A former top manager at Square Enix stated that Sony's move away from discs will lead to price reductions in the PS Store, the studio behind Invincible VS laid off 75% of its staff, and the U.S. Senate launched an investigation into Roblox—here are the main events in the gaming industry from the past weekend.
- Jacob Navok, former Director of Business Development at Square Enix, commented on X about Sony’s plans to cease the production of game discs for PlayStation consoles by 2028. In his view, every cloud has a silver lining. Navok is convinced that ultimately the company's decision will enhance competition among publishers in the PS Store, prompting them to hold sales more frequently and offer games at lower prices. He pointed out that similar practices have long been established in Steam and Epic Games Store, indicating that the same will likely happen on PlayStation soon. "Current prices are tied to retail. If physical discs stop restricting digital sales, we will see a broader range of prices similar to those accepted on Steam," Navok explained.
- The Quarter Up studio may have faced mass layoffs. The portal This Week in Videogames noticed on LinkedIn numerous posts from its former employees talking about losses in the team. It is suggested that the layoffs occurred in two stages (July and August) and resulted in 33-35 people losing their jobs—75% of the studio's workforce. Former employees cite the unsuccessful launch of the superhero fighting game Invincible VS as the reason for the layoffs, as it did not meet Quarter Up's expectations.
- The U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism decided to conduct an investigation into Roblox due to child safety concerns. The agency is troubled by repeated incidents where perpetrators contacted young users of the platform and subsequently kidnapped, sexually assaulted, or even killed them. Representatives of Roblox stated to the media that the platform is "built on a foundation of safety," and the company intends to actively cooperate with the investigation.
- Electronic Arts and Bit Reactor announced that the Star Wars Zero Company has surpassed one million wishlists. The breakdown by platform was not specified, but it is known that the game ranks 33rd among the most anticipated projects on Steam. The release of Star Wars Zero Company is set for August 27 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series.