EA acquisition closes 💼 Unity x Netflix engine 🎮 indie dev bundle 🤝
2026-07-31 · 6 stories · 20 min read
Top Stories
Electronic Arts' $55 billion acquisition by a Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund-led consortium is set to close August 4 following regulatory approval from all required bodies, including the EU Commission. The deal, announced last September and backed by EA shareholders in December, involves PIF, Silver Lake Capital, and Affinity Partners. EA's full-year results showed net income up 81.5% to $461 million and revenue up 12% to $2.1 billion, driven largely by Battlefield 6's successful launch. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Unity announces dedicated engine for Netflix Games (1 min read)
Unity is providing Netflix with a dedicated engine optimized for cloud gaming and cross-platform development. Netflix-owned Night School Studio has already used the engine for its latest games; prior Netflix titles built on Unity include Black Mirror: Thronglets, Unhinged, and Squid Game: Unleashed. Unity 7, announced last week, enters beta testing in December with full release scheduled for Q1 2027 and will be a direct continuation of the current engine with new features already production-verified. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Indie developers have launched a $10 bundle on itch.io containing 107 games, eight physical games, six asset packs, and three soundtracks—normally valued at ~$1,023—to support laid-off game developers. Necrosoft Games spearheaded the effort in response to what the organizers call an "unprecedented number" of layoffs this year. All revenue minus itch processing fees goes to the Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by United Videogame Workers, with no cuts taken by organizers or UVW. Affected developers in the US and Canada can apply for assistance to cover food, housing, healthcare, and living expenses; eligibility covers anyone laid off from January 2024 onward, whether from AAA studios, indie teams, or as contractors. (GamesRadar)
Business & Finance
Roblox Q2 revenue rises 36% to $1.5bn (3 min read)
Roblox reported Q2 revenue of $1.5 billion, up 36% year-over-year, though net bookings rose only 8% due to reduced per-hour monetization among younger US/Canadian users after algorithm changes. DAUs reached 123 million, up 10%, with strong growth in Japan (67%) and India (64%). (GamesIndustry.biz)
Studios & People
If knowledge is power, why are game companies setting it alight? (7 min read)
Opinion piece examining how mass layoffs destroy institutional knowledge—the accumulated expertise, procedures, and informal wisdom that keeps studios functioning. Uses Microsoft's 1,600 immediate layoffs and planned 1,600 more as a case study, arguing that losing key employees costs far more than severance, including demoralization and loss of critical technical and procedural know-how. (Game Developer)
AI/Tech & Tools
PlayStation 5 Emulator Kyty Makes 3D Games Playable (4 min read)
The Kyty PS5 emulator now runs 3D games like XIII and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wrath of the Mutants at 20–30fps, a major milestone after 3D titles were stuck on black screens weeks earlier. SharpEMU separately reached the Astro Bot title screen, signaling rapid progress across competing emulators. (The Gamer)
gg! see you in game!
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