Amazon to publish Bond games 🔫 PUBG studio restructures 💸
2026-06-04 · 9 stories · 34 min read
Top Stories
MGM and Amazon Game Studios to publish future IO Interactive James Bond titles (2 min read)
IO Interactive will no longer self-publish future James Bond games; MGM and Amazon Game Studios will handle publishing going forward. The shift follows Amazon's 2022 acquisition of MGM, which owns the Bond IP. IO Interactive developed and self-published 007: First Light, which launched May 27 and sold over 1.5 million copies in 24 hours. Amazon Game Studios general manager Jeff Gattis said the company's stake in future Bond titles stems from the MGM acquisition, which occurred after the First Light deal was already finalized. Gattis noted Bond supports Amazon's transmedia strategy across games, film, and television. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Brendan Greene's PlayerUnknown Productions announced a studio restructure, with Greene stating "I have reached the limits of how far I can continue to fund this journey in its current form." The studio will continue developing its Melba technology with a smaller team while halting further development of Prologue: Go Wayback. The survival roguelike will become free-to-play with an upcoming update, and the studio is investigating refunds for players who purchased it on Steam and Epic Games Store. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Business & Finance
Total consumer spending on games topped $60B in the US in 2025 (3 min read)
US consumer spending on games reached $60.7 billion in 2025, with $52.3 billion on content, $5.4 billion on hardware, and $2.95 billion on accessories. 58% of surveyed players purchased in-game cosmetics or DLC. (Game Developer)
Studios & People
Vampire Survivors' Poncle is expanding into Japan (2 min read)
Vampire Survivors developer Poncle is opening a new Japan studio led by Crim CEO Sawaki Takeyasu, with plans for an Italy studio as well. Regional teams will pursue separate projects independently while maintaining collaboration options, with Takeyasu prioritizing passion-driven development and accessibility. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Games & Releases
Video Games Avoiding The GTA 6 Release Date Might Be Shooting Themselves In The Foot (5 min read)
Publishers are strategically clearing the release calendar around Grand Theft Auto 6's November launch. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 moved to late October, and Fable was delayed to February 2027, as studios avoid direct competition with Rockstar's anticipated blockbuster. (The Gamer)
Funcom confirmed Dune Awakening will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in September without crossplay support. The developer stated the feature is technically and operationally complex and would divert resources from the console port; more details will be shared in an upcoming livestream. (Eurogamer)
WWE 2K26 Makes Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick Playable For Some Reason (4 min read)
WWE 2K26 added Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick as an official playable character in Season 3, complete with Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' as entrance music and custom commentary. He was assigned a 77 overall rating, higher than several actual WWE wrestlers in the roster. (The Gamer)
Policy & Labor
Stop Killing Games claims Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot attended an invitation-only EU Commission meeting hosted by Video Games Europe two weeks before the Commission's planned response to the movement's European Citizens' Initiative petition. The group says it was not invited to the meeting. (GamesRadar)
Culture & Community
Analysts highlight a growing but underserved market of older gamers aged 55+, projected to reach 56.9 million in Western Europe by 2031. Industry executives note few games are designed with retired players' preferences in mind. (GamesIndustry.biz)
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