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Rapport: Id Software og ZeniMax Online Studios vil overleve «Xbox-oms…

Rapport: Id Software og ZeniMax Online Studios vil overleve «Xbox-omstarten»

Som vi nettopp har rapportert, vil rundt 3 200 ansatte i Microsofts spillavdelinger miste jobbene sine som en del av «Xbox-omstarten». Begrepet ble myntet av Xbox-sjefen Asha Sharma, som mener det er nødvendig fordi virksomheten sliter.

For Double Fine og Compulsion ser det ut til å ende rimelig lykkelig, ettersom de går tilbake til å være uavhengige studioer og ser ut til å beholde sine immaterielle rettigheter. Ninja Theory og Undead Labs har derimot funnet nye eiere, mens Arkane utforsker ulike alternativer.

Sistnevnte var en del av oppkjøpet av Bethesda, men hva vil skje med de andre studioene som tilhører Bethesda? Heldigvis ser det ut til at svaret er at de i det minste vil klare seg rimelig bra (sammenlignet med å bli lagt ned). Bloomberg-journalisten Jason Schreier skriver på Bluesky at selv om det helt sikkert vil bli nedbemanninger, vil både id Software (Doom) og ZeniMax Online Studios (The Elder Scrolls Online) overleve.

https://bsky.app/profile/jasonschreier.bsky.social/post/3mpydldy43226

Dette er selvfølgelig ikke en offisiell kilde, men Schreier tar svært sjelden feil, så hvis du har vært bekymret for Bethesdas utviklere, ser det ut til at du i det minste kan puste lettet ut, i hvert fall delvis.

Razer has evolved its Pokemon PC accessory lineup with these new celestial Espeon & Umbreon goodies

Razer has dropped the third of its Pokemon collaborations, this time giving Eevee evolution fans something to get excited about with the new Espeon & Umbreon Collection. djcc.club

Launching in partnership with The Pokemon Company and coincidentally a few months before the Pokemon 30th Anniversary, the Espeon and Umbreon line-up is made up of a stunning Razer Ornata V3 Tenkeyless gaming keyboard, Razer Cobra gaming mouse, Razer Gigantus V2 mouse mat, and a wired Razer Kraken V4 X gaming headset, all decked out with art of the two Gen two Pokemon. However, unlike Pokemon Gold and Silver, there's no special requirements to grab them besides logging onto the official Razer store and parting with your hard-earned cash.

Where to pre-order the Razer Espeon & Umbreon Collection

Image of the Pokemon Espeon and Umbreon Edition Razer Ornata V3 Tenkeyless gaming keyboard.

(Image credit: Razer/The Pokemon Company)

Just like the Razer Gengar Collection, purple is the color of choice for the entire collection, which is actually a clever decision on Razer's part. Not just because Espeon is known for its pretty purple color palette, but grabbing any of these new PC gaming accessories would tie in nicely with the Gengar ones, should you already have them in your setup.

In fact, the Gengar Collection doesn't have a keyboard, which makes this new Espeon and Umbreon Edition Razer Ornata V3 Tenkeyless ($119.99 at Razer) even more intriguing. It's the same gaming keyboard that you can buy without the Pokemon branding, sporting low-profile keys and the brand's Mecha-Membrane switches, but the board is coated in this stunning dark purple colorway, which shines when the Razer Chroma-powered RGB lighting is set to a matching light purple-pink, as seen in the official marketing images.

The two Eevee evolutions can be spotted hiding around the directional keys and are hard to ignore as they sit dead center on the accompanying wrist rest. While the Pokémon theming is a bit more subtle than I personally prefer, the little star designs and the UV-painted keycaps should help this keyboard shine amongst your setup, as would the matching Razer Cobra gaming mouse.

Image of the Razer Pokemon Espeon and Umbreon Edition Razer Cobra gaming mouse.
Razer/The Pokemon Company
Image of the Espeon and Umbreon Edition Razer Gigantus V2 mouse mat.
Razer/The Pokemon Company

At $59.99 it's one of the cheapest additions to this new collection, yet it's also one of the cutest. Espeon and Umbreon can be found on the left and right keys, and Razer has gone for a slightly different design this time around. Instead of just re-using the same depiction of the sitting Pokemon as the keyboard, Espeon is giving a cheeky wink as Umbreon stands guard. The palm rest of this Razer Optical Mouse with Gen 3 switches also plays host to a swarm of stars that surrounds an RGB Chroma-powered Razer logo, which is a nice touch.

I would have preferred to see a glowing Pokeball instead, but it makes sense that Razer would want to keep its branding intact. Especially as it mirrors that of the Gengar Edition Razer Cobra gaming mouse. At least the Razer branding is minimal on the matching Espeon and Umbreon Razer Gigantus V2 mouse mat ($29.99). The medium model remains the cheapest item in the set, and features a textured micro-weave cloth surface that showcases the two Pokemon as they appear on the gaming keyboard.

Image of the Razer Kraken V4 X wired gaming headset part of the Espeon and Umbreon line.
Razer/The Pokemon Company

Last but not least, the Razer Espeon and Umbreon Collection is rounded off with a new version of the Razer Kraken V4 X headset. As the hardware team's best gaming headset connoisseur, this is the accessory that has most caught my eye, though I'm disappointed to see that Razer played it a little safe with this new Pokemon release.

While the Gengar Kraken Kitty V2 headset went all out by replicating the Pokemon's ears and hair tufts with a pair of cups that I'd easily incorporate into a cosplay if I still made costumes, this new Kraken V4 X headset has none of that. Don't get me wrong, it still looks great with its light and dark purple color palette, and the Espeon and Umbreon illustrations that are peeking from inside the earcushions, but I was hoping for a design that felt a bit more elaborate.

I was also hoping that Razer would take an existing wireless headset like the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro and use it as the basis for its next Pokemon collection, as the Kraken V4 X is limited by its wired connectivity. However, at least it's a pair that's got the brand's TriForce 40 mm audio drivers in tow, so while you won't have Bluetooth or 2.4GHz to play around with, it should still sound pretty grand.

The entirety of this new Razer Espeon and Umbreon Collection is available now from the official Razer online store. However, if you aren't a fan of these old-school Eevee evolutions, you could always grab the Gengar Collection starting from $59.99 at Razer instead.

Check out our guides to the best PC gaming headset, the best gaming keyboard, and the best gaming chair if you want to catch all the best accessories for your PC gaming setup.

CEO admits Xbox sees three to 10 times lower margins than "comparable platform and publishing businesses" after Game Pass and multiplatform bets didn't pay off

If all of last week felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop at Xbox, today feels like wading through the rubble from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Microsoft's gaming division is officially undergoing its largest restructuring ever, which will result in the loss of 3,200 jobs by the end of the 2027 fiscal year. 1,600 of those cuts happened today to kick off what CEO Asha Sharma has been calling a "reset" for the brand.

It's been apparent to anyone watching that Xbox has been navigating an identity crisis for years now following an acquisition blitz and several subsequent restructurings, culminating in the dramatic departure of longtime Xbox boss Phil Spencer and president Sarah Bond. In the months since Sharma, who was previously president of Microsoft's CoreAI product, was announced as Spencer's successor, she's been frank about Xbox's struggles and has warned of an impending mass company reset. Today, that plan was unveiled in a company email shared to Sharma's official Twitter account.

"Our business today is not healthy," Sharma writes. "We are operating at margins that are 3–10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses."

That statistic is new and eye-opening even within the context of Xbox's challenging position in the hardware business. It does little to soften the profound human toll of such a fundamental restructuring, but it does underscore just how unsustainable the Xbox business model had become under previous leadership, especially when you consider the ongoing RAM shortages and the catastrophic economics of gaming hardware ahead of the next console generation, not to mention Microsoft's historic affinity for healthy margins.

Generic Xbox logo on a space-like background in green

(Image credit: Xbox)

In her letter to employees, Sharma speaks candidly about some of the specific strategic failures that drove Xbox into the hole it's desperately trying to claw its way out of now.

"We entered Gen 9 with a smaller install base and a higher cost structure. To grow, we bet on Game Pass, multi-platform, and a broader portfolio of content," she says. "While those businesses have created meaningful value, they did not grow at the pace we expected."

"As that happened, our core business weakened, and we added more teams, more investment, and more time, hoping for a better outcome. And now the industry is facing the most severe hardware crisis in its history. We must reset XBOX."

The cuts to Xbox's workforce are part of a downsizing that'll split off four studios: Compulsion Games and Double Fine are going independent, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are being sold to new, currently undisclosed owners. Meanwhile, Sharma says Xbox is looking at "potential strategic options" for Dishonored studio Arkane, whose future was uncertain as Marvel's Blade reportedly struggled in development.

Arkane founder asks Xbox CEO "how much" Microsoft wants for the studio: "I'm asking for a friend"

IndyCar 2027: Scott Dixon wechselt zu McLaren

Was sich in den vergangenen Tagen bereits als Gerücht abgezeichnet hatte, ist nun offizielle Gewissheit - und das in einem noch weitaus größeren Ausmaß als erwartet. Wie das Team McLaren offiziell bekanntgab, wird der sechsmalige IndyCar-Champion Scott Dixon ab der Saison 2027 für die Mannschaft in Papaya-Orange an den Start gehen.

Damit aber nicht genug: Neben dem Neuseeländer kehrt ...Weiterlesen

Tuchel claims World Cup refereeing ‘not good enough’ but says England have belief to go all the way

  • Tuchel critical of ‘unreliable’ officiating against Mexico

  • Victory at the Azteca ‘fuels our belief we are here to stay’

Thomas Tuchel called the standard of refereeing at the World Cup unreliable and erratic as he insisted England are capable of going all the way following their dramatic 3-2 victory against Mexico.

Tuchel fumed after his side held on with 10 men at the Azteca stadium on Sunday night, saying that officials across the board have not been up to scratch at the finals tournament. The German, who was unhappy with Jarell Quansah being sent off for a bad tackle after a review following a recommendation by the video assistant referee, claimed that players do not know what to expect during games and he warned that teams are at risk of being knocked out because of poor refereeing decisions.

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Bericht: Id Software und ZeniMax Online Studios werden den "Xbox-Reset" überstehen. Wie wir gerade berichtet haben, werden etwa 3.200 Personen in Microsofts Spieleabteilung im Rahmen des Xbox-"Resets" ihren Job verlieren. Der Begriff wurde von Xbox-Chefin Asha Sharma geprägt, die ihn für notwendig hält, weil das Geschäft zu kämpfen hat. Für Double Fine und Compulsion scheint alles einigermaßen glückl…

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