LawCom

  Microsoft reportedly lays off 1900 Xbox Gaming Employees  25  JANUARY 2024 Microsoft is reportedly cutting 1900 jobs at Xbox Gaming, and Activision Blizzard this coming month. The cut of 1900 jobs impacts 9% of Microsoft's Xbox Gaming department, which employs an estimated 22,000 employees, according to The Guardian . An internal memo, obtained by The Verge , reveals that Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirms the 1900 job cuts. In the memo, Mr Spencer said "It's been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft. "As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team. "The Gaming Leadership Team and I are committed to navigating this process as thoughtfully as possible."   Other tech companies, including Discord , have reportedly recently made job cuts to their workforce. The job cuts will impact...

  Scala Theatre planning application                          submitted  16  january 2024 Planning applications for Worcester's updated Scala Theatre have been submitted, setting out "an ambitious vision". Worcester City Council have submitted new plans to revive the historic Scala Theatre and former Corn Exchange. The project's planning application, funded by £17.9 million of the Future High Street's Fund, is now listed online by Worcester City Council . The online planning application reveals Worcester City Council plan to end consultation for the Scala Theatre on 7th February 2024. According to the City Council , their plan to regenerate the former Scala Theatre and Corn Exchange buildings, is "an ambitious vision for a new performance and creativity hub in the hearts of the city." City Council Joint Leader, Councillor Lynn Denham said, "These plans set out a vision to refurbish these lovely old...

  Discord reportedly lays off 17% of                             its workforce  14  JANUARY 2024 Social media platform, Discord, has reportedly told staff it will axe its workforce by 17%, approximately 170 employees. In an internal memo, reported by The Verge , CEO Jason Citron said the company will "sharpen our focus and improve the way we work together to bring more agility to our organization." The memo obtained by The Verge, reveals the cuts will impact 170 employees across various departments.  In an internal company email, The Verge reported that CEO Jason Citron said "Today we are making the unfortunate and difficult decision to reduce the size of Discord's workforce by 17 percent.  "This means we are saying goodbye to 170 of our talented colleagues. This is a decision we did not take lightly, but it is one that we have conviction in to better our users, our business and...

  Overwatch 2's "Hacked" event released  12  JANUARY 2024 Blizzard have released a limited-time game mode for 'Quick Play', called Quick Play: Hacked. On January 12th, Blizzard Entertainment released a new lightning-fast game mode for Overwatch 2, that will run from Jan 12th to 14th. The game mode, inspired by the character Sombra, called 'Quick Play: Hacked' will feature faster moving payloads, faster spawn times, and quicker gameplay. In their latest blog post , game developers have said "We want to learn what changes to Overwatch 2 you enjoy the most. Testing new ideas with you for a limited time allows us  to quickly understand what you like and possibly implement changes to improve gameplay.  "This also gives players of all skill levels an opportunity to try out new playstyles and strategies that wouldn't necessarily work in a traditional game of Overwatch." For this weekend only, players can expect to see: Respawning times are now ...

  Was 2023 The Best Year In Gaming?   31  DECEMBER 2023 As 2023 draws to an end, we take a look back at the past 12 months best and worst gaming moments. In retrospect, 2023 stands as a watershed moment for the gaming industry, with ground-breaking releases, court trials, cloud gaming leaps, and heightened community engagement. As the year draws to a close, we will look to see if 2023 was the best year in gaming? January: Image courtesy of Google Back in January, tech-giant Google announced the closure and shut down of its cloud-gaming service Google Stadia . What was dubbed the 'future of gaming' had come to an end after operating for 3 years.  As a user of Stadia myself, this was sad moment in gaming history. Although Stadia closed down, I'm sure Google will make a return in the gaming industry. February: February saw the release of one of the most anticipated games of the year. Hogwarts Legacy launched on PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and it delivered all ...