All articles tagged with #gamedev
Hundreds of Communications Workers of America members are affected by Xbox’s mass layoffs during Microsoft’s restructuring, with about 3,200 jobs cut and five internal studios divested; the CWA says it will take all necessary legal action to secure severance, open-role placement, and recall rights, and has launched a hardship fund with the United Videogame Workers, while Xbox CEO Asha Sharma blames overextension for the cuts.
Epic Games unveils Unreal Engine 6 with built‑in AI tools, LLMs, and an open MCP foundation to speed content creation and enable cross‑game portability, while developers caution about ownership and costs and warn of a possible Roblox‑like monoculture—Epic defends AI as a productivity boost, even as industry opinion splits and some praise alternative engines amid ongoing company shakeups.
Sega clarifies that generative AI on Crazy Taxi: World Tour was used as an optional development aid for background assets and not for performers, with final content created in-house; producer Kenji Kanno says AI is only a small part of ideation. The game is slated for 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.
GTA 6 developers and staff have formed the Rockstar Game Workers Union under the IWGB to challenge Rockstar Games in court, alleging anti-union actions after more than 30 firings. The union seeks pay transparency, flexible working, and an end to crunch, and has spread across offices in Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Lincoln, and Dundee. A trial date has been set but not published yet, with activists and politicians watching Rockstar’s handling of the proceedings.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Hexe has lost its second director in two months, as Benoit Richer leaves to cofound an indie studio; fellow director Clint Hocking exited earlier this year, with Ubisoft bringing back Jean Guesdon to oversee the franchise. Hexe, set in the late Holy Roman Empire with horror elements, remains on track for a 2027 release, and Ubisoft may rethink the series’ annualized cadence.
Kotaku reports that Highguard began as a Rust-inspired survival shooter, later pivoted to a 3v3 raid shooter with heavy looting; funding dried up and a stealthy Game Awards reveal backfired, leading to mass layoffs shortly after launch, with developers blaming hubris for resisting early pivots amid a crowded multiplayer market and funding ties to Tencent.