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Xbox Showcase Set for June, Eidos Montreal Layoffs, Blades Shutting

Mar 30, 2026 · 15d ago

The summer gaming calendar is officially taking shape with Microsoft locking in its annual June showcase, but the industry's brutal economic reality continues to cast a long shadow. Today brings another wave of studio closures, mass layoffs, and sudden live-service cancellations that highlight the volatile state of modern game development.

Xbox Games Showcase 2026 and Gears of War E-Day Direct Set for June

Xbox Games Showcase 2026 promises "huge" game news and a dedicated Gears of War: E-Day segmentSee More New PS5 Games from Xbox in Bumper June ShowcaseEurogamerPush Square Microsoft will broadcast its annual Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, 2026, followed immediately by a dedicated Direct presentation for Gears of War: E-Day EurogamerGematsuIGN. The summer event promises deep dives into upcoming first-party titles and third-party releases, with the Gears of War segment expected to offer the first substantial look at the highly anticipated prequel Push SquareXbox Wire. In a related shift for the brand, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has officially scrapped the controversial "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign, reportedly stating that the messaging simply did not fit the platform's identity EurogamerThis Week in Video GamesVGC.

Eidos Montreal Suffers Mass Layoffs as Indie Studio Ivy Road Closes

It Never Ends: Eidos Montreal Confirms Mass Layoffs Including Veteran Studio Head Eidos Montreal studio head departs as it lays off another 124 employees 'across production and support teams' Push SquarePC Gamer Eidos Montreal has laid off 124 employees across its production and support teams, citing changing project needs and rising development costs Push SquarePC GamerGematsu. The cuts coincide with the departure of veteran studio head David Anfossi, who led the Deus Ex developer for over a decade PC GamerTechRaptor. The indie sector is facing similar financial hurdles, with Wanderstop developer Ivy Road announcing it will permanently shut down on March 31 Push SquareGame Developer. The studio was forced to close its doors after failing to secure publishing funding for its proposed second project, a vehicular combat game called Engine Angel Push SquareThis Week in Video Games.

Crimson Desert Update Removes AI Art and Adds PS5 Upscaling

Crimson Desert Dev Keeps Its Promise, Replaces AI Art in Latest PatchCrimson Desert Improves Image Quality on Base PS5 with Simple UpscalingPush SquarePush Square Pearl Abyss has released a major update for Crimson Desert that officially strips the open-world RPG of its controversial AI-generated placeholder art Push SquareThis Week in Video GamesRock Paper Shotgun. The patch also introduces FSR 3 upscaling to the base PlayStation 5 version, significantly improving image quality for players using the 60fps performance mode Push Square. Behind the scenes, the game's narrative apparently underwent massive revisions during its lengthy production cycle. Alec Newman, the voice actor behind protagonist Kliff, revealed that he actively pushed the studio to make his character less stoic as the script and story direction constantly shifted around him IGNEurogamerThis Week in Video Games.

PUBG Blindspot and The Elder Scrolls Blades Are Shutting Down

PUBG Blindspot shuts down after 2 months in early accessKrafton shutters free-to-play PUBG spin-off after two months, in line with policy of using Early Access to "quickly validate a game’s potential"Game DeveloperGamesIndustry.biz Krafton is pulling the plug on PUBG: Blindspot, a free-to-play tactical top-down shooter spinoff, after just 53 days in early access Game DeveloperTechRaptorIGN. The publisher stated the rapid closure aligns with its strategy of using early access to quickly validate a project's long-term potential before committing further resources GamesIndustry.biz. Meanwhile, Bethesda is sunsetting its mobile RPG The Elder Scrolls: Blades, which has already been delisted from all storefronts Game DeveloperIGN. The game's servers will permanently go offline on June 30, 2026, marking the end of its quiet multi-year run Game DeveloperEurogamer.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Replaces Human Translator With AI

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Translator Fired, Replaced With AI — ReportEx Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Dev Says They Were Fired and Replaced with AIThis Week in Video GamesPush Square Warhorse Studios is facing backlash after reportedly firing a localization staff member to replace their role with generative AI This Week in Video GamesPush SquareTechRaptor. Max Hejtmánek, a former Czech-to-English translator for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, stated he was dismissed after management decided his position would become obsolete next month Push Square. The development team allegedly plans to use artificial intelligence for all future translation work in an effort to cut costs and increase efficiency This Week in Video GamesPush Square.