Following the flagging performance of Destiny 2 and Marathon woes, Sony has jettisoned embattled Bungie studio head Pete Parsons. They've also announced significant hikes on PS5 prices. Also: Another Subnautica 2 lawsuit, a BioShock shakeup, and Frost Giant studio head Tim Morten leads with transparency and accountability.

You can support Virtual Economy's growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise!

TIME STAMPS

• [00:02:07] - PlayStation 5 Price Increases in the U.S.
• [00:05:25] - Unknown Worlds v Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill
• [00:14:33] - Circan Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for July 2025
• [00:19:22] - Investment Interlude
• [00:26:45] - Quick Hits
• [00:34:09] - Labor Report
• [00:50:42] - FAFO

SOURCES

• PlayStation 5 price changes in the U.S. | PlayStation Blog
• Unknown Worlds v Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill | The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware
• Guy Who Tried To Fight Nintendo Piracy Lawsuit Without A Lawyer Will Now Pay $2 Million | Kotaku

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

• Saudi Arabia's Qiddiya Acquires EVO Part-Owner RTS | Muhannad Aldawood on LinkedIn
• Atari Announces Strategic IP Agreement With Ubisoft To Revive Five Acclaimed Titles | Atari

LABOR REPORT

• Cloud Chamber lays off "unspecified" number of staff as Rod Fergusson is parachuted in to lead troubled BioShock 4 production | GamesIndustry
• Take-Two Guts 'BioShock' Studio After a Decade of Development | Bloomberg (Paywall)
• Frost Giant CEO Tim Morten says layoffs are possible after Stormgate underperforms | Game Developer
• Frost Giant CEO Tim Morten Reflects on Stormgate's Failure | Tim Morten on LinkedIn
• Dreamhaven is Going through Layoffs | Mike Morhaime on LinkedIn
• Crystal Dynamics Layoffs | Crystal Dynamics on LinkedIn
• Ubisoft is cutting jobs within its publishing team | Game Developer
• NetEase shuts down Rich Vogel-led T-Minus Zero Entertainment | Game Developer
• Hundreds of Diablo Game Developers Join Communications Workers of America | CWA