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Here is the full line-up for the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit 2026

The GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit 2026 will take place at The Royal Institution in London on October 1, with the full line-up now announced. Speakers include Sarah Venables of the HR Confidence Club, Jonny Hopper of Glowmade Studio, and Harvey Elliott and Carmen Martino of Playstack. The day-long event features over a dozen talks and sessions on topics including neurodiversity, AI in HR, workplace culture and unions, and concludes with the 2026 Best Places to Work Awards.

Trophy Games acquires Airport Simulator: First Class developer Playrion from Paradox Interactive

Danish studio Trophy Games has acquired Airport Simulator: First Class developer Playrion from Paradox Interactive for a €2.25 million upfront payment plus a three-year earn-out based on net revenue performance, with 30 Playrion employees joining Trophy Games. Trophy Games plans to build a new simulation game series around Airport Simulator, repeating the approach it used after acquiring Airline Manager 4 in 2021. Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester said the deal aligns its operations around developing and publishing strategy and management games primarily for PC and console.

Meta unveils AI game creation tools Horizon Create and Horizon Studio, announces VR Glasses with Unity support

At Meta Connect, Meta announced two AI-powered game tools, Horizon Create for mobile and Horizon Studio for browsers, which let users build 2D and 3D games from text prompts and publish them to Facebook and Instagram. Meta also unveiled VR Glasses, five times lighter than Meta Quest 3 with a 5K infinite micro-OLED display, supported by Unity 6.6 through OpenXR, launching in Spring 2027 at $1,299.99.

Build a Rocket Boy has entered administration

Build a Rocket Boy entered administration on Wednesday and formally appointed administrators the same day, which is effectively similar to bankruptcy proceedings for non-UK readers. The existing management has been dismissed while a new team comes in to see whether the company can be sold as a whole, liquidated, or found to have nothing left to salvage. Previous reports had said the studio was shutting down.

GTA veteran's MindsEye studio Build a Rocket Boy enters administration

Build a Rocket Boy has filed for administration with the UK's Companies House and hired Opus Advisory Group as administrator. The move follows reports last week of further layoffs at the studio behind last June's poorly received MindsEye. For the 12 months ending 30th September, the company reported a £47.5m operating loss and a £36.2m net loss, owing creditors £61.8m.

Crowdfunded JRPG Armed Fantasia cancelled as 505 Games parent Digital Bros halts development

Digital Bros announced in a financial statement that Armed Fantasia, published by 505 Games, has had its development discontinued, along with a Battle Islands sequel and Directorate Novitiate. The game raised ¥379,328,385 in a 2022 Double Kickstarter with Penny Blood, missed its planned March 2025 launch and was later delayed indefinitely.

MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy has appointed administrators

MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy has appointed administrators following its latest wave of layoffs, with Opus Advisory Group confirmed as the administrator. A Companies House filing indicates the studio is insolvent, though the filing itself was not available at the time of writing. For the year ending September 30, 2025, the company posted a £47.5 million operating loss and a £36.2 million net loss, and owed creditors a total of £61.8 million.

King signs collective bargaining agreement with Swedish unions, averting strike

King signed a collective bargaining agreement with Swedish unions Engineers of Sweden and Unionen, cancelling a strike that was scheduled to begin on September 25, 2026. The two sides had been negotiating since May 2025 before talks over a collective agreement reached an impasse. Engineers of Sweden, which represents around 100 of King's roughly 500 employees in Malmo and Stockholm, said the deal gives workers more opportunities to influence their work situation and the right to organize and receive timely information about workplace changes such as reorganisations.

King signs collective agreement with Swedish trade unions after call to industrial action

King has signed a collective agreement with the Swedish trade unions Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer, following last week's call to industrial action. Unionen said the agreement, reached after over a year of negotiations, covers job security and greater influence over workplace terms and conditions. Unionen head of negotiations Martin Wästfelt called it a major victory for King's members and credited the union's long partnership with Engineers of Sweden.

Nintendo of America awarded $4.5m in lawsuit against Reddit user Archbox over Switch piracy

Nintendo of America won $4.5 million in damages from Reddit user James C. Williams, known as Archbox, after the court entered a default judgment because he did not respond to the lawsuit. The ruling requires him to shut down online shops offering pirated Nintendo Switch games and close piracy-linked social media accounts, and bars him from distributing or selling Nintendo software and hardware. Nintendo of America began legal action in March 2024 and filed the lawsuit in June, setting damages at $4.5 million in October; earlier this month the District Court of The Hague ruled that selling Switch modding kits such as MIG Switch is illegal in Europe.

NEW: Meta, like Roblox, going all-in on a mobile app used for AI-driven game dev

Two snapshots of some of the 277 jobs Microsoft cut in Washington State this week, as disclosed in a state filing

Former Avalanche Studios chief Natalie Francis joins Massive Entertainment as managing director

Natalie Francis, former head of studio operations and development at DICE and chief development officer at Avalanche Studios, is joining Massive Entertainment as managing director on October 1st. The Ubisoft subsidiary has worked on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws, and is currently leading development on Tom Clancy's The Division 2 and the forthcoming Tom Clancy's The Division 3. Earlier this year, Ubisoft confirmed plans to make 55 people redundant at Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm.

Xbox restructuring sparks confusion and frustration as communities react to Ninja Theory closure

Xbox carried out a second wave of layoffs this week and shifted studio management away from Xbox directly to Bethesda or Activision, with Obsidian moving to Bethesda and Rare, World's Edge and Halo moving to Activision. Ninja Theory faces closure, Halo Studios was nearly dismantled by layoffs and World's Edge was halved. Communities around Hellblade, Outer Worlds, Forza, Age of Empires and Sea of Thieves reacted with sadness and concern, while Ninja Theory, Obsidian and Rare have not commented publicly.

Dutch consumer group sues Epic over Fortnite, seeking more than €100m in compensation

Dutch consumer group Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SMC) has filed a class action against Epic Games, alleging it misled young Fortnite players, and is seeking over €100 million in refunds and damages on behalf of Dutch players who played before age 21. SMC cited research in which six in 10 of more than 1,000 Dutch teenagers aged 16 to 19 who bought currencies such as V-Bucks said it did not feel like real money, and half said they regretted a purchase made under time pressure. The group has served Epic a formal notice of liability and offered settlement talks; the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets fined Epic €1,125,000 in 2024 over item shop design, a fine upheld by a Rotterdam court in January 2026, while Epic said it offers parental controls and that the Dutch Fortnite Item Shop has no timer.

Quake Champions drops free-to-play and removes its Microsoft Store version eight years after launch

id Software's free-to-play shooter Quake Champions is becoming a paid product eight years after its original release, priced at £8.99/$9.99 with content from 30 seasons and all Champions unlocked. The Microsoft Store version is being removed, leaving it only on Steam, and id Software confirmed no additional content updates are planned. Patch 1.31 removes battle passes, the in-game store, paid currencies, loot boxes, login rewards and all microtransactions, with refunds for recent Platinum purchases and a free Steam copy for previous players who link accounts by 7th October.

Irish Game Fund expands with additional funding pathways

The Irish Games Fund has been expanded and relaunched by the Irish Game Makers Association and Screen Ireland Digital Games Portfolio for 2026, now comprising three strands: the Development Fund, Prototype Fund, and Release Fund. The Development Fund will offer €50,000 to four teams, and applicants must declare any use of machine learning or generative AI and explain how the funding will replace generative AI assets. Expressions of Interest are due by October 8, 2026, with applications due by October 22, 2026.

Bethesda says Obsidian will keep its distinct creative identity despite no longer operating independently

Jill Braff, president of Bethesda and Microsoft's casual games division, said in a staff memo that Obsidian will no longer operate independently of fellow Xbox-owned studio Bethesda but will retain its distinct creative identity and strengths. She described the change as primarily a shift in reporting structure, with Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart and his leadership team continuing to run the studio and reporting to her. Bethesda Game Studios will continue to lead the Fallout franchise, and the teams will build on early work already underway on a new Fallout project.

TinyBuild revenue rises 18% to $20m in H1 2026, with 85% from first and second-party owned IP

TinyBuild reported an 18% revenue increase to $20 million for the six months ending June 30, 2026, with 85% of gaming revenue coming from first and second-party owned IP. Back catalogue titles accounted for 68% of gaming revenue, supported by evergreen titles including Hello Neighbor and Graveyard Keeper. Gross profit fell from $10.4 million to $9.8 million and adjusted EBITDA dropped from $4.2 million to $3.2 million, while headcount remained broadly stable at nearly 200 employees.

Microsoft files patent for "ad-credit" system to show ads on PC and Xbox without disrupting gameplay

Microsoft has filed a patent for an "ad-credit" system that would display ads and announcements during PC and Xbox game sessions without disrupting gameplay. The system would identify natural pauses such as loading screens, menus, or the end of missions and rounds, then suspend gameplay and controls to show an ad. After viewing the content, players would receive a credit granting a period of ad-free play ranging from 15 minutes to an hour or more.

Xbox Layoffs and Restructuring: First-Party Studios Cut From 14 to 4, Halo Moves to Activision

In September 2026, Microsoft chief content officer Matt Booty announced in an internal letter the cutting of 268 positions, moving Rare and World's Edge to Activision, placing Obsidian under Bethesda, merging Turn 10 into Playground, and handing the next Halo to Activision. Over five years Microsoft's Xbox first-party studios shrank from a peak of 14 to 4, leaving The Coalition, inXile, Playground and XGS Publishing, while Ninja Theory faces consultation over a proposed closure after two deals fell through. A top community comment said it feels more like Activision acquired Xbox than the reverse.

Bethesda boss confirms Obsidian will remain a distinct team

Bethesda boss Jill Braff told staff that Grounded developer Obsidian Entertainment will remain a distinct team and keep its existing leadership structure. The note follows Xbox's September 22 reorganisation, which moved Obsidian under Bethesda, transferred Rare and ownership of the Halo franchise to Activision, proposed closing Ninja Theory, and confirmed 268 further job cuts. Braff described the move as primarily a change in reporting structure, with Feargus Urquhart and his leadership team continuing to lead Obsidian and reporting to her, while Bethesda Game Studios continues to lead the Fallout franchise.

As Halo moves to Activision, fans worry about a lore reboot, but Halo Fest goes on

Microsoft said this week it is cutting 268 roles across Halo Studios and other first-party teams, and confirmed Activision will develop the next Halo with a new team separate from Call of Duty. Fans are split over whether Activision should reboot the series' 25 years of lore. Halo Studios' esports lead confirmed December's Halo Fest keeps its dates and locations, with more details promised in the coming weeks.

Report: Bethesda president tells Obsidian staff it won't lose 'creative identity' after merge

Bethesda president Jill Braff reportedly told Obsidian Entertainment staff in an email that the studio's merger into Bethesda is "primarily a change in reporting structure," according to Aftermath. The email says CEO Feargus Urquhart and Obsidian leadership will keep running the studio and report to her, while Bethesda Game Studios continues to lead the Fallout franchise and both teams work on a new Fallout project. The merger follows this week's Xbox announcement, which also included divestments and another couple hundred layoffs; Obsidian laid off at least 52 workers in July.

Bethesda takes control of Obsidian Entertainment, promises studio's creative identity stays intact

As part of Xbox's ongoing restructuring, Obsidian Entertainment has been moved under Bethesda's umbrella. Bethesda president Jill Braff told staff that Obsidian's creative identity and strengths will remain at the core of the studio, with CEO Feargus Urquhart continuing to lead it and reporting to her. Braff said Bethesda Game Studios will keep leading the Fallout franchise, and the two teams will build on early work already underway on a new Fallout project.

People Playground shuts down its Steam Workshop again over a malicious mod

People Playground developer Mestiez said on September 22 that the Steam Workshop had been disabled hours earlier because of another malicious mod, calling this one especially bad. Players who used mods between 6PM and 8PM CEST on September 21 are urged to run antivirus scans, delete all mods and avoid launching the game until the developer says it is safe. According to Kotaku, this is the second malware attack via a Steam Workshop mod on the game in a year, after a similar incident in February.

Age of Empires developer World's Edge hit with layoffs after move to Activision

Age of Empires studio World's Edge has been hit with layoffs after its transition to Activision, with former creative director Adam Isgreen saying he and just under half the team were cut. Isgreen, a 16-year Microsoft veteran, said he was disappointed that his time with World's Edge and Age ends this way. World's Edge was among several studios affected by Xbox's restructuring, which moved it, Rare and Halo to Activision and eliminated 268 positions, while Ninja Theory is set to close and Undead Labs became independent.

The EU KIDS Act: What game developers need to know

The EU Commission published a draft of the proposed KIDS Act on September 17, which would impose restrictions on all online games sold in the EU, covering login bonuses, contact between minors and other users, AI companions and content control tools. The draft mentions virtual currency and loot boxes only in its recitals rather than its operative text, and the final text still needs approval from the EU Parliament and member states, with fines of up to 6% of total worldwide annual turnover for infringements.

Former Halo leaders respond to effective closure of Halo Studios as Xbox cuts 268 jobs

Microsoft's Xbox division cut 268 jobs across Halo Studios, other unnamed first-party studios and Xbox Game Studios management, leaving Halo Studios as a small support team while major Halo development moves to a purpose-built team at Activision. Former Halo heads Bonnie Ross and Kiki Wolfkill said on LinkedIn that Halo Studios is essentially being shut down, and one former employee said he was promoted and laid off in the same week. The changes also include the apparent closure of Ninja Theory, Obsidian moving under Bethesda, Playground and Turn 10 merging, Undead Labs going independent, and Rare, World's Edge and Halo moving under Activision.

New Publisher PUBLSH Launches With Disco Elysium-Inspired Title Pera Coda

New publisher PUBLSH has been founded by former leadership from marketing agency Petrol, co-founded in 2025 by CEO Ben Granados and chief strategy officer Samuel Clarke. Its first title is the episodic murder mystery Pera Coda, a Disco Elysium-inspired game from Turkish studio Elyzio and its internal division Falan Studio, launching on PC in 2027. PUBLSH aims to publish roughly four to five games per year, focusing on projects with development budgets below $20 million.

Age of Empires studio World's Edge reportedly lost nearly half its staff in Xbox cuts and moved to Activision

Former creative director Adam Isgreen said on the Resetera forums that Age of Empires studio World's Edge lost just under half its staff in yesterday's Xbox restructuring, himself included. The restructuring moved World's Edge under Activision's control, and the initial announcement did not say whether the studio would lose staff. Isgreen, who spent over 16 years at Microsoft on projects including Ori, Minecraft and State of Decay, said he was disappointed by how his time with World's Edge and Age of Empires ended.

Star Wars Zero Company estimated to pass 1m sales as questions turn to its furloughed dev team

Analyst firm Alinea Analytics estimates that Star Wars Zero Company, the turn-based tactics game from Bit Reactor, has sold more than 1m copies. Steam accounts for 69.9 percent of sales, PlayStation 19.9 percent and Xbox 10.2 percent, with analyst Rhys Elliott estimating about $50m in revenue since its 27th August launch. Most of Bit Reactor's development team had reportedly been furloughed without pay before release amid an owners' dispute and a lack of funds, raising the question of whether they will be reinstated and paid from the game's revenue.

Undead Labs lays off staff after splitting from Xbox, will find a new publisher for State of Decay 3

Undead Labs has become an independent, employee-owned studio after divesting from Xbox, and announced it is laying off a significant number of employees, some of whom worked on State of Decay 3. The studio will now work with a new publisher to release State of Decay 3, which is still slated for a day one launch on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft said the studio regained independence on terms similar to Double Fine and Compulsion, which split from Xbox earlier this year with their IP, back catalogs and runway funding.

Fenris Creations, Embark, Warhorse, and Wargaming Headline the AI and Games Conference 2026 | 23/09/26

State of Decay 3 studio Undead Labs lays off a significant number of staff after going independent from Xbox

Undead Labs, the studio behind State of Decay 3, has laid off a significant number of staff after announcing it is becoming an independent, employee-owned studio. In a LinkedIn post the studio said the departing developers had poured years into the State of Decay franchise and offered to connect them with other studios hiring. Microsoft had announced plans in July to split with five studios including Undead Labs, and Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory and Arkane have since faced layoffs, a pivot to co-development, possible closure or continued consultation.

Age of Empires studio World's Edge reportedly loses nearly half its staff and a new game project in Xbox layoffs

A verified creative director posted on ResetEra that World's Edge, the studio that manages the Age of Empires series, lost just under half its staff as it moved from Xbox's direct control to Activision. World's Edge creative director Adam Isgreen wrote on LinkedIn that he and many colleagues were among the 268 staff cut in Xbox's latest round, and senior software engineer Andrew Martz said "our next project" was shelved as a result of the Activision move. The 268 cuts are part of a months-long "reset" of Microsoft's games business led by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, after around 1,600 layoffs in July, with totals expected to reach an estimated 3,200.

Xbox lays off Gears of War: E-Day story director two weeks before launch

Gears of War: E-Day story director Juan Vaca announced on LinkedIn that he was part of Microsoft's latest round of layoffs, roughly two weeks before the game's 6th October release. He joined developer The Coalition in 2022 and had posted five days earlier celebrating the game going gold. Kotaku, citing an anonymous source, reported fewer than a handful of developers were cut at The Coalition for reasons apparently unrelated to Xbox restructuring, while 268 developers were laid off across Xbox overall.

State of Decay studio Undead Labs goes independent and worker-owned as it leaves Xbox, laying off a significant number of staff

State of Decay developer Undead Labs has left Microsoft to become an independent, worker-owned studio amid Xbox's latest round of cuts, but said on LinkedIn it is also laying off a significant number of colleagues. Microsoft said this summer it had found a buyer for the studio without naming them. State of Decay 3 is still in development, targeting a closed beta before the end of the year and a 2027 release, and remains a Game Pass title with a new unnamed publisher, coming to Xbox, PC and PlayStation.

Undead Labs confirms it is now an employee-owned studio, with a significant number of layoffs

Undead Labs announced it has completed its separation from Xbox and is now operating as an employee-owned game development studio, with a significant number of employees made redundant. The studio said development of State of Decay 3 remains actively underway, with a 2027 launch planned for Xbox, Game Pass, PC and PlayStation and a closed beta before the end of the year. The move came as Microsoft eliminated 268 positions across its first-party studios and shifted Rare and the Halo franchise to Activision.