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Shout Out To The Developers Trying More Humane Working Conditions
10.9.2021
Because most major news stories about the culture and environment at video game developers tend to be negative, I thought tonight it would be nice to look at two recent examples of studios who are trying something different.Read more
Pokémon Oreos Would Be Cooler If Nabisco Workers Weren’t Striking
8.9.2021
This morning, Oreo announced a new variation of its popular sandwich cookies decorated with Pokémon characters. But while I love me some cross-brand synergy, I’m also a little wary of scarfing down on a crunchy, chocolate recreation of Pikachu’s face when striking Nabisco workers have asked...
Kickass Cyberpunk 2077 Modders Become CD Projekt Red Devs
31.8.2021
If you know anything about Cyberpunk 2077, an open-world romp about committing crimes with neo-John Wick, you know that it launched in rough shape. Much of the game’s eight-month lifespan has been defined more by patches and updates than anything else. But this news might help: The developer,...
Medieval GTA Actually Pretty Much Works
30.8.2021
These days, people are excited about old Grand Theft Auto games, like Vice City and San Andreas, getting remastered for modern hardware. But before the series went 3D, the ‘90s era classic top-down GTA games were Rockstar’s quirky first stabs at an open-world crime game. Rustler, out today...
California Accuses Activision Blizzard Of Shredding Abuse Evidence
25.8.2021
The state of California recently expanded its discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, Axios reports. In addition to suing the massive gaming conglomerate over its culture of harassment and abuse toward female employees, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is now also looking...
Ubisoft Studio Under Investigation Over Sexual Harassment, Workplace Discrimination Reports
18.8.2021
The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), Singapore’s national workplace watchdog, has launched an investigation into Ubisoft’s local studio following allegations of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination.Read more
Riot Is Still Delaying Harassment Investigation, California Alleges
17.8.2021
In addition to Activision Blizzard, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has also been looking at Riot Games’ history of “unlawful workplace practices”, saying in a statement today that the League of Legends developer has once again delayed their investigations into harassment...
US Inflation Continues to Rise Amid Lockdown Talk, Producer Prices Jump 7.8%, Biden Blames OPEC
14.8.2021
The United States is facing severe inflation despite the Federal Reserve and mainstream media doubling down on saying the loss of purchasing power is just “transitory.” This week consumer and producer metrics from July have been published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics...
Game Payment Company CEO Sounds Like A Massive Jerk
6.8.2021
Game payment company Xsolla is reportedly planning to lay off 150 people for being “unengaged and unproductive.” CEO and founder, Aleksandr Agapitov later wrote on Twitter, “Work your fucking ass off or get your fucking ass out.” It’s a big old mess made more complicated by the CEO’s continued...
Fed’s Vice Chair Says Tapering May Happen in 2021, Senator Joe Manchin ‘Alarmed Over Record Amount of Stimulus Injections’
6.8.2021
The U.S. central bank’s vice chairman Richard Clarida explained on Wednesday that the Federal Reserve could begin tapering large asset purchases this year. Also, that the first interest rate hike since the onset of Covid-19 could happen in 2023. Meanwhile, despite members of the Fed saying...
Activision Blizzard Workers: Leadership Isn’t Actually Meeting Our Demands
3.8.2021
Activision Blizzard employees issued a new statement today criticizing leadership’s actions in the wake of California’s sexual harassment lawsuit against the company. The message specifically calls out CEO Bobby Kotick’s lack of “meaningful” progress after his first public statement and...
Activision Blizzard Hires Union-Busting Firm As Workers Start To Come Together
29.7.2021
In a public statement addressed to employees earlier this week, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said the company was reviewing policies and procedures to help promote a more respectful and inclusive workplace. To help accomplish that, the company has retained the services of prestigious...
Ubisoft Workers Decry Industry's 'Culture Of Abuse'
28.7.2021
A new open letter signed by almost 500 current and former Ubisoft employees announces their solidarity with the workers at Activision Blizzard, demands movement from their own leadership, and calls for systemic change across the entire video game industry, Axios reports.Read more
Activision Blizzard Employees Plan Walkout Wednesday To Protest Working Conditions
27.7.2021
Following days of informal protests and denouncements of their company’s response to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit, Activision Blizzard employees are holding a formal walkout Wednesday, July 28, calling on leadership to improve conditions for women, particularly...
Blizzard Devs Say Some Men Were Sexually Harassed, Too
26.7.2021
Since allegations of widespread harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard first surfaced last week, former Blizzard developers and women across the field have spoken up once again about abuse in the games industry. While many of those affected are women, not all are, and some men...
Over 1,000 Activision Blizzard Employees Sign Letter Condemning Company's Response To Allegations
26.7.2021
“Following the announcement from Activision Blizzard, and in light of the internal memo circulated by Frances Townsend, a group of over 800 employees from across all of Activision-Blizzard-King and its subsidiaries came together to take action,” a representative of the group told Kotaku. “Over...
Activision Blizzard Sued By California Over Widespread Harassment Of Women
22.7.2021
Activision Blizzard, the publishing giant behind everything from Call of Duty to Overwatch, is being sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing over a “frat boy” workplace culture that it alleges has led to years of harassment and abuse targeting the women in...
Take-Two Is Removing Old GTA Mods Using DMCA Notices
18.7.2021
Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has spent the past week or so using DMCA takedown requests to remove old Grand Theft Auto mods. The publisher hasn’t explained why it has started this sudden removal of old mods.Read more
Major Modding Site Pisses Off Tons Of Users, Sparking Revolt
2.7.2021
Nexus Mods, the biggest host of video game modifications in the world, came under fire from mod creators this week over controversial plans to prevent modders from fully deleting any works they upload to the popular mod-hosting network.Read more
Nintendo Investigated Report Of Forced Uighur Labor
1.7.2021
In spring 2020, the BBC reported that tens of thousands from China’s Uighur ethnic minority group were being forced into factory labor, having no choice whether or not to work in the global supply chain for products made by 83 global brands.Read more