The Midweek Memo?#030

Ahoy ??

It's been a wild week, with one studio closing and another reopening, and various development updates, leaks, and announcements!

Tango Gameworks, the beloved developer behind Hi-Fi Rush, has been purchased by PUBG publisher?Krafton. Not only has the studio and Hi-Fi Rush IP been saved from closure under Microsoft, but its former employees have also been offered positions!

Unfortunately, with one revival comes another closure, as Meta has shut down Oculus studio Ready At Dawn after two decades of operation. It was best known for The Order: 1886 and the VR title Lone Echo.

To get back to more positive news, Remedy has announced that the remake of Max Payne 1 and 2 is now in full production, with Control 2 in a playable state. Also, two new games based on John Carpenter's 1978 classic Halloween are now in the works at the studio behind Evil Dead: The Game, with Carpenter himself involved!

Finally, Red Dead Redemption's rumored PC port has resurfaced, thanks to a slip-up by Rockstar, which appeared to confirm its existence on the PlayStation Store. Oops. ??

Before the news, though, it's Hot Jobs time...

Hot Jobs ??

Our latest list features a wide variety of roles across eight different companies!?

[1] Technical Narrative Designer

?? Dambuster Studios ???? Remote UK??? Full Time???? 2+ years exp

[2] QA Tester

?? Bohemia Interactive ???? Brno ?? Contract ??? 1+ year exp

[3]? Gameplay Engineer (PC Platform)

?? Stoic ???? Remote USA ?? Full Time ??? 2+ years exp

[4] Product Manager – Live Fan Care and VIP

?? EA ???????????? Remote USA/India/Ireland ?? Full Time ??? 2+ years exp

[5] Head of Platform Product Management

?? Yodo1 ??? Remote Anywhere??? Full Time ??? 5+ years exp

[6] Technical Designer (Enemies) - Junior or Regular

?? Dambuster Studios ???? Remote UK ?? Full Time ??? 1+ year exp

[7] Junior Level Designer

?? Techland ???? Warsaw ?? Full Time ??? 1+ year exp

[8] Associate QA Engineer - VALORANT, Game Analysis Team

?? Riot Games ???? Los Angeles, CA ?? Full Time ??? 1+ year exp

[9] Graphic Designer II

?? The Pokemon Company ???? Bellevue, WA??? Contract??? 3+ years exp

[10] Account Manager, In-Game Media

?? EA ???? Remote USA ?? Full Time ??? 5+ years exp

200+ new opportunities have been posted again this week , so feel free to check them out if you haven't already. Things seem to be heating up (pun intended!) as we head into late summer. ??

Big News ??

???Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks acquired by PUBG publisher Krafton

• South Korean publisher Krafton has announced its acquisition of Tango Gameworks from Microsoft. The studio's original employees, including creative director John Johanas, will also be given the opportunity to return to their positions. ??
• The Hi-Fi Rush IP has also been acquired, with Krafton confirming that Tango will continue to work on both the franchise and new projects. The publisher also claims that the move will have "no impact" on the developer's back catalog.
• Xbox announced in May that it would close four ZeniMax studios, including Tango. Fans were understandably upset by the decision, given the critical acclaim Hi-Fi Rush received, but the closure went ahead and the studio was likely shut down in June.

Other News ???

As for?upcoming games, Remedy has provided an update on its remake of the first two Max Payne games, stating that it is now fully in production and that the developer is working to make it playable from start to finish. Control 2 is also progressing nicely, with the game now playable.

Boss Team Games has announced not one, but two games based on the original Halloween film. Both titles will star the iconic killer Michael Myers, and one will be built in Unreal Engine 5 with assistance from John Carpenter himself.?

Lastly, Rockstar has accidentally shared an update on what to expect from Red Dead Redemption on PC after it changed the description on the PlayStation Store to one that details the unannounced port.

???Meta shuts down The Order: 1886 studio Ready At Dawn

???Two Halloween games in development at Evil Dead publisher, John Carpenter "intimately involved"

???Max Payne 1 and 2's remake has entered full production, while Control 2 becomes playable

???Unannounced Red Dead Redemption PC port details revealed via PlayStation Store

Getting Social ??

Here's a peek at two of our most-viewed posts since we last landed in your notifications:

We're back with?another remote jobs thread , and you're going to love this one if you have some experience under your belt!

For the entry and junior-level seekers out there, Playrix, Amber Studio, and Keywords are offering several customer service and community roles in select European countries.

In the US, Canada, and the rest of the world, Discord, EA, Insomniac, and even Xbox are instead looking for experienced staff to fill a variety of positions. ??

As always, we aim to post?new remote opportunities ?every weekday, even if the majority of them are currently intermediate to senior-level...

This one has?definitely landed on a few wishlists ?this week!?

Together in Between is a unique co-op puzzle game from Turkish developer Vellichor Games that makes extensive use of black and white visuals to not only create an intriguing art style but also for its puzzle mechanics.

The game, which is played in first person, places you inside a magical book alongside your partner, where you must work together to solve the Wizard King's puzzles and escape. However, players cannot see each other and must rely on sound and instructions to solve the various challenges.

Together in Between will be fully released on September 2, but Vellichor has recently released Chapter One of the game as a free demo, which you can try over on?Steam .

Cool Resources ??

We discovered this?wonderful guide to art ?from solo indie developer Cain Maddox on Reddit this week and knew it would be useful to many of you! ??

Although some developers opt to?pay artists for their projects, others, such as Cain, have instead?chosen to learn for a number of reasons. Cain's guide covers everything from choosing color palettes to balancing game design and art fundamentals, as well as how to make?use of?public domain images.

As?this was posted on Reddit, many?other kind people ?have shared a variety of resources in the comments, including references, color generators, focused guides, and databases, to help with the learning process.?

If you found the guide useful, you can show your support by wishlisting Cain's upcoming game?"The Ape Painting" over?on Steam . It currently has no release date, but it has an intriguing concept, and we love anything with point-and-click elements!

Toodles ??

It's frustrating to hear about Ready At Dawn's closure, especially given how impressive its work was when it came to producing stunning games. We hope that the extremely talented individuals affected by the shutdown can find new homes soon.

At least we've seen what is effectively a reverse layoff situation with the revival of Tango Gameworks. We're excited to see what comes from the studio going forward under its new owner. Let's hope there's more of this to come as the industry tries to bounce back from a disheartening couple of years!?

As for us, we'll see you all next week,?

Danny and the gang at Hitmarker ??