WaperRoblox’s revenue rose despite weaker bookings and missed user targets, while new reporting linked BioWare’s closure to EA’s preference for another Battlefront game.
Game industry8 items
Studio restructuring also continued at Xbox, although John Romero’s canceled project secured a new publisher.
New7
Roblox revenue rises 16% as bookings fall 12%
Roblox reported third-quarter revenue of $1.6 billion and bookings of $1.7 billion, while missing daily active user goals. The company is betting on AI; more than 80% of its top 100 games by hours played used AI in development in October.
Why it matters: The divergence between revenue and bookings makes Roblox’s growth trajectory a key issue for developers and investors exposed to its platform.
Dan Greenawalt leaves Microsoft as Turn 10 merges with Playground Games
Turn 10 founder, director and vice president Dan Greenawalt has departed after 27 years. His exit follows the studio’s merger with Playground Games as part of Xbox’s restructuring.
Why it matters: The departure removes a longstanding Forza leader as Microsoft consolidates its racing studios.
John Romero secures new publisher for canceled Xbox project
John Romero confirmed that his previously canceled Xbox game has found a new publisher. The project has been rescoped for a smaller team, and some staff have been rehired.
Why it matters: The deal preserves a project and restores some jobs after its cancellation threatened the studio’s survival.
Maddy Makes Games delists Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox
Maddy Makes Games removed Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox in support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
Why it matters: The withdrawal shows how developers’ political positions can affect platform catalogs and distribution relationships.
Anthropic updates Claude Code to discourage recreating specific games
Anthropic confirmed an update to Opus 5.5 designed to steer Claude Code away from recreating someone else’s specific game.
Why it matters: The change introduces a new constraint on AI-assisted game replication, relevant to developers evaluating coding tools and intellectual-property risks.
Atelico launches on-device AI engine into Early Access
Studio Atelico opened Early Access to its Atelico AI Engine. It supports language models, image generation, speech, semantic search and AI-driven character behavior on players’ devices without relying on cloud services.
Why it matters: Local execution offers developers an alternative to cloud-dependent AI gameplay systems.
Sony’s Screen Gems acquires Mouthwashing film rights
Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems has acquired the film rights to Mouthwashing, with Karyn Kusama directing and Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay writing the screenplay. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are among the producers under Crooked Highway; the adaptation is in development, but its plot remains undisclosed.
Why it matters: The acquisition and announced creative team make Mouthwashing a concrete project to track in the pipeline of horror game adaptations.
Follow-ups1
EA reportedly chose Battlefront sequel over Mass Effect when closing BioWare
New reporting says EA closed BioWare to shift resources from Mass Effect toward a new Star Wars: Battlefront title. The publisher reportedly decided against funding both high-budget science-fiction projects.
Why it matters: The reported rationale clarifies EA’s portfolio priorities and its willingness to favor licensed properties over established internal franchises.