The Midweek Memo #035
Hello ??
We hope you're prepared for another difficult week of news, as Microsoft, Midnight Society, and nDreams have all announced significant layoffs, adding to the already mega-depressing number of job cuts since the beginning of the year. ??
Elsewhere—and on an unprecedented note—Annapurna Interactive's entire workforce has decided to resign after failing to reach an agreement with its owner about the publisher becoming independent. The company claims that it will hire replacements for the employees, but many people are saying that the Stray developer is "effectively dead."
In more general gaming news, the PS5 Pro has yet to be released, but we're already hearing murmurs about the PlayStation 6! According to a solid source, the PS6 will use AMD chips to ensure backward compatibility with PS4 and PS5 games.
Lastly, EA has revealed a few details about the next Battlefield game, confirming that it will take place in the modern era, feature traditional classes, and will most likely drop the 128-player matches from 2042 in favor of more "focused" battles. Let's see if the franchise can bounce back after a rough patch...
Hot Jobs ??
Over half of this week's list are global opportunities, which we always love to see! ??
?? Can Can Can a Man ??? Remote Anywhere ?? Contract ??? 2+ years exp
?? Can Can Can a Man ??? Remote Anywhere ?? Contract ??? 2+ years exp
?? Gamesight ?? Remote North America ?? Full Time ??? 4+ years exp
?? Infernozilla ??? Remote Anywhere??? Full Time??? 1+ year exp
?? Yodo1 ??? Remote Anywhere??? Full Time ??? 5+ years exp
?? Playrix ??? Remote Anywhere ?? Full Time ??? 1+ year exp
?? Insomniac Games ???? Remote US ?? Full Time ??? 1+ year exp
?? 2Game Digital ??? Remote Anywhere ?? Full Time??? 5+ years exp
?? Epic Games ???? London ?? Internship ??? 0+ years exp
?? Insomniac Games ???? Remote US ?? Contract ??? 2+ years exp
Over 220 new positions?have been posted since our last newsletter as things continue to pick up through September. We'd expect this month and next month to be strong before things start tailing off for Thanksgiving in late November. ??
Big News ??
Other News ???
On the topic of layoffs, nDreams, the UK-based developer behind Synapse and Far Cry VR, has announced a restructuring that could result in the layoff of up to 17.5% of its workforce. The cuts are said to affect all levels of the company and are attributed to the "challenging VR games market."
Dr Disrespect's co-founded studio, Midnight Society, has also confirmed layoffs. While no exact figures have been revealed, the studio stated that the cuts were "significant," but it still intends to release its debut title, Deadrop, next year.
In an unprecedented move, Annapurna Interactive's 25-person workforce resigned from the publisher last week after owner Megan Ellison backed out of talks about the company becoming independent. This has caused chaos among Annapurna's numerous development partners, but the company has stated that its projects will be "unaffected." ????
In more positive news, a new report claims that AMD will power the PS6 after rivals Intel and Broadcom were unable to guarantee compatibility with older PlayStation titles. Sony previously learned the hard way about porting games to new hardware, as the PS3's IBM-developed chip has resulted in a game library that is still only available via cloud streaming on modern systems.
Finally, Battlefield fans have heard something to be excited about: the next game in the franchise appears to undo many of the poorly received changes made in 2021's Battlefield 2042. This means that the highly criticized specialist system has been abandoned in favor of classes as "it didn't work." The game is also set in the modern era like Battlefield 3 and 4, with Battlefield head Vince Zampella stating that he considers those titles as the "pinnacle" of the series.
Getting Social ??
Here are two of our most interesting posts from the last seven days for your viewing pleasure:
Our?latest remote jobs thread?may be our best in a while, with 12 global remote opportunities, including a solid handful of junior-level positions! ??
Keywords and Infernozilla have returned with new early-career community and social roles, while PlayStation makes a rare appearance with its own unique MLB socials gig.
Insomniac Games and Can Can Can a Man have the programming opportunities covered, while artists can pick from a variety of roles at DECA, Unknown Worlds, and That's No Moon.
We're posting?new remote jobs on our platform?every weekday and after a barren spell, they appear to be on the way back!
BirdiBirdson's charming untitled indie pixel-art RPG has?gained a new group of fans?this week, thanks to a fresh look at the game's "bubble sword." ?
Created in Game Maker, the game will combine 2D platforming and an old-school RPG. Based on the bubble sword, each of its numerous swords will feature unique mechanics that can be used as tools to solve various puzzles along the way. Also, the wonderful pixel art for the game is done by BirdiBirdson themselves!
While this upcoming game has no release date or title as of yet, you can?follow its development on X. BirdiBirdson has also previously made smaller games for game jams, which you can?check out on Itch.io.?
Cool Resources ??
Google's Career Certificates?are ideal for those who are just beginning their careers, do not have a degree, or want to improve their digital skills. ??
None of the courses require any prior experience or academic qualifications, and many of them are free to enroll in. Those in the UK may also be eligible for financial assistance to cover the monthly cost of Coursera fees if needed.?
The courses, created in collaboration with Coursera, cover everything from the fundamentals of AI to cybersecurity, digital marketing, project management, UX design, and even general IT support. As you might expect, jobs in these fields are becoming increasingly common, but many people lack both the required information and a recognized qualification to secure said roles.
After completing a course, you will receive an official Google certificate, which you can include in your resume or LinkedIn profile to demonstrate to employers that you are knowledgeable about the topics covered. There are no time limits set for each course, so you are free to tackle them at your own pace!
Goodbye ??
We know we sound like a broken record at this point, but seeing this many layoffs, particularly at large, profitable, and already multi-billion dollar companies like Microsoft, is incredibly frustrating.
We truly hope anyone affected can get back on their feet soon, as it's certainly still incredibly rough out there and things show no real sign of improving soon. Still, what else can we all do but power on?
Keep your head up and we'll catch you again next time,?
Danny and the gang at Hitmarker ??
Experienced Story Artist / Animation Artist available for work
2 个月Seems like there's no stopping the bleeding these days. I wish everyone success in migrating to a new job.