The video video games business in 2025 finds itself caught between the acquainted forces of consolidation and job losses which have plagued artistic industries, and a more moderen improvement: governments and the ultra-wealthy have begun treating video games as instruments of political affect. Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund closed a $55 billion deal for EA this 12 months and bought Niantic, the makers of Pokemon Go, in March.Microsoft’s 2023 acquisition of Activision already signaled the path of journey. The workforce has borne the prices of this consolidation. Greater than 5,000 jobs have been misplaced within the business this 12 months, and a number of other studios have shuttered, together with Monolith Productions. The instability has pushed unions into better prominence: United Videogame Staff shaped within the US and Canada in March as a part of the Communications Staff of America, and the firing of 30 employees from Rockstar Video games within the UK introduced the IWGB Recreation Staff Union into the highlight.In the meantime, the Trump administration has posted AI-generated photographs of the president as Halo’s Grasp Chief and used Pokemon and Halo memes to recruit for ICE.
