ByteAction - Issue 172

ByteAction is a newsletter for game developers and fans

Hello and welcome to the 172nd edition of the ByteAction newsletter!

Hope you’re having a productive September so far.

As for what has happened in the games industry recently: EA has been in talks for a record $50 billion buyout led by investors including Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which sent its stock price up 15% last week, amid controversy over PIF’s ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In other news, UK studio Splash Damage has been acquired by private-equity investors, ending its ownership under Tencent, and will continue operating under its current leadership team.

Lastly, Konami reported that Silent Hill F outsold the Silent Hill 2 remake at launch, surpassing 1 million copies sold worldwide within a day of its September 25 release.

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The Byte

1. A Newzoo report found that 45% of single-player AAA games released since 2021 launched between August and November, based on analysis of 155 titles across PlayStation, PC, and Xbox.

The Action

2. At Tokyo Game Show week, Xbox’s showcase delivered updates on upcoming titles with highlights including the reveal of Forza Horizon 6 set in Japan, a Gungrave Gore remake, new content for 007: First Light, and Japan-themed maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Retro Byte

3. Best all time retro games.

Studio Byte

4. Coffee Stain Studios is a Swedish game developer founded in 2010 by students from the University of Skövde and is best known for creating the viral hit Goat Simulator as well as the factory-building game Satisfactory. Based in Skövde, the company has since expanded to include Coffee Stain Publishing and other affiliated studios like Coffee Stain North and Lavapotion. In 2018, it was acquired by Embracer Group through THQ Nordic but continues to operate with creative independence, focusing on quirky, innovative titles that often gain strong community followings.

Legal Stuff

5. Microsoft is reportedly cutting off Israel’s Unit 8200 from using certain Azure and AI tools after violations tied to surveillance of Palestinians, amid a consumer boycott of Xbox.

6. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has been ordered to appear in French court this October after a harassment trial involving three former executives.

Acquisitions/Investments

7. Midwest Games raised $2 million from Prevail Private Capital to expand its publishing support and back underrepresented developers, marking the firm’s first investment in gaming.

8. Once a booming industry fueled by major investments, esports has seen a sharp decline in investor interest since 2022, leading to layoffs and consolidation, even as the market continues to grow and evolve—particularly in the U.S., its second-largest hub after China.

New Game Corner

9. ARC Raiders - October 30th, 2025

   ARC Raiders is a free-to-play cooperative third-person extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth overrun by mechanized alien machines known as “Arcs,” players drop into dangerous zones to scavenge resources, fight enemies, and extract loot. The game blends tense PvE combat with PvP encounters, emphasizing teamwork, survival, and high-risk, high-reward gameplay.

Resource Byte

10. Hostinger Horizons

    AI web/software builder - similar to Replit and Base44.

Who’s Hiring?

Senior Game Designer - Coffee Stain Studios - Gothenburg, Sweden

Senior Technical Lighting Artist - That’s No Moon - Los Angeles, CA

Lead Character Artist - Larian Studios - Barcelona, Spain

Product Director - Homa - Remote, UK

Social Media Director - Scopely - Culver City, CA

HR Manager - Rockstar Games - Leeds, UK

Data Engineer - Lingokids - Remote, Europe

Render Engineer - Wargaming - Berlin, Germany

Head of Client Side - Zeptolab - Serbia

Head of Publishing - Shiro Games - Bordeaux, France

Senior Combat Designer - Naughty Dog - Los Angeles, CA

Senior Animation Programmer - 31st Union - San Mateo, CA

Lead Developer (Unity) - Univrse - Barcelona, Spain

Art Director - Techland - Warsaw, Poland (Remote)

Interested in sharing your job posts here? Just click on the button below for more info and reach out to tomas@byteaction.co

Dev Talks

11. Interview with Phil Rogers

    “This isn’t a theoretical future. It’s happening now and the results are quite compelling. Many of our studios have been experimenting with AI in the past couple of years and are now starting to really leverage it to eliminate bottlenecks and empower our development teams. We’re beginning to see measurable increases in productivity.”

    Phil Rogers

Events

12. GIC 2025 - October 23rd - 26th.

    The Game Industry Conference (GIC) is Poland’s largest game development event, held annually in Poznań alongside the Poznań Game Arena expo, one of Europe’s premier consumer gaming shows. It serves as a dynamic hub for professionals across the industry to network, share insights and trends, and participate in focused summits on various subjects. In 2025, GIC is scheduled for October 23–26, offering keynote talks, workshops, pitching events, concerts, and vibrant social gatherings, all catering to the vibrant Polish and broader European games ecosystem