PUBG STUDIOS announced it has ended development of PUBG: Black Budget. The studio said that after assessing the project's state and direction, the current path could not deliver an experience players would enjoy long term, and thanked closed beta participants for their feedback.
Krafton is ending development on PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after its closed alpha test on Steam. The studio said on Steam that after reviewing the project's development status and future direction, it concluded the current direction would not deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. Black Budget was an extraction shooter built around a time loop, and it is the second PUBG spin-off cancelled this year after Blindspot was shut down in March following two months in Early Access.
Krafton announced in a Steam update that it is ending development of PUBG: Black Budget, saying that after reviewing the project's development status and future direction it concluded the current direction would not deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. The first-person PvPvE extraction shooter was first mentioned in a November 2023 investor presentation and later got a Steam page and teaser trailer but never released. Krafton also canceled PUBG: Blindspot after two months in Early Access and said PUBG Studios will carry what it learned into future projects.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told The New York Times that Xbox is not for sale, saying the company will seek the right partnerships and operating model to succeed. A June report from The Information said Microsoft had no immediate plans to spin off Xbox but had not ruled out restructuring it as a wholly-owned subsidiary or forming a joint venture. Sharma, who replaced Phil Spencer in February, has overseen 1,600 layoffs at Xbox with 1,600 more expected later this year.
Nerial, the developer of the Reigns series, has announced it is shutting down after 13 years. The London studio said in a social media post that it is entering "hibernation mode" after discussing an end to active development with publishing partner Devolver Digital, without giving specific reasons, and that its employees will continue working in game development after a break. Nerial broke out with the 2016 card-based RPG Reigns and went on to release sequels and licensed spin-offs including Reigns: Game of Thrones and Reigns: The Witcher, the latter launching this year as its final release.
Nerial, the studio behind Reigns and Card Shark, has announced it is shutting down, or entering what it calls hibernation mode, after discussions with parent company Devolver Digital. CEO Tamara Alliot and creative director François Alliot said in a joint letter that they decided with Devolver to end development at the studio after 13 years, and listed affected staff across narrative, art, programming, QA and production. The founders said this is not the end of game development for them, with François Alliot saying he is going back to being pure indie.
After a sexual assault allegation against Jacob Geller surfaced on September 30, gaming channel MinnMax announced on October 1 that Geller is no longer part of the channel and will not appear in future content, with this week's episode of The MinnMax Show not airing. The allegation first appeared on X claiming Geller was fired from a University of North Carolina college radio station in 2016, and records released by UNC in 2020 and archived on the Internet Archive list his name as violating the school's sexual assault policy with a one-semester suspension. Podcast Cane and Rinse also confirmed it will remove all episodes featuring Geller.
According to a post title on r/Games, the developer behind Reigns is closing down. Its leads are going independent again.
Bungie co-founder Jason Jones, who helped create Halo and directed Destiny, has opened a new Los Angeles studio called Stone Kite with Beautiful Creatures author Margaret Stohl. Its first project, One Zero One, is set in a future where humanity faces rogue, AI-driven robotic soldiers, and launches with Part One of a four-part limited comic series. Issue #1 debuts today, with new issues running through early 2027 alongside prose, audio, and screen projects.
Jason Jones, co-founder of Bungie and co-creator of Halo and Destiny, announced his new Los Angeles studio Stone Kite in partnership with Bungie veteran Margaret Stohl, who serves as CEO. Its first release is One Zero One, a four-part limited comic series about a confrontation between humans and a rogue army of AI-driven robots, with Part 1 available now digitally on the Stone Kite website and physical copies available for preorder. Jones co-founded Bungie in 1991 and his Chief Vision Officer role was reportedly part of Sony's layoffs earlier this year.
Ubisoft has rebranded Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment, the branch responsible for nearly all Tom Clancy-branded games, with teams in Montreal, Paris, Sweden, and Toronto now operating under that brand. The Massive Entertainment studio will still exist within the Creative House and continues work on projects like The Division 3. The move follows Creative House 1's rebranding as Vantage Studios, with Ubisoft now operating five Creative Houses and one Creative Network.
Nerial, the studio behind Reigns and Card Shark, is shutting down after nearly 13 years and 11 games, with creative director and founder François Alliot calling it a mutual decision with publisher Devolver Digital. Devolver keeps the rights to Nerial's existing catalog, Alliot and his wife Tamara will keep making games together, and seven other staff are being let go. Alliot said he still wants to make games, citing industry layoffs, tighter investment and AI copying original concepts within a day as reasons to step back.
Ubisoft is renaming Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment and placing its Paris, Montreal and Toronto studios along with Massive itself under that brand. The group will handle most Tom Clancy titles including The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, plus the MOBA March of Giants bought from Amazon and unannounced new original IP, but not Rainbow Six. Ubisoft's remaining games are spread across five other creative houses, including the Ubisoft-Tencent joint venture Vantage Studios.
The Ubisoft Workers of Montreal Union has launched a petition to "preserve hybrid work," which has gathered more than 300 signatures. The campaign began on September 30, with most signatures collected in person, and the United Videogame Workers Union voiced its support. Earlier this year, Ubisoft implemented a return-to-office mandate as part of its restructuring into Creative Houses, requiring all staff in the office five days a week with an annual allowance of work-from-home days.
Nerial, the studio behind the Reigns series and Card Shark, announced it is shutting down after 13 years of operation. Acquired by Devolver Digital in 2021, it most recently released Reigns: The Witcher with CD Projekt RED on February 25. Founders Francois and Tamara Alliot said the decision to end development was made together with Devolver, and that while the studio's 11 published games come to an end, they personally plan to return to game development after a break.
Krafton has cancelled the development of PUBG: BLACK BUDGET. The news comes from a post on Reddit's r/Games, which contained no body text.
Krafton has ended development of PUBG: Black Budget about a year after the extraction shooter was announced. Developer PUBG Studios said in a Steam post that after reviewing the project's development status and future direction, it concluded the current direction would not deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. The game held Closed Alpha tests in December and the following June and can still be wishlisted on Steam.
Krafton announced on PUBG: Black Budget's Steam page that it is ending development of the extraction shooter spin-off, saying an internal review concluded its current direction would not deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. First revealed in November 2025, the PvEvP first-person shooter held its most recent and largest closed test in June. It is the second PUBG spin-off to be publicly cancelled, after PUBG: Blindspot was cancelled in March following two months in early access.
According to a Eurogamer report, staff at The Coalition, Microsoft's Gears of War team, are bracing for layoffs after months of overtime finishing Gears of War: E-Day. Sources described a mood of not celebrating until three months after launch and expecting another wave of cuts or a reorganization under Activision later this year. The report also notes that E-Day story director Juan Vaca was laid off two weeks before release, which staff called very demoralizing; Microsoft declined to comment to Eurogamer but acknowledged the extra out-of-hours work will be repaid as additional holiday.
Eurogamer reports that developers at The Coalition, the studio behind Gears of War: E-Day, fear layoffs once the game launches on October 6. Story director Juan Vaca left two weeks ago, and Kotaku reported on September 22 that fewer than a handful of staff were cut. Staff also worry they could miss a Metacritic-based bonus if they are let go before the payout expected near the end of October.
Eurogamer reports that multiple sources at The Coalition say staff increasingly fear another round of layoffs after Gears of War: E-Day, with some worried the studio could eventually be reorganised under Activision. The concerns grew after the recent departure of E-Day story director Juan Vaca and reports of other developers being quietly let go in recent weeks. Developers are also worried about timing, since E-Day's Metacritic bonus is expected to be paid around the end of October and eligibility requires employees to still be full-time at payment. Microsoft declined to comment on Eurogamer's report.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma denied that Microsoft plans to sell its gaming division, saying Xbox is not for sale. The division has laid off 268 staff in the second of multiple rounds of cuts this financial year and has consolidated studios under a small number of arms led by bosses from Activision and Bethesda. Xbox said it is now roughly three-quarters of the way through the cuts and studio divestitures.
Eurogamer reports that staff at The Coalition, the studio behind Gears of War: E-Day, fear being laid off right after the game's release. Sources said Xbox's layoff of story director Juan Vaca last week was demoralising, and that employees now expect another wave of cuts or a reorganisation under Activision later this year. Some staff worry they could miss a contracted bonus tied to Metacritic scores if they are laid off before the payout expected near the end of October, though the report says recently laid-off staff should still receive it if targets are met. Microsoft declined to comment.
Code Wizards Group has appointed Catherine Bygrave as head of commercial; she previously served as business development director at Sumo Games and spent a decade at Activision working on Call of Duty and Destiny. Michał Platkow-Gilewski has been promoted to VP of global communications and marketing at CD Projekt Red. Other moves include Daniel Smith joining Playground Games as executive producer, Gero Micciché becoming lead producer at 2K and Hangar 13 Games, and Bloober Team appointing Tymon Smektala as executive producer of Broken Mirror Games.
Ubisoft announced this week that it is expanding Massive Entertainment's remit, folding its Creative House 2 studios into the brand so Massive now oversees the Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell franchises and multiple studios worldwide. Ubisoft also revealed that Massive is working on an original game called March of Giants, with no further details beyond its name. The move makes Massive a second multi-franchise subsidiary alongside Vantage Studios, which was formed after a €1.16bn Tencent investment to oversee Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six, and follows several rounds of layoffs during Ubisoft's restructuring.
Eurogamer spoke to multiple anonymous staff at Gears of War: E-Day developer The Coalition who fear being laid off shortly after the game's release and missing out on Metacritic-linked bonuses. The bonus requires employees to be full-time at the payout date, which studio leadership said should be near the end of October; it remains unclear whether current staff laid off right after launch would receive it. The report follows Microsoft's 3,200 gaming job cuts and a further round of at least 268 roles, and Xbox declined to comment.
Playstack CEO and founder Harvey Elliott has been appointed chair of UKIE, succeeding Ustwo Games CEO Maria Sayans, who held the role since 2024. Steel City Interactive named Murray Pannell as head of publishing, where he will lead publishing efforts for Undisputed 2. Michał Platkow-Gilewski was promoted to VP of global communications and marketing at CD Projekt Red.
Grasshopper Manufacture announced it is parting ways with NetEase Games and returning to independence. NetEase had acquired the studio from GungHo Online Entertainment in 2021, and CEO Goichi Suda said the decision followed full discussions and cooperation with NetEase. The studio released Romeo Is a Dead Man in February and marked its 28th anniversary in March, saying it will continue as an independent developer.
The new CEO of Microsoft's gaming group said Xbox is not for sale, pushing back on rumors and speculation. The division has seen thousands of layoffs and the breakup of Xbox Game Studios this year, and the company divested from four studios and canceled projects.
Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda announced that the studio is splitting from NetEase Games and will move forward as an independent developer. Suda said the decision followed the completion of the action adventure game Romeo Is A Dead Man and thorough discussions with NetEase Games. The No More Heroes developer was acquired by NetEase Games in 2021 and had been part of the company for five years.
Former Halo franchise director Frank O'Connor has outlined three paths for Activision's next Halo: a "classic" entry aimed at core fans, a surprising reinvention of the game and universe, or translating the Halo IP and sandbox into Activision's proven Call of Duty-style progression and business models. He also urged the company to hire laid-off talent from Bungie and Halo Studios, and to avoid tying the next Halo to hardware or service launch cycles or aging platforms. Activision has not yet assembled a team for the project, which is likely years away.
Ubisoft has renamed its Creative House 2 business unit as Massive Entertainment, adopting the 29-year-old brand of the Swedish studio behind The Division. The unit covers Tom Clancy's The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell plus new original IP including March of Giants, with development teams in Montreal, Paris, Sweden and Toronto operating under the Massive Entertainment brand. Massive Entertainment is led by General Manager Christoph Hartmann, who joined in June from Amazon Game Studios.
Halo Studios community director Brian Jarrard denied that the studio kept a "leadership blacklist" of content creators, calling the claim "annoyingly false." The denial followed a September 28 report from YouTuber Rebs Gaming that creator HiddenXperia had been blacklisted for being critical. Jarrard said HiddenXperia's video actually led to specific AI improvements at the finish line, and that there are too many claims circulating online to address them all.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told The New York Times that Xbox is not for sale and said the company will do whatever it takes to succeed, looking at the right partnerships and operating model. Xbox began a corporate reset this year that plans to cut 3,200 jobs before next summer, with Double Fine, Compulsion Games and Undead Labs going independent while Ninja Theory and Arkane remain uncertain. This month Xbox moved the entire Halo series to Activision, shifted Rare and World's Edge under the Call of Duty publisher, and placed Obsidian Entertainment within Bethesda.