Sales of Slay the Spire 2 have exceeded 3 million copies, Japan's government has decided to finance the development of indie games, and there have been mass layoffs at Warner Bros. Games Montreal — here's a recap of the main events in the gaming industry over the past weekend.
- The studio Mega Crit revealed the initial statistics of the card-based rogue-like Slay the Spire 2. They announced that within a week of early access on Steam, the game sold 3 million copies, with the number of runs surpassing 25 million. Currently, the developers are focused on actively improving Slay the Spire 2. For example, plans for the near future include revisiting the bonus system, adding accessibility modes for people with phobias, and implementing Steam Workshop support.
- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched a support program for local companies in the content industry — i.e., those involved in films, anime, music, or video games. In particular, the government promised to provide independent game developers with grants of up to 10 million yen, or approximately 62 thousand dollars, to create titles based on new IPs. An important condition is that the games must be distributed not only in Japan but also overseas after release. The ministry hopes that the program will make it easier for Japanese teams to enter the international market, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the country's economy.
- Warner Bros. Games Montréal might have been hit by a wave of layoffs. As noted by Eurogamer, several studio employees recently posted on LinkedIn about losing their jobs. The total number of affected individuals is unknown. Warner Bros. has not officially commented on layoffs within the Montreal team.
- There are also rumors of impending large-scale layoffs at Meta*. Sources from Reuters discovered that the company is preparing to cut at least 20% of its workforce. Given that by the end of 2025 it had 79,000 employees, about 15,800 of them could lose their jobs. According to the agency, Meta* aims to offset investments in artificial intelligence this way. Representatives of Meta* dismissed the rumors as speculative in a comment to Reuters.
*Meta is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia, and its activities are banned within the country.