Blizzard employees signal union contract and extra discord at Ubisoft – Gameplay, Leaks & Tech

Would not it? There’s a maelstrom of reports to sift via this week, however earlier than we plunge into the headlines I needed to take a second to GUSH about Cairn, a brand new online game from indie studio The Sport Bakers (of Furi and Haven fame) that is perhaps certainly one of this 12 months’s best possible. 

It is a daring assertion to make this early on, however I’ll stand by it. I sat down with the survival climber at 8pm on Saturday pondering I might keep it up for an hour or two earlier than slapping on a film and munching my means via a bag of delectable crisps (chips, for our American readers) I had saved for such an event. 

Exhausting minimize to 2am and there I’m nonetheless glued to the display. Palms sweaty. Eyes blurring. Cairn’s protagonist, Aava, straining each sinew in her physique as she clings to a sheer face on the facet of Mount Kami. It has been minutes since I secured my final piton—the one factor standing between Aava and oblivion. 

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It would as nicely have been a lifetime. Any false transfer now would virtually definitely end in demise, sending Aava crashing into the mountain under at breakneck tempo. The one means is up. This battle is my salvation. 

The upper you climb, the extra Cairn turns right into a brilliantly tense battle of wills. The query ‘why am I doing this?’ would possibly cross your thoughts on a couple of event, however therein lies the magic. There’s victory in conquering even the smallest peak. Think about what awaits on the summit. 

Okay, okay. I am going to rein myself in earlier than this turns into a full-blown evaluation. Did I point out we’ve some information to get via?

through GamesIndustry.biz // MachineGames, the Microsoft subsidiary behind Wolfenstein and Indiana Jones, is pulling workers again into the workplace. In keeping with studio director Jerk Gustafsson, management is now required to be on-site 5 days per week to drive effectivity and collaboration. The hope is that may set a precedent for others to observe. “We’re shifting an increasing number of in the direction of 5 days per week,” added Gustafsson. Given Ubisoft’s recently-announced RTO mandate has seemingly gone down like a lead balloon internally, it’s a must to marvel what MachineGames staffers make of the shift. 

through Sport Developer // Sucker Punch’s hovering sequel Ghost of Yotei exceeded the expectations of Sony after outperforming its predecessor Ghost of Tsushuma throughout its first three months on cabinets. The PlayStation maker shared the information in its newest fiscal report, the place it additionally confirmed the PlayStation 5 has now sold-in over 92 million items worldwide. 

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through NetEase // File this one underneath ‘information that did not actually occur.’ Earlier this week, NetEase described widespread studies that it had shuttered a generative AI analysis division and instructed workers to desert the tech as “false.” The rumor unfold after veteran designer Goichi Suda instructed Eurogamer the corporate was ditching generative AI altogether. Suda’s studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, is at the moment owned by Netease. That declare was shortly quashed by a number of Netease representatives. “The scenario described didn’t happen, and we’ve not revealed any associated insurance policies,” stated one spokesperson.

through Sport Developer // Do you keep in mind what life was like earlier than the RAM wars? That is a sentence our descendants would possibly at some point utter as they scamper via the apocalypse. Till then, we’ve to take care of the truth that the continuing reminiscence and storage scarcity—pushed by rampant investments into generative AI—would possibly pressure us to pay extra and wait longer for Valve’s upcoming {hardware} slate. Oh, and shout out to Aftermath for this whopper of a headline when masking the information. 

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through VGIM // Video games for Change is heading to the Huge Smoke for a one-day occasion on April 15, 2026, devoted to interrogating how video video games is usually a highly effective pressure for good. The London occasion will unite 150 individuals from the world of video video games, enterprise, and politics. There will be talks, panels, roundtables, workshops, and extra. May very well be price a glance if that appears like your cup of tea. 

through Sport Developer // Ubisoft is (nonetheless) in revolt. Forward of an impending worldwide strike known as by 5 unions throughout France, two union representatives have implored long-serving CEO Yves Guillemot to go for the exit in an effort to restore an oz of belief between employees and administration. They really feel it is perhaps unimaginable for Ubisoft, which lately introduced extra layoffs and studio closures, to regain the belief of its workers with no change in personnel on the very high. 

through GamesIndustry.biz // UK co-development specialist Sumo Digital has confirmed one more spherical of redundancies. The Tencent-owned firm stated it should adapt its enterprise to stay “resilient” amid ongoing instability throughout the online game business. The information got here round 18 months after the corporate laid off 15 p.c of its workforce. 

through Sport Developer // After years of negotiations, a bunch of QA employees at Blizzard Albany and Austin rated a union contract with Microsoft that delivers wage will increase, generative AI protections, crediting provisions, incapacity lodging, and far more. One union member stated the contract makes it simpler to see a “actual, long-term profession” on the firm.