We've lost half a team, if we have to lose the rest of them that fucking sucks, but they're the first that we fight for - Trent Kusters, studio director, League of Geeks

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

Wu-Tang members will be playable in an Xbox game.

Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner of the night at Game Awards.

God of War Ragnarok DLC will be a roguelike and will launch on December 12. 

Oh, and Matthew McConaughey in his first video game? Is this the real life?

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Play on:

Welcome to The Power-Up #48

Biz-Up

👍 GameStop's third-quarter financials show a 9% drop in net sales to $1.08 billion and a significant reduction in net losses, down from $92.6 million in Q3 2022 to $3.1 million. 

🚀 Frost Giant Studios' Kickstarter campaign for their real-time strategy game Stormgate surpassed its $100,000 goal within minutes, raising over $900,000 in just two days. 

🚫 The FTC continues its efforts to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, arguing the deal could create a monopoly and citing Microsoft's past behavior of making Bethesda's games exclusive after its acquisition. Despite this appeal, the deal's completion seems likely, as it has already been approved in the EU and Britain.

Industry Level-Up

😔 League of Geeks has indefinitely halted development of Jumplight Odyssey and laid off half of its workforce due to financial difficulties, including poor Early Access sales and a lack of funding.

😰 Bungie faces a "soul-crushing" atmosphere with layoffs and cost-cutting measures, amid fears of a total Sony takeover if they fail to meet financial thresholds. This situation has led to low morale, with employees expressing frustration and fear for the future, as the studio undergoes significant changes and cuts in benefits and resources.

👋Steve Escalante, founder and general manager of Versus Evil, has announced his departure from the company and the outsourcing firm Red Cerebus. During his time at Versus Evil, which he founded in 2013 he also saw the company acquired by TinyBuild in 2021. 

🔐 Rovio has confirmed the closure of Studio Lumi in Montreal, resulting in the loss of 16 jobs, with the studio's unannounced project being terminated.

Round-Up

🚔 Elon Musk expressed his reluctance to play GTA VI, stating he doesn't enjoy engaging in criminal activities in games. However, we can’t say if he is serious or joking.

🎶 Xbox and Wu-Tang Clan's action RPG, Project Shaolin, reportedly features third-person melee combat, co-op gameplay, and an anime-style visual world. The game includes re-imagined Wu-Tang Clan music and allows players to interact in a central social hub. All nine Wu-Tang Clan members are also playable.

🏷️ Steam, in collaboration with The Game Awards 2023, has launched a significant sale featuring some of the best games of the last decade, including recent hits like the Dead Space remake and Hi-Fi Rush. The sale is ending on December 11. 

😭 Nintendo has canceled its 2024 live event in Tokyo, originally scheduled for January, due to safety concerns following threats against its staff and attendees.

Game-Up

🏆 Baldur’s Gate 3 was named Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2023 and received five other awards, including Players’ Voice and Best RPG. Alan Wake 2 won Best Direction along with two other awards. Spider-Man 2 did not receive any awards. You can see the full list of winners here.

🚨 Also, some other news from Game Awards:

• God of War Ragnarok will have a roguelike DLC, named Valhalla. It will launch on December 12

• Marvel’s Blade is developed by Arkane Lyon (Deathloop, Dishonored). Single player, third-person, action will be in Paris. 

• The Rise of Ronin will launch on March 22, 2024

• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake will launch on February 28, 2024

• The Casting of Frank Stone – a single-player horror title set in the Dead by Daylight universe, will launch in 2024. 

➡️ You can see all the Game Awards announcements here. 

🛣️ Open Roads, a narrative adventure game featuring Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever, is set for release on consoles and PC on February 22, 2024, nearly three years after its announcement at The Game Awards 2020.

🥷 Ubisoft is set to release the New Game+ update for Assassin's Creed Mirage next week for PS5 and PS4, allowing players to carry over their progress, unlocks, and items into a new playthrough with additional rewards. Additionally, a permadeath mode for the game is scheduled for early 2024.

🛸 Exodus will be a sci-fi RPG, developed by Archetype Entertainment. One of the characters will be (at least) voiced by Matthew McConaughey in his first video game appearance.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Stay powered-up until next time.

Bobby & Andrei