Author | Lightnews

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 18h

Everybody in games was laying off people over the past few years, but Microsoft's cuts still stood out for how seemingly arbitrary and optional they were at a time when the company was consistently posting record profits.

Jason Schreier @jasonschreier.bsky.social · 18h

SCOOP: For the last two years, Microsoft has pushed Xbox to hit profit margins of 30%, an ambitious target that's far higher than the industry average.

This chase for profit has led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs, and rethink everything.

Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins

Management’s goal of 30% profit margins for gaming has led to job losses, canceled projects

www.bloomberg.com

1 5 31

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 4d

There are very few people in a position to do crucial work and I hope they feel a moral obligation to do it rather than let it fall to people who are less well-situated and would be taking on much bigger risks to do it.

1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 15d

I appreciated the Leland Yee reference, thanks.

2

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 15d

I'll just note that the first Assassin's Creed game was set during the Crusades and made in the years after 9/11 during a couple U.S.-led wars in the Middle East.

Stephen Totilo @stephentotilo.bsky.social · 15d

SCOOP: Last year, Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin's Creed game set during Reconstruction. Was to feature a Black Assassin who, among other things, fought the rise of the Klan

Sources: Leadership nixed it over concerns re: U.S. political climate, backlash to Yasuke

www.gamefile.news/p/scoop-ubis...

Scoop: Ubisoft cancelled a post-Civil War Assassin’s Creed last year

Company leadership deemed the project too controversial for the moment, sources tell Game File

www.gamefile.news

3 9

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 17d

Only the power of CD-ROM technology can offer thrills like this.

2

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 20d

If they were really serious about those AR glasses, they would change the company name to Auggie.

2

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

Definitely one to ponder.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

Believe me, I am aware of the job situation.

3

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

I'm not a big fan of mystery boxes either, but they have less control over the experience so they can't engineer compulsion loops the same way. Neither is really great, but I don't think they're quite as close a parallel as it might seem at first glance.

1 1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

The banana patent, for those who missed it. US application 20210031110:

Two patent drawings showing a person's hands holding a banana sideways. The second image has a PlayStation X button superimposed over one end of the banana and a triangle on the other end.

1 7

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

Sony already applied for a patent on a literal banana controller, and now it's looking for one on a motion-sensing orb. I love this kind of stuff.

2 2 10

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

Kind of stunning how a foundational part of the modern video game industry is being banned for kids in major markets and it's getting minimal attention internationally.

Leon Xiao @leonxiao.com · 28d

Brazilian President signed the under-18 loot box ban into law (Lei 15.211/25; effective March 2026). 🇧🇷 www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_a...

4 9 51

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 23

Dudes rock.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 22

Decent reflection of the industry over the past three years though.

5

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 22

We did come close once.

Cover art for the Super Nintendo game Mecarobot Golf

4

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 19

Am I the only one who initially read this as referring to an artificial intelligence bot trained on Michaels' work?

The Onion @theonion.com · Sep 19

Al Michaels Recaps History Of Football For Viewers Just Tuning In https://theonion.com/al-michaels-recaps-history-of-football-for-viewers-just-tuning-in/

1 1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 18

Oh right, I forgot about the museum! That's cool that they're creating new things for it like this.

1 1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 18

Nintendo seems to have a renewed interest in light guns as well, although this one seems to be for location-based entertainment like the Nintendo areas at Universal theme parks.

US Patent application 2025/0288913, images of a "gun type shooting device" and a "bazooka type shooting device," which looks like a Super Nintendo Super Scope peripheral.

1 2

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 16

"Zoolander says he has a multitude of 'looks,' but they are in fact the same look."

1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 15

The mysterious absence of Lilo has me going back and forth about which one they put in the tin.

1 1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 14

Sorry, sorry. Forgot this guy.

Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo in a box. A picture on the side of the box shows a hand holding it under the arms.

1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 14

Largest?

Image of Detective Pikachu amiibo next to the normal Pikachu amiibo. It appears a little more than twice as tall.

2

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 12

Here's a patent applicant who imagines using the M-rated game where you torture a guy with a nail gun and blowtorch as a way to teach basic colours to children in the age group of 0-4.

U.S. patent application 2025/0285645 showing a pulldown menu letting users select a game, platform, lesson, and target age group for creating new educational content. This user has selected the Xbox game A Way Out for a teaching colours lesson. The lesson plan says "This lesson teaches basic colours to children in the age group of 0-4." There is a button asking "Any mature content?" that appears to have the "yes" option highlighted.

1 4

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 11

Don't worry, a little retrobright will clean those right up.

1

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 11

Interesting, Sony just applied for a patent on a haptic feedback system for a gun accessory. Sounds a bit like the old Time Crisis arcade guns that would give a kick of recoil when you pulled the trigger.

US patent application 2025/0281828, dated Sep. 11, 2025, showing a cutaway of a pistol with some diagrams inside

2 4