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Xbox Cuts 650 More Gaming Jobs, But No Studios Closed Or Games Canceled

Xbox Cuts 650 More Gaming Jobs, But No Studios Closed Or Games Canceled

Microsoft has implemented another round of heavy cuts to its Xbox gaming team following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In this latest round of layoffs, Microsoft is eliminating about 650 positions from its gaming team, but no additional studios have closed and no other games are canceled as a result of the move, which Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed on September 12. In January, Microsoft cut 1,900 gaming positions, bringing the number of cuts to the company to about 2,550 since the $75.4 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard closed in October 2023.

In a memo to staff obtained by IGN, Spencer said the cuts came as part of Microsoft's effort to align the company's "post-acquisition team structure and managing our business."

The approximately 650 layoffs from Microsoft Gaming "mostly" impact the "corporate and supporting" functions of the business, the company said. Affected staffers in the US are getting severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services. Packages for those outside of the US are available, too, and vary by location.Continue Reading at GameSpot


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Bobiverse Book 5 Debuts At No. 1 - Here's How To Catch Up On The Popular Sci-Fi Series

Bobiverse Book 5 Debuts At No. 1 - Here's How To Catch Up On The Popular Sci-Fi Series

Dennis E. Taylor's hilarious sci-fi series Bobiverse has exploded in popularity since its debut in 2016, and after a three-plus year wait, the highly anticipated fifth novel, Not Till We Are Lost, released September 5. There is a catch here, though: Not Till We Are Lost is currently an Audible exclusive, so you'll have to listen to the audiobook to continue the story. A release date for the paperback and Kindle versions hasn't been announced, but Audible's timed exclusives typically last a few months. The Bobiverse series on Audible is performed by Ray Porter, one of best narrators working today. Not Till We Are Lost is another big hit for Taylor; it quickly snagged the No. 1 slot on Audible's best-seller list.

It's possible to read and listen to the whole series for free with Audible Premium Plus and Kindle Unlimited memberships. Get Bobiverse Book 5

Continue Reading at GameSpot


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How Gorilla Tag Became A Generational Obsession And Conquered VR

How Gorilla Tag Became A Generational Obsession And Conquered VR

If you don't have kids, it's quite possible you've never heard of Gorilla Tag, and if you do have kids, there's a good chance Gorilla Tag is all you've been hearing about for a few years now. Originally developed by one person, Kerestell Smith--known to fans by his online handle Lemming--Gorilla Tag is the game of a generation. It hosts a million unique players daily, up to three million monthly active users, and has been played by over 12 million people since it released in 2021. While many older players have sometimes already written off VR, players of a particular age, approximately 7-14, have flocked to a game that is simple in its gameplay loop but sneakily complex in its design.

As both a writer in this space and the parent of a Gen Alpha kid who's been shimmying through his bedroom as a virtual great ape for a few years now, I was excited to meet Smith and hear the complete Gorilla Tag origin story, learning why and how he believes Gorilla Tag overtook a generation, and what it means for the future of the platform.

"What's really funny is that I didn't set out to make a game that kids like. I just thought to make a game that I like," Smith told me through a laugh as part of a sit-down conversation in Seattle during PAX West earlier this month. "So I don't know what that says about my sensibilities for, like, what I want to do in VR."Continue Reading at GameSpot


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Destiny 2's Anniversary Update Is A Depressing Cap To 10 Years

Destiny 2's Anniversary Update Is A Depressing Cap To 10 Years

I'm standing in the Skywatch area of the Cosmodrome, Old Russia, in Destiny 2, with a few other random players, and we're waiting for enemies to spawn. A Hive Tomb ship appears in the sky right over my head and drops off exactly two enemies, and I blast away at them with a machine gun. The other players sprint over, swooping in like hawks, but I manage to snag the two kills before they can, so they jump back onto rooftops and boulders to wait for the next batch of baddies and try again. A lot of long, boring seconds pass before any more enemies spawn and we all repeat the scramble.

I'm shooting these particular fish in this particular barrel because it's a requirement to unlock the Legend title, a social marker of in-game achievements that appears beneath your name. Another player getting a kill means I don't, so we're all competing against each other to spend the least amount of time here. Developer Bungie added this title to the game in honor of the 10th anniversary of the original Destiny, and the objective I'm working on is a joking nod to the early days of that game. We have to kill a bunch of enemies in the Skywatch and loot "engrams," or weapon/armor drops, from them.Hello Darkness, my old friend.

See, back when Destiny launched in 2014, the grind to increase your level and reach the requirements for its endgame content--the Vault of Glass raid--was awful. After a certain point, your strength was determined by the stats on your gear, so you were always chasing weapons and armor with higher levels. Gear was dolled out stingily; you could get it from playing Strike missions, but only in unpredictable fits and starts, and from random drops when you killed aliens. But the gear was never guaranteed to be better than what you already had.Continue Reading at GameSpot


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Disney Lorcana's Next Collector's Gift Set Releases Alongside Azurite Sea Expansion

Disney Lorcana's Next Collector's Gift Set Releases Alongside Azurite Sea Expansion

Disney Lorcana is getting another expansion later this year, with Azurite Sea arriving on November 25. This marks the sixth set of the popular Lorcana TCG, and it’s looking to bring a variety of new cards to the game and shake up your deck. Coinciding with Azurite Sea is the release of the Lorcana: Stitch Collector’s Gift Set, which is a great way to pick up an exclusive foil promo card, card portfolio, and a handful of booster packs.

Best Buy is taking preorders for Disney Lorcana's Azurite Sea expansion, which includes a booster box, Illumineer's Trove box set, starter decks, and various accessories. Since these will likely be the last Lorcana new releases of the year, they're likely to be popular gifts this holiday season. See all preorders at Best Buy

Continue Reading at GameSpot


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Zoe Saldana Wants To Direct An Action Movie: 'I've Never Seen A Woman Direct James Bond'

Zoe Saldana Wants To Direct An Action Movie: 'I've Never Seen A Woman Direct James Bond'

From Avatar to Guardians of the Galaxy, Colombiana, and more, Zoe Saldana has starred in a lot of action movies in the last two decades. Now, Saldana wants to transition to directing by helming an action movie of her own.

"I've never seen a woman direct James Bond," said Saldana at the Toronto International Film Festival via Variety. "I like The Equalizer. I watch crime shows, and, so, maybe in the future. I've always been drawn to heist themes. Heat is a film that I need to watch at least once a year and analyze it, and the way that Michael Mann just pairs it all together, the way that everybody performed it. So, I would love to start with an action-heist sort of thing."

It may take some time before Saldana's ambitions become a reality. While the actress has already filmed her part for Avatar: Fire & Ash, she still has to finish the fourth and fifth films in James Cameron's Avatar franchise. While Saldana didn't offer any hints about what lies ahead in the next movie, she did explain why she feels the Avatar movies are special to her.Continue Reading at GameSpot


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Nintendo Museum Gets A Pikachu-Themed Manhole Cover

Nintendo Museum Gets A Pikachu-Themed Manhole Cover

Kyoto's Nintendo Museum is getting a special Pokémon-themed manhole cover featuring Pikachu. The manhole cover's design features the electrified rodent leaping out of a GameBoy, with pixels shooting outward in his wake.

Nintendo showed off the surprising new choice in street decor via an official blog post, giving prospective museum-goers a closer look at the design. Pikachu isn't the only character from the franchise to get a special themed manhole cover, however--a whole collection of them have been popping up in various Japanese cities, featuring other Pokémon, like Golem and Vulpix. Nintendo has even released a map showing the location of each manhole cover--referring to them as "Poké Lids"--along with a bit of an explanation for why they exist to begin with.

"Poké Lids, artistic covers for utility holes, have recently started to be spotted in some cities," reads the Poké Lid site's description. "Who knows if they are of Pokémonopolistic nature? It seems that not all utility holes are man-made; rumor has it that Diglett may be responsible for digging large enough holes to be mistaken for utility holes, and some artists took it upon themselves to “mark” the covers to differentiate them from ordinary ones. Where will the next 'mark' be?"Continue Reading at GameSpot


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