It’s a deeply unhappy time for game developers, as anyone paying attention to the games industry this year will know. Thousands of jobs have fallen victim to corporate cost-cutting, as in-progress games have been cancelled and award-winning studios closed. The mood is furious and despondent.
“I feel such despair for the medium I love,” a reader wrote in response to last week’s newsletter. “The layoffs have been so disheartening from the potential that’s being squandered in the name of even more grotesque levels of profit taking, let alone the impact this is having on the people who actually make the games.” He asked: “Do you see a way forward for developers to make great games on a decent budget and pay their staff a living wage? Some hope would be appreciated.”
