Blizzard workers ratify union contract, Ghost of Yotei soars, and has Yves Guillemot outstayed his welcome at Ubisoft? - Patch Notes #39
Wouldn't you know it? There is a maelstrom of news to sift through this week, but before we plunge into the headlines I wanted to take a moment to GUSH about Cairn, a new video game from indie studio The Game Bakers (of Furi and Haven fame) that might be one of this year's very best.
It's a bold statement to make this early on, but I'm going to stand by it. I sat down with the survival climber at 8pm on Saturday thinking I'd stick with it for an hour or two before slapping on a movie and munching my way through a bag of delectable crisps (chips, for our American readers) I had saved for such an occasion.
Hard cut to 2am and there I am still glued to the screen. Palms sweaty. Eyes blurring. Cairn's protagonist, Aava, straining every sinew in her body as she clings to a sheer face on the side of Mount Kami. It has been minutes since I secured my last piton—the only thing standing between Aava and oblivion.
It might as well have been a lifetime. Any false move now would almost certainly result in death, sending Aava crashing into the mountain below at breakneck pace. The only way is up. This struggle is my salvation.
The higher you climb, the more Cairn turns into a brilliantly tense battle of wills. The question 'why am I doing this?' might cross your mind on more than one occasion, but therein lies the magic. There is victory in conquering even the smallest peak. Imagine what awaits at the summit.
Okay, okay. I'll rein myself in before this becomes a full-blown review. Did I mention we have some news to get through?
MachineGames asking more staff to move to full-time office workvia GamesIndustry.biz // MachineGames, the Microsoft subsidiary behind Wolfenstein and Indiana Jones, is pulling employees back into the office. According to studio director Jerk Gustafsson, leadership is now required to be on-site five days per week to drive efficiency and collaboration. The hope is that will set a precedent for others to follow. "We are moving more and more towards five days a week," added Gustafsson. Given Ubisoft's recently-announced RTO mandate has seemingly gone down like a lead balloon internally, you have to wonder what MachineGames staffers make of the shift.
Ghost of Yotei outperforms Ghost of Tsushima to bolster Sony financialsvia Game Developer // Sucker Punch's soaring sequel Ghost of Yotei exceeded the expectations of Sony after outperforming its predecessor Ghost of Tsushuma during its first three months on shelves. The PlayStation maker shared the news in its latest fiscal report, where it also confirmed the PlayStation 5 has now sold-in over 92 million units worldwide.
No, NetEase isn't suddenly ditching generative AIvia NetEase // File this one under 'news that didn't really happen.' Earlier this week, NetEase described widespread reports that it had shuttered a generative AI research division and told staff to abandon the tech as "false." The rumor spread after veteran designer Goichi Suda told Eurogamer the company was ditching generative AI altogether. Suda's studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, is currently owned by Netease. That claim was quickly quashed by multiple Netease representatives. "The situation described did not occur, and we have not published any related policies," said one spokesperson.
Steam Machine pricing and shipping details delayed due to RAM shortagevia Game Developer // Do you remember what life was like before the RAM wars? That's a sentence our descendants might one day utter as they scamper through the apocalypse. Until then, we have to contend with the fact that the ongoing memory and storage shortage—driven by rampant investments into generative AI—might force us to pay more and wait longer for Valve's upcoming hardware slate. Oh, and shout out to Aftermath for this whopper of a headline when covering the news.
Games for Change is coming to Londonvia VGIM // Games for Change is heading to the Big Smoke for a one-day event on April 15, 2026, dedicated to interrogating how video games can be a powerful force for good. The London event will unite 150 people from the world of video games, business, and politics. There'll be talks, panels, roundtables, workshops, and more. Could be worth a look if that sounds like your cup of tea.
Ubisoft union representatives call for resignation of CEO Yves Guillemotvia Game Developer // Ubisoft is (still) in revolt. Ahead of an impending international strike called by five unions across France, two union representatives have implored long-serving CEO Yves Guillemot to head for the exit in order to restore an ounce of trust between workers and management. They feel it might be impossible for Ubisoft, which recently announced more layoffs and studio closures, to regain the trust of its employees without a change in personnel at the very top.
UK co-development house Sumo Digital announces redundanciesvia GamesIndustry.biz // UK co-development specialist Sumo Digital has confirmed yet another round of redundancies. The Tencent-owned company said it must adapt its business to remain "resilient" amid ongoing instability across the video game industry. The news came around 18 months after the company laid off 15 percent of its workforce.
QA workers at Blizzard ratify union contract with Microsoftvia Game Developer // After years of negotiations, a group of QA workers at Blizzard Albany and Austin rated a union contract with Microsoft that delivers wage increases, generative AI protections, crediting provisions, disability accommodations, and much more. One union member said the contract makes it easier to see a "real, long-term career" at the company.
