Gaming · Tuesday, 3 November 2026

Disney prepares thousands more job cuts, with some managers told to find 20% in yearly savings

30 stories 48 sources

Signals on this beat

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing, and the arrow is where it is heading.

Jobs being cut High↑

Disney is moving toward thousands of job cuts, people familiar with the plans told Bloomberg. [1]
Schell Games, a US VR studio, cut staff for the second time this year. [6]
Astragon is closing a German studio of more than 40 people. [7]

Backers pulling their money Building↑

Grasshopper, the studio behind No More Heroes, lost NetEase's backing and must now make smaller games. [8]
Compulsion's director says Xbox paid for South of Midnight knowing it would earn little. [9]
CI Games borrowed $32 million from banks instead of using a publisher. [10]

Governments paying for screens Building↑

Japan set aside $222 million this year to help sell its films and shows abroad. [11]
California's governor wants its film and TV tax credit raised to $1 billion a year. [12]
A games fair backed by Saudi Arabia's government was pushed back to 2027. [13]

Old games still selling Steady→

The Borderlands games, first out in 2009, have passed 100 million copies. [14]
Bloodborne, a PS4 game, sold about 251,000 copies this year, an analytics firm estimates. [15]
A remaster of Thief, a 1998 game, comes out on 3 December. [16]

The stories

30 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

01
Disney prepares thousands more job cuts, with some managers told to find 20% in yearly savings

20%

of yearly costs some Disney managers were told to save

the savings can come from jobs or from other spending [1]

231,000

people Disney employed at the end of last year

thousands of them could now lose their jobs [3]

1,000

Disney jobs cut in April, the first round under its new boss

several hundred more went in July, many at Pixar and National Geographic [4]
What happened
- Disney is moving toward thousands of job cuts, people familiar with the plans told Bloomberg. [1]
- Some managers were told to find 20% in yearly savings. [1] The savings can come from cutting jobs or from other spending. [1]
- The cuts will reach several parts of Disney, including its TV channels and its film studio. [4]
- Some parts will be hit harder than others, the report said, without naming which. [2]
- It would be Disney's fourth round of job cuts in 2026, and the biggest. [2]
- D'Amaro wants to spend part of the savings on films, TV shows, technology, parks and cruise ships. [2]
- Bloomberg says Disney faces weaker cinema takings, fewer park visitors abroad and growing use of AI. [3]
- Dana Walden, Disney's chief creative officer, said firms like hers face "a need to constantly evaluate how you're structured". [2]
- Other media firms are cutting too: Netflix cut about 1,000 workers last month. [2]
- Skydance, formed by merging Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, is expected to cut deeply by the end of the year. [2]
Who is involved

Disney owns Pixar, the ESPN sports channels and big TV and film studios. [2] It employed about 231,000 people at the end of last year. [3]
- Disney Pixar, ESPN, TV and film studios
- Its staff about 231,000
- TV channels cuts planned
- Film studio cuts planned
- Josh D'Amaro Disney's chief executive since 18 March; he wants the savings spent on shows, technology and parks [4]
- Bob Iger the boss before him
- Cinema takings weaker
- Park visits abroad slowing
- AI growing
- Dana Walden Disney's president and chief creative officer; she says every firm must keep checking how it is organised [2]
- Bloomberg a business news service; it first reported the plan, citing people who asked not to be named [1]
How it unfolded

Josh D'Amaro took over from Bob Iger as Disney's boss on 18 March. [4]
In April Disney cut about 1,000 jobs. [4] Several hundred more went in July, many at Pixar and National Geographic. [4]
In August it offered early retirement to long-serving managers aged 50 or over. [2]
Last week it cut 100 to 200 people in its parks division, mostly at Imagineering, which designs its rides. [5]
1. April about 1,000 jobs cut [4]
2. July several hundred more
3. 18 Mar Josh D'Amaro becomes Disney's boss [4]
4. August early retirement offered to long-serving managers [2]
5. Late Oct 100 to 200 jobs cut in the parks division [5]
6. 17 Nov Disney reports its results [2]
Why it matters

Thousands of people in Disney's TV and film teams now wait to learn whether their jobs survive. [4]
D'Amaro has said the savings will pay for new shows and new things to do at the parks. [4]

How it works

Human resources teams call it a voluntary early retirement offer: a firm pays people to leave by choice first. [2]
Disney's offer went out in August, and more managers took it than expected, Deadline's sources said. [4]
Such an offer usually comes before forced job cuts, Deadline reports, and Disney's cuts have now followed. [5]

Seen it before

A coach asks who wants to sit out before picking who must, so fewer players are dropped against their will.
The truth
- What is really going on Disney's creative chief explained its cuts by pointing at what its rivals do. [2]
- The plan rests on people who asked Bloomberg not to name them. [1] Disney declined to comment. [2]
- Who gains Disney's film, TV, technology and parks plans — Bloomberg says D'Amaro aims to put part of the savings into them. [2]
- Who pays Disney's staff in TV and film — Managers were given savings targets first, and the jobs that go will follow from them. [4]
- Nobody knows yet
  How many Disney jobs will go, and in which parts of the company.
  
  The report gives no number beyond thousands and names no division, and Disney declined to comment. [1][2]
What comes next

Disney reports its results for the three months to September on 17 November. [2]

02
Ex-Xbox chief denies breaking rules
What happened
- Helen Chiang, who ran Xbox's daily business until last month, says a report she broke company policy is "not accurate". [17]
- In a long LinkedIn post she denied leaking secrets to reporters or leaving to join a rival. [19]
- She also wrote that she has "serious concerns" about how the company applied its rules to her. [17]
Who is involved

In July Xbox made her its first chief operating officer, in charge of its games, consoles and services. [18]
- Helen Chiang Xbox's first chief operating officer
How it unfolded

She had worked at Microsoft since 2005, and ran Minecraft, its most important game series, for over 10 years. [19]
About three months after the promotion she left, with a two-sentence memo from Xbox's boss, Asha Sharma. [18]
1. 2005 joins Microsoft
2. July made chief operating officer
3. October leaves
Why it matters

Xbox is cutting about 3,200 jobs in all, many still to come. [20] Chiang asks whether its rules are applied the same way to everyone. [18]

How it works

Communication researchers call silence after a sudden exit an information vacuum: rumours fill the gap. [21]
Xbox said only that she was leaving, so a report of a policy breach filled the gap until she answered. [18]

Seen it before

When a friend leaves a group chat without a word, the others guess why, and the guesses spread.
The truth
- Chiang did not say why she left, and Microsoft did not answer The Verge in time. [17]
- Nobody knows yet
  Why Microsoft let Helen Chiang go.
  
  She says the reported policy breach is not accurate but did not say what happened, and Microsoft did not reply. [17]

03
Schell Games cuts staff a second time
What happened
- Schell Games, a US studio that makes virtual reality games, has laid off staff for the second time this year. [6]
- Engineers, artists, sound designers, marketers and testers were among those let go, GamesIndustry.biz reports. [6]
- Its notice blamed "this challenging time in the game industry". [6]
Who is involved

Based in Pittsburgh, it makes the I Expect You To Die puzzle games and helped make Among Us VR. [6]
- Schell Games a VR studio in Pittsburgh
How it unfolded

Its first layoffs came in August, the first time it had cut staff since it opened in 2002. [6]
In 2024 its boss, Jesse Schell, said firms should cut "when everybody else is doing it". [6]
Then, he said, a cut makes a company "look normal" instead of looking like something is wrong. [6]
1. 2002 studio opens
2. August first layoffs
3. Now a second round
Why it matters

Schell says the cut will keep the studio stable. [6] The people let go must find work in what it calls a challenging time. [6]
How it works
Why firms lay off staff when their rivals do

Organisational sociologists call it mimetic isomorphism: when nobody is sure what to do, firms copy their rivals, because copying looks normal.

The twist

Firms do not only cut staff when their own sums say so. They also cut when their rivals cut, because then a cut looks normal instead of looking like a sign that something is wrong.

The picture

Disneythousands
Netflixabout 1,000
Schell Games2nd round
Three firms cutting staff in the same autumn, all named in today's stories.
Step by step
1. Nobody can be sure how many staff a firm will need next year
2. So each firm watches what its rivals do
3. When rivals cut staff, a cut looks normal, not like a sign of trouble
4. So firms cut in the same months, and each cut makes the next look more normal
The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.
- Schell Games' second round of cuts
  
  Its boss said in 2024 that a firm should cut when everybody else does, so the cut looks normal, and its notice now blames the whole industry's hard times.
- California's bigger film tax credit
  
  Newsom wants rewards for studios that base production in California, the kind New Mexico and New Jersey already offer, so a state copies the rivals it is losing work to.
Where you've seen this

Airline fees

when one airline starts charging for bags, rivals soon add the same fee, and nobody finds it strange any more

Office design

firms copied open-plan offices from famous companies before anyone showed they made people work better

School rules

a school bans phones after the schools nearby do, so parents see the ban as normal

The catch

Copying is not the only reason firms cut. One reporter says big games are now so expensive that their price alone pushes studios to cut, whatever rivals do.

And the whole of it

A worker deciding whether to stay, an investor reading the reports and a player wondering why a studio closed are all watching the same season of cuts. None of them can easily tell which cuts were needed and which were copied.
The truth
- What is really going on Owners in games and Hollywood are cutting staff in the same season: Disney is preparing thousands of job cuts, Schell Games made its second round and Astragon is closing a studio of more than 40 people. [1][6][7]
- Why it works on people When many firms cut at once, each cut looks like the market's fault rather than the company's. Schell Games' own boss said in 2024 that firms should time cuts that way. [6]
- Schell Games did not say how many people lost their jobs. [6]

04
Astragon shuts its German studio
What happened
- Astragon, a publisher of work-simulation games, is closing its own German studio, Astragon Development. [7]
- More than 40 people work there, and the firm says it seeks "socially responsible solutions" for them. [7]
- Its full release drew far fewer players than its early test version, GamesMarket reported. [7]
Who is involved

Astragon itself belongs to Everplay Group, the company once called Team17, which bought it in 2022. [7]
- Everplay Group once Team17, owns Astragon
How it unfolded

The studio began in Hamm in 1990 as Independent Arts, and worked on more than 250 games. [7]
Astragon bought it in April 2023 for up to $3.9 million, to make its own games in-house. [7]
In September Astragon fully released Seafarer: The Ship Sim, a game that got over $2 million in German state funding. [7]
1. 1990 Independent Arts opens
2. 2023 Astragon buys it
3. Now closing
Why it matters

The people in Hamm lose their jobs, while Astragon says it will keep updating Seafarer for now. [7]

How it works

Economists call buying a supplier vertical integration: a publisher owns the studio instead of hiring outside teams. [7]
Astragon bought Independent Arts to make its own simulation games, and now closes it after one game drew few players. [7]

Seen it before

A family buys its own lawnmower instead of paying a neighbour, then sells it when the garden gets smaller.
The truth
- GamesMarket calls the closure a strategic realignment, but Astragon gave no reason of its own. [7]
- Who pays Astragon Development's staff in Hamm — Their studio closes after the full release of its owner's ship game drew few players. [7]
05
Doom studio says it is fine at half size
What happened
- Marty Stratton, who co-runs id Software, says the Doom studio is "doing great" despite losing about half its staff. [20]
- Stratton called the cuts part of a "deliberate effort" to make sure the studio could still succeed. [22]
- He said id now works "more closely than ever" with MachineGames, the Swedish studio behind the Wolfenstein games. [20]
Who is involved

id Software made Doom and Quake, and is owned by Microsoft's Xbox. [20]
- id Software maker of Doom and Quake, owned by Xbox
- MachineGames Wolfenstein
How it unfolded

About 136 people reportedly lost their jobs there in Xbox's July cuts. [20]

Why it matters

id's next game has not been announced, so players cannot yet see what the smaller team makes. [20]

How it works

Programmers call the shared code that every game is built on an engine; id's is called id Tech. [20]
The July cuts reached the id Tech team, so fewer people now maintain the code under every id game. [20]

Seen it before

A school with fewer cooks still has to feed every class from the same kitchen.
The truth
- Chris Hays, an id programmer who stayed, said in July that such a game with half the people is impossible. [20]
06
Gears of War's $500 million, explained
What happened
- Gears of War: E-Day's reported $500 million cost paid for years of work, not only the game, a report says. [23]
- Jez Corden of Windows Central says The Coalition also helped build other Xbox games and tools. [23]
- It spent more than 18 months on a game that was cancelled. [23] It also helped on Avowed, Hellblade 2 and Grounded 2. [23]
- Corden suspects the figure is shared inside Xbox to soften the blow of future cuts. [23] He says he has not heard of plans to close the studio. [23]
Who is involved

E-Day is Xbox's new Gears of War action game, made by its studio The Coalition. [24]
- The Coalition Xbox studio that made E-Day
How it unfolded

E-Day has sold just over 400,000 copies, a source told The Verge in late October. [24]

Why it matters

Corden's worry is for The Coalition's staff: a bigger cost figure makes cuts there easier to argue. [23]

How it works

Accountants call this cost allocation: deciding which project a shared cost is charged to. [23]
If years of help for other games are charged to E-Day, E-Day looks far dearer than the game alone. [23]

Seen it before

If one pupil's lunch money also paid for the class trip, their lunch would look very expensive.
The truth
- Bloomberg's Jason Schreier says the $500 million is real, and that such costs drive studios to cut jobs. [24]
- Nobody knows yet
  What Gears of War: E-Day's $500 million really paid for.
  
  One writer's sources say it covers years of work on other games and tools, and Microsoft has not answered IGN's questions about it. [23][24]
07
South of Midnight's director doubts its budget
What happened
- David Sears, creative director of South of Midnight, says he would probably not have paid to make it himself. [9]
- Xbox paid for games like it and Double Fine's Keeper, which both sides knew were unlikely to earn much. [9]
- Sears said the games were meant to raise Xbox's standing, and in the end they did not make much money. [9]
Who is involved

South of Midnight is a 2025 game by Compulsion Games that won awards, including a BAFTA. [9]
- Compulsion Games made South of Midnight
How it unfolded

During development he warned others that someone would one day say "the money tap, we're closing those floodgates". [9]
Compulsion was spun out of Xbox in this year's restructuring, and it took its games' rights with it. [9]

Why it matters

Compulsion is now looking for work with other partners, and has not said what it makes next. [9]

How it works

Marketers call spending like this brand building: paying for work that makes a name respected, not for its sales. [9]
Xbox paid for it to raise its name, but when Xbox cut costs this year, it let the studio go. [9]

Seen it before

A school pays for a grand play to look good, then drops it when the budget gets tight.
08
Grasshopper plans smaller games alone
What happened
- Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind No More Heroes, will make smaller games now that it is independent, founder Suda51 says. [8]
- Suda51 told 4Gamer that plan was made for NetEase, "so that will have to change". [8]
- He wants to work on other firms' series too, naming Mobile Suit Gundam and Marvel's Deadpool. [8]
Who is involved
- Grasshopper Manufacture now independent
- NetEase its old backer
How it unfolded

It left NetEase, the games company that had paid for its work, at the start of October. [8]
Under NetEase it had promised 3 big games in 10 years; February's Romeo Is a Dead Man was one. [8]

Why it matters

Without a rich backer, the studio must earn from each game. [8] That limits how big the next one can be. [8]

How it works

Economists call it a budget constraint: a firm can only spend what it has or can borrow. [8]
Without NetEase's money, Grasshopper's own earnings set the size of its games, so they get smaller. [8]

Seen it before

Moving out of home means living on your own pay, so the room you can afford gets smaller.
The truth
- Earlier this year the studio promised another new game in 2026, and it has not come out. [8]
What comes next

The studio is trying ideas on Roblox and hiring, and says a new game will come out next year. [8]
09
CI Games borrows $32 million for its sequel
What happened
- CI Games, maker of the Lords of the Fallen games, has borrowed $32 million to finish and launch the sequel. [10]
- Two Polish banks, Erste Bank Polska and Bank Ochrony Srodowiska, made the loan, announced on 30 October. [10]
- The money pays for the rest of the work and the marketing, and pays off all its older bank debt. [10]
Who is involved

KUKE, Poland's export credit agency, guarantees 80% of the loan. [10]
- Erste Bank Polska lender
- Bank Ochrony Srodowiska lender
How it unfolded

In April CI Games ended a deal that would have made Epic Games the game's publisher on PC. [10]
1. December release date named
2. Early 2027 game comes out
Why it matters

Publishing it alone means CI Games keeps all the game's sales instead of sharing them with a publisher. [10]

How it works

Bankers call this a guaranteed loan: a state agency promises to repay most of it if the borrower fails. [10]
With KUKE covering 80%, the banks risk little. [10] CI Games plans to repay them from the game's sales by August 2027. [10]

Seen it before

A parent signs a teenager's phone contract too, so the shop agrees to it.
The truth
- CI Games has never said why its Epic deal ended, and kept the split quiet for over a month. [10]
- Who gains CI Games' shareholders — The loan pays for the game without new shares, so their part of the company does not shrink, its boss said. [10]
What comes next

The game is due in early 2027, and CI Games will name a date in December. [10]
10
Saudi games fair moved to 2027
What happened
- Kingdom of Gaming, a new games industry fair backed by Saudi Arabia's government, has moved from December to 2027. [13]
- Its website now says only "Coming in 2027", and no announcement explained why. [13]
- On 27 October Informa said the trouble in Saudi Arabia had forced it to move more events. [13]
Who is involved

Tahaluf runs it: a joint company of a Saudi tech federation and Informa, which runs the GDC developers' conference. [13]
- Informa runs GDC
- A Saudi tech federation partner
How it unfolded

It was due in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on 1 to 3 December. [13]
It had promised more than 20,000 visitors, 500 studios and 200 investors, with Ubisoft and Roblox signed up. [13]
Attacks on Saudi Arabia have grown in recent weeks, including strikes on Riyadh's main airport. [13] They follow the US and Israel's war with Iran. [13]
1. 1-3 Dec the old dates
2. 2027 no date yet
3. 27 Oct Informa moves more events
4. 2027 Kingdom of Gaming
Why it matters

Informa now expects no more income from Saudi Arabia this year. [13]

How it works

Risk analysts call this country risk: danger to a business from events in the country where it operates. [13]
The fair moved because of fighting around Saudi Arabia, not because of anything in the games business. [13]

Seen it before

A school trip abroad is called off because of trouble in that country, not because the class changed.
The truth
- Benjamin Kratsch of Saudi-linked Levelz said only: "It takes a little longer, given the current situation." [13]
- Neither Informa nor Tahaluf answered requests for comment, ReaderGrev reported. [13]
- Nobody knows yet
  When Kingdom of Gaming will take place.
  
  Its website says only 2027, and neither Informa nor Tahaluf has explained the delay. [13]
11
Gamescom Asia's busiest year
What happened
- Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show drew 219,546 visitors from 113 countries over four days in Bangkok. [25]
- Its business days drew 6,923 visitors from 78 countries, up 24% from 5,590 last year. [25]
- It had 335 exhibitors, up from 294, and 64% of them came from outside Thailand. [25]
- Its investor meetings linked 509 developers, publishers and investors, up from 418 last year. [25]
- Organiser Mathias Kuepper said exhibitors came "to sign deals, not only to show games". [25]
Who is involved

It is the Asian version of Gamescom, the huge games fair held each year in Germany. [25]
Why it matters

Studios in South-East Asia can now meet buyers without flying to Germany, its project director said. [25]
The truth
- The 219,546 figure comes from the organisers themselves. [25]
Good news
- Gamescom Asia in Bangkok drew 219,546 visitors from 113 countries, and its business days grew 24% on last year.
What comes next

The show returns to Bangkok on 21 to 24 October 2027. [26]
12
Japan's plan to sell its shows abroad
What happened
- Japan's government wants overseas sales of Japanese films, TV shows and other content to reach $127 billion by 2033. [11]
- This year METI set aside $222 million for subsidies to content businesses. [11]
- Foreign productions filming in Japan get 50% of their spending there back, with no upper limit. [11]
- But only projects costing at least 800 million yen, about $5.1 million, qualify. [11]
- One agent for a large manga and anime publisher said its sales are "growing anyway thanks to the streamers". [27]
Who is involved

The plan, called IP360, is run by METI, Japan's trade and industry ministry. [11]
- METI Japan's trade and industry ministry
Why it matters

Smaller films and shows, where most crews learn their trade, fall below the minimum, producer Alex Boden says. [11]

How it works

Economists call it industrial policy: a government picks a trade and pays to grow it. [27]
Japan put content on its list of 17 key industries, beside chips, AI and shipbuilding. [27]

Seen it before

A school picks three sports to fund properly, and the clubs not picked get nothing extra.
The truth
- A sales agent for a mid-sized film company expects the support to go "to the majors". [27]
- Who gains Big foreign productions filming in Japan — Only projects above the minimum budget can claim the uncapped rebate. [11]
- Who pays Mid-sized productions in Japan — The new minimum budget shuts them out of the rebate, producer Alex Boden says. [11]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether Japan's IP360 money will reach smaller film and anime companies.
  
  Sales agents expect it to favour the biggest firms, and the rules for applying are hard to follow and not translated. [27][11]
13
Japan's new anime prize gets a name
What happened
- Japan's new anime prize will be called the Nippon Anime Awards, its organisers said in Tokyo on 2 November. [28]
- The awards will honour anime and the people who make them, with viewers in Japan and abroad in mind. [28]
- Tokyo's governor, Yuriko Koike, promised the city's "strong support for anime". [28]
Who is involved

They are the Association of Japanese Animations, the anime industry's trade body. [28]
- Association of Japanese Animations the anime industry's trade body
- Anime honoured
- Its makers honoured
How it unfolded

The older Tokyo Anime Award Festival, started in 2014, held its last events in March. [29]
1. 2014 Tokyo Anime Award Festival starts
2. March its last events
3. 2027 Nippon Anime Awards
Why it matters

With the city it will also run events to find new business and train young anime staff. [28]

How it works

Marketing researchers call awards a quality signal: a prize tells buyers which work is worth their time. [28]
A prize from Japan's own anime body points viewers abroad to the shows its makers rate highest. [28]

Seen it before

A gold star on a pupil's drawing tells visitors which work to look at first.

What comes next

The first ceremony will be held on 21 November 2027 at SGC Hall Ariake in Tokyo. [28]
14
California may raise its screen tax break
What happened
- California's governor, Gavin Newsom, wants its yearly film and TV tax credit raised from $750 million to $1 billion. [12]
- Fallout, the TV series made from the video games, is one of the shows using the credit. [30]
- New Mexico and New Jersey already reward studios that base production there, and Newsom wants similar rewards. [12]
Who is involved

The credit pays back part of a production's costs when it films in California. [12]
- New Mexico rewards studios
- New Jersey rewards studios
- California wants the same
How it unfolded

Last year Newsom more than doubled the fund, from $330 million to $750 million. [30]
New York saw $4.63 billion of production spending in the past year, against California's $6.06 billion. [12]
But New York's spending grew 87% in the latest quarter, against California's 17%. [12]

Why it matters

Hollywood's unions, including the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, welcomed it but want the next governor to commit too. [30]

How it works

Economists call it a subsidy race: places outbid each other with tax breaks to win the same jobs. [12]

Seen it before

Two shops on one street keep cutting prices to win the same customers.

Newsom wants rewards for studios that base production in California, the kind New Mexico and New Jersey already offer, so a state copies the rivals it is losing work to.
The idea, in story 03: Why firms lay off staff when their rivals do →
The truth
- Shoot days in Los Angeles keep falling despite earlier rises in the credit, THR reports. [12]
What comes next

The next governor, chosen in Tuesday's election, will decide whether the raise happens. [12]
15
Sony offers $400 for used PS5s
What happened
- Sony is offering up to $400 to buy back a standard PlayStation 5 with two controllers. [31]
- The offer came as a notice in the PlayStation phone app, with money paid into owners' bank accounts. [31]
- Used PS5 Pro consoles, which cost $900 new, sell for up to $1,400 ahead of GTA 6. [31]
How it unfolded

A PS5 cost $500 at launch and now costs $600 to $650. [31]
Shops like GameStop often run trade-ins at Christmas, but console makers rarely ask owners directly, IGN notes. [31]

Why it matters

Owners of an unused PS5 can get back $400 of the $500 it cost at launch. [31]

How it works

Economists call this a secondary market: goods are sold again after their first sale. [31]
Used consoles are worth more when new ones run short, so Sony can buy at $400 and resell below new. [31]

Seen it before

A shop buys back old school textbooks and sells them to next year's class for less than new.
The truth
- Sony has not said why it is buying; IGN's guesses are a coming shortage or cheaper used stock. [31]
16
DirectX update cuts ray tracing's memory
What happened
- Microsoft is testing an update to DirectX for ray tracing. [32] In its own test, memory use fell from 7.5 GB to 774 MB. [32]
- On an AMD Radeon RX 9070 graphics card, the frame rate rose from 1.2 to 79 a second. [32]
- Microsoft calls it the biggest change to its ray tracing tools since they arrived in 2018. [32]
Who is involved

DirectX is Microsoft's set of tools that lets Windows games use graphics cards. [32]
Ray tracing draws light and reflections realistically, and it uses a lot of memory. [32]
How it unfolded
1. 2018 ray tracing tools arrive
2. Now the biggest change since
Why it matters

Memory and graphics card prices have been climbing, so needing less memory could spare players an upgrade. [32]

How it works

Programmers call this partitioning: splitting a scene into small parts so only the changed ones are checked. [32]
The update cuts models into packs of 256 triangles or fewer, so less data is rechecked each frame. [32]

Seen it before

Tidying one messy drawer is faster than emptying the whole room each time something moves.
The truth
- Microsoft warns that not every game will match its test, and the method needs more temporary memory. [32]
- Who gains Owners of older graphics cards — If games adopt the update, ray tracing could run on cards they already own, without an upgrade. [32]
Good news
- In Microsoft's own test, a coming DirectX update cut the memory ray tracing used on one graphics card from 7.5 GB to 774 MB.
What comes next

It is not widely available yet, and Microsoft has given no date. [32]
17
Valve's Steam Frame climbs the VR charts
What happened
- Valve's Steam Frame headset made up 4.13% of VR headsets used on Steam in October, up from 0.41%. [33]
- That makes it the sixth most-used headset, far behind Meta's Quest 3 at 27.27%. [33]
- Both versions are sold out, and new buyers join a waiting list. [33]
Who is involved

Steam is Valve's online shop for PC games, and the Frame is Valve's second VR headset. [33]
- Steam Valve's PC games shop
How it unfolded

It went on sale on 18 September, so October was its first full month. [33]
1. 18 Sep goes on sale
2. October first full month
Why it matters

A small rise moved it far up the list. [33] PC Gamer says that suggests few people use VR on Steam at all. [33]

How it works

Statisticians call this a sample survey: Valve asks only some users, and they choose to answer. [33]
Because the survey is optional and changes each month, the 4.13% is a rough reading, not a count. [33]

Seen it before

Asking only the pupils who stay after class which lunch they like gives a rough answer, not the whole school's.
18
Borderlands passes 100 million copies
What happened
- The Borderlands games have sold more than 100 million copies in all, their maker Gearbox Software says. [14]
Who is involved

Borderlands is a series of shooting games built around finding better guns, which began in 2009. [14]
Take-Two's boss, Strauss Zelnick, said the team would fix Borderlands 4 before bringing it elsewhere. [14]
- Strauss Zelnick Take-Two's boss
How it unfolded

Borderlands 4 had a softer start than expected, partly because it ran badly on many PCs. [14]
Its Switch 2 version was delayed with no new date earlier this year. [14]

Why it matters

Gearbox is now asking players which characters and stories it should take forward. [14]

How it works

The games trade calls older games still on sale a back catalogue, and over years its sales add up. [14]
The 100 million came from many Borderlands games sold over 17 years, not from one launch. [14]

Seen it before

A band earns from its old songs every year, not only from its newest album.
The truth
- The figure comes from Gearbox's own blog post, and it does not split sales by game. [14]
Good news
- The Borderlands games, first released in 2009, have now sold more than 100 million copies.
What comes next

Gearbox says it is now "cooking hard" on more content for Borderlands 4 next year. [14]
19
Bloodborne still sells a decade on
What happened
- Bloodborne, a PlayStation 4 game from over a decade ago, sold about 251,000 copies this year, an analytics firm estimates. [15]
- Alinea puts its total at 10.4 million copies, worth about $317 million. [15]
- More than 500,000 people played it in October through PlayStation Plus, Sony's subscription. [15]
- Its maker, FromSoftware, later made Elden Ring, and 12% of October's Bloodborne players also played that. [15]
Who is involved

The estimate is from Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, which tracks game sales. [15]
- Alinea Analytics tracks game sales
- Bluepoint Games pitched a remake
- FromSoftware did not want one
How it unfolded

It never left the PS4, and runs on the PS5 with almost no improvements. [15]
Bluepoint Games reportedly pitched a remake before Sony closed that studio this year, but FromSoftware did not want one. [15]

Why it matters

Fans keep asking for a remake or a PC version, and none has been announced. [15]
The truth
- All these figures are estimates by Alinea, not sales reported by Sony. [15]
- Nobody knows yet
  How many copies Bloodborne has really sold.
  
  The 251,000 and 10.4 million figures are estimates from Alinea Analytics, not sales Sony has reported. [15]
20
Thief returns, with fan-made missions
What happened
- Thief: The Dark Project Remastered, a new version of the 1998 stealth game, comes out on 3 December. [16]
- It costs $29.99 and comes to PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch consoles. [16]
- It includes The Tarnished Mirror, four new missions set between the first two Thief games. [34]
- A boxed edition in Thief's old wedge-shaped box comes only for PS5 and Switch, not PC. [35]
Who is involved

Nightdive Studios and Eidos Montreal made it, and Atari publishes it. [16]
They are made by the team behind The Black Parade, a fan-made Thief mod from 2023. [34]
- Nightdive Studios made it
- Eidos Montreal made it
- Atari publishes it
- The Black Parade team fans who made a 2023 mod
How it unfolded

Nightdive says Thief was the first stealth game to use light and sound to help players hide. [16]

Why it matters

Thief began on PC, so its PC players miss out on the special box. [35]

How it works

The games trade calls this a remaster: an old game rebuilt to look and run better on new machines. [16]
Nightdive rebuilt Thief with its own KEX engine, and kept the 1998 levels and the extra Thief Gold missions. [16]

Seen it before

Repainting an old bike and fitting new tyres keeps the same bike, just ready for today.
Good news
- A fan team's free mod has led to official missions inside the new release. [34]
21
Why Dune 2 cannot come back
What happened
- GOG, a shop that sells old PC games, says it cannot easily re-release Dune 2, a classic 1992 strategy game. [36]
- EA owns the game's code and art, but not the right to use Dune itself. [36]
- The estate of the film's producer, Dino De Laurentiis, owns part of those rights, GOG's Marcin Paczynski said. [36]
- Legendary Pictures holds the rights for the new Dune films, with a deal that includes some exclusivity. [36]
Who is involved

Dune 2, by Westwood Studios, set the pattern real-time strategy games followed for years. [36]
- EA owns the code and art
- Dune itself owned by others
- De Laurentiis estate owns part of the rights
- Legendary Pictures rights to the new films
How it unfolded

The game was based on the 1984 Dune film by Universal, not on Frank Herbert's books. [36]
1. 1984 Dune film
2. 1992 Dune 2 game
Why it matters

Players who want Dune 2 have no official modern version to buy. [36]

How it works

Economists call it an anticommons: when many owners can each say no, the thing goes unused. [36]
EA, the De Laurentiis estate and perhaps Legendary would all have to agree before GOG could sell Dune 2. [36]

Seen it before

A group photo never gets posted because one friend in it always says no.
The truth
- How Legendary's deal with Funcom, maker of Dune Awakening, affects a re-release is "currently not clear", GOG says. [36]
22
Arc Raiders makers explain AI voices
What happened
- Embark Studios, maker of Arc Raiders, says recording every voice line with actors was "too impractical". [37]
- Players can mark any item for teammates, so every new item needs many spoken lines, audio director Bence Pajor said. [37]
- Pajor said the game changes so fast that actors cannot be called in for every change. [37]
- Creative chief Stefan Strandberg said: "We are not in the industry of replacing actors". [37]
Who is involved

Arc Raiders is an online shooter where players grab loot and must escape alive. [37]
How it unfolded

Players criticised its AI voices, which copy real actors who signed contracts allowing it. [37]

Why it matters

PC Gamer says the case sets "a bad precedent" for voice actors. [37]

How it works

Economists call this substitution: a cheaper input replaces a dearer one when it can do the job. [37]
Embark uses AI lines to get updates out faster, and real actors for lines that are settled later. [37]

Seen it before

A teacher plays a recorded lesson when she cannot be there, then teaches it live later.
The truth
- Who pays Arc Raiders' voice actors — Embark uses AI copies of their voices for lines it does not have time to record with them. [37]
23
Resident Evil film goes on sale at home
What happened
- The new Resident Evil film can now be bought or rented online, at $24.99 to buy. [38]
- It went online just over 45 days after it opened in cinemas. [38]
- It is also going back into IMAX cinemas, GameSpot reports. [39]
Who is involved

Zach Cregger made the film, based on Capcom's horror games. [38]
- Zach Cregger made the film
- Capcom makes the games
How it unfolded

It has earned over $400 million worldwide, the most of any Resident Evil film. [39]
1. Opening in cinemas
2. After 45 days online to buy or rent
Why it matters

Sales of Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake on PS5 rose over 50% in the film's opening week. [38]

How it works

Film economists call this windowing: a film is sold first in cinemas, then online, then on streaming. [39]
Resident Evil earned in cinemas for 45 days, and now earns again from people who buy it at $24.99. [38]

Seen it before

A new phone costs most on launch day, and the same model is cheaper a few months later.

What comes next

GameSpot expects it to reach Netflix later, under an existing film deal. [39]
24
Wildwood's second weekend beats forecasts
What happened
- Wildwood, LAIKA's stop-motion film, took about $9 million in its second weekend in North America, down 27%. [40]
- Its 10-day total reached $27.4 million, its distributor, Fathom, said. [40]
- Its second Sunday sold 2% more than its first Sunday. [40]
Who is involved

Stop-motion films move puppets a little at a time and film each pose. [40]
How it unfolded

Earlier LAIKA films fell more in their second weekends: Kubo and the Two Strings dropped 37.8%. [40]

Why it matters

The film cost a reported $100 million, so a slow fall gives it longer to earn that back. [40]

How it works

Film marketers call it word of mouth: people who liked a film bring friends the next week. [40]
Nearly a third of viewers polled said word of mouth made them buy a ticket. [40]

Seen it before

A cafe gets busier each week after its first customers tell their friends.
The truth
- The weekend beat Fathom's own first estimate, so early box office figures can move. [40]
Good news
- In Fathom's poll, 87% would definitely recommend it to others. [40]
25
China's AI-made film keeps losing
What happened
- Sanxingdui: Future Past, called China's first fully AI-made cinema film, has earned about $253,000 in 11 days. [41]
- It added only about $71,000 in the week since. [41]
- Even the most hopeful trackers say it will earn back less than a third of its budget. [41]
Who is involved

Bona Film Group, a Chinese film company, made it. [41]
- Bona Film Group made the film
How it unfolded

Its first weekend took about $180,000 from more than 10,000 screenings. [41]

Why it matters

Its makers say they wanted to prove AI could make a cinema film. [41] So far few people have paid to watch it. [41]

How it works

Economists call it revealed preference: what people pay for shows what they want, more than what they say. [41]
AI clips get huge free views online, but this AI film sold only $253,000 of tickets. [41]

Seen it before

A class says it loves a new snack, but almost nobody buys it at the school shop.
The truth
- The report gives no budget figure, so the size of the loss is unknown. [41]
- Nobody knows yet
  How much Sanxingdui: Future Past cost to make.
  
  Trackers say it will earn back less than a third of its budget, but no budget figure is given. [41]
What comes next

Bona is still making another AI science-fiction cartoon film, a Chinese report said. [41]
26
Sandy Frank, who brought Gatchaman west, dies
What happened
- Sandy Frank, a TV distributor who brought Japanese shows to the US, has died aged 97. [42]
- He died on 20 October, and his death was reported this week. [42]
- In 1978 his company made Battle of the Planets, the US version of the anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. [43]
- It became an after-school hit in the US in the 1970s. [42]
- He also dubbed and sold Japanese monster films, including the Gamera series. [43]
Who is involved

He also produced game shows, such as Name That Tune and The Dating Game. [42]
- Gamera films dubbed and sold by Frank
- Sandy Frank distributor and producer
How it unfolded

He found the series at MIP TV in Cannes, a market where TV shows are bought and sold. [42]
1. 1978 Battle of the Planets
2. 20 October Frank dies
Why it matters

He fought to keep a US rule that limited network hours, leaving airtime for independent producers. [42]

How it works

Media scholars call it localisation: remaking a foreign show for a new country's viewers. [43]
Battle of the Planets was Gatchaman remade in English for US television. [43]

Seen it before

A song is translated and re-recorded so it plays on the radio in another country.
27
Copycat site preys on AO3's outage
What happened
- A copycat website using AO3's name has put up old copies of fan stories while the real site is offline. [44]
- The copy seems to come from a saved version of AO3, with deleted and private works on it. [44]
- It claims to sell the stories as audiobooks and pay authors 91% of the money. [44]
- To get paid or have works removed, authors must email it from their AO3 account address. [44]
Who is involved

AO3, short for Archive of Our Own, is a free fan-fiction website run by a non-profit. [44]
- AO3 a free fan-fiction site
- Organization for Transformative Works the non-profit behind it
How it unfolded

AO3 went offline after a security incident and may stay down for weeks. [44]

Why it matters

Fan writers whose stories were copied without consent risk handing over the email tied to their account. [44]

How it works

Security researchers call this phishing: a fake offer that tricks people into handing over personal details. [44]
Here the bait is payment: to claim it, authors must send the email tied to their AO3 account. [44]

Seen it before

A fake prize letter asks you to send your address to claim a prize that does not exist.
The truth
- Who pays Fan writers on AO3 — Their stories were copied without consent onto a site that asks for their account emails. [44]
- Nobody knows yet
  Who runs the copycat AO3 site.
  
  Kotaku names no one behind it, and the non-profit behind AO3 says legal action will be slow. [44]
What comes next

The non-profit says it is taking action, but warns that the courts move slowly. [44]
28
Why some Overwatch heroes get more skins
What happened
- Overwatch's director, Aaron Keller, explained why a few heroes get far more paid skins than others. [45]
- He said the team must favour heroes that "support the actual bottom-line business". [45]
- Each season it makes two top Mythic skins: one for a hero that sells well, one for a neglected hero. [45]
Who is involved

Overwatch is Blizzard's team shooter, and skins are paid outfits that change how a hero looks. [45]
- A hero that sells one Mythic skin
- A neglected hero one Mythic skin
How it unfolded

The game will soon have 55 heroes, and players of the least-dressed wait months or years for new skins. [45]
Overwatch now earns from a battle pass and shop updates, and makes more skins than when it sold loot boxes. [45]

Why it matters

Players of less popular heroes get fewer new looks, because the money comes from the heroes most people buy for. [45]

How it works

Business analysts call it the Pareto principle: a few products usually bring in most of the sales. [45]
So heroes such as Mercy and Kiriko get skin after skin, while Baptiste and Venture wait. [45]

Seen it before

A shop stocks lots of the flavour that sells best and only a little of the rest.
29
Fox's Roku deal nears approval
What happened
- Fox's $22 billion purchase of Roku is set to pass a US Justice Department review, people familiar told Semafor. [46]
- The deal would go ahead under a consent decree, a court-backed list of promises; its terms are not known. [46]
Who is involved

Roku makes the software many smart TVs use to find and play streaming services. [46]
Fox owns news and sports channels, and Tubi, a free streaming service paid for by adverts. [46]
- Roku software that runs TVs and streaming
- Fox news and sports channels
- Chris Ruddy Newsmax's owner, pushed for a closer look
- Lachlan Murdoch Fox's boss
How it unfolded

Fox's boss, Lachlan Murdoch, says the deal has cleared every major review outside the US and won shareholder approval. [47]
Newsmax's owner, Chris Ruddy, who has feuded with the Murdochs, had pushed regulators to look harder at the deal. [46]

Why it matters

Rival channels fear Fox will put its own shows first on the screens Roku controls. [46]

How it works

Economists call this a vertical merger: a firm that makes shows buys the firm that shows them. [46]
Owning Roku's menus could let Fox place its own channels ahead of rivals' shows. [46] Murdoch says he expects to run the two firms separately. [46]

Seen it before

A cafe that owns the only menu board in town can put its own dishes at the top.
The truth
- Fox and the Justice Department both declined to comment, and the department could still change course. [46]
What comes next

Fox expects the deal to close in the first half of 2027. [47]
30
Sony may stop making Blu-ray players
What happened
- Sony's last 4K Blu-ray player is out of stock in Japan. [48] Shops were reportedly told no more are coming. [48]
- It still costs $329.99 at Best Buy in the US, but Amazon no longer sells it new. [48]
- Panasonic is now the biggest maker of these players. [48] A PS5 with a disc drive or an Xbox Series X can also play them. [48]
Who is involved

A 4K Blu-ray player plays films on discs at the sharpest picture quality. [48]
- Panasonic biggest player maker
- PS5 and Xbox Series X can play discs
How it unfolded

The player, the UBP-X700K, was marked unavailable in Japan on 22 October, Forbes reported. [48]
Sony stopped making blank recordable Blu-ray discs in 2025. [48] It will stop making PlayStation game discs from 2028. [48]
1. 2025 blank discs stopped
2. Now last player out of stock
3. 2028 no more game discs
Why it matters

People who buy films on disc have fewer players to choose from. [48] Panasonic's UB820 now costs $649.99, up from $499 at launch. [48]

How it works

Economists call this a network effect: a format is worth more the more players and discs exist. [48]
Sony is pulling out of blank discs, game discs and now players, so each step leaves the format smaller. [48]

Seen it before

When most friends leave a chat app, the ones left find it less worth using.
The truth
- Sony has not announced a worldwide exit, and called the reports speculation it would not comment on. [48]

Disney prepares thousands more job cuts, with some managers told to find 20% in yearly savings

30 stories on this beat today.

Why firms lay off staff when their rivals do