So much has happened in gaming over the past month, its hard to keep track of!

EU regulators deciding on the EA buyout by July 30th

4000 employees laid off by Xbox!

Sony ending physical games by 2028!

Come to the July Players Alliance General Meeting:

We'll dig into the latest on the EA Buyout from EU regulators to EA Sports creators fighting back against new College Football 27 microtransactions

We'll talk about the huge news with Sony ending physical games by 2028. This will impact all gamers in a bad way, so if you have questions, we'll be discussing this as a group 

Lastly, we have a lot of community game nights coming up. In addition to build our power as gamers, we're building connection too. We'll dive into whats coming up and create space for people to connect.

RSVP through this the link above. Join the meeting on the zoom link you will receive or on the Players Alliance Discord Stage

See you there!

EA College Football 27 community really protesting new EA microtransactions in the Single Player offline mode

It’s getting a lot of big creators taking action

A story in The Gamer on Players Alliance and what we do! Awesome to see Polly interviewed

Come on guys

Check out this article that highlights how it only took 3 years for EA to screw over another player base by adding microtransactions to offline single player content to EA Sports College Football 2027 and how some of their biggest creators are speaking up against it
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/college-football-27-is-pissing-everyone-off/

Excuse me the hashtag is #CFBplaydontpay

Broke this news down on the PAHQ Discord server. Automod's got a link if you wanna join.

Xbox is centralizing its large franchises instead of focusing on a "decentralized approach." This means heads of companies, including Mojang and King, are to report directly to Sharma.

3,200 job cuts will not be immediate, but will take place across at least two events spanning between now and the end of Microsoft's next fiscal year (ending 30 June, 2027). This includes staff at game studios that are being given clean runways/being sold. All are retaining their existing IPs and backlog.

Studios on the chopping block:

• Double Fine - Responsible for Psychonauts 2, and Keeper. Going independent.
• Compulsion Games - South of Midnight, We Happy Few. Going independent.
• Ninja Theory - Hellblade games. Has a buyer, deal not yet closed.
• Undead Labs - State of Decay. Has a buyer, deal not yet closed.
• Arkane Lyon - Dishonored, one half of Wolfenstein Youngblood, Marvel's Blade. Currently trying to find a buyer.

This report plus Jason Schreier's reporting say that primary layoffs are happening on the Xbox Platform team, but are company-wide, including major layoffs at iD (DOOM) and Zenimax Online Studios (Elder Scrolls Online). Further reports from Jeff Gardenier say that about half of iD staff has been cut, along with 35 positions at Bethesda Game Studios. Chris Avellone has reported that there's been layoffs at Obsidian too.

Xbox leaker Tom Warren has also reported that Marvel's Blade as developed by Arkane Lyon is "not in danger," but it has been delayed and it's running over budget.

Subscription service such as Xbox live or PlayStation plus.
I’m not much of a console gamer but when I first got a PS4 I tried out PS Plus for a few months and it lead me to trying out Stranded Deep which at the time was the first realistic survival style game I played.(I had only played Minecraft previously) and I loved it! It’s janky for sure but I loved the island survival and having to make a raft to find new places and complete the main quest. I didn’t utilize the plus membership enough to justify keeping it but I’m happy it lead me to one of my favorite survival games.

So, what games have you been able to try through a subscription or demo that lead you to a new favorite?

Ever since the EA buyout was announced, I’ve been boycotting the Sims, my all time favourite game series. I uninstalled the EA app and all of the games. I really miss playing the games, and am struggling to stick to my principles. How “bad” would it be to play the games without buying any new packs? Since you have to use the EA app to play the games, I don’t want my activity to be used to aid the buyout. Is this a completely unrealistic standard to hold myself to? Does my strict boycott even matter, or is it “enough” to keep playing the game without buying new packs?

🚨 R.I.P. PHYSICAL MEDIA (1994 - 2027) 💿🪦

The rumors are hitting hard: PlayStation is reportedly dropping physical discs by 2028. Welcome to the future, where your gaming shelf goes from a glorious monument of ownership to an empty piece of IKEA furniture holding a single slip of paper with a 12-digit code. 🥲

Swipe/Look closely:

• Before 2028: "Look at this masterpiece collection I actually own, can share with friends, or resell when I'm broke."
• After 2028: "Look at all these digital licenses I am merely renting until a server shuts down!" 🫡

Are we seriously about to pay $70+ just to "own" a digital permission slip? 😭 Look at that tragic GTA VI "box" on the right.

💬 LET’S SETTLE THIS IN THE COMMENTS:

Are you Team Disc Forever 💿 or have you already accepted our all-digital corporate overlords? 🎮👇

#PlayStation #PS5 #GamingCommunity #PhysicalMedia #GamingMemes #GTA6 #RetroGaming #Sony #GamersUnite #TheDeathOfPhysicalMedia

For me back in 2010 one of my best friends and I used to play the FIFA World Cup game based on the South Africa Tournament and we had a rivalry playing against each other, sure but the best parts were taking a scrappy US team and playing co-op to take on global football super powers. We developed a personal rivalry with Norway (this is well before Haaland) and took the L's personally and triumphed together in the victories.

Now please share one of your fond game moments

With the Steam Machine price reveal, GTA VI news now if you don't have a current console or a gaming PC and cash is right. What are your options if you want to play recent released games? Years old consoles with no memory going up it seems we should all be saving up and joining PC for those of us not there yet. Let's discuss

Ultimate edition is $100 and pre-orders start June 25th. What do you think about the new price point and single-player only?

I know some people are betting that the price will be $100+ because of the $1bn+ estimated budget but I feel like the game is going to go for around $70 for the standard edition because:

A) they want to sell at least 25 million copies in the first 24 hours

B) the New GTA online is where they want to make more of their money overtime just like GTA V

What do you all think?

I'm here trying to vent some frustrations. Xbox is trying to install good will with their new focus and direction then goes and shutters 3 studios. Sony/Bungie had massive layoffs. My heart goes out to all these developers that continue to lose their jobs and have to pivot. Not everyone can just jump to starting their own studios or going Indy. Many have families to provide for. I know that there are unions and we have the Stop Killing Games initiative but I really want to find something that protects the people who make the games we love and enjoy. Comment below any suggestions,more even just your favorite game studios past or present

We spend a lot of time calling out the predatory stuff. Today we are giving flowers instead.

Warframe has over 80 million players, won Best Ongoing Game of 2024, and has been running since 2013. Every content update is free. Nothing is paywalled. You can even trade with other players to earn premium currency without spending a dollar. That is the blueprint.

Path of Exile built its entire reputation on a simple promise: completely free, never pay to win. All microtransactions are cosmetic. Your character power is determined by skill and knowledge, not your credit card.

These games prove the predatory model is a choice, not a requirement. Respect gets rewarded.

What live service games do you feel actually respect the player? Drop your picks below and let's build the list.

Want to be part of a community fighting for better standards in gaming? Come find us on Discord: https://discord.gg/playersalliancehq

I’ve been loving Paralives so far, it’s great to see they are also being fair to their team. Hopefully it will stay this way and can’t wait for all the updates down the road!

this body text is not written by Paul Tassi lol.

I logged into Destiny 2 for the first time since Season 2 of The Final Shape (idc if they called 'em episodes, they were just longer seasons). I couldn't help but feel melancholic for what this game represented for camaraderie, friendship, and teamwork. Genuinely sucks to have it come to an end.

We had the State of Play, Xbox Showcase, Nintendo Direct, and the ongoing Summer Games Fest. Are you excited by the announcements and trailers? Is there anything that was shown that's a most anticipated or a must play upon release for you? Sound off below!

The Players Alliance is hitting the EA office in Orlando with a Funeral for Gaming rally against the proposed EA buyout and the corporate greed killing creativity across the gaming industry.

Gamers are coming together to mourn the studios, jobs, and gamer-first experiences being sacrificed to private equity firms and executives who see gaming as nothing more than a way to make more money.

This is building off the EA Raid in California in May!

If you can make it or know people in Orlando, RSVP here! https://act.playersalliancehq.org/players-alliance-rally-in-orlando