🍪 AI Shakeups, Studio Cuts, and Roblox Bans -

Hello there, tech survivors and digital optimists. Today we’re moving through a messy crossfire of AI economics, studio reshuffling, corporate layoffs, heavy censorship, Hollywood confusion, episodic experiments, and a hiring crisis so strange that studios are handing out pencils like it is 1995. Kiki and Chip are pacing the newsroom. It’s that kind of day.

Micron abandons consumer RAM to serve AI giants

Micron Technology announced it is shutting down its Crucial consumer RAM business starting February 2026. The company says it needs all production to serve AI data centers and high margin enterprise clients. Everyday PC users are no longer a priority.

Consumer RAM prices are now expected to rise, since one of the major suppliers just walked out of the room.

📢 This decision reflects Micron’s commitment to align its business with profitable growth vectors and strategic customers.

🦊 Kiki: Translation: AI companies pay more, regular users pay less, so you got cut. This is the first big memory player to publicly say the quiet part out loud. Everyone chasing AI wins, and the cost lands on normal consumers who already pay too much for upgrades. If storage and GPU suppliers follow this playbook, get ready for a rough 2026.

🍪 Chip calculates DDR5 prices and wipes away a tiny crumb tear.

Netflix sells Spry Fox back to its founders

Netflix is handing ownership of Spry Fox back to its original creators, but will still publish Spirit Crossing on mobile. The MMO needs monetisation changes since Netflix’s subscription model originally removed the need for traditional revenue design.

Spry Fox is now independent again but must either secure funding or hope Spirit Crossing becomes a hit across multiple platforms. Netflix’s game strategy keeps shifting after studio closures, staff cuts, and portfolio cancellations over the past two years.

📢 Being able to bring Spirit Crossing to more players is the best thing for the game.

🦊 Kiki: Netflix spent two years buying charming indies like Pokémon cards, then got bored and traded half the binder away. Spry Fox gets freedom, but also pressure. Spirit Crossing now has to prove itself in a world where cozy MMOs burn money faster than publishers grow patience.

🍪 Chip quietly stacks little fox plushies on a tiny revenue chart.

More layoffs hit Eidos Montréal

Eidos-Montréal has laid off another round of employees across design, writing, production, art, and animation. This comes after earlier cuts in March and after Embracer Group’s massive restructuring across all its studios.

Most internal projects are reportedly cancelled. Eidos is now focused on co-development support for titles like Grounded 2 and Fable.

🦊 Kiki: The Embracer collapse is still echoing. Studios that made critically loved games are now fighting to keep the lights on. Eidos is a flagship talent house reduced to support roles. When a company gambles billions on deals that never land, the bill always ends up at the workers’ door.

🍪 Chip leaves a tiny flower on a Deus Ex box.

Roblox banned in Russia for LGBTQ content and safety concerns

Russia has banned Roblox , claiming it contains LGBTQ propaganda, extremist material, and risks to child safety. The platform has also faced global criticism for repeated safety failures, exploitation concerns, and weak moderation tools.

Roblox says its safety systems are improving and that it respects local regulations. This follows similar bans like Türkiye’s block last year.

🦊 Kiki: Roblox getting banned for political reasons is expected, but the platform’s own safety record gives censors easy ammunition. When a company describes the predator problem as an opportunity, you lose the moral high ground fast.

🍪 Chip hides behind a digital fence with a worried expression.

Helldivers movie director has never played the game

Justin Lin, director of multiple Fast and Furious films and Star Trek Beyond, is leading the Helldivers movie. He has never played Helldivers 1 or 2. Arrowhead Game Studios’s CEO says that is not a problem and trusts Lin’s storytelling instincts.

Some fans are skeptical, fearing the tone will be misunderstood. The studio insists the script and production team understand the IP well.

🦊 Kiki: Not every adaptation needs a gamer director, but someone should at least hand him a controller. Helldivers is satire wrapped in chaos. If the movie leans too serious or too generic, fans will roast it harder than a bug nest on difficulty 9.

🍪 Chip pulls a lever labeled Galactic War and shrugs.

Dispatch studio admits episodic release was risky and insane but it worked

AdHoc Studio released Dispatch in weekly animated episodes even after being strongly advised not to. The model succeeded, doubling concurrency each drop. The team says it only worked because the creative backbone was strong, not because episodic releases are a magic formula.

The CEO admits most studios should never do this. The production cost, planning, and stress were extreme.

🦊 Kiki: Episodic design is a gamble. If your story is great, it builds momentum. If not, you’re inviting players to abandon you in slow motion. Dispatch pulled it off because the writing carried it. Most studios trying this trend would crash in week two.

🍪 Chip watches seven screens at once like a tiny binge goblin.

Japanese studio forces applicants to draw live to prove portfolios aren’t AI

A mid sized Japanese game studio now requires artists to draw on the spot during interviews. Too many applicants had AI generated portfolios, and some hires turned out to have no real drawing ability at all.

Studios across Japan are reportedly adopting similar measures. Some teams still encourage AI for certain tasks, but only after verifying real artistic skill.

🦊 Kiki: We have reached the point where hiring managers are handing out pencils as anti AI weapons. This is the logical end of fake portfolios. Artists pay the price because companies want skill and authenticity but also push AI adoption from the top.

🍪 Chip holds a pencil like a sword. Trembles slightly.