🍪 Controversial AC, Devs Revolt, and Loyalty Buying

Hello there, industry survivors and conscience keepers.

Today in Game Cookies, we’ve got studios canceling history, workers writing open letters, PlayStation playing the loyalty card, and Remedy still fighting to fix its fire. Kiki’s sharp as ever — and Chip’s collecting crumbs of truth again.

⚔️ Ubisoft Cancels Post–Civil War Assassin’s Creed Over “Political Climate”

Ubisoft reportedly canceled an Assassin’s Creed game set in the post–Civil War era, featuring a Black assassin who was formerly enslaved, tasked with confronting the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan. Sources say the game was shut down over fears of backlash tied to the current U.S. political climate and the reception of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

📢 “They made the right decision canceling this,” said streamer commentary. “It’s a story that requires maturity, nuance, and trust — something Ubisoft’s writing hasn’t earned lately.”

🦊 Kiki: “I get why people wanted this story — it’s powerful, it’s overdue. But let’s be honest: Ubisoft’s track record doesn’t inspire confidence. When complex history meets corporate risk management, you don’t get justice — you get fear, focus testing, and ten disclaimers before the main menu. You can’t take stories about racism, slavery, or extremism and run them through a brand filter. They flatten meaning into marketing.”

🍪 Chip quietly lowers a tiny “Press F to Trust Ubisoft” sign.

🎮 Battlefield 6 Gives XP Boosts for Playing with PS Plus Users

Sony ’s new Battlefield 6 promotion gives players a 10% XP boost when partying up with PlayStation Plus subscribers — 5% for being in a party, and another 5% if your teammates are PS Plus members. It’s a small incentive, but it clearly signals Sony’s intent to build engagement with Electronic Arts (EA)’s shooter now that it no longer has Activision Call of Duty marketing rights.

📢 “It’s going to be fascinating to see how many players Battlefield 6 can steal from Black Ops 7 this year,” said Push Square’s report.

🦊 Kiki: “I get it — console wars are eternal. But XP bonuses for hanging out with the right subscription feels cheap. You’re not rewarding teamwork; you’re rewarding platform loyalty. This isn’t innovation — it’s console tribalism dressed as friendship.

And if you ask me whether players will prefer Battlefield 6 over Black Ops 7 this year — it’ll be because of gameplay, not XP boosts. The bonus might only matter for those lucky few juggling multiple consoles, not for the rest of us who just want good design.”

🍪 Chip sighs, holding a little “+10%” balloon that deflates midair.

💥 MindsEye Devs Sign Open Letter Condemning Leadership

Over 90 current and former developers at Build A Rocket Boy signed an open letter denouncing the company’s executives for “longstanding disrespect and mistreatment,” following the catastrophic launch of MindsEye. The letter accuses leadership of ignoring staff concerns, enforcing eight-hour overtime mandates, and mishandling hundreds of layoffs. “BARB needs to change,” it concludes.

📢 “These layoffs happened because you refused to listen,” the letter reads. “You often made radical changes with no input from those affected.”

🦊 Kiki: “Studios like to call employees ‘family’ right up until they fire them in bulk. The truth? BARB didn’t crash because of unions or bad luck — it crashed because leadership confused ambition with arrogance. You can’t build a metaverse on burnout and blame.”

🍪 Chip puts on a tiny protest hat reading “Fix the Crunch.”

🌙 Clair Obscur Team Says Next Game Might Not Be an RPG

After Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became a breakout hit, Sandfall Interactive says its next project may not be an RPG at all. Creative director Guillaume Broche told the The Washington Post that the studio doesn’t “want to be constrained by story, art style, or gameplay” and plans to remain a “small art house” focused on making games “with love.”

📢 “We don’t want to grow big or formulaic,” Broche said. “We want to stay agile.”

🦊 Kiki: “That’s the right kind of rebellion — not against genre, but against greed. When every big studio scales until it suffocates, staying small is a business model.”

🍪 Chip nods proudly, showing a sign that says: “Art house… but with cookies.”

💰 PolyDream Studio Raises $500K to Expand FPS ‘White Desert’

Azerbaijan-based PolyDream Studio raised $500,000 to accelerate work on its upcoming FPS, White Desert. The studio plans to expand from 15 developers to over 100 over the next decade, backed by regional investors.

📢 “This investment will help us execute broader plans and speed up development,” said CEO Fariz Badalzade.

🦊 Kiki: “From 15 to 100 devs in 10 years — that’s optimism you can measure in caffeine. The global indie boom isn’t slowing down, and the next great shooter might just come from somewhere no one expects.”

🍪 Chip waves a tiny Azerbaijan flag with crumbs on it.

🔥 Remedy Issues Profit Warning as Firebreak Burns Out

Remedy Entertainment Plc issued a profit warning after FBC: Firebreak failed to meet expectations, forcing a €14.9M impairment. The studio admits the co-op shooter, tied to the Alan Wake and Control universe, “hasn’t reached internal sales targets” despite updates and improvements.

📢 “Sales have not reached Remedy’s internal goals,” said the investor note.

🦊 Kiki: “When your shared universe burns you, maybe it’s time to stop trying to build a cinematic multiverse in spreadsheet form. Remedy’s heart is in storytelling — not subscription synergy.”

🍪 Chip sadly fans himself with a burned Firebreak poster.

⚙️ Stay alert, creators.

Stay brave like Sandfall — unafraid to evolve without losing their soul.
Keep humble like PolyDream — growing slow, steady, and intentional.
And remember — every studio that forgets its people eventually plays single-player with its reputation.

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