🍪 Leadership Shakeups, Anime Ambitions, and the Next Phase for Helldivers
Hello there, fellow loot-slingers and IP-dreamers. Today we’ve got a whirlwind of industry moves and market shifts — from a Diablo leader walking away, to Sega trying to keep the rings from slipping, to Sony dreaming big with anime, to devs rethinking how they even start making games. Plus, preservation scares, AI pivots, and yet another gut-punch round of layoffs. Let’s dig in.
🎮 Rod Fergusson Exits Blizzard, Diablo, and Microsoft
Rod Fergusson — a veteran whose credits span Gears of War, BioShock Infinite, and Diablo — is leaving Blizzard Entertainmentafter five years steering the Diablo franchise. He announced on social media:
📢 “After five years driving the Diablo franchise with four big launches, it’s time to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next.”
Fergusson’s departure raises questions about Diablo 4’s future. While he expects Blizzard to support the game for five years, he doubts it will have a decade-long life like Fortnite. A new lead could push for Diablo 5 or shift live service policies. Notably, Fergusson emphasized leaving Microsoft specifically, hinting his next move might be toward a rival — or a completely new sector.
🦊🍪 Our Take: Fergusson’s track record means his next project could easily attract funding and talent. The bigger question is whether Diablo will evolve under new leadership or continue its carefully managed live-service grind.
📉 Sega’s Sales Drop Despite Persona 5: The Phantom X Boost
SEGA Sammy’s Q1 results show a 22.7% drop in net sales to $548M, with an operating loss of $3.5M. Fewer new releases hurt numbers, but Persona 5: The Phantom X exceeded expectations with 1.5M day-one downloads. Catalogue sales and Rovio titles underperformed, while Sega doubled down on its transmedia IP strategy — from Sonic to new merchandising moves like the Sega Store Tokyo.
📢 “We aim to create a virtuous cycle of IP value enhancement and revenue expansion.”
🦊🍪 Our Take: Sega is in a holding pattern — but Persona’s mobile success hints that well-timed, high-profile releases can still hit big, especially in Asia. The key is turning those hits into sustained engagement before the next quarterly drop.
🛠 PS3 Store Outage Sparks Preservation Concerns
The PS3 Store is back after a four-day outage affecting the US, Australia, and other regions. Sony offered no explanation, reigniting fears about the digital future of legacy platforms. Players remain wary after Sony’s 2021 attempt to shut the store entirely.
📢 “The PS3 Store continues to hold significance for players seeking digital-only titles… and the preservation of gaming history.”
🦊🍪 Our Take: Every outage feels like a countdown. Sony’s silence on the cause doesn’t inspire confidence, and collectors know that one day “maintenance” could become permanent.
🔄 Helldivers 2 Dev: Next Game Will Start Small
Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani says the studio’s next project will begin with a much smaller pre-production team than Helldivers 2. Lessons learned from a messy, nearly eight-year dev cycle have reshaped their approach.
📢 “HD2 started with a big team and that was baaaaad.”
Jorjani emphasized the importance of thorough pre-production before major spending. The game, originally planned for five-player squads, ultimately worked better with four. A sequel is “many years away,” with Xbox players joining the fight on August 26.
🦊🍪 Our Take: Arrowhead’s caution is smart — but also a reality check. Post-Helldivers success can fuel ambition, but scaling too fast risks another years-long production slog.
🤖 NCSoft Launches AI-Driven Mobile Casual Division
NCSOFT is expanding beyond MMOs, forming a Mobile Casual Division led by former Tripledot Studios VP Anel Ceman . The company aims to apply its AI and data expertise to casual games, diversify its IP portfolio, and grow global market share. Mobile already accounts for 57% of NCSoft’s sales.
📢 “We will extend our proven AI and data capabilities into the mobile casual gaming space.”
🦊🍪 Our Take: This is a calculated pivot — AI-powered casual games could be a revenue engine, but it also risks diluting NCSoft’s brand as a premium MMO powerhouse.
💔 Bithell Games Hit by Layoffs
Indie studio Bithell Games — known for Thomas Was Alone, John Wick Hex, and Tron: Catalyst — is laying off 11 staff, the majority of its team, due to the inability to secure a new large-scale project.
📢 “We were not immune to the challenges faced by many game development teams.”
The studio will continue operating, but its future scope is unclear. The layoffs mirror broader industry struggles, even among critically acclaimed developers.
🦊🍪 Our Take: Another reminder that in today’s industry, creative success doesn’t guarantee stability. Without a publishing deal or sustained revenue stream, even celebrated teams face the axe.
📺 Sony’s Anime Ambitions in “PS1 Era”
Sony CSO Toshimoto Mitomo likens the company’s anime business to the PS1–PS2 transition era — an explosive growth phase. Recent moves include acquiring Crunchyroll , upping its stake in KADOKAWA Corporation, and buying 2.5% of 株式会社バンダイナムコエンターテインメント Bandai Namco Entertainment(Japan) to boost global anime and manga reach.
📢 “We will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world.”
Sony’s anime arm is breaking records in Japan with Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, the biggest opening weekend in the nation’s history.
🦊🍪 Our Take: If PlayStation was Sony’s gateway into living rooms, anime could be its ticket into every streaming device worldwide. Expect bigger global plays — and maybe some crossover with its gaming IP.
- Staycurious about leadership changes and their ripple effects.
- Keepwatching how legacy and niche markets fight for survival.
- Remember — in games, even success stories can turn precarious overnight.
