XBOX's Scott Van Vliet responded to the feedback that reviewing games (on the platform) is too cumbersome, causing many to skip over it:

I will get to Capcom's latest IR sometime today (hopefully). A couple items jumped out at me: 1) They didn't raise guidance. Perhaps they are just being cautious? It's also possible they see some softness in potential H2 results. Hard to say. 2) Operating cash flow was a big improvement YoY. Cash is king.

Every layoff article is exactly the same. I understand people are disgruntled, and upset, over the situation. I get that. I've been there. I have been in the room. However, every time someone talks with laid off employees, they all claim the secrecy is some big conspiracy to do...something? There is no conspiracy. This is how layoffs work because: 1) They are generally kept at the highest level until they come down. Section managers often don't even know until the last moment. Because of the privacy of the process, everyone keeps operating like nothing is happening. 2) The sudden conference calls, and / or private conversations are by design because that is the best way to do it. It needs to be with those individuals, direct, and by the book. Layoffs don't involve some grand ceremony where the company tells all your friends, and everyone sits around to discuss it. Stop with the conspiracy theory nonsense. You can be upset / angry / disappointed with a layoff, but there isn't something else going on. It's a layoff. Furthermore, if you're still at EA, and you don't like your job, go find another job. You are responsible for your own well being. If EA isn't supporting your needs, it is YOUR responsibility to find a job that works for you. verticalslice.news/ea-worker…

Koei Tecmo posted their FY26 Q2 (year ending March 2027). The entertainment segment posted better than expected YoY results. Consistent back catalog sales, along with strong performance in mobile, contributed to the company raising guidance for the year. Entertainment Revenue: 34,209M yen (up) Op Entertainment Profit: 11,467M yen (up) The entertainment forecast was slightly increased for the full FY26. They predict that sales will now come in slightly higher than FY25, but operating profit will be slightly under FY25. Console / PC Units moved in Q2: 2.4M units - It is important to remember that Koei Tecmo drives revenue primarily from mobile. - Labor costs are the highest in company history. Advertising and outsourcing costs are down. - Cash and deposits were down YoY, replaced by securities. Full Slide Deck: koeitecmo.co.jp/e/ir/docs/ir…

Microsoft isn't trying to get 60,000 people to voluntarily leave the company. There's years of industry data that predicts a certain percentage will probably take the offer, but the goal isn't 60,000. MSFT might be aiming for 2-10% to take it. However, no one on the outside truly knows their internal targets. It's not something crazy like 50%, or even 25%.

I know this won't happen, but I'd love it see it: The #CallofDuty MW4 devs should announce that they temporarily disabled SBMM in several playlists, but in reality, don't change anything. Let's watch community reaction to matchmaking when people simply believe that SBMM isn't active.

Call of Duty now claims $40B in lifetime revenue. As I said that other day, MW4 is the complete package when it comes to CoD. If they can fix the problems with DMZ, it will be even better.

And now market conditions are catching up to Auruch Digital (Boltgun and Starship Troopers UBW). There's no "just make a good game" argument here. Boltgun, and the Starship Troopers FPS, are well made games that are quite enjoyable (especially if you enjoy retro FPS). There are too many games, and not enough people to play them. linkedin.com/posts/share-752…

While the number is relatively small, let's call a spade, a spade: The "Western" suppliers in "AAA" gaming are all going to be trimming numbers, successful games or otherwise. Costs for single player, cinematic adventure game, are rapidly outweighing the benefits. This is especially problematic after launch, when a studio of 200-400 people can't possibly have work for everyone. This used to be solved by studios running two projects at once, but that has proven more difficult in recent years. Next, you tack on how many studios are running far too many specialist roles, and you end up with layoffs. This isn't unique to games. This is labor market reality in any industry. aftermath.site/sucker-punch-…

Michael MacKelvie produces great content on YouTube. Heavy with analytics, but definitely approachable, he got his start with sports analysis. Lately, be started branching out into culture / lifestyle videos. I highly recommend his latest analysis of cities, urban flight, and the reality that convenience is driving us apart. youtu.be/rX0RuKswLAo?is=hzFJ…

Indies, and other smaller scope titles, are generally additive because people don't see them as taking time away from their mainstay games. They've broken through the market because they just happen to the exact type of game that people are willing to play "on the side." Instead, it's the "AA" and "AAA" games that are slamming into each other. They essentially force buyers to make decisions, often leaving many game behind. To be clear, indies / small scope titles are notably successful right now, but the market in ALL aspects is over-supplied (including "indies"). It just so happens that right now, market conditions are ripe for games seen as additive (not replacement). That doesn't change the fact that untold numbers of games will still fail in the market (indie or otherwise). gamesindustry.biz/indies-and…

The sudden exit of an executive, without a timeline, is usually one of a handful of possibilities: 1. Another offer that won't sit well with the current employer. 2. A fundamental disagreement that can't be resolved with other execs. 3. A black & white policy violation. For example, I once saw an executive removed when it was found out they were giving contracts directly to certain suppliers (violation of our contract policy). Obviously there are more possibilities, but those are some of the more common situations. It's very hard to say what truly happened to the XBOX COO.