The main thing for the weekend (December 16-17)

There have been cuts in 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay $54 million in a lawsuit for discrimination against women, according to rumors, Bobby Kotick tried to buy Paramount Global, — we tell you what happened in the gaming industry over the weekend.

• Two more subsidiaries of Embracer Group suffered from the restructuring of the holding. This time, layoffs affected 3D Realms (Duke Nukem) and Slipgate Ironworks (Ghostrunner, Graven). According to 3D Realms founder Scott Miller, who stopped interacting with the company after its purchase by Embracer Group in 2021, "at least half" of 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks employees lost their jobs. There are also messages on the web that confirm the cuts. For example, composer Michael Markie and lead character artist Lars Bundvad-Omodt wrote about their dismissal on social networks.
• Activision Blizzard is ready to settle a lawsuit about discrimination and harassment in the company, which was filed against it by the California Department of Civil Rights in the summer of 2021. The parties have previously concluded a settlement agreement and are now waiting for the court to approve it. As part of the agreement, Activision Blizzard has committed to pay $54.87 million. Of this amount, she will transfer $45.75 million to a special fund, the money from which will go to compensate the injured employees.
• The head of the American corporation National Amusements, Shari Redstone, is negotiating the sale of a controlling stake in the company, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the newspaper's sources, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, was interested in buying a stake in National Amusements, whose assets include Paramount Global media holding. A few weeks ago, he allegedly met with Redstone, but their "discussion of the deal did not progress." It is reported that in addition to the Seal, Skydance Media and Warner Bros. have shown interest in the deal. Discovery and Netflix.
• In 2023, the revenue of the Chinese gaming market reached a record ¥303 billion ($42.6 billion). This was reported by the Chinese industry association CGIGC. According to her estimates, Chinese residents spent 13% more on video games than last year. At the same time, the association estimated that, compared with 2022, the revenue of Chinese studios from sales of games abroad decreased by 5.65% to $16.3 billion.
• Atlus has announced that total sales of Persona 5 and its spin-offs have exceeded 10 million copies. Recall that the last time Atlus disclosed sales of Persona 5 games was in June 2023. Then they were 9 million copies. Thus, it took the line six months to overcome another millionth milestone.
• Released on November 14, The Sultans Ascend expansion for Age of Empires IV became the best-selling DLC in the history of the franchise. The developers told about this in the official Age of Empires X account. It is not reported how many times players have bought The Sultans Ascend.