Virtual Economy

Episode 147: Ubisoft in Crisis (Season 4 Premiere)


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We're back for Season 4! Good thing we're not on HBO Max, amirite? The ghosts of Ubisoft's failure to care for its employees are now haunting its financial performance. Also: Let's talk about D&D and Hasbro's huge, shortsighted missteps with the OGL, Epic has been slapped with a fine over Fortnite, Zenimax QA workers unionize, while Activision Blizzard moves to make things hard for workers at recently acquired Proletariat.

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TIME STAMPS

  • [00:02:34] - Dungeons & Dragons Rolls a Critical Miss
  • [00:23:13] - Ubisoft's No Good, Very Bad Day
  • [00:34:48] - A Pair of Fortnite Stories
  • [00:48:47] - Investment Interlude
  • [01:05:02] - Quick Hits
  • [01:19:40] - Labor Report

SOURCES

  • Dungeons & Dragons' New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition | Gizmodo
  • Let's Take A Minute To Talk About D&D's Open Gaming License (OGL) | Noah Downs on Medium
  • A Legal Perspective on the OGL | Chris Reid (@NYGameLawyer) on Twitter
  • Paizo Announces System-Neutral Open RPG License | Paizo
  • An Update on the Open Game License (OGL)
  • Canceled D&D Beyond Subscriptions Forced Hasbro's Hand | Gizmodo
  • UBISOFT STRENGTHENS STRATEGIC FOCUS… | Ubisoft
  • Ubisoft Delays Skull And Bones, Cancels More Games, And Announces New Cuts | Kotaku
  • Parents say game developer made 'Fortnite' as 'addictive as possible' | Washington Post
  • Epic Games Fined by FTC in Children's 'Fortnite' Privacy Case | Bloomberg Law
  • Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast Cancels Video Game Projects | Bloomberg (Paywall)
  • Playtika to lay off over 600 staff; studios at risk, three games canned | Mobilegamer.biz
  • Microsoft game makers unionize after vote passes by "supermajority" | Axios
  • Proletariat Workers Become Third Group of Activision Blizzard Workers to Form Union with Communications Workers of America | Communications Workers of America
  • EVERYONE DESERVES A VOTE | Proletariat

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

  • MICROSOFT/ACTIVISION BLIZZARD PHASE 2 MERGER INQUIRY | UK Competition Markets Authority
  • UK regulator extends deadline for investigation into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal | Game Developer
  • Exclusive: Microsoft, Activision back off aggressive claim in FTC case | Axios
  • Microsoft Sued by Gamers Over $69 Billion Activision Deal (2) | Bloomberg Law
  • Google, Nvidia Express Concerns to FTC About Microsoft's Activision Deal | Bloomberg (Paywall)
  • Yuga Labs Appoints Activision Blizzard President and COO Daniel Alegre as New CEO | Yuga Labs
  • Jagex Acquires SCUM Developer Gamepires | Jagex
  • NDREAMS ACQUIRES NEAR LIGHT | nDreams
  • SkyBox Labs is joining NetEase Games | NetEase
  • GEARBOX ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF CAPTURED DIMENSIONS | Gearbox
  • ATARI: OPENING OF THE FRIENDLY TENDER OFFER FOR ATARI SHARES | Atari
  • MY.GAMES ANNOUNCES BUSINESS RESTRUCTURING AND DECISION TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN THE RUSSIAN MARKET | My.Games
...more
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Virtual EconomyBy Michael Futter and Amanda Farough

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