live service

Sony has now written down $765 million of its Bungie acquisition — $565 million in the most recent quarter alone. The analyst who covers the deal says there's more coming. The mistake wasn't Bungie. It was panic.

2K's May 8 layoffs at 31st Union were not just another grim industry update. They looked like a familiar late-cycle panic: cut staff, rewrite the pitch, and hope the market has not already moved on.

The studio cut its community manager and key designers to keep the game running. That's not a sign of health - it's the specific kind of signal live service players have learned to read.