Video Games
‘Quantum Error’ Developers Announce Third-Person Action Horror Title ‘Code Violet’ [Trailer]
TeamKill Media (the folks behind Quantum Error and the upcoming Son and Bone) have announced their new third-person action horror game, Code Violet. The game is currently slated for the PlayStation 5 via the PlayStation Store, with a tentative July 2025 release. And from the looks of the trailer, we’ll be getting our Dino Crisis fix.
The story for Code Violet sees mankind in the 25th Century having narrowly survived a cataclysm that has left Earth uninhabitable and in ruins. What was left of humanity has left Earth and headed for a new world in Trappist 1-E, where they would rebuild and start again. Unfortunately, the survivors of the cataclysm have been left sterile, and without a way to produce children, humanity would soon go extinct.
Earth’s last survivors, a colony known as Aion, have come up with the solution of using their technology to jump to different periods in time, bringing back women to Trappist 1-E in order to be surrogates and prevent mankind’s extinction. One of these women is Violet Sinclair, having been plucked from her time and relocated to Trappist 1-E. However, Sinclair she soon finds herself caught up in a conspiracy and a fight for survival when she discovers the true intentions of the Aion colony.
The rumoured cuts at Xbox have come to fruition, with plans to lay off 3,200 employees. In addition, five studios are also set to be let go, with Double Fine and South of Midnight developer Compulsion breaking off to go independent, while Ninja Theory (Senua) and Undead Labs (State of Decay 3) have been sold.
The fifth studio, Marvel’s Blade and Dishonored studio Arkane Lyon, is set to be divested from Xbox Game Studios, though details are still being kept under wraps.
Per Xbox Wire, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed the layoff and divestment plans at Xbox, but announced no plans for closures or game cancellations.
According to Sharma, Xbox is operating at “margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses.” Sharma acknowledged Xbox’s previous pivots to Game Pass, multi-platform, and a “broader portfolio of content” have resulted in “meaningful value”, but it hasn’t been enough.
“Since 2018, we have aggressively expanded our studio portfolio while the number of games created each month across the industry now outpaces the last ten years combined,” she said. “We now find ourselves competing not only with the largest publishers, but also with smaller independent studios. It is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio.”
As a result, Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions “will return to management and transition to independent studios with their IP, catalog, and runway for their next games.” Meanwhile, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs “have entered terms to join new ownership with funding to complete and grow Senua and State of Decay 3.” As for Arkane Lyon, the studio’s management “is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.”
The 3,200 cuts will be made throughout Xbox’s financial year across departments, with some areas being more affected than others. This is expected to affect around 20% of the developer’s workforce.
In addition, Bethesda will also undergo “a significant overhaul”, and will pivot to focus on its core franchises: Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein. None of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions.
“These changes are about a bigger future for Xbox, not a smaller one,” says Sharma. “The next decade of gaming will be larger, more global, and more creative than anything we’ve seen before. This year, we’ll invest as much in Xbox as we ever have, but we’ll invest with greater focus, greater discipline, and greater clarity, all in service of making Xbox where the world plays and creates.”