Unionized

Good Morning. Is it possible to count how many friendships have ended over blue bubbles vs. green bubbles? Probably not. Apple announced that it will soon adopt the RCS messaging standard used by most Android devices. The software update for the support will launch in 2024, and could finally allow the world to see iPhones and Androids living under one roof.

— Tim Rhyne, Derek Neville

MAIN QUEST:

While 2023 has been hailed as one of the best years in gaming history when it comes to releases, it has been a tough year for those who work in the industry, with studios and publishers facing several rounds of layoffs. In a rare 2023 win for gaming industry employees, this summer Sega of America employees announced they would be forming a union, becoming the largest multi-department gaming union in the US.

Now just a few months later, the union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that Sega has negotiated in bad faith. The complaint stems from a November 6th proposal from Sega to the union which included phasing out temporary employees and moving those jobs to its European and Japanese branches by early 2024. Sega then announced the proposal to affected employees. The union’s complaint says Sega dealing with the employees directly instead of going through the union and telling them they were losing their jobs is a union-busting tactic and is retaliation against the formation of the union.

Step Back: The temporary employees make up roughly 40% of the union’s bargaining unit, and the union is now calling on Sega to make the temporary employees permanent and keep their positions in the US. While the complaint is now with the National Labor Relations Board, the process may not prevent the layoffs. However, with more game industry employees forming unions, such as CD Projekt Red, this development is likely to galvanize game industry employees involved in unionization.

HUD

• Fortnite adds a voice-reporting feature. Users may now submit reports with the last 5 minutes of game chat audio for Epic’s review. The only way to disable the recording aspect is for all members of your party to be 18+, all be friends, and have the setting turned off.

• The PlayStation Store now displays a Star Rating for games to aid with purchasing decisions. People must own a game in some manner to leave a rating on the game.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III’s meta-critic scores have dropped below 60 just a week after its official release.

MAJOR W

• Larian Studios has begun pre-orders for Baldur’s Gate 3 - Deluxe Edition and will announce the exact Xbox release date at The Game Awards.

• Hitman: Blood Money - Reprisal releases on mobile stores for $15 on November 30th.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt announced a free PC mod editor is planned for release in 2024.

F IN THE CHAT

• Two Desperados has laid off 25% of its employees.

• Redfall released a new weapon alongside its third massive update. Meanwhile, Hero Pass holders still have not received either of their promised heroes.

CAREER CORNER

• Workday Integration Engineer — Unity (Austin, TX)

• Sr. Motion Editor — Krafton (Santa Monica, CA)

• Mechanical Engineer — Valve (Bellevue, WA)

HIVE MIND

WEEKLY CHECKPOINT

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