Financial
Blizzard Cutting Costs and Preparing for a Lean 2019 as Culture Concerns Emerge
Blizzard has been quietly tightening the belt over 2018 through a variety of cost-cutting measures. Former employees who’ve spoken about the measures worry that some of Blizzard’s troubles might be caused by a changing corporate culture.
Starbreeze Raided in Insider Trading Investigation
Starbreeze Studios, the creators of Payday 2 and Overkill’s The Walking Dead, had their offices raided by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (ECO or EBM) yesterday in an insider trading investigation. There has been one arrest so far.
New Steam Revenue Splits Upset Indie Devs
A recent change to the Steam marketplace makes it so Valve will take a smaller cut of a game’s earnings if it reaches certain sales milestones. This change has sparked debate among smaller developers about Valve’s decision to make things easier for bigger games.
Starbreeze Files for Reconstruction; CEO Steps Down
Starbreeze, the Swedish video game developer and publisher behind games like Payday 2 and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, is filing for reconstruction with the Stockholm District Court. Meanwhile, Bo Anderson is stepping down from his position as Starbreeze CEO and board member.
Ubisoft Avoids Takeover
Ubisoft has announced that they have stopped the corporate takeover by multimedia company Vivendi. This is some very big news in the video game industry that could have changed how Ubisoft had performed as a company, and if we would have ever gotten a new Assassin’s Creed! See all the details in the business venture here.