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Assassin’s Creed Veteran Says AC2 Originally Covered Ezio’s Story Through His Rise as Mentor
Assassin’s Creed II could have been a very different game. According to longtime Assassin’s Creed veteran Jean Guesdon, Ubisoft originally envisioned Ezio Auditore’s story extending from his childhood all the way to his rise as Mentor of the Assassins, meaning much of what eventually became Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood was initially intended for the second game. Guesdon discussed the original plans in an interview with Retro Gamer Issue 287. He explained that the team eventually realized the proposed story was simply…
Red Dead Redemption Dev Says Rockstar Crunch Was Sometimes About Impressing Executives, Not Fixing Bugs
Former Rockstar Games developer Kris Roberts has offered a candid account of the intense working conditions surrounding the final stages of Red Dead Redemption, claiming that some periods of crunch were less about solving development problems and more about demonstrating a constant presence to visiting executives. Roberts discussed his experience in an interview with Kiwi Talkz. He worked at Rockstar on the Midnight Club series before becoming the multiplayer design lead for the original Red Dead Redemption, released in 2010.…
Former Rockstar Employees Urge Fans Not to Boycott GTA 6 Over Labor Dispute
Former Rockstar Games employees involved in the studio’s ongoing labor dispute are asking fans not to boycott Grand Theft Auto VI despite their opposition to how the company handled their dismissals. Instead, the workers want players to support their legal campaign and efforts to strengthen union rights within the games industry. The message comes from employees who were among the 31 UK-based Rockstar workers dismissed in October 2025. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) says all 31 were…
Phantom Blade Zero Pre-Orders Become Steam’s Top-Selling Paid Game Ahead of October Release
Phantom Blade Zero is showing strong early demand on PC, with its Steam pre-orders ranking as the best-performing paid item on Valve’s storefront for the week ending August 18, 2026. The upcoming action RPG placed third overall in Steam’s revenue-based ranking, behind the free-to-play Counter-Strike 2 and Apex Legends. The ranking is particularly notable because Phantom Blade Zero is still more than two months away from launch. According to the official PlayStation listing, S-GAME’s wuxia-inspired action RPG is scheduled to…
Phantom Blade Zero State of Play Flooded With “No Disc, No Buy” Messages From PlayStation Fans
The latest Phantom Blade Zero State of Play was supposed to give PlayStation fans an extended look at S-Game’s highly anticipated action game. Instead, much of the discussion surrounding the nearly 20-minute presentation focused on Sony’s controversial decision to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation releases starting in January 2028. Sony officially announced the change in July, saying new games would move to digital-only distribution after the cutoff. The company said the decision reflects the growing preference for digital…
Ex-God of War Writer Says Japanese Game Developers Keep Their Jobs Because Firing Workers Is Much Harder
The stark difference between layoffs in the Western video game industry and employment stability at many Japanese studios has drawn attention from Alanah Pearce, the former God of War writer and current YouTuber. In a recent video, Pearce examined why Japanese developers often appear to retain employees for longer while major Western publishers continue to announce widespread cuts. According to Pearce, one of the biggest factors is Japan’s labor system, which makes dismissing permanent employees considerably more difficult than in…