Daily Briefing: Thursday 29th July

Ubisoft issue open letter to management demanding "real change"

The letter has so far been signed by over 600 current and former Ubisoft staff and calls for "real, fundamental change" within the company and "across the industry" at large. The letter specifically mentions the events currently transpiring at Activision Blizzard where yesterday employees staged a walkout in protest at the company's "abhorrent and insulting" response to the ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit.

• Ubisoft are no stranger to similar allegations of course - last year a series of damning reports brought to light any number of allegations and forced a public apology from CEO Yves Guillemot, along with the departure of several senior figures and plans for meaningful structural changes that many employees believe haven't happened. At any rate, the signatories of Ubisoft's open letter claim solidarity with the staff of Activision Blizzard and, if this keeps up, an industry-wide problem will spark an industry-wide response from staff.

Activision Blizzard staff walkout organisers say Bobby Kotick's letter didn't address their demands

Following an incredibly poor corporate response to the ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick yesterday issued a new public statement in which he apologised for the "tone-deaf" wording of the initial response. He also laid down a series of plans for change ranging from external audits to an overhaul of hiring practices. Kotick's response came following word that Activision Blizzard staff would be organising a walkout protest amid a series of demands to management. Organisers say that Kotick still hasn't addressed these demands, even with his new statement.

• The response from organisers is intended to highlight several key areas that Kotick's statement didn't address - including calls for an end to forced arbitration clauses in employee contracts, worker participation in oversight of hiring and promotion policies, and greater transparency in pay and compensation. Organisers say that they "expect a prompt response and a commitment to action from leadership" regarding the above points, emphasising that the walkout isn "not a one-time event that our leaders can ignore" and that they "will not return to silence."

Jim Ryan is excited for the future of PlayStation IP on PC

In a new interview with Famitsu published earlier this week, the Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO talked a little bit about the company's future plans for PC releases, and how excited they are to begin working with Nixxes Software on them. Sony announced back at the start of the month that they would be acquiring the Netherlands-based PC port specialists.

• Ryan told Famitsu that PlayStation are "happy to be in the early stages of bringing our IP to the PC" and are excited to work with Nixxes to get that show on the road. Sony's PC strategy has been fairly patchy but select ports like Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone have essentially made them the masters of the double dip. The company have repeatedly stated that PlayStation consoles will remain the best place to experience first-party IP, but the recent acquisition of Nixxes must mean a genuine PC strategy is also on the cards.