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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will receive new update with "a bit of whee and a bit of whoo", as studio celebrates new sales milestone
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will receive new update with “a bit of whee and a bit of whoo”, as studio celebrates new sales milestone

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive has teased a new update to the game is on the way, as a “thank you” to fans.

While story details remain slim, game director Guillaume Broche told Eurogamer: “You can expect a bit of whee, and a bit of whoo as well”. His hints suggest it’ll focus on adorable mount Esquie, who’s become a bit of a meme within the game’s community.

News of the update arrives as the game reaches a new sales milestone: it’s now sold over 5m copies worldwide across all formats.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube

“We are working on a big ‘thank you’ update for the game actively, that we will release when it’s ready,” said Broche. “We want to prepare an update to say a big thank you to our players, because it’s thanks to our players that we are in such a comfortable situation now. They brought us so much emotion and gave us so much love in return for the game that we want to address that and make a big thank you update with new content, new enemies, new stuff to do for every type of player.”

He continued: “It’s not a super big DLC extension with hours of content. It’s more a thank you gift from us. You will have quite a few things to do and collect…[and] some quality of life [additions] that are very highly requested by the community.”

Same, tbh. | Image credit: Sandfall / Eurogamer

Back in June the developer teased more content was on the way, including new accessibility options and localisation options among other “bits and bobs”, which will now be part of this teased update.

The update will include:

  • A brand-new location with new enemy encounters
  • New boss battles aimed at late-game players
  • New costumes for each member of the party
  • New text and UI game localisations into Czech, Ukrainian, Latin American Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian
  • “Even more surprises fans can look forward to”

The update will be released for free.

The studio has also released the below artwork, hinting towards what fans can expect to discover.

What do you see here? | Image credit: Sandfall Interactive

At the end of May, Sandfall announced Expedition 33 had reached a fitting milestone of 3.3m copies sold in its first month. It’s now sold a further 2m copies and is a popular frontrunner for game of the year awards.

Alongside news of the update, Eurogamer spoke with Broche about the game’s success, the studio’s “art house” aspirations, and the scope of future projects.



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Metal Hellsinger studio closing as part of Funcom layoffs
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Metal Hellsinger studio closing as part of Funcom layoffs

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The Outsiders (AKA Funcom Stockholm) – responsible for Metal Hellsingers and Metal Hellsingers VR – has been impacted by layoffs. As a result, the studio will be closing. The studio consisted of roughly 60 staff according to the official Funcom website.

Through a social media statement posted by The Outsiders founder David Goldfarb, the closure was announced. It reads: “I have not had much time to process the news but all of us at The Outsiders and Funcom Stockholm have been affected by the layoffs at Funcom and our 10 year old studio will be closing.

“Many of us had survived a near-death studio experience years back when Darkborn was cancelled and because of the team’s loyalty and refusal to quit, Metal: Hellslinger was born. It will always be a high point for me personally and I will be forever grateful we got to make it and for the wonderful team and partnerships that made it happen.”

Watch the Metal Hellsinger launch trailer here!Watch on YouTube

Goldfarb stated the studio hoped to create something even better, and that the impacted developers want to try to “continue on in some new form”. He then requested help, be it through business leads, placement for affected employees, and more.

This comes shortly after Funcom announced layoffs last week, as the studio declared its intention to focus on Dune: Awakening’s ongoing live service support. The full scope of how many employees have been laid off across the full repertoire of Funcom offices remains unclear.



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BioWare's future under EA in question, studio veteran warns, if it makes "the kind of games that this new company isn't interested in making anymore"
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BioWare’s future under EA in question, studio veteran warns, if it makes “the kind of games that this new company isn’t interested in making anymore”

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BioWare veteran Mark Darrah has discussed the $55bn private acquisition of EA and what the future holds for the RPG studio, suggesting it could be sold to pay off debt.

The buyout, announced earlier this week, is by a group of investors comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. Of the $55bn, $36bn is in equity with the remaining $20bn in JPMorgan debt, which EA will need to cover.

In his latest YouTube video, Darrah (best known as a producer across the Dragon Age games) suggested EA may be looking to sell off some of its biggest IPs and studios in order to service that debt.

Dragon Age The Veilguard Review: The BEST Bioware Has EVER Been! (Spoiler-Free)Watch on YouTube

Darrah explained EA is incentivised not to take risks, and selling off an IP only for it to become a huge success elsewhere would be a notable risk. Doing nothing “keeps them from getting into trouble”, but now that incentive could be completely flipped to drive immediate revenue.

“EA has a huge repository of dormant IPs that are just sitting there dormant,” said Darrah. “It seems unlikely that the new resulting structure is going to be eager to suddenly revive a bunch of those IPs.

“So one option might be to sell the whole lot of them for a hundred million dollars if you can get it, because a hundred million dollars can come off the debt. You might even see them toying with the idea of shedding some of their existing studios. Maybe they shut them down, but maybe they look for opportunities to sell off entire studios, or entire groups.”

He continued: “It makes a tonne of sense for this new group to want EA Sports whole and strong and to continue doing what it’s doing. EA Entertainment…may make a lot less sense. So you could imagine potentially all of EA Entertainment being sold off to another group with deep pockets.”

EA Goes Private For 55 Billion?!Watch on YouTube

He even suggested that, as this deal has likely been in the works for a while, it’s conceivable EA’s new structure was intentionally planned to make it easier to sell off parts of the business. As such, EA owns plenty of studios that haven’t shipped a game in a while, or have experienced problems, or make “the kind of games that this new company isn’t interested in making anymore”.

Darrah noted EA has “a lot of momentum” in not selling studios, but added “we’re in a new world now”. “It’s incredibly unlikely that EA stays exactly as it currently is in a private structure, especially carrying £20bn worth of debt,” he said.

So what does this all mean for BioWare specifically?

“For the studios that have more of a track record, especially a track record that maybe doesn’t line up with your own political views…you’re going to look at that studio and wonder how you make them fit into your new structure,” said Darrah.

“It’s hard to imagine that you have BioWare pivot from having very progressive messaging to having the reverse because it’s what the government wants. It’s hard to imagine that the public perception of a game that comes out of BioWare, even if you do do that, isn’t apocalyptically bad.” That would mean leaving the studio alone, or assuming it no longer fits in the organisation.

While Darrah is, of course, merely speculating, the deal certainly brings the future of all EA’s studios into question. Yet with the progressive nature of its RPGs, BioWare’s future under a Saudi-owned company is particularly uncertain.

In a statement to employees, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the company’s “values and our commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged”.



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Dune Awakening developer Funcom suffers layoffs after biggest release in studio history
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Dune Awakening developer Funcom suffers layoffs after biggest release in studio history

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Dune: Awakening developer Funcom has announced it’s laying off staff today as part of a restructuring process across the studio, with an undisclosed number of staff losing their jobs.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, the Norway-based developer stated it’s laying off staff as part of a restructuring effort towards: “releasing new content, features, and enhancements.”

The statement continues: “The transition from development to long-term live operation, while also building towards a major console release next year, will require us to restructure our teams and focus our resources from across projects and studios. Unfortunately, this also means having to say goodbye to cherished colleagues.

Watch the Dune: Awakening launch trailer here.Watch on YouTube

“This difficult process is starting now, and we cannot yet determine the exact impact. We are working to find new opportunities for those affected.

“Our focus now is to provide these team members with the support and guidance they need, and we ask for your understanding at this time as we will not make further comments during this process.”

Dune: Awakening, as mentioned both in the statement and widely reported, was a massive success for Funcom. The game had a Steam concurrent player count of roughly 190,000 players during its launch, with around 100,000 coming from a more expensive priority access version of the game. In recent months, the game is floating around roughly 20,000 concurrent daily players.

Funcom, a studio with ample history in both the MMO and survival game genres, had plans to continue supporting the game post-launch and recently rolled out its first major free update to the game. This, unfortunately, was not enough to stave off layoffs.



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Just Cause Devs Announce UK Studio Closure And Layoffs
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Just Cause Devs Announce UK Studio Closure And Layoffs

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Just Cause and Mad Max developer Avalanche Studios is closing up a studio in the United Kingdom and is laying off an undisclosed number of employees due to “current challenges to our business and the industry.”

On September 30, Avalanche Studios Group posted a short update on the company’s official site announcing that its UK development studio in Liverpool is being closed and that all employees will be “impacted.” Avalanche also confirmed in the same statement that layoffs are planned for its Swedish studios located in Malmö and Stockholm. The news of layoffs and a studio closure comes about two months after Avalanche and Xbox announced that the upcoming game Contraband was canceled.

Here’s Avalanche’s full statement as posted online:

In light of current challenges to our business and the industry, we have thoroughly reviewed how to best ensure Avalanche Studios Group’s long-term success. This review has led us to the difficult conclusion that we must make changes to our staffing and locations. As a result, we are proposing to close our Liverpool studio, and to initiate a collective consultation process, as required by UK law. This will impact all Avalanchers in Liverpool. The changes will also impact our other studio locations in Malmö and Stockholm, where we will reduce our workforce and restructure the teams to address our games’ needs.

Our immediate focus is to offer full support to all Avalanchers during this challenging time. Despite these changes, we remain deeply committed to providing amazing games to our passionate player communities.

Contraband was first announced back in 2021 and was going to be published by Xbox and developed primarily by Avalanche’s studio in Liverpool. However, four years later, we had heard very little about the game and its status. In August 2025, Xbox and Avalanche announced what most people expected: Development on Contraband was being halted as the studio “evaluated” the future of the game and its plans moving forward. And while the game isn’t mentioned directly in the statement above, it appears those involved with the evaluation have settled on layoffs.

This is just one of many, many, many layoffs to happen in the video game industry over the last few years as it becomes more expensive to develop bigger games and harder than ever to get people to play them, as titles like Fortnite, GTA Online, Call of Duty, and Roblox dominate the charts. And even if your game is a big hit, that doesn’t mean you’re safe.



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Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios closing UK studio in workforce restructure, following cancellation of Xbox exclusive Contraband
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Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios closing UK studio in workforce restructure, following cancellation of Xbox exclusive Contraband

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Avalanche Studios is the latest developer to be impacted by layoffs, as the company’s UK studio is set to be closed as part of a workforce restructure that will impact its Swedish studios too.

The studio is known for the Just Cause series (not to be confused with Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software, owned by Warner Bros.) and was previously working on an Xbox exclusive called Contraband.

However, that project was cancelled by Microsoft back in August, with the studio writing in a statement: “Active development has now stopped while we evaluate the project’s future.”

Contraband – Official Reveal Trailer 4K | E3 2021Watch on YouTube

In a statement shared by the company today, the decision to restructure has been made “in light of current challenges to our business and the industry”.

It continued: “This review had led us to the difficult conclusion that we must make changes to our staffing and locations. As a result, we are proposing to close our Liverpool studio, and to initiate a collective consultation process, as required by UK law. This will impact all Avalanchers in Liverpool. The changes will also impact our other studio locations in Malmő and Stockholm, where we will reduce our workforce and restructure the teams to address our games’ needs.”

It concluded: “Despite these changes, we remain deeply committed to providing amazing games to our passionate player communities.” The statement does not mention Contraband and its cancellation specifically.

Contraband, a co-op smuggling game, was revealed in June 2021 at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, but little of the game has been shown since. Its official trailer has been removed from the Avalanche website, though you can see IGN’s video above.

Its cancellation arrived in the wake of layoffs across Microsoft in July, which resulted in the cancellation of multiple projects including The Initiative’s Perfect Dark, Rare’s Everwild, and an unannounced ZeniMax MMO.

Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella later claimed “Microsoft is thriving”, largely due to its investments in AI.

Back in 2024, Avalanche Studios entered a collective bargaining agreement with Swedish unions, which was planned to go into effect by the second quarter of this year.

“Over the past years, we’ve taken significant steps toward making Avalanche one of the best workplaces in the games industry,” Avalanche CEO Stefanía Halldórsdóttir said at the time.



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Possessor(s) protagonist, an anime girl with white hair and teal horns in a white coat, looking protagonist-style concerned/determined on orange background.
Product Reviews

Hyper Light studio Heart Machine’s next singleplayer game is launching in November, no early access, just a year and a half after it was announced

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In a new trailer, developer Heart Machine has revealed the release date of its new metroidvania search action game, Possessor(s). The fighting game-inspired platformer arrives on November 11, just a brisk year and a half after its June 2024 announcement.

I got a first look at Possessor(s) in action earlier this year, but was not able to try it hands on. I liked what I saw though: Earnest storytelling inspired by early aughts anime dubs, slick combat with the promise of juggling, parries, and tricky bosses, plus some gorgeous character and environment art.

POSSESSOR(S) Gameplay Overview | PS5 and PC on November 11 – YouTube

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That last bit is something I’m particularly excited about with Possessor(s): I find a lot of Metroid-style platformers can have overly abstracted, gamey environments. Hollow Knight and Silksong do a great job of avoiding this, with each area having a real tangible feeling and deep environmental storytelling.


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I also have to hand it to Metroid Dread on this front, a game that otherwise left me cold. Possessor(s) really sells the illusion of a ruined city over its platforming gauntlets, and I’m eager to see more.

As for combat, you can only glean so much without trying something hands on, but Possessor(s) looks propulsive and fun, while it cites some exciting influences. As a reformed Smash sicko, I want to see how much a singleplayer game can deliver that feeling.

I also dig the conceit that your weapons and gear are mundane items infused with power from the ongoing demonic invasion. Guitars, computer mice, hockey sticks, and cell phones are some of the tools that have been shown off so far.

After getting so used to long lead times after game announcements, as well as the early access model⁠—which Heart Machine opted for in its co-op roguelike, Hyper Light Breaker⁠—it’s refreshing to see a game get announced then released in relatively short order. It’s even more impressive given that the studio is managing two projects at the same time. You can wishlist Possessor(s) on Steam ahead of its November 11 release.



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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 28: Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the back of the room as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has announced Pirro, a former Fox News personality, judge, prosecutor, and politician, after losing support in the Senate for his first choice, Ed Martin, over his views on the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Ready or Not studio fires community manager for saying ‘nothing of value was lost’ following Charlie Kirk’s shooting

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Void Interactive, developer of the controversial SWAT simulator Ready or Not, has confirmed that it has terminated its community manager following an uproar over a comment they made in the game’s Discord about Charlie Kirk’s murder.

As reported by Kotaku, the comment was made after the community manager, known as Kaminsky, was asked to add variations of Kirk’s name to the list of filtered words on the Discord server. “Funny you mention that because me and my roommate are literally just talking about him getting shot,” Kaminsky replied. “All I have to say is: Nothing of value was lost.”

(Image credit: Kaminsky (Discord))

Images of the comment were quickly shared on Reddit and social media channels, along with demands that Kaminsky be fired. Void Interactive very quickly complied: Kaminsky was removed from the Discord server and their presence largely scrubbed from Void Interactive’s website, and just ahead of the weekend the studio posted a message on Steam saying Kaminsky was gone.


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“We are aware of comments made by our community manager about a recent tragic event,” Void Interactive wrote. “These statements do not reflect our values or represent our company.

“We have ended our relationship with this individual and reminded our team of the responsibility we all share when communicating on public platforms. Our focus remains on fostering a respectful and professional community around Ready or Not.”

(Image credit: Void Interactive)

Kaminsky’s dismissal came at roughly the same time as that of Drew Harrison, an artist at Ghost of Yotei studio Sucker Punch, who was fired after nearly 10 years for writing, “I hope the shooter’s name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back”—a reference to Luigi Mangione, the prime suspect in the 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—shortly after Kirk was shot.

Earlier today, Storm Lancers developer ProbablyMonsters announced that it too had fired someone for making comments it said “were offensive and violated our social media policy.” Other studios, including Blizzard and Bethesda, have also been targeted by campaigns calling for similar crackdowns on employees making negative comments about Kirk.



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Perfect Dark reboot leak: fresh info suggests studio saw gap in the market with Metal Gear Solid and Bond absent
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Perfect Dark reboot leak: fresh info suggests studio saw gap in the market with Metal Gear Solid and Bond absent

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The now-cancelled Perfect Dark reboot had an “eco sci-fi” aesthetic, an Adrenaline System, and may have been released episodically.

That’s according to internal documentation from a former developer on the project at The Initiative shared with mp1st, revealing new artwork and gameplay details.

The document highlighted an opportunity to capitalise on the secret agent genre, due to the absence of Metal Gear Solid and James Bond 007 during development. Ironically enough, both franchises have since returned.

Perfect Dark – Gameplay Reveal – Xbox Games Showcase 2024Watch on YouTube

This may somewhat point to why Perfect Dark was ultimately cancelled – perhaps this reboot of the N64 classic from Rare wasn’t able to differentiate itself enough.

Still, this newly unearthed documentation – which dates back to a period close to the game’s cancellation this year – hints as to what players could have expected. The creative vision for the reboot aimed to reimagine the franchise while retaining the core DNA of the N64 original, with the HBO series Westworld providing inspiration for giving a classic property fresh themes and concepts.

While several systems are briefly mentioned, only the Adrenaline System is detailed. This would’ve been a resource regenerated over time to provide various abilities like healing and increasing damage dealt, as well as slowing time to aim with precision. Killing multiple enemies in quick succession would have extended this effect.

Until April of this year, the studio was working on a vertical slice (a playable proof-of-concept) that belonged to “Season 1”, suggesting the game would have been released episodically.

Perfect Dark was properly revealed at last year’s Xbox Games Showcase, with in-game footage of protagonist Joanna Dark exploring a futuristic Cairo (above). Later, reports suggested this gameplay was fake, though a designer on the game responded it was in-engine despite “some fake stuff in it”.

The new documentation includes further artwork for the game, including an alternate design for Joanna, as well as various futuristic environments to show off its “eco sci-fi” aesthetic.

Perfect Dark was cancelled back in July, following layoffs across Microsoft. Rare’s Everwild was also cancelled.



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Subnautica 2 Lawsuit Gets Muddled As Justification For Firing Studio Founders Is Changed
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Subnautica 2 Lawsuit Gets Muddled As Justification For Firing Studio Founders Is Changed

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Subnautica 2 has been upstaged this summer by a bitter fight between publisher Krafton and the former leadership team at the game’s studio, Unknown Worlds. Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, as well as CEO Ted Gill were forced out of the studio, and they subsequently filed a lawsuit against Krafton that contends the latter is attempting to avoid paying them a $250 million performance bonus. Now, Krafton has changed its legal argument about why the leadership team was dismissed.

According to PC Gamer, Krafton asserted that the founders intended to release Subnautica 2 in early access this year before the game was ready in order to secure their performance bonus. The founders’ lawyers at Fortis Advisors asked for proof of this assertion during the trial’s discovery phase, and Krafton didn’t provide any. Krafton subsequently withdrew that part of its legal filing and no longer claims it as a reason for their dismissal. Fortis said this marks a “seismic shift in the case” and characterized it as “a little bit bewildering.”

Krafton still maintains that the founders shirked their responsibilities to oversee Subnautica 2 to completion and accuses them of downloading files and keeping devices that had confidential info on them. Although that detail only came to light after the leadership team was removed, Krafton argues that it retroactively justifies their termination.

Fortis contends that Krafton hasn’t been properly cooperating during discovery and is ignoring requests to confer or share information pertinent to the case. The most recent update is that both sides agreed to confer.

This case may play out in court for years, but the battle in the court of public opinion has already begun. After fans openly called for a boycott of Subnautica 2 over reports that the $250 million bonus was being withheld, Bloomberg reported that Krafton has extended the bonus period into next year to allow the Unknown Worlds team a better chance of meeting its financial benchmarks and earning $25 million to be split among 40 employees. The remaining $225 million of that bonus would have gone to the former leadership team prior to their forced exits from the company.

Subnautica 2 is expected to hit early access in 2026 on PC and Xbox Series X|S.



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