Topic: industry criticism
-
Baldur's Gate 3 Director: Public Company Model Is Broken
Larian Studios' Michael Douse argues that the public company model is broken for the entertainment industry, as quarterly earnings pressures hinder creative alignment and innovation. Industry veterans like Dan Houser and George Broussard attribute the focus on profit over creativity to skyrocketi...
Read More » -
Game Devs Slam Microsoft Layoffs as 'Colossal Waste of Talent'
Microsoft's layoffs of 9,000 employees, including from its Xbox division, have sparked industry outrage, with canceled projects like "Everwild" and studio closures like The Initiative. Industry veterans criticize the layoffs as misaligned with creativity, calling them a waste of talent and a symp...
Read More » -
Microsoft to Launch Free, Ad-Supported Xbox Cloud Gaming with Monthly Limits
Microsoft is developing a free, ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming that will not require a Game Pass subscription, allowing access on various devices with ads before sessions and potential playtime limits. This follows a price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $29.99, justified by ex...
Read More » -
Anthropic CEO Fires Back at Trump Officials Over AI Fear-Mongering Claims
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei clarified the company's AI policy stance, emphasizing that AI should advance human progress and advocating for transparent risk discussions and responsible development. The company faced criticism from industry figures like David Sacks, who accused it of fear-mongering ...
Read More » -
Xbox Boss: Game Pass Receiving Biggest Ever Investment This Year
Microsoft is making its largest-ever investment in Xbox Game Pass in 2024, focusing on expanding the library with diverse games and has signed first-time deals with over 50 developers. The service sees strong recurring interest from developers, with over 150 partners returning to include future p...
Read More » -
Highguard Makes Popular 5v5 Mode Permanent Amid Player Decline
Highguard's launch was rocky, but the permanent addition of a 5v5 game mode has revitalized its gameplay and improved its Steam reviews. Despite genuine improvements, broader online discourse remains largely negative, often using the game as a symbol of live-service market saturation. The game fa...
Read More » -
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Hike: Now $30/Month with New Perks
Microsoft has raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate by 50% to $29.99 per month in the U.S. and introduced a restructured subscription model with three tiers: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. To justify the higher cost, Microsoft is adding new benefits to the Ultimate plan, including a Fort...
Read More » -
The Hidden Cost of Media Mergers: Why Size Can't Replace Innovation
The article argues that media giants' historical focus on large-scale mergers has stifled innovation, leaving them vulnerable to disruptive competitors like Netflix. Past mergers, such as AOL Time Warner, often failed to deliver promised value, creating bloated companies that were slow to adapt t...
Read More » -
Phil Spencer: Xbox Future Strong Despite Microsoft Gaming Layoffs
Microsoft's gaming division is undergoing significant layoffs, including a 10% reduction at King and additional cuts across European and U.S. studios, as part of broader corporate restructuring. Despite workforce reductions, Microsoft reports strong financial performance, with record revenue of $...
Read More » -
Andrew Yang Launches Budget Carrier Noble Mobile Inspired by Mark Cuban
Andrew Yang has launched Noble Mobile, a budget-friendly mobile service that offers cash back to customers who use less data, aiming to encourage healthier digital habits. The service operates on T-Mobile's network, charging $50 monthly for unlimited talk, text, and 5G data, with users earning ab...
Read More » -
PlayStation 5 Cross-Buy Hinted, May Enable PS5 & PC Dual Purchases
Sony is exploring a potential Cross-Buy feature, discovered in PlayStation Store code, that would allow purchasing a game once for both PS5 and PC, marking a strategic shift. The feature's scope is uncertain, as it might apply only to existing PC games, future releases, or could be linked to a ru...
Read More » -
Xbox Co-Founder Slams Game Pass Price Hike as "Betrayal"
Xbox has shifted strategy by releasing former exclusives on PlayStation 5 and increasing prices for Game Pass and hardware, drawing criticism from original Xbox team co-founder Laura Fryer, who called the price hikes a "betrayal" of community trust. Fryer criticized the pattern of negative change...
Read More » -
OpenAI and Microsoft Forge New AGI Partnership
OpenAI has restructured to separate its philanthropic and commercial arms, with the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation controlling the for-profit OpenAI Group to direct commercial success toward charitable initiatives. Microsoft has increased its investment to a 27% stake in OpenAI Group, maintaining it...
Read More »