Virtual Economy copertina

Virtual Economy

Virtual Economy

Di: Michael Futter and Amanda Farough
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A proposito di questo titolo

 The business of video games can be complicated. In each episode of Virtual Economy, hosts and analysts Amanda Farough and Michael Futter break down the biggest business news in the video game industry. Economia
Episodi
  • Episode 204: Ubisoft's Hail Mary (News Show)

    Episode 204: Ubisoft's Hail Mary (News Show)
    Feb 10 2026
    Ubisoft employees are prepared to strike over a recent return-to-office mandate and extreme cost-cutting. Also: Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for December 2025 and full year 2025, That's No Moon at odds with former founder, Amazon Games suffers another blow, and Ashes of Creation dev Intrepid implodes. You can support Virtual Economy's growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise! TIME STAMPS [00:01:04] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for December 2025 and Full-Year 2025[00:12:00] - That's No Moon Co-Founder Causes $1M Problem[00:21:09] - Valve Faces Down Another Class Action Suit[00:29:41] - Ubisoft in Disarray[00:52:38] - Investment Interlude[00:57:23] - Quick Hits[01:02:13] - Labor Report SOURCES That's No Moon Ex-CEO Hijacked Domain And Caused A $1M Problem, Cofounders Say In Lawsuit | Aftermath Valve Fails To Get $900m Class Action Lawsuit Over Pricing Thrown Out | Kotaku UBISOFT ANNOUNCES A MAJOR ORGANIZATIONAL, OPERATIONAL AND PORTFOLIO RESET TO RECLAIM CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND RESTORE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH | UbisoftUbisoft Employee Claims He's Placed on Unpaid Suspension for Criticising Return-to-Office Policy | Insider GamingUbisoft Fires Team Lead For Criticising Stupid Return-To-Office Mandate | Aftermath Ex-Assassin's Creed boss Marc-Alexis Côté sues Ubisoft after his surprise and "disguised dismissal" | Eurogamer We are shutting it down:' Ubisoft unions call for international strike | Game Developer INVESTMENT INTERLUDE Industry networking platform MeetToMatch acquired by 1SP Agency | GamesIndustry Indie publisher Pixel Doors launches with a 'developer-first' mindset | Game Developer LABOR REPORT Update on our organization | Amazon Christoph Hartmann Out at Amazon | Jason Schreier on Bluesky Report: ProbablyMonsters lays off devs while unveiling Nazi hunting game | Game Developer Wildgate maker Moonshot laying off unspecified number of staff | GamesIndustry Update: Payday developer Starbreeze pushes ahead with 'new wave' of layoffs | Game Developer Report: NetEase Games is cutting jobs in Montreal | Game Developer Studio that developed the infamous Mighty No.9 has shut down for good | Eurogamer Anime action RPG studio Pahdo Labs shuts down despite accruing $17.5M in funding: 'We believed making a demo of a familiar but new game would be our best shot' | PCGamer Tencent subsidiary Sumo Digital is making layoffs | Game DeveloperMMORPG Ashes of Creation Suddenly Implodes 52 Days After Steam Early Access Launch | WCCFTech Ashes Of Creation Dev Details $3.2 Million Kickstarter Studio's Shocking Collapse: 'None Of Us Are Receiving Our Final Paychecks' | Kotaku Blizzard QA Workers' Newly Ratified Union Contract Locks In Pay Increases, Better Benefits | Aftermath
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    1 ora e 43 min
  • Episode 203: The Last Gasp of Virtual Reality (Season 7 Premiere)

    Episode 203: The Last Gasp of Virtual Reality (Season 7 Premiere)
    Jan 21 2026

    2026 is putting us through our paces right out of the gate. We're hanging onto hope, but layoffs, consolidation, and private equity loom over us like a shadow. On this episode: an update on Paramount's desperate fight for Warner Bros. Discovery, Saudi Arabia moves video game holdings, and VR's challenges get much larger.

    You can support Virtual Economy's growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise!

    TIME STAMPS

    • [00:02:35] - A conversation about hardware prices
    • [00:10:16] - Paramount sues Warner Bros for Netflix deal details
    • [00:15:39] - Investment Interlude
    • [00:24:13] - Quick Hits
    • [00:28:07] - Labor Report
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    43 min
  • Episode 202: The Last Gasp of a Brutal Year (Season Finale)

    Episode 202: The Last Gasp of a Brutal Year (Season Finale)
    Dec 22 2025

    2025 has continued the trend of layoffs, consolidation, and privatization. The gulf between AAA and everyone else is widening, as the AI bubble strains before an inevitable burst. With November's Circana report coming in bleak after months of stronger performance, 2026 will continue to challenge us all.

    BUT... there is reason to hope. Unions are growing in number and reach and studios doomed by AAA mega-corps are finding a way to survive. We need to stick together to not only survive, but thrive.

    You can support Virtual Economy's growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise!

    TIME STAMPS

    • [00:07:28] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for November 2025
    • [00:27:31] - Sony and Tencent Settle Light of Moritram Lawsuit
    • [00:28:43] - Investment Interlude
    • [00:37:27] - Quick Hits
    • [00:43:53] - Labor Report

    SOURCES

    • Sony and Tencent settle lawsuit over "slavish clone" of Horizon: Zero Dawn | GamesIndustry

    INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

    • Tencent makes minority investment in France's Drama Studios | GamesIndustry
    • Disney to Invest $1 Billion in OpenAI in Major Deal That Boosts Sora in Hollywood | The Hollywood Reporter
    • Bandai Namco sells Limbic Entertainment to "private investor" | GamesIndustry

    LABOR REPORT

    • Naughty Dog Studio Orders Employee Overtime for 'Intergalactic' | Bloomberg (Paywall)
    • Days after launching their first indie game, everyone responsible for publishing it was laid off: 'We had a Slack channel with everyone in it, and then you see them leaving one by one' | PC Gamer
    • We are crowd funding Wreckreation | Three Fields
    • Funcom may have closed down Metal: Hellsinger studio The Outsiders, but its co-founder and Battlefield vet David Goldfarb says it's not over yet | PC Gamer
    • The Studio Behind Doom Just Unionized | Kotaku
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    1 ora e 6 min
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