Hollywood Finally Calls Back

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Today’s Insights

• Mass Effect TV series lands a showrunner after years of development hell

• Warner Bros shutters three gaming studios while hemorrhaging revenue

• PlayStation Plus vs Xbox Game Pass heats up with June lineups

• Ubisoft quietly cancels its annual showcase for the first time since 2020

HOT JOBS
5 Open Jobs on Our Job Board

✅ Amazon MGM Studios - Senior Producer: Join the Mass Effect TV adaptation team as production ramps up with new showrunner Doug Jung leading the charge.

✅ EA Sports - Lead Game Designer: Help shape the future of EA Sports FC as the franchise continues dominating Xbox Game Pass charts.

✅ Remedy Entertainment - VFX Artist: Create supernatural effects for FBC: Firebreak as it launches day-one on Game Pass June 17th.

✅ PlayStation Studios - Content Curator: Shape PlayStation Plus Extra's game catalog as Sony battles to compete with Game Pass momentum.

✅ Konami - Marketing Manager: Drive awareness for Silent Hill f ahead of its September 25th multi-platform launch.

THIS WEEK IN GAMING

Amazon Finally Finds Its Commander Shepard

Amazon's Mass Effect TV series just took a major step forward with the hiring of Doug Jung as showrunner. The Star Trek Beyond co-writer will work alongside writer Dan Casey, who's been developing the project for almost a year.

Why this matters: The series has been in development since 2021, making it one of Amazon's longest-gestating video game adaptations. With Fallout's massive success on Prime Video, Amazon clearly sees the potential in game-to-TV adaptations.

The team: Jung brings serious sci-fi credentials from Star Trek Beyond and showrunning experience from Apple TV+'s Chief of War. EA's Michael Gamble will executive produce, ensuring franchise authenticity.

The challenge: Previous attempts at Mass Effect film adaptations failed due to the universe's complexity. A TV format gives them room to breathe, but Jung faces the task of capturing what made Commander Shepard's story so compelling without alienating longtime fans.

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DEVELOPER INSIGHTS

Warner Bros Games Is Having a Very Bad Year

Warner Bros Discovery's gaming division just reported a devastating 48% drop in Q1 2025 revenue, following the closure of three major studios earlier this year.

The casualties: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego were all shuttered in February. Most notably, this killed Monolith's highly anticipated Wonder Woman game that had generated significant fan interest.

What went wrong: The numbers tell the story - lack of major releases, combined with higher overhead costs and the continued fallout from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's disastrous performance. Gaming unit chief David Haddad also departed after 12 years.

The silver lining: WB still has one unannounced IP launching in 2025, and CEO David Zaslav continues pushing for focus on "four really powerful" franchises: Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones.

TECH SPOTLIGHT

The Subscription Wars Get Personal

PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass are throwing everything at each other this June, and the competition is getting intense.

PlayStation's play: NBA 2K25, Alone in the Dark, and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk headline June's PlayStation Plus Essential lineup. Premium subscribers also get Myst and Riven, plus trials for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Civilization 7.

Xbox's counter: Game Pass is dropping heavy hitters including FBC: Firebreak and The Alters on day one, plus EA Sports FC 25 through EA Play integration.

The momentum shift: Xbox Game Pass has been on a "relentless winning streak" with day-one blockbusters and high-profile releases. Sony's response feels reactive rather than strategic, lacking the consistent headline-making impact of Game Pass.

Platform wars reality: Cross-platform support is now expected, with most major releases hitting multiple services simultaneously.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Ubisoft Quietly Waves Goodbye to Its Own Showcase

For the first time since 2020, Ubisoft won't be holding its annual Ubisoft Forward showcase. Instead, the publisher will appear at other events including IGN Live, PC Gaming Show, and Gamescom.

Reading between the lines: This smells like cost-cutting combined with a thin release slate. Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Shadows in March and is working on an expansion for later this year, but that's hardly showcase-worthy content.

The bigger picture: Ubisoft joined the Green Game Jam 2025 with environmental content for existing games, but environmental initiatives don't drive the same buzz as major game announcements.

What's coming: Anno 117: Pax Romana finally got a November release date during Summer Game Fest, and the publisher is still working on The Division 3, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, and Assassin's Creed Jade for mobile.

Industry implications: When major publishers start skipping their own showcases, it signals either budget constraints or strategic shifts. Recent partnerships with Tencent suggest Ubisoft is focusing resources elsewhere.

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