355: Massive Layoffs at Xbox

355: Massive Layoffs at Xbox

The 8bA Podcast brings you this week’s latest and greatest gaming news. NEWS Nintendo Switch. Gamesindustry.biz reports that the original Switch lineup will be discontinued in Europe by mid-February 2027 following a law change by the EU regarding accessible batteries. This includes the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED, as well as the original pro controller, NES controller, Pokemon GO+, SEGA Mega Drive control pad, and SNES controller. Revised consoles and controllers will be rolled out for Switch 2. PlayStation. IGN reports that Ireland’s EU Commissioner has said that Sony cannot be stopped from doing away with physical discs, as companies “are free to offer games and services in the manner that they see fit, provided that consumer rights are fully protected in line with national and EU law.” However, the Commission did say it would speak with industry and consumer representatives to draw up a code of conduct for managing a games’ “end of life.” Xbox. Game Informer reports that the US Federal Reserve has named Xbox CEO Asha Sharma as an advisor to the Productivity and Jobs Task Force. Its role is to “assess the economic impact of new general-purpose technologies, including artificial intelligence, to inform the Federal Reserve’s policy judgments.” The announcement comes after news that Xbox will be laying off 1600 employees now, and 1600 more in the future. Studios affected include Activision, Bethesda (115), Blizzard, id Software (136 developers), King, Mojang, Obsidian (52), Xbox Game Studios, and Zenimax Online Studios (213, UX and usability teams), while Arkane, Compulsion Games, Double Fine Productions, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs are being spun off from the company. Of the employees laid off from id Software and Bethesda, 146/158 were CWA union members, and 26 positions were in QA. OneBGS will strike next week in response. REVIEWS No reviews this week. LINKS Website: https://8-bitadventures.com [https://8-bitadventures.com] Patreon: https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures [https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures] Merch: https://8-bitadventures.com/shop [https://8-bitadventures.com/shop] Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ [https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ] “1-UP” is by Professor Shyguy. You can find his work at https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com [https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

354: Wilds Unknown and the News

The 8bA Podcast brings you this week’s latest and greatest gaming news. NEWS Bungie. Game Informer and IGN report that the studio has announced a significant amount of layoffs - most of the Destiny teams, some Marathon developers, and Sony Interactive employees that assisted them. 292 employees are reportedly affected in Washington state alone. EPIC. IGN and PCGamer conducted interviews with Time Sweeney, CEO of EPIC Games, largely focusing on his pro-AI stance and desire for interconnectivity between platforms and games. Grand Theft Auto 6. Game Informer, IGN, and gamesindustry.biz report that GTA 6 will be $80 ($100 for the Ultimate Edition), and the physical version is a code in a box. Steam Machine. Game Informer and gamesindustry.biz report that the price of various SKUs will range from $1049-1428. The $1428 model has 2TB of storage and includes a Steam controller. The $1049 model has 512GB of storage and does not include a controller. REVIEWS Tournament Report. Lorcana’s Wilds Unknown set championship was today at our LGS. LINKS Website: https://8-bitadventures.com [https://8-bitadventures.com] Patreon: https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures [https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures] Merch: https://8-bitadventures.com/shop [https://8-bitadventures.com/shop] Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ [https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ] “1-UP” is by Professor Shyguy. You can find his work at https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com [https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

353: Tortollans, Ahoy!

The 8bA Podcast brings you this week’s latest and greatest gaming news. NEWS Callback 8020. IGN reports that Commodore is making a flip-phone without social media, browsing, and email. Curse of Ul’atek. Blizzard has revealed details of the upcoming 12.1 patch for Midnight. Sea of Thieves. Xbox Wire reports that custom seas are coming to Sea of Thieves, allowing new player-developed game modes. Vampire Survivors. IGN reports that Poncle is reviewing its collaboration with Fortnite after EPIC’s showcase of how it uses generative AI. Additionally, Titan Comics is working on a Vampire Survivors comic. The comic will launch as a four-issue series on September 9, and a collected graphic novel will follow next March. REVIEWS None this week. LINKS Website: https://8-bitadventures.com [https://8-bitadventures.com] Patreon: https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures [https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures] Merch: https://8-bitadventures.com/shop [https://8-bitadventures.com/shop] Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ [https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ] “1-UP” is by Professor Shyguy. You can find his work at https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com [https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

352: Ramblings of the Hollower

The 8bA Podcast brings you this week’s latest and greatest gaming news. NEWS Bancho the Chef. Game Informer reports that a prequel to Dave the Diver is being developed for PS5 and PC, focusing on the game’s master sushi chef. Final Fantasy 7: Revelation. Square-Enix revealed the final entry of the FF7 remake trilogy, slated to release Spring 2027 on all platforms. The game will feature a new skydiving mechanic, a new voice actor for Sephiroth, and characters will have new clothes and armor that provide combat boons. Additionally, Tifa is being added to the Street Fighter 6 roster. Monster Hunter Wilds. Capcom has announced a new expansion for the game called Ascendance, and confirmed that development of a Switch 2 version of Monster Hunter Wilds is in progress. Vampire Survivors - First Survivaton. Poncle announced that its flagship title is getting a new expansion, Legacy of the Bloodmoon. Billed as the “evil twin” of Legacy of the Moonspell, the expansion will introduce new characters, weapons, evolutions, and music tracks, along with a new XL stage. REVIEWS Mina the Hollower. Yacht Club Games’s latest title is a difficult, but rewarding, adventure. LINKS Website: https://8-bitadventures.com [https://8-bitadventures.com] Patreon: https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures [https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures] Merch: https://8-bitadventures.com/shop [https://8-bitadventures.com/shop] Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ [https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ] “1-UP” is by Professor Shyguy. You can find his work at https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com [https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

351: Wizards Gonna Wizard

The 8bA Podcast brings you this week’s latest and greatest gaming news. NEWS D&D Beyond Drops. Wizards of the Coast announced upcoming changes to its subscriber perks program, going from permanent unlocks to subscription-based features. Destiny 2. Game Informer reports that Bungie’s title will receive its last content update in June, after which active development will cease. Fellowship Entertainment. Gamesindustry.biz reports that Embracer Group plans to spin off Fellowship Entertainment as its own publicly listed company. UWOTC-CWA. Kotaku reports that Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have hired Fisher Philips to represent them in union matters, and sent letters to staff to try and pressure them against joining the union. REVIEWS No reviews this week. LINKS Website: https://8-bitadventures.com [https://8-bitadventures.com] Patreon: https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures [https://patreon.com/8bitAdventures] Merch: https://8-bitadventures.com/shop [https://8-bitadventures.com/shop] Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ [https://discord.gg/FAPKjjQ] “1-UP” is by Professor Shyguy. You can find his work at https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com [https://professorshyguy.bandcamp.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.