Hello there!
I want to try to get to as many positive stories as I can in this industry. It’s full of passionate people making incredible games. For that matter, the bad news is the cream at the center of this sugary disaster that has been the past few days. The cookie part (the first and last stories) are good news in the industry. News that show devs are getting to build what they want and that as odd as Nintendo is, the company treats its employees well.
There is quite a lot that happened in a week for the gaming industry. So, let’s get to it.
Avowed 2 is in development
Steam Machine price is steep but it was nearly cheaper
Xbox raising console prices
Sony lays off staff at Bungie
Nintendo increases employee salaries
In other news
First Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy track Olivier Deriviere
Avowed 2 is currently in development and may be outsourcing staff to bring it to life. This according to Chris Avellone, co-founder of Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind the first Avowed, Pillars of Eternity, and Grounded.
In a Twitter post, Avellone discussed the layoffs and closures at Microsoft studios, which I covered in a previous post. The discussion turned to how Obsidian has a few teams devoted to its games, which Avellone responded by saying, “On 4 teams: I think Grounded 2 is heavily outsourced, and the non-Avowed titles seem like they are ramping up so they have a smaller staff at first. But who knows. Avowed 2 is also using design outsourcing, so it’s not entirely in house, either.”
Chris Avellone@ChrisAvellone
@MalikLabz @Obsidian @CompulsionGames On 4 teams: I think Grounded 2 is heavily outsourced, and the non-Avowed titles seem like they are ramping up so they have a smaller staff at first. But who knows. Avowed 2 is also using design outsourcing, so it's not entirely in house, either.
11:18 PM · Jun 14, 2026 · 4.49K Views
6 Replies · 1 Repost · 15 Likes
The comments remarked that they were shocked Avowed 2 is being made, but it was reported that Microsoft leads were happy with how Avowed did, so it shouldn’t be surprising the game is getting a sequel.
“There most certainly is an Avowed 2 in production, with even more Avowed than the first,” said Avellone.
Now, it is important to note that Avellone no longer works at Microsoft or Obsidian Entertainment, so all of this is just hearsay for the time being. As for me, I would very much like an Avowed 2.
The Steam Machine is out and many publications have been reporting on how it stacks up. It’s basically a computer that runs in Linux that can sit in the living room for you to play games on your TV. However, the price to play in comfort is astronomical.
The base Steam Machine at 512GB is listed at $1,049 USD.
Bundle: Steam Machine 512GB + Steam Controller: $1,128 USD
Steam Machine 2TB: $1,349 USD
Bundle: Steam Machine 2TB + Steam Controller: $1,428 USD
If you get the 2TB Steam Machine, however, you also get additional faceplates that are red fabric, and solid walnut. (Fancy.)
In an interview with Aftermath, engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais and designer Lawrence Yang, eluded that the price may have been different. Valve’s increase on the price for the Steam Deck OLED may have also lead to a spike in cost for the Steam Machine. This means the lasted console could have potentially cost around $300 less than its current price, which isn’t that much of a comfort as prices for console hardware have been increasing throughout Sony and Xbox.
The gaming hobby is getting too expensive and with the rise of hardware and game prices, it’s challenging for consumers to know what to spend their money on. It will be curious to see how many Steam Machine’s Valve moves. I am on the wait list which states, “When we did the one-time randomization of the list, your place in line ended up beyond the number of units we’ll have in this production run.” That to me sounds like Valve unanticipated the demand, therefore the company did not provide enough supply.
So, perhaps a lot of people do have cash to throw at the Gabecube.
The price for an Xbox console is going to get a lot more expensive. The announcement from Xbox Wire states worldwide prices for Xbox consoles will raise by $100 for the 512 GB model and $150 for the 1 TB model. That’s a lot of numbers so here is the breakdown.
Xbox Series S 1TB - $450 to $600
Xbox Series X 1TB Disc - $650 to $800
The increase will begin on August 1, 2026. This comes after the price update for Xbox consoles last October. It’s all due to the pricing for console storage and memory, and it’s anticipated both will double by the fall of 2027. This may mean Xbox will raise prices again, but that is not a known factor at this time. This announced in the aftermath of reported layoffs at several Xbox owned studios, which I covered in a previous article.
When it came down that the Destiny 2 team was working on the final live-service update for the game, the writing was on the wall that things weren’t looking great at Bungie. It was only a matter of time before Sony announced Bungie’s staff was reduced “affecting a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members.” The layoffs also impact Sony Interactive Entertainment teams supporting development at Bungie.
A social post on the official Bungie account reads, “As the leaders of Bungie, past and present, we recognise Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years. Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size.
“We know this decision has a profound impact on the people affected, their families, friends, and teammates. While these changes are necessary to best position the studio now and for the future, that does not lessen the difficulty of this moment or the impact it had on those affected.”
Many well wishes to the staff impacted by the layoffs. There have been several social posts sharing people who have been affected. Networking is being used as a powerful tool to help people find new jobs. Let those relationships and networks grow stronger to get the incredible creators work.
Nintendo employees are being paid a bit more after it was announced the company increases salaries by 10%. In an industry littered with negative news surrounding layoffs, raised hardware pricing, and studio closures, this comes as a bit of positive news.
During the 2026 Nintendo shareholders’ meeting, Shuntaro Furukawa remarked on the raise. “We are maintaining salaries at an appropriate level. I believe it is important to keep compensation levels appropriate,” said Furukawa through a translation from NStyles. “We are implementing salary increases, such as raising the base salary by 10%.”
This attitude towards employees is exactly what should be happening in an industry as vast as video games. If you haven’t read Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo by former NOA president Reggie Fils-Aimé, I recommend it. It offers insight into how Nintendo is run and key pillars of the company.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy will release on August 27. Ahead of its launch, composer Olivier Deriviere is sharing tracks from the upcoming score. The first, titled “The Land” is now available. It’s a moving piece that helps set the tone of the fourth game in the series featuring pirate Sophia.
“Very excited to share the first track from Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. I hope you will enjoy! - Olivier”
Deriviere worked on the previous Plague Tale games, South of Midnight, and Dying Light.
Olivier Deriviere@oderiviere
"The Land" from 'Resonance @APlagueTale' is now out on all digital platforms! album.link/24d0qr37bspcx And here is a short teasing of the music production for the music. Enjoy!
7:06 AM · Jun 18, 2026 · 13.2K Views
23 Replies · 70 Reposts · 333 Likes
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