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ORC KENDRICK: I craft my blade i try to slay mistakes i made. you aint been underground like me. you aint laid out of sin like me. Green skin, dollar tint, dick long, money spent {Soulful beat switch} These caves dont hold secrets.. ELF DRAKE: How I always lose U in these woods

Consolidation is, was, and continues to be the death of our industry.

From the outside, a sentiment I often see when a studio is bought by a larger company is: "now they'll have access to more resources and be able to absorb more risk". And that could not be further from the truth.

You might ask, "how does this behavior help them sell games?" and the answer is that it doesn't. That is not the primary concern of a corporation, even if they are nominally in the game-selling market. Their concern is raw profitability. More specifically, looking profitable.

Because Sony's primary product is not games. Or Playstations. Or even televisions. McDonald's primary product is not food. Exxon's primary product is not oil. The primary product of every single publicly traded company is the exact same thing: its own stock.

And while routinely carving human beings off of your masthead is an inefficient way of making games, it is a very efficient way of looking sleek, budget-responsible, and attractive to stockholders. Sort of like chopping your arm off to hit a weight goal. Good business, on paper.

This is not a cynical or ungenerous read. This is literally and explicitly what our economy is built on. You do not buy stock in a sandwich place because you like their sandwiches. You buy stock in a sandiwich place because you think other people will buy that stock. Period.

For those of us who fucking love games - love playing them, making them, talking about them, funding them, creating culture around them - it's often inconcievable that these titanic companies aren't actually interested in games themselves. But that's where we're at.

I know we aren't going away, but our *industry* is being devoured by creatures who do not care about us or the passion we have for what we do. The sooner we recognize that, the better.

Y’all have to hear this

If there is anything I can do to help those laid off by Microsoft or any other game company, my DMs are open. Happy to assist with networking, resume/portfolio reviews, whatever I can do.

I’m a fan of people who make games. Today — and every preceding day so far — is further proof that the people in charge of our industry are not, no matter how populist or approachable their marketing makes them seem.

AAAA is pronounced:

Breaks my heart seeing massive layoffs hitting our industry again ☹️ In CD PROJEKT RED we have a lot of openings, from The Witcher 4, to Cyberpunk 2, and other projects, across Poland, US and Canada. Please share it with your collogues and join us! 🥺 cdprojektred.com/en/jobs

there’s a thought out there that will kill you if you think it

🖤

I unironically love everything about this high stakes car chase that destroys a freeway to catch a guy that he promptly lets go after 30 seconds to go download Duolingo

Doctor who used to work at Dairy Queen: here’s your son - quick flip - there you go, congratulations

Huge news, fellow edgers!

In New Orrrrc, crushbone city where dreams are made of