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1. Embed this notice
   Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:39:17 JST Laurent 🫠

   I have a lot to say about this but I don't really know how to express it. It might end up being a long thread. 🧵

   TLDR:
   - The future of video games is indie.
   - Buying games is a political act.

   #gamedev #games #indiegame

   https://kotaku.com/psychonauts-hellblade-south-of-midnight-studios-negotiating-xbox-closure-2000706718

   • Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:39:16 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Rare, Double Fine… These layoffs aren’t just bad luck. They’re the cost of greed. The game industry was stupidly flooded with cash during COVID, expecting endless growth. Now, the bill is due.
     2/N

     Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
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     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:41:41 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     So what can we do?

     Stop funding the problem. Microsoft’s products are everywhere but alternatives exist. They’re cheaper, often better, and don’t fund a corp that breaks what it touches. It's impossible to fully escape Microsoft, but most of their software you actively use everyday have counterparts. Use them when you can.
     5/N

     Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
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     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:41:42 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     Microsoft and the others saw profit, spent big, then bailed when the next shiny market appeared. The result? Hundreds of talented devs unemployed.
     Remember: gaming is still one of the most profitable industries. These layoffs aren’t necessity. They’re choice.
     4/N

     Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:41:43 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     Making games is hard. Predicting profit? Nearly impossible. Yet, studios are treated like ATMs expected to print money forever in an oversaturated market. A market big companies and corpos oversaturated by chasing unrealistic returns.
     3/N

     Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
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     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:43:27 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     Buying a game is a political act. Your money votes for the kind of industry you want. AAA is unsustainable: rising costs, AI threats, $1,000 consoles...
     The future is smaller, bolder, and independent.
     The talent fleeing big studios will go indie.
     7/N

     Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
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     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:43:28 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     Look at GitHub. Look at Xbox. Look at their military contracts. Microsoft’s priorities are clear: profit over people, always.
     We’ve seen this before.
     Disney+ subscribers proved consumer power when they canceled en masse over Kimmel’s firing. We, as gamers, have that power too.
     6/N

     Soatok Dreamseeker repeated this.
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     Laurent 🫠 (on_code@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jun-2026 05:44:31 JST Laurent 🫠

     in reply to

     Support indie devs.
     Buy their games.
     Back their Patreons.
     The next generation of classics won’t come from boardrooms. It’ll come from passion, creativity, and us. The future of gaming is indie. Let’s build it and support it.
     8/8