BioWare Closes, Mass Effect Petition Grows, Studio Cuts Spread
Electronic Arts closes BioWare and cancels its next Mass Effect game as a petition urging the company to save the series passes 223,000 signatures . The week also brings layoffs and restructuring across game studios, a cyberattack disclosure from Warhorse Studios, and a Grand Theft Auto VI trailer ahead of the game’s launch window
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BioWare Closes as Mass Effect Petition Passes 223,000 Signatures
Electronic Arts closes BioWare after more than 30 years and ends early development on its next Mass Effect game, amid roughly 400 EA job cuts, including about 50 BioWare roles .
A petition calling on EA to save the series grows from 75,000 to 187,000 and then 223,000 signatures during the week; it urges the company to restart development internally or license Mass Effect to another studio .
A genuine internal trailer for the canceled project surfaces online, with reported design details including handcrafted missions, environmental hacking, close-range executions and Liara’s return . Separate leaked details say another canceled Mass Effect project was intended to account for choices made across Commander Shepard’s trilogy
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Game Studio Layoffs Spread From Xbox to Sucker Punch and Auroch
Microsoft offers voluntary exits to 60,000 employees, roughly a quarter of its workforce, while further Xbox reductions are described as ongoing . Sucker Punch reportedly lays off 24 employees, estimated at around 10% of the studio, while Auroch Digital plans to cut about a quarter of its workforce
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Don’t Nod is pursuing restructuring to guard against insolvency as employees warn of possible layoffs and accuse management of illegal practices . Arkane Lyon gets an additional month to find a buyer, moving its reported deadline to December 13, while its 217 employees continue working on Marvel’s Blade
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Without a buyer or another solution, Arkane Lyon could close .
Capcom Data Breach Affects 11.77 Million Accounts as Warhorse Investigates Attack
Capcom says a third party accessed information associated with approximately 11.77 million Capcom ID accounts, while credit card information was not compromised . The exposed data includes email addresses and IP addresses from recent logins; additional details such as birth dates, gender, region and nicknames were exposed in 43 cases
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Warhorse Studios confirms that an attacker accessed its systems and data, and says it is working with cybersecurity specialists to secure its systems and investigate the incident . The studio has not disclosed what information was accessed or whether development was disrupted
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Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer Arrives Alongside Rockstar Union Vote Plans
The official Grand Theft Auto VI launch trailer offers a look at Leonida ahead of the game’s November 19 arrival . Rockstar Games employees in the UK are scheduled to vote on union recognition from November 12 to November 26, a period that overlaps with the game’s launch window
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If recognized, the IWGB Rockstar Game Workers Union would become the largest recognized union in the UK video games industry .
Pokémon Unite Sets March 2027 Service Shutdown
The Pokémon Company and TiMi Studio Group plan to end Pokémon Unite service on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices on March 23, 2027 . In-game sales have ended, and a planned library feature will let users access some content after shutdown
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