[chemgear]

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...nd-developers/

As Microsoft lays off thousands and jacks up Game Pass prices, former FTC chair says I told you so

"Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been followed by significant price hikes and layoffs, harming both gamers and developers," Khan wrote on X. "As we’ve seen across sectors, increasing market consolidation and increasing prices often go hand-in-hand.

The deal was closed in October 2023, even though the FTC's legal action against it was still pending, and it's been one ####ty thing after another since then. Just a few months after the deal was sealed, Microsoft laid off 1,900 workers at Activision Blizzard and Xbox, and cancelled the studio's long-awaited survival game; then in September 2024, another 650 people were shown the door. That was followed by the layoff of 9,000 more employees across Microsoft in July 2025, a spot of unpleasantness that also saw multiple game cancellations, the closure of The Initiative, and knock-on impacts on other studios, even as Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the company's gaming business "never looked stronger."







Lol, even Gamestop taking their shots.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1973450799029297648