Valve sidesteps genAI concerns, Xbox hardware continues to wilt, and EA workers are over it

It has been a quietly hectic week dominated by the fallout from EA's recent layoffs, the impending launch of GTA VI, and Valve's decision to do diddly squat about an overstuffed Next Fest that has left devs (and presumably consumers) questioning their sanity.

It is also a quietly hectic week for newsletters. You lucky sods are being treated to a double helping today, with both Headliner (this one!) and Slice of Life (the next one!) sharing the spotlight for the first—and probably last—time ever. As I've already mentioned, the plan is to fire out Slice of Life on the final Wednesday of each month, but given this week's edition is a pre-paywall bonanza it made sense to hold it for Friday. You'll get the idea when it lands in your inbox in four to five hours time.

Until then, here's the news!

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Editor's note: The first two editions of Headliner will be free, but newsletters will be made exclusive to paid subscribers from November onwards. Stay in the loop by taking advantage of our limited-time launch sale and continue supporting fearless, independent journalism.

Shortly after taking charge of Warner Bros. Discovery and by extension Warner Bros. Games, Skydance announced a 'Voluntary Buyout Program' (layoffs with extra steps) alongside a grand old five-day return-to-office mandate. What does that mean for workers within the video game division? Well, it's not what we'd call an affirming start to life in the House of Ellison.

Sucker Punch, the studio that achieved the rare feat of establishing an all-new blockbuster franchise in 2020 when it launched Ghost of Tsushima, has been clattered by parent company Sony. As reported by Aftermath, 26 people have reportedly been laid off around a year after Ghost of Yotei (branded a 'major hit' by the PlayStation maker) hit shelves.

Xbox hardware revenue (read: console sales) continued to tumble during the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Just as they did during the previous fiscal year—and the one before that. In a statement purpose-built to threaten the very fabric of reality, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has since claimed "sales remain constrained by supply, with more demand than consoles available."

The threat of generative AI cloning has developers battening down the hatches. Meanwhile, low-quality slop is dominating important preview events like Steam Next Fest. What is Valve doing about it? According to a recent panel in South Korea, not much. Other than reassuring concerned devs that community building can save the day and cloning is a tale as old as time.

A number of current and former EA workers have spoken out after the publisher chose to shutter BioWare and axe 400 jobs. Our sources claimed EA executives "cannot fail, only be failed" in what might be a quote that perfectly encapsulates the existential conundrum facing most major studios. They also explained how generative AI is being deployed within internal studios and how the absurd secrecy surrounding layoffs creates weeks of instability and turmoil.

Rockstar workers have secured a vote on union recognition that, if successful, would result in the formation of the UK game industry's largest recognised union. The vote will run from November 12 to November 26, overlapping with the launch of GTA VI and the conclusion of the high-profile legal battle between Rockstar and 31 workers who claim they were fired for union busting. It's going to be a huge month for the company.

Journey and Abzu composer Austin Wintory has shared 20 minutes of conceptual compositions (spanning eight tracks) that lay out his vision for Mass Effect Universe, the now-scrapped from the now-shuttered BioWare. The award-winning composer described the franchise as his personal "white whale" and confirmed he'd been working with BioWare for a couple of years to spitball ideas. It's better to have loved and lost, right?

I almost didn't include this on the basis it could further destabilise an industry that's already hanging on by a thread, BUT this is too big a win for the daydreamers and procrastinators to leave out. Yes, Football Manager 27 has arrived and is looking to turn a page after the disaster that was FM26. Crucially, it is also free-to-play until November 3, meaning you have five days to save my beloved Preston North End from another harrowing League One tour or take Man City from League Two back to the summit. Oh, right, maybe that'll be one for FM28.

Sometimes you read a headline and immediately know it's a load of bollocks. This is not one of those occasions. After pit-stopping at Netflix, the Rockstar marketing machine made for the satirical shores of South Park to debut footage that answers the question nobody was asking: can you weaponise excrement in GTA VI? Yes. Yes you can. But why?

Valve sidesteps genAI concerns, Xbox hardware continues to wilt, and EA workers are over it - Headliner [30/10/26]

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Valve sidesteps genAI concerns, Xbox hardware continues to wilt, and EA workers are over it - Headliner [30/10/26]

Chris Kerr

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