The Midweek Memo #025
Welcome 👋
Our layoff-free newsletter streak is over at a count of one. Cutbacks have made an unwanted return, with Ubisoft Toronto letting go of over 30 employees as part of a "targeted realignment," marking yet another wave of cuts at the publisher. 😩
Fortunately, the rest of the news has been mostly positive, with Capcom revealing a Dead Rising remaster, Sega sharing new details of its Crazy Taxi reboot, and George R.R. Martin hinting that Elden Ring may receive a live-action adaptation in the future.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has also been up to its usual litigation antics, filing two new lawsuits against a mod chip seller and a moderator on a modding subreddit for allegedly violating the DMCA and copyright.
Other than that, we've got all of the usual stuff for you including 10 of the best jobs from around the industry, a peek at a cool new indie, and some free learning resources. Let's get into it!
Hot Jobs 🔥
There are some great UK-based and global roles in this week's lineup! 💪
🏢 CSGOEmpire 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Freelance 🎚️ 2+ years exp
🏢 Infernozilla 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 1+ year exp
🏢 Quantinium 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp
🏢 FuturLab 🇬🇧 Remote UK 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 3+ years exp
🏢 Yodo1 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 5+ years exp
[6] Product Manager - Platform
🏢 Twitch 🇺🇸 Remote US 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 3+ years exp
🏢 DECA Games 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 1+ year exp
🏢 nDreams 🇬🇧 Farnborough 📄 Full Time🎚️ 0+ years exp
[9] Level Designer (Project Hire)
🏢 That's No Moon 🇺🇸 Remote USA 📄 Temp 🎚️ 2+ years exp
🏢 d3t 🇬🇧 Remote UK 📄 Full Time🎚️ 2+ years exp
All-in-all, 190+ new opportunities were posted to our platform over the past week. June isn't typically great for vacancies, but we'll hopefully see an uptick now that we're into the second half of 2024!
Big News 📰
😓 Prince of Persia remake developer Ubisoft Toronto hit with layoffs
Ubisoft has announced that it is laying off 33 employees at its Toronto studio as part of a "targeted realignment to ensure it can deliver on its ambitious roadmap," and that those affected will receive severance and career assistance.
The layoffs come less than a month after it was announced that the developer, which is also working on the Splinter Cell reboot, would join Ubisoft Montreal's Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake.
Ubisoft has laid off hundreds of its employees over the past year, including its UK and US customer service teams, Canadian studios, publishing team, and APAC operations. This comes after a restructuring program in 2022 that saw over a thousand employees let go.
Other News 🗞️
On a more positive note, Capcom Next revealed Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, a new version of the classic zombie title with updated graphics, new NPC AI, and other quality-of-life enhancements. Fans will not have to wait long to get their hands on the game, as it is set to be released in September.
Crazy Taxi fans are more divided about the upcoming reboot of Sega's racing classic, which will be an open-world "massively multiplayer" game, according to its developer. Given that the original game was designed for arcades with a timed-level structure, it will be interesting to see how an open-world environment will be incorporated into the reboot.
In the most surprising news item of the week, a recent blog post from A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon) writer George R.R. Martin hinted that a live-action TV or film adaptation of Elden Ring could be in the works, just a week after Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that FromSoftware was open to the idea. 👀
Lastly, Nintendo has filed separate lawsuits against Modded Hardware's Ryan "Homebrew Homie" Daly and r/SwitchPirates moderator James "Archbox" Williams, alleging that Daly continued to sell mod chips despite an agreement to stop doing so, and that Williams advocated for and supported game piracy. Nintendo's war against modders appears to be never-ending!
🧟♀️ Dead Rising's Deluxe Remaster will arrive in September
🚕 Sega’s Crazy Taxi reboot will be an open-world, "massively multiplayer" title
👀 George R.R. Martin may have teased a potential Elden Ring live-action adaptation
💼 Nintendo files two new lawsuits against Switch pirates
Getting Social 📲
Here's a quick peek at a couple of our most-viewed posts from the last seven days:
Our latest remote jobs thread was jam-packed with great opportunities, including many from around the globe!
DECA Games is looking for data analysts across both junior and mid-level experience levels, CSGOEmpire is hiring for an array of positions, and Playrix is seeking a few entry-level customer service representatives.
For those in the US, Twitch, 100 Thieves' Higround, and Raven Software are also offering some roles across their sales, management, and production teams.
We aim to post new remote positions on our platform daily, so be sure to check back regularly to avoid missing out.
New footage of Janson RAD's new indie shooter "Gunboat God" was a hit with everyone this week! 🙌
The 2D shoot 'em up, created by a single developer, features players navigating 180 levels filled with enemies and bosses aboard a boat armed with a variety of guns and abilities. Players can even launch themselves into the air or dive beneath the surface to avoid attacks and counter their opponents.
The game's visuals have also attracted a lot of attention, with many comparing the title to the beloved Patapon due to its use of silhouettes against various colorful backgrounds.
There is currently no set release date for Gunboat God, but its developer is targeting early 2026 for a full launch. In the meantime, you can wishlist the game on Steam and watch a snippet of a multi-phase boss fight over on Reddit!
Cool Resources 🧱
This resource is perfect for those looking to master Unity, as it comes from the company itself!
Unity's "Pathways" is a series of free, beginner-friendly courses that cover the fundamentals of the engine, game programming, lighting, audio, UI, and even mobile and VR development.
Each Pathway varies in length, from two weeks for the introductory course to 12 weeks for the junior programming Pathway, which covers the skills required in many early-career positions.
You can also chat with community members and the Unity Learn team if you have any questions or just want to share your work with everyone! 🤝
Adieu ✌️
Sadly, we were unable to avoid layoffs this week, and as always, our thoughts are with those at Ubisoft Toronto and everyone else affected by ongoing cuts across the industry.
To end on a lighter note, we're excited about the Crazy Taxi reboot and are willing to try out an open-world game as long as the soundtrack includes The Offspring. It's very important, Sega!
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya,
Danny and the gang at Hitmarker 🧡