We're joined by two special guests on this milestone episode. Please welcome Andy Pan (the only person who has previously co-hosted a show with us) and Greg Alderton, Virtual Economy's lead moderator!

With 14,000 people laid off, studios shuttered, and projects abandoned, Amazon seems ready to give up on most or all of its gaming dreams. Also: EA earnings ride off into the sunset, Capcom posts a strong quarter, Remedy's in trouble, and Microsoft is inscrutable.

Also: Sony responds to Tencent's request to dismiss the Light of Moritram lawsuit, Circana report on U.S. video game spending for September 2025, and Microsoft is a little too cozy with the U.S. government.

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

TIME STAMPS

• [00:01:12] - Investment Interlude/Divestment Dinterlude
• [00:11:01] - Quick Hits
• [00:24:08] - Labor Report
• [01:06:11] - FAFO Award

SOURCES

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

• NetEase divests Fantastic Pixel Castle as studio hunts for new publisher to avoid closure | GamesIndustry
• Neon Doctrine is Closing, Folding into Raw Fury | Iain Garner on LinkedIn
• Neon Doctrine is Closing, Folding into Raw Fury | Vlad Tsypljak on LinkedIn
• Warner Bros. Discovery Initiates Review of Potential Alternatives to Maximize Shareholder Value | Warner Bros. Discovery

LABOR REPORT

• Amazon Makes 'Significant' Cuts In Video-Game Division | Bloomberg (Paywall)
• Ubisoft RedLynx Proposes Strategic Refocus on Small Screens | Redlynx
• Ubisoft Massive is Restructuring | Massive
• Open Letter to the Executive Leadership at Build A Rocket Boy | IWDB GameWorkers
• Grand Theft Auto made him a legend. His latest game was a disaster | BBC
• Netflix reportedly shutters studio behind Squid Game mobile spinoff | Engadget
• Rovio is laying off 36 staff, says Angry Birds Dream Blast has 'not been performing as expected' | VGC
• Testronic shuts down another studio, this time in Bucharest | Game Developer
• Report: Metroid Dread developer MercurySteamworks accused of retaliation and forced crunch | Game Developer
• "Si algo hace bien MercurySteam es jugar con el miedo porque no hay otro lugar donde ir": Así se ha degradado el ambiente laboral en uno de los estudios de videojuegos más grandes de España | 3DJuegos
• Krafton declares transformation into an "AI-first" company, investing over KRW 100 billion. | Kraton
• Heart Machine making layoffs and ending development on Hyper Light Breaker | Game Developer
• Outerloop Layoffs | Chandana Ekanayake on Bluesky
• 'Grand Theft Auto' Studio Accused of Union Busting After Firings | Bloomberg (Paywall)
• Battle.net Workers Unionize As Microsoft Neutrality Agreement Expires | Aftermath