Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan is leaving the company after about 20 months in the role, and Xbox Game Studios chief of staff Louise O’Connor is also departing. Duncan joined Xbox in 2011 and spent almost 14 years leading Rare before becoming head of Xbox Game Studios in late 2024. Duncan will leave this week, with Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty temporarily taking over until a new head of Xbox Game Studios is appointed. In a message to staff, Duncan said: “I am incredibly proud of all that we have achieved together.” “We’ve had many flawless launches, strengthened our culture, and built an amazing foundation for the future.” “Thank you for your passion, creativity, and support.”

Amazon Game Studios has shut down Project Trident and laid off the entire team in San Diego. The game started as a team adventure like Shadow of the Colossus, with giant monster fights, grappling hooks, and flying mounts. In mid-2024 Amazon told all teams to add AI tools as much as possible, so the team quickly changed it into a funny Nordic action game where players could speak or type commands to AI characters The main art, music, story, and gameplay were all made by people, while AI was only used for talking to the characters. The team made many fast changes and built a good test version, but in October 2025 Amazon still laid off the full team during big company cuts and canceled the project because the company is now making fewer large games.

Amazon Game Studios has cancelled its Lord of the Rings MMO. Announced in May 2023 in partnership with Embracer, the project was still in very early pre-production. The decision follows Amazon’s major layoffs last October, which scaled back several first-party AAA and MMO. The studio says it continues exploring a new game experience set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

According to Moore’s Law Is Dead, some third-party game studios are paying Sony thousands of dollars to feature their games on PlayStation’s official social media at specific times. The report says some developers are frustrated because those paid posts are flooded with negative comments and community notes from players mad with PlayStation’s recent decisions It also says this could become a bigger problem for future marketing campaigns, with GTA 6 mentioned as one example if the backlash continues. Good job guys if this is true, complaining works

Helldivers 2 is set to receive major “core” improvements to the Galactic War this summer, according to an update from Arrowhead Game Studios. The studio has expanded its team focused on meta-progression and the Galactic War, acknowledging that the system needs more depth for long-term player engagement. >Major Orders will evolve into multi-week themed campaigns with branching outcomes based on community performance. >The Galactic War will become more reactive, with player actions directly influencing story developments, available planets, rewards, and even some gameplay systems. >Rewards will offer greater variety and meaning, including the return of stratagem unlocks earned through gameplay rather than warbonds alone. These will feel more distinctive and tied to collective progress. Additional updates will expand player progression overall, raising the level cap beyond 150 with new red stratagems, evolving ship systems, and ship modules.

The Players Alliance plans a raid protest at EA’s main office in Redwood City on May 11. They will bring people dressed as game characters, a 50-foot petition signed by more than 70,000 people, and fake loot boxes. This is to show their concerns about EA’s $55 billion buyout deal. It would make EA a private company owned by a group that includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. Protesters and video game unions fear the buyout will cause job losses, close game studios, increase AI use, and push players to spend more money.

Todd Howard has shared one of Bethesda’s biggest updates in years, giving fans a clearer look at what’s next for Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Starfield. >Fallout 5 is officially in pre-production but is still years away. Bethesda’s main focus remains The Elder Scrolls VI, and full development on Fallout 5 won’t begin until after that game is finished. > Obsidian is officially working on a new Fallout project. >Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are both getting remasters. Bethesda says both classics are being updated for modern platforms > The Elder Scrolls VI is now Bethesda Game Studios’ main priority, with most of the team focused on its development. > Starfield isn’t going anywhere. Howard confirmed the game will continue receiving updates and new content, with more announcements planned in the future. > Bethesda also says the Fallout franchise has a long-term future, with multiple projects planned beyond Fallout 5.