October 12, 2026

Game industry employment advocate Amir Satvat warns that entry-level opportunities are disappearing, estimating that North American candidates seeking local game industry jobs have just a 2% chance of finding one within a year. His data shows only 300–350 entry-level openings in North America, compared with 900–1,000 in Asia, while even graduates from top schools struggle to get hired. Satvat argues studios and universities must rethink how they train and recruit the next generation of developers.

U.S. video game spending fell 9% year over year to $4.26 billion in August, according to Circana, with game content down 10% and hardware sales falling to their lowest August unit total since 2013. Rising console prices pushed the average hardware purchase to a record $541, while sports titles remained strong: NBA 2K27 topped the sales charts, followed by Madden NFL 27. Mobile spending also dropped 18%, contributing to the industry's broader slowdown.

Danish indie studio Fair Games, the eight-person team behind survival-crafting hit Necesse, has sold 2.5 million copies and generated $14.4 million in gross revenue since 2019. Its success has now led to a $4 million acquisition by Fireshine Games, with up to $2 million in additional milestone payments and potential revenue-based earn-outs. Founder Mads Skovgaard will remain in charge as the studio prepares to bring Necesse to more platforms.

Thanks for reading! ❤️ Sorry for the short edition, I’m traveling this weekend!