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Bits & Bytes is a weekly column the place Editor-in-Chief Robert shares his ideas about video video games and the business on a lazy Sunday. Gentle studying for a day of relaxation, Bits & Bytes is brief, to the purpose, and one thing to learn with a pleasant drink.
Did you miss me? Yeah, me neither. Anyhoo, Bits & Bytes is again after an extended hiatus as there’s a lot to speak about nonetheless on the planet of video video games. This time round it’s the long-gestating acquisition of Activision/Blizzard by Microsoft. And the entire thing stinks, I inform you.
Not essentially simply due to the, let’s say, seemingly doubtful nature of how the deal got here to fruition (allegedly, or no matter different qualifier I have to put right here to remain out of authorized bother). No, for me it stinks as a result of mergers of this ilk and of this scale inevitably result in layoffs. There are numerous employees in any respect three firms who’re doubtless watching their inboxes with bated breath as they marvel in the event that they’ll be among the many first despatched packing as soon as the company bean counters begin determining who to axe in an effort to save a couple of pennies.
It’s the secret in relation to the online game business, sadly. Small firms spend their time scrambling for funding, dwelling precariously from the income generated by every challenge, whereas bigger firms minimize employees even after multimillion-dollar success tales. There are exceptions, in fact, however overwhelmingly it feels wish to work in video video games is to be a part of a by no means ending lose-lose state of affairs. Except somebody manages to cement a lead function or some place of notice and energy, on a regular basis employees are absolute cannon fodder.
Which completely sucks when contemplating the effort and time it takes to get the kind of specialised training one wants simply to get a foot by the door to land one among these jobs within the first place. Now, Microsoft has gotten its palms on one of many greatest firms in all the business and I will probably be flabbergasted if we don’t begin seeing pink slips begin to flutter down from the rafters that the payroll vultures sit perched in. Nonetheless, as I’ve famous to my college students, I truthfully don’t know what fixes this ongoing drawback. Some proceed to tout unionization as the reply, however I don’t know if it’s the panacea that so many social media pundits and half-baked journalists assume it’s.
Nonetheless, if there’s any silver lining to be discovered right here, it’s that Microsoft appears pretty devoted to holding a minimum of among the properties beneath the umbrella of Activision/Blizzard multiplatform. When the corporate acquired developer Mojang again in 2014, many speculated that Minecraft would grow to be unique to Xbox and Home windows platforms. As a substitute, Microsoft realized that limiting entry to the sport would have successfully killed its worth and to at the present time has maintained Minecraft on just about each little bit of {hardware} it could run on. That very same mindset appears to be carrying by right here, a minimum of for now, particularly as Microsoft continues to proclaim that the longer term is cloud gaming and never devoted {hardware}.
We’ll see what the longer term holds. I simply really feel unhealthy for the employees that will probably be in search of new jobs. Let’s hope I’m improper.
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