Video Games Weekly: Censorship, Shrinkage And A Subnautica Scandal

Welcome to Video Games Weekly connected Engadget. Expect a caller communicative each Monday aliases Tuesday, surgery into 2 parts. The first is simply a abstraction for short essays and ramblings astir video crippled trends and related topics from me, Jess Conditt, a newsman who's covered nan manufacture for much than 13 years. The 2nd contains nan video crippled stories from nan past week that you request to cognize about, including immoderate headlines from extracurricular of Engadget.

Please bask — and I'll spot you adjacent week.

This week, I’m fried. Maybe it’s nan plodding and ever-present crumbling of nine and quality decency, aliases possibly it’s because Love Island USA conscionable ended truthful I’m emotion other listless. It’s a acquainted summertime sensation, but this twelvemonth everything is exaggerated and other tense, nan stakes of each action look higher, and alternatively of pouring into nan warmth of nan play pinch a popsicle and a smile, I often find myself stiff and numb. I americium nan popsicle, coo coo ca choo.

I’m not judge precisely what I’m trying to convey here, but I deliberation it’s clear that I shouldn’t beryllium penning thing excessively superior astatine nan moment. I’m moving connected a fewer reports and trying to support my composure amid nan chaos, and each nan while, nan video crippled headlines support rolling on. I’ve included a fewer much than accustomed this week, arsenic penance for my popsicle state.

The news

The Chinese Room escapes from Tencent

UK workplace The Chinese Room, creator of Still Wakes nan Deep and Everybody’s Gone to nan Rapture, is independent erstwhile again. The Chinese Room leaders completed a guidance buyout pinch thief from VC patient Hiro Capital to afloat divided nan workplace from Tencent subsidiary Sumo Digital, which acquired it successful 2018. A number of group were laid disconnected arsenic portion of nan modulation and nan workplace is near pinch a full of 55 employees. The Chinese Room is still moving connected Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 for Paradox Interactive, and it besides has original projects successful development.

Still Wakes nan Deep was 1 of my absolute favourite games of 2024. Whether you’re a instrumentality of beautiful paranormal scary aliases you're conscionable really into lipid rigs, springiness it a go.

Read these stories that Vice censored

Vice’s owner, Savage Ventures, doesn’t want you to publication this story. Or this one.

Vice removed 2 articles astir Steam’s caller ban connected definite “adult-only” contented and nan statement that pushed for nan change, Collective Shout, which has nan support of salient anti-pornography groups pinch blimpish belief foundations. The stories were written by contributor Ana Valens, who said nan removals were “due to concerns astir nan arguable taxable matter — not journalistic complaints.” Valens has vowed to ne'er constitute for Vice again and a fistful of reporters location person resigned successful solidarity.

Censoring stories astir censorship is surely a choice, Vice.

Supermassive delays Directive 8020 and shrinks its team

The location of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive Games, is laying disconnected 36 people, restructuring its squad and delaying 1 of its projects into 2026. A statement from nan studio says nan decisions were successful consequence to nan video crippled industry’s “challenging and ever-evolving environment.” It’s estimated that Supermassive had much than 300 labor earlier nan layoffs.

Directive 8020, nan 5th installment successful nan Dark Pictures Anthology, is now owed to travel retired successful nan first half of 2026, alternatively than this fall. Honestly, I’m not amazed to perceive Supermassive needs much clip to activity connected Directive 8020. I watched Engadget UK bureau main Mat Smith play nan demo astatine Summer Game Fest successful June, and while it looked great, we were some amazed by really short and non-interactive nan conception was. He summed up this emotion in his preview pinch nan line, “Finally, I sewage to play (but only for a fewer minutes).”

Supermassive is besides moving connected Little Nightmares III, a bid that it took complete from Tarsier Studios. Tarsier created Little Nightmares and its sequel, but mislaid nan authorities to nan IP erstwhile nan squad was acquired by a subsidiary of Embracer Group successful 2019. Series patient Bandai Namco kept nan Little Nightmares marque and commissioned Supermassive to build nan 3rd game, while Tarsier is moving connected its ain project, Reanimal.

It makes consciousness that Supermassive would prioritize Little Nightmares III successful bid to fulfill its obligations pinch Bandai. The crippled has already been delayed once, and it’s group to deed PC and consoles connected October 10.

FBC: Firebreak is getting little busted

I still person precocious hopes for FBC: Firebreak to beryllium nan Left 4 Dead revival we’ve ever wanted, but truth is, it’s not rather location yet. Remedy Entertainment is alert of this difficult truth and has a scheme to hole it. The workplace laid retired its pipeline for making FBC: Firebreak easier to jump into, much nosy to play and little confusing overall, pinch astir awesome changes coming successful an update this winter.

PCGamesN published an question and reply pinch Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le, who near Valve years agone to effort retired independent development. One sentiment stuck retired to me.

“They didn't unit maine retired aliases anything,” Le told PCGamesN. “But a portion of maine benignant of regrets it. Looking back, my determination to time off Valve was, financially, benignant of a mediocre decision. If I had stayed pinch Valve, I would person been capable to discontinue by now.”

It’s not presented arsenic an indictment of Valve, but I find it notable that Le describes nan workplace arsenic a spot to retire, alternatively than a abstraction to innovate and create nan adjacent procreation of video games. At this rate, Valve will ne'er outrun its estimation arsenic nan workplace wherever talented crippled developers spell to die (professionally speaking).

But, hey, astatine slightest they're not getting laid disconnected en masse. Which, unfortunately, brings america to nan adjacent headline.

Your favourite studio’s favourite workplace faces layoffs

Cyberpunk 2077, Sea of Thieves and Dune: Awakening support workplace Virtuos is laying disconnected 270 developers, which is astir 7 percent of its staff. Virtuos is presently champion known arsenic nan workplace down The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered alongside Bethesda, and it has much than 4,000 labor crossed Asia, Europe and North America. The cuts impact developers successful Asia and Europe, pinch “fewer than 10” successful France, wherever activity connected Oblivion Remastered was headquartered.

Heck yeah, there’s gonna beryllium a Hellraiser game

Make judge to pin this 1 connected your calendar. Saber Interactive is making Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, a first-person, action-survival scary crippled that features character Doug Bradley arsenic Pinhead for nan first clip successful astir 20 years. Barker himself provided input connected nan story, too. It’s coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S, pinch nary merchandise day yet.

"The Hellraiser beingness is defined by its unflinching exploration of pain, pleasure, and nan bladed and terrifying statement that separates nan two," a explanation from Saber Interactive reads. "That principle is astatine nan bosom of our game."

An wrong look astatine nan fallout of nan Zenimax layoffs

Game Developer newsman Chris Kerr said pinch a number of labor astatine Zenimax who are still reeling from nan layoffs that Microsoft enacted successful early July. The vibes location sound beautiful terrible.

“This star of workers that remains is someway expected to support shipping award-winning games," 1 elder QA tester told Kerr. The developer continued, “Microsoft conscionable took everything that could person been awesome astir nan civilization and collaboration and decimated it. Morale is terrible. It's grotesque. People are stressed. They're crying.”

Xbox unreality play anywhere

When Xbox isn’t firing thousands of labor successful 1 blow, it’s softly laying nan groundwork for nan early of video crippled distribution. An update for Xbox Insiders this week introduces cross-platform unreality support, bringing your unreality room and play history to nan Xbox PC app. This intends you tin entree unreality activity connected an Xbox console, PC aliases Windows handheld, and seamlessly play unreality games crossed devices. This is conscionable really video games are going to activity successful nan coming decades, and it’s absorbing to watch our early slow rotation retired successful blog posts and package updates.

Subnautica 2 scandal catch-up

Did you miss each of nan messiness astir Subnautica 2 past week? Or, much accurately, this past month? To quickly summarize, Subnautica patient Krafton is being sued by nan bid creators aft it fired them and past delayed their game, allegedly sabotaging a $250 cardinal prize payout owed to developers. To not-quickly summarize, spot my complete breakdown of nan drama.

My Melody & Kuromi hits Netflix this week

I don’t cognize who other needs a small levity successful their life correct now, but I surely do. Thankfully, nan stop-motion show My Melody & Kuromi is coming to Netflix connected July 24, and there’s already an adorable tie-in euphony video by LE SSERAFIM to enjoy. Zen out, watch each of nan Sanrio sweetness and yet settee nan debate: Are you much of a Kuromi aliases a My Melody?

Additional reading

• Kris Holt's play indie crippled roundup

Have a extremity for Jessica? You tin scope her by email, Bluesky aliases nonstop a connection to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially connected Signal.