Xbox Cuts, Ace Attorney Goes VR, Control Resonant Launches
Xbox's latest restructuring puts studio layoffs and reporting-line changes at the center of the day's news, with World's Edge losing almost half its staff during the latest round of cuts. Remedy's Control: Resonant launches with a combat hotfix, while Capcom's next Ace Attorney announcement turns out to be a VR remake rather than a new mainline adventure.
Xbox Layoffs Cut Deeply Into World's Edge and Halo Studios
Microsoft's latest Xbox layoffs eliminate 268 jobs, with Age of Empires developer World's Edge losing nearly half of its employees. A former World's Edge senior software engineer also suggests that the studio canceled a game or project as part of its shift to Activision, though that cancellation has not been presented as an official announcement.
The same restructuring reportedly brings the impending closure of Ninja Theory and leaves Halo Studios almost dismantled, while World's Edge is reduced by roughly half. Obsidian Entertainment, meanwhile, now reports through Bethesda, but Bethesda president Jill Braff says the change is primarily administrative and that Obsidian will retain its leadership, creative identity, and existing roadmap.
Double Fine's recent split from Xbox adds another perspective to the shakeup. Studio founder Tim Schafer says he does not understand why the games industry is not recovering and describes keeping Double Fine alive as “worth fighting for.”
Control: Resonant Launches With an Easier Combat Patch
Control: Resonant launches today on PS5 and Xbox, and Remedy already has a PS5 hotfix live to address early combat criticism. The update makes stun-focused combat adjustments after reviewers and early players described the opening areas and enemies as unusually difficult.
There is also a SteamOS caveat for PC players: Control: Resonant works on other SteamOS systems but is currently marked Unsupported on Steam Deck.
Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies VR Brings Ace Attorney to Meta Quest
AMATA Games, working under license from Capcom, announces Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies VR for 2027. The project recreates an existing Ace Attorney game rather than introducing a new courtroom adventure, making it a VR remake instead of Ace Attorney 7.
It is planned for Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest 3S, Quest Pro, and the new Meta VR Glasses, but not PSVR2.
The announcement arrives shortly before Phoenix Wright's 25th anniversary, with the VR project potentially serving as an early part of Capcom's celebrations.
Meta VR Glasses Get Tetris Effect and Story of Seasons Games
Meta's new VR Glasses receive a growing game lineup, including Tetris Effect: Mixed Realities for Meta Quest 3 and the glasses, alongside Story of Seasons: Your Wonderful Life. Meta describes the glasses as lightweight hardware with micro-OLED displays and motion-capture support, while the battery and processor clip onto a belt rather than sitting entirely on the user's face.
Tetris Effect: Mixed Realities is scheduled for next year, while the Story of Seasons announcement does not include a release date in the available details.
Quake Champions Leaves Free-to-Play Behind on Steam
Quake Champions transitions from free-to-play to a paid Steam release eight years after its original launch, while its Microsoft Store version is being retired. The change removes battle passes, loot boxes, premium currencies, and the in-game store, and players who previously accessed the game through Steam free events are upgraded automatically.
Bethesda does not plan further content updates after this final major update.