The Weekly Download

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's story: Sony announces it will end physical disc production by January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles Microsoft confirms 3200 layoffs alongside four studio divestments in major shakeup for Xbox Hosted by industry experts,...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's story: Compulsion Games, Double Fine and Ninja Theory are all at risk of closure  EA launches new advertising platform for brands Tribunal rules against Rockstar's request to amend ongoing legal dispute Hosted by industry experts, Tom and...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's story: Switch 2 sales drop in Japan following big surge ahead of cost revisions Xbox is reportedly planning major layoffs for the fourth year in a row Ubisoft conducts more layoffs + closes Winnipeg and Belgrade studios Hosted by industry expe...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: HoYoverse to invest up to $14.6bn in AI for in-house tools Microsoft to pay $250M to Activision Blizzard shareholders Payment for some TheGamer staff is now tied to per-article sessions Hosted by industry experts, Tom and Yaz, we br...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry. This week’s headlines: Sony won't be bringing any more single-player games to PC Nintendo denied touchscreen-specific patent in Pocketpair fight Wizards of the Coast ends partnership with Giant Skull Hosted by industry experts, Alex Beech and Yaz Brookes,...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Psychonauts and Kiln studio Double Fine votes to unionise Shift Up breaks from Sony to self-publish Stellar Blade 2 Capcom just sold more games than in any year in its history Hosted by industry experts, Tom Heath and Alex Beech, we...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Exclusive games are still the biggest draw of consoles EA closes FY26 with "record" performance thanks to Apex Legends and Battlefield 6   Xbox CEO confirms it's "winding down" Microsoft Copilot on mobile an...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Capcom raises FY25 outlook following Resident Evil: Requiem boost  Magic: The Gathering Arena developers are unionising Nacon’s collapse claims first closure as Greedfall studio confirms it ‘no longer exists’ Hosted by industry expe...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Microsoft cuts Game Pass pricing and removes CoD as a day-one title Koei Tecmo revises earnings forecast following strong start to 2026 US hardware sales rose 69% in March, primarily thanks to the Switch 2 Hosted by industry experts...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Xbox is considering shaking up Game Pass and its approach to exclusive games Over 50% of PC revenue comes from games outside the Top 20 Hytale copycat launches on eShop, original developers are set to take legal measures Hosted by i...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Slay the Spire 2 was March's biggest-selling game on Steam Netflix launches dedicated app for kids games Peak co-developer Landfall launches publishing label Hosted by industry experts, Tom Heath and Alex Beech, we break down t...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Rec Room, once valued at $3.5B, is shutting down later this year Disney is reportedly keen on buying Epic Games, but may be waiting for the right opportunity to make the move Eidos-Montréal announces 124 job cuts with studio head Da...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Nintendo announces price drop for digital Switch 2 games in the US Epic lays off 1,000 employees due to decline in Fortnite engagement Square Enix was Metacritic’s No. 1 ranked publisher last year Hosted by industry experts, Tom Hea...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: GDC Festival of Gaming shrinks by 30% year on year Krafton loses legal case against co-founders of Unknown Worlds just before Subnatica 2 enters Early Access NVIDIA’s new DLSS 5 has faced heavy backlash, but maybe everyone was too f...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Fortnite to raise V-Buck prices to "help pay the bills" Games with loot boxes will now receive a PEGI 16 rating Sony is running a dynamic pricing experiment on PlayStation Store Mega Man's voice actor won't repri...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Highguard will shut down after less than 2 months Metacritic pulls an AI-generated Resident Evil: Requiem review  Sony retreats from PC publishing   Hosted by industry experts Tom and Megan, we break down the most intriguing, comple...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are leaving Xbox Xbox faces "no pressure from Microsoft" to use AI, says new leadership Why Xbox’s corporate shake-up matters for everyone who plays games Hosted by industry experts Tom and Alex...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: EA Sports FC commentator gives permission for AI voice to record lines ByteDance reportedly in talks to sell Moonton Technology to Savvy Games Highguard developer was secretly backed by Tencent Hosted by industry experts Tom and Ale...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Ubisoft workers strike in response to recent restructuring Wildlight Entertainment has laid off "most" of its development team just two weeks after the launch of their hero shooter Highuard.  Discord announces age verifica...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Google unveils AI game engine called Project Genie Valve delays the Steam Machine, citing rising RAM/SSD costs and global shortages PS5 and Switch 2 both suffer decline in holiday sales despite positive outlook Hosted by industry ex...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Valve faces legal action in the UK over Steam prices  Highguard’s controversial launch raises many questions Ubisoft announces redundancy programme as unions commit to strikes Hosted by industry experts Tom and James, we break down...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  This week's headlines: Niko Partners’ 10 major trends to watch out for in 2026  Nintendo dominated Japan in 2025 Ubisoft’s latest restructuring with studio closures and project cancellations Hosted by industry experts Tom and Alex, we break down the most...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.   This week's headlines: Saudi Arabia's PIF to transfer $12bn in shares to Savvy Games Group Merger and acquisition activity dropped to $500m in Q4 2025 Stellar Blade director says AI is “essential” to compete with bigger studios as Games Workshop pro...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry. In the first episode of 2026, we’ll be taking a look at some of the stories that could shape the industry across the next 12 months! This week's headlines: Xbox suffers "worst year on record" for console sales in the UK Sony AI patent will see ga...

The Weekly Download by Big Games Machine is your essential weekly speedrun through the biggest stories in the global video games industry.  To mark the final episode of 2025, we wanted to take a look back at the year that was and tackle the year’s biggest stories, from the rise of generative AI to the explosion in UGC content and the troubles facing AAA studios. This Year’s Headlines: The rise of...