, the Daily Mail reported.

took in a game of wheelchair basketball.At one point during the tournament, the “Suits” star was sitting in the bleachers with Harry, 38, and she took part in a big group wave!She joyfully sprang her arms up in the air alongside the rest of the crowd and laughed with the other viewers.Headlines about Markle’s moves at the event sparked some fun reactions from fans on social media, with one person writing even comparing Markle to Harrys late mother: “Can’t stop reading news about Meghan Markle taking part in a big group wave….the people’s princess fr!!!!”Diana, Princess of Wales was famously known as the “People’s Princess” until she tragically died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, because of her uncanny knack for connecting with non-royals.Markle arrived in Europe from California on Tuesday and met up with her hubby at the Games. While the duchess’ $160 J.

Prince Harry was 'nervous' compared to his 'confident' wife when the royal pair appeared together at this year's Invictus Games, a body language expert has revealed. Meghan Markle arrived at the 2023 Invictus Games on Tuesday, 12 September and apologised for 'being late to the party'. Harry, who founded the games in 2014, gave his wife the spotlight and centre stage to give a poignant speech to the 1,600 attendees, including competitors, friends and family.