IO Interactive is set to shut down its Istanbul studio after losing funding for its online fantasy role-playing game, known by its codename, Project Fantasy.

Yesterday, July 6, Microsoft officially confirmed rumors about restructuring its gaming division. Head of Xbox, Asha Sharma, published a letter to employees detailing what lies ahead for the team.

IO Interactive studio shared two pieces of news: one good and one bad. The good news is that the developers will continue working on the game codenamed Project Fantasy. The bad news is that there will be sacrifices involved.

It appears that Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service has approximately 30 million users

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has provided more information about the restructuring plan revealed yesterday, which will lead to 3,200 job cuts

As a result, the game ranked 593rd in the list of the most anticipated projects on the platform

The wave of layoffs in Microsoft's gaming division could have almost bypassed Blizzard Entertainment. This was reported by journalist Jez Corden from Windows Central.

We continue our weekly series of YouTube interviews. The guest of the new episode is Vladimir Berezhnoi, a product owner at CarX Technologies

Up until that point, the team was named Niantic Games

Bethesda is adopting a "franchise-centric" planning approach to concentrate resources more effectively on long-term growth and stability

A month ago, the Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry (ODVGI) prepared a strategy document aimed at strengthening the Russian game development sector over the next ten years. The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation recently reviewed it.

Starting in mid-February 2027, Nintendo will cease selling the original Switch lineup in Europe, in compliance with EU legislation mandating accessible consumer hardware batteries.

Recently, the European Parliament hosted a roundtable discussion on combating unlicensed gambling. During the event, estimates of the size of the illegal online gambling market were presented

In the announcement about the large-scale restructuring of XBOX, Microsoft did not specify the names of the particular studios where layoffs will occur. However, some information has leaked to the media

Yesterday, on July 6, Microsoft officially confirmed the rumors about the restructuring of its gaming division. XBOX head Asha Sharma published a letter to employees, detailing what the team can expect.

Sony has announced that the integration of AI tools into their development process is "enhancing" their efforts. The technology aids by eliminating repetitive tasks and allows for quicker iteration.

Every week we upload interviews on YouTube with gaming specialists about various aspects of their work. We also publish separate text-based rapid-fire interviews with our speakers, but those are "locked." A companion piece to today's video interview with Vladimir Berezhny, a product owner at CarX Technologies, is this conversation where he shares his overall view on what's happening in the racing game market and its development niche today

Compulsion Games and Double Fine, previously part of Microsoft's Xbox-owned developers, have been separated from the Xbox family of studios amid Microsoft's significant wave of cuts and divestitures. Both companies have issued statements regarding these changes

Epic Games has reached a settlement in a legal dispute with a former contractor who was accused of disclosing sensitive information regarding unannounced collaborations for Fortnite with intellectual properties such as Minecraft, Ben 10, and Game of Thrones.

As of July 7, 2026, reports indicate that Obsidian has reduced its workforce by 60 to 70 employees. According to a source cited by Kotaku, those still at the company "have not yet received formal guidance" regarding the continuation of current projects in the wake of these layoffs

Xbox has revealed significant layoffs as part of a broader restructuring initiative it had previously disclosed. A total of 3,200 employees, accounting for 20% of the Xbox workforce, are set to lose their jobs. Of those, 1,600 positions are being cut today, as detailed in an internal email from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma that was also shared on X

This conclusion was reached by the analytical company Sensor Tower.

The companies Meridian Play and Jinke have analyzed the situation in the mini-game market in China. They gathered data on revenue and the audience of such projects, and also identified the main hits

This figure was mentioned by the co-owner of the publishing house, Yaroslav Shalashov, in his Telegram channel

The United Videogame Workers union (UVW-CWA) has established a hardship fund to support industry employees in the United States and Canada who have been impacted by layoffs

Two months ago, the Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa offered some employees the option to voluntarily resign in exchange for generous compensation packages. As it turned out, a significant number of specialists agreed to these terms.

This conclusion was reached by the analytics company Sensor Tower.

Sony has informed developers and publishers that they will have the ability to re-order current PlayStation discs even after the production halts in January 2028.

The Brazilian iGaming market is experiencing rapid growth. In the first five months of 2026, its revenue reached 5.89 billion reais (1.18 billion dollars), which is an 85.88% increase compared to the same period in 2025

Google Corporation has decided to support African indie studios that want to release games on Google Play. To this end, it has launched a special fund called the Indie Games Fund Africa.

Epic Games reached a settlement with an insider over Fortnite leaks, layoffs occurred at Red Rover Interactive, and Meccha Chameleon sales hit 15 million copies—here are the main events in the gaming industry over the past weekend

The Hurun Research Institute published its annual ranking of the world’s most valuable private companies. The top of the list was dominated by AI firms, but there was also a spot for miHoYo — the studio behind Genshin Impact.

The Hurun Research Institute has published its annual ranking of the world's largest private companies by market value. The top of the list was dominated mostly by AI firms, but there was also room for miHoYo—the studio behind Genshin Impact

Robert Bowling, who previously served as a creative strategist at Infinity Ward, has established a new studio in Los Angeles named //18.bravo

A game created in just a few months by two Japanese developers has become one of the major hits of the first half of the year. Today, we'll take an in-depth look at the reasons behind the success of Meccha Chameleon and analyze its position both among "friend-sim" games and in the market overall

CD PROJEKT announced reaching the milestone on social media

The Chinese corporation Alibaba might divest its gaming brand Lingxi Games, according to local media reports. They indicate that the company has already reached out to several potential buyers.

Scopely, the company behind the mobile hit MONOPOLY GO!, has made new investments. It has backed a Japanese studio called Studio AuKnow

Recently, the Institute for Internet Development (IRI) announced the winners of the national content competition. One of the winners was "War of the Worlds: Siberia" from the studio "MGLA". The organization did not publicly disclose the amount given to the developers, but "Kommersant" discovered an approximate amount.

Tracking the frequent changes within the gaming industry can be challenging, which is why we provide semi-regular summaries to keep you updated.

The UK government has confirmed plans to increase the licensing fees for gambling operators from 15% to 25%. The new rates will take effect on October 1, 2026

OtherSide Entertainment has conducted another series of layoffs, affecting 18 members of its Thick as Thieves team.

The portfolio of the French publisher Nacon continues to shrink.

The International Booker Prize is one of the most renowned awards in literature, given for the best translations of fiction into English. Starting in 2027, the name of Dmitry Bukhman, co-founder of the mobile giant Playrix, will be included in its title

The journalist Christopher Dring from The Game Business has learned about the current state of affairs in Microsoft's gaming division. According to his information, with the arrival of Asha Sharma, the management style at Xbox has changed significantly, and not everyone is pleased with it.

SuperCity turned 15 years old — the city-building simulator from Playkot made its debut on June 1, 2011. In honor of the game’s anniversary, the developers shared its achievements.

SuperCity has turned 15 years old — the city-building simulator from Playkot debuted on June 1, 2011. In honor of the game's anniversary, the developers shared its achievements

According to recent research by Tebex, distributing game codes through content creators to their communities significantly boosts revenue for game storefronts. However, the research indicates that this impact is predominantly driven by a limited number of high-profile creators.

A new studio with a rather unusual name, //18.bravo, has appeared in the gaming market

Jurgen Post, the Chief Operating Officer of Sega Europe's West Studios, is resigning and Alex Pelletier-Normand from Rovio will assume the position.