What? [next event]

Considering that EA was just sold to a private consortium of different investor groups, and that they are currently going through a bout of debt re-structuring, I would be surprised if there weren't even more layoffs and project cancellations. These "investors" are, I'm pretty sure, here to wring every last dollar out of the carcass of EA with absolutely zero regard for whether or not the company is positioned to grow, or even maintain, their place in the future.

This is exactly how things played out when Microsoft picked up Activision. I'm sure that Phil Spencer thought he was adding to the company's portfolio with the best intentions, but the price was so high, and the purchase was concluded just as the Covid gaming spike was coming to an end... there just wasn't any way they could take on that much debt and NOT have to immediately find ways to cut costs by huge amounts. Hence the incredible number of layoffs. The shuttering of perfectly good and successful studios. The virtual end of the in-house studio responsible for what had been, until recently, Xbox's flagship franchise (Halo).

In what kind of twisted version of Adam Smith's capitalism does it become sensible to buy something at great expense just to then turn around and immediately destroy it? Not even taking the time to run it into the ground as they did with 343i, but actually close successful studios like the one that did HiFi Rush? There one day, doing great work, shut down the next. It really was that fast. And they weren't the only one. And what's even more frightening than the harsh finality of it all, is that to some accountant in some cubicle somewhere, it was the financially prudent thing to do. In what world do you spend $70 billion to buy a company and then fire everyone and virtually stop all the activities that business was built to do? I kinda get it when it's venture capitalists doing this sort of thing, but when did Microsoft become the shakedown thug of the gaming industry?

Anyway, this is why the industry is on fire right now. This is why you can't have a new game, even one based on a successful ip, one that seems like a sure thing. This is why all you can have is a few new skins for a seven year old game. And count yourself lucky.