Episode 186: Unalive Service (Season Premiere - News Show)

Jan 20, 2025

The year has begun, and the industry is already off to an intense start. On this episode, we discuss the business decisions behind the Switch 2’s departure from “Weird Nintendo,” Ubisoft’s precarious position, the U.S. ruffling Tencent’s feathers, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s move to regulate premium game currency.

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TIME STAMPS

• [00:03:27] - The Switch 2 has finally been announced
• [00:19:11] - The United States labels Tencent a military asset
• [00:22:16] - The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns its eye to premium game currency
• [00:26:15] - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sets new precedent regarding sales of loot boxes
• [00:37:16] - Investment Interlude 
• [00:48:47] - Quick Hits
• [00:54:39] - Labor Report

SOURCES

• US designates Tencent and CATL as Chinese military companies | The Verge
• LFG (Looking for gamers): CFPB wants to hear about your video game loot | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• CFPB Seeks Input on Digital Payment Privacy and Consumer Protections | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Banking in video games and virtual worlds | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Genshin Impact Game Developer Will be Banned from Selling Lootboxes to Teens Under 16 without Parental Consent, Pay a $20 Million Fine to Settle FTC Charges | U.S. Federal Trade Commission

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

• Ex-Annapurna Video-Game Staff to Absorb Former Take-Two Indie Label | Bloomberg (Paywall)
• Strategic Update | Ubisoft
• ANALYSIS: Ubisoft Faces Its Most Challenging Year in its History | Insider Gaming
• Tencent, Guillemot Family Said to Mull Ubisoft Asset Venture | Bloomberg (Paywall)
• NetEase pulls funding for another studio: Former Halo Infinite design head says Jar of Sparks is 'halting work' while it looks for a new publisher | PC Gamer
• Maximum Entertainment divests Merge Games assets to Silver Lining | GamesBeat

LABOR REPORT

• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League developer Rocksteady hit by end-of-year layoffs | Eurogamer
• The First Gaming Layoffs Of 2025 Have Happened | Insider Gaming via YNA
• EXCLUSIVE – Cloud Imperium Games Undergoes Major Shake-Up to Hit Deadlines | Insider Gaming
• GameStop is Silently Shutting Down More US Stores | Insider Gaming
• Robocraft 2 developer Freejam shuts down | Game Developer
• Splash Damage is Ending Development on Transformers: Reactivate and Scaling Down | Splash Damage on Twitter
• Toadman Interactive has been Closed by Daybreak | Senol Kandemir on LinkedIn
• Microsoft conducts 'small' layoffs across various divisions | Game Developer
• VR studio Soul Assembly has laid off 15 percent of its workforce | Game Developer
• Group Customer Harassment Policy | Square Enix
• STJV union calls for extended strike at Don't Nod with layoffs looming | Game Developer