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  • Riot "resets" its LoL MMO; Larian to leave Baldur's Gate behind | The Midweek Memo #011

Riot "resets" its LoL MMO; Larian to leave Baldur's Gate behind | The Midweek Memo #011

Meanwhile, Bethesda confirms The Elder Scrolls 6 has a playable build, Microsoft is set to move into the handheld PC market, and there's a Sims movie in the works.

Author

Hitmarker
March 27, 2024

Guten Tag 👋

It's finally time for that much-needed layoff-free Hitmarker newsletter we’ve all been waiting for! 🥳

Instead of hearing about endless, soul-crushing job losses, this week we were excited to hear that The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in full development, a film based on EA's The Sims is in the works, and Microsoft is looking into ways to get involved in the handheld gaming PC market.

We weren’t as thrilled when Larian Studios announced it would leave its Baldur's Gate IP behind. The developer will not release additional content for the third game as it transitions to a new project.

One disappointing "delay" has also been confirmed, as the development of Riot Games' upcoming League of Legends MMO has been completely reset. The project has a new executive producer.

Before we dive deeper into the above, let’s check out the latest list of the most-clicked job opportunities in the video game industry…

Hot Jobs 🔥

Our top 10 jobs of the week once again come from a wide range of sectors:

[1] Combat Designer
🏢 Millions of Monsters 🇺🇸 Austin, TX 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[2] Level Designer
🏢 Millions of Monsters 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Contract 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[3] Unreal Engine 5 Cinematic Artist
🏢 MBS Studios 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 0+ years exp

[4] Functional Tester
🏢 PlayStation 🇬🇧 Liverpool 📄 Contract 🎚️ 0+ years exp

[5] Foundation Communications Manager
🏢 Bungie 🇺🇸 Remote USA 📄 Contract 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[6] Associate Producer
🏢 Bad Robot Games 🇺🇸 Remote USA 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[7] Intern, Internal Communications
🏢 Take-Two Interactive 🇺🇸 New York City, NY 📄 Internship 🎚️ 0+ years exp

[8] 3D Artist (Generalist)
🏢 Greensky Games 🇨🇦 Remote Canada 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[9] Business Development Manager, IP Licensing, China Market
🏢 Yodo1 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 3+ years exp

[10] Junior Software Engineer Intern
🏢 Sports Interactive 🇬🇧 London 📄 Internship 🎚️ 0+ years exp

A total of 220+ new opportunities were posted this week, our best haul of 2024 so far! You can check them out on the platform if you're searching for a new opportunity. 🤝 

Big News 📰

  • Riot Games has confirmed that the development of its long-awaited MMO has been reset following its announcement in 2020 after it realized that its initial vision "wasn't different enough from what you can play today."

  • Riot co-founder Marc Merrill says that due to the decision, fans should not expect further details about the project for "several years" to "provide space" for the development team to focus.

  • Fabrice Condominas, the former Mass Effect 3 lead producer and Riot production director, has joined the project as executive producer.

Other News 🗞️

Riot wasn't the only developer to provide fans with updates on highly anticipated projects this week, with Bethesda confirming that The Elder Scrolls 6 now has a playable build and development is underway following the release of Starfield.

Elsewhere, despite the huge success of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian has stated that it is no longer working on the franchise and will move away from the Dungeons & Dragons IP for its next project. 😟

In the film world, an adaptation of The Sims is reportedly in the works at LuckyChap, a production company founded by Margot Robbie that has previously worked on Barbie and Saltburn.

Lastly, Microsoft is looking into the handheld gaming PC space, with Gaming CEO Phil Spencer seeking to create an “Xbox-like experience on the go.”

Getting Social 📲

These were two of our most popular LinkedIn posts from the last seven days, we hope you enjoy them too:

Our latest roundup of remote gaming jobs included some awesome opportunities, including half a dozen available anywhere on the planet! 🗺️

MBS Studios and DECA Games are looking to expand their international workforces with new artists and management staff while Nintendo, Bungie, and EA are looking for new employees based in the UK or the USA.

In addition to these vacancies, we’ve got hundreds of other listings on our platform for those looking to work from home.

We've all been so engrossed in a game that we can't put it down, but Crescent Moon Games' upcoming title, Screenbound, takes that to the next level.

Screenbound is a unique platformer in which players must solve environmental puzzles in the "real world" while also playing on the Quantum Boy, which strongly resembles a classic Game Boy. 😆

Although some movements are mirrored, others may affect the other dimension, such as combat being performed on the QBoy with the battle's loot being received in 3D.

Crescent Moon has yet to announce a release date for the game, but its Steam store page is now live for those who want to wishlist it, and you can also follow its development on X.

Auf Wiedersehen ✌️

Let’s hope we’ve got many more weeks like this in the rest of 2024, eh?

It was a lot more positive than negative this time. We're particularly intrigued by the idea of a Sims movie, especially after LuckyChap’s Barbie success. 💕

We'll catch you all again at the same time next Wednesday, after enjoying a long four-day weekend here in the UK due to Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Whether you celebrate or not, please accept our very best wishes!

Danny and the gang at Hitmarker 🐰