Cecilia D'Anastasio
cecianasta.bsky.social
Cecilia D'Anastasio
@cecianasta.bsky.social
reporter covering video games and digital culture for Bloomberg News
www.cecianasta.com

Discord: ehvee
Signal: Cecilia.01
Pinned
I reached out to 440 moderators for this. It's a uniquely hard demographic to report on - one that's critical to the infrastructure of culture. Many live in job deserts and are afraid to speak out. Thankfully a lot of them did over concerns the AI they're training will replace them.
New: AI is replacing human moderators. The moderators say it is really bad at the job.

TikTok, Roblox, Meta and X say they'll rely more on AI to keep their sites safe. A dozen frontline moderators say the AI isn't ready, and even makes their jobs harder. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com
Overwatch attracted a record 166,000 Steam players last night... so crazy.... congrats to the Overwatch team.... I had a lot of fun making up new curse words for Jetpack Cat www.gamesindustry.biz/overwatchs-n...
Overwatch's new "story-driven era" launch doubles release day concurrent record on Steam | News-in-Brief
The resource for people who make and sell games.
www.gamesindustry.biz
February 11, 2026 at 7:31 PM
New: Had a lot of fun watching JasonTheWeen get a space-alien makeover at the FaZe Clan house in December -- only for FaZe to spectacularly explode weeks later. Read our profile of Jason, Twitch's new breakout star: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Jasontheween Parlays Goofy Antics Into $3-Million-a-Year Job
Twitch star still lives in the mansion that the gamer group FaZe Clan occupied
www.bloomberg.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Cecilia D'Anastasio
this is by the Post reporter whose house was just searched by the FBI www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:
I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.
One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:16 PM
this is fantastic
January 12, 2026 at 6:47 PM
X updated Grok's image-generation feature so only paid users can make deepfakes. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
January 9, 2026 at 3:39 PM
New: 6,700. That's how many sexually suggestive or nudifying images Grok is producing every hour, according to an analysis. X is now a top deepfake site. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Musk’s Grok AI Generated Thousands of Undressed Images Per Hour on X
Elon Musk’s X has become a top site for images of people that have been non-consensually undressed by AI, according to a third-party analysis, with thousands of instances each hour over a day earlier ...
www.bloomberg.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:04 PM
New: FaZe talent left after a major contract dispute. Influencers had the option to go independent or sign with HardScope, formed by DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish, who invested $10m in FaZe.

Kalish says FaZe's current structure is "unsustainable." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
December 26, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki donated $2.5 million to Trump's White House ballroom project, per NYT
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office (Gift Article)
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Scoop: Riot is overhauling League of Legends. The 16-year-old game's biggest update ever is planned for release in 2027. Internally it's called League Next. Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Riot Has a Secret Plan to Remake Its ‘League of Legends’ Game
A refreshed version being called ‘League Next’ is planned for 2027
www.bloomberg.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Reposted by Cecilia D'Anastasio
NEW: For the last seven weeks, Naughty Dog has enacted mandatory overtime for staff to finish an internal demo of their next game, Intergalactic. The game won't be out until 2027, leaving some staff wondering: If they're crunching now, what will next year be like? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Naughty Dog Studio Orders Employee Overtime for ‘Intergalactic’
The Sony-owned gamemakers have been racing to hit a December deadline
www.bloomberg.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Wow. Nearly 80 lawsuits accusing Roblox of facilitating child exploitation are now centralized, Reuters reports: www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Child sexual exploitation lawsuits against Roblox centralized in San Francisco
Nearly 80 lawsuits accusing videogame platform Roblox of knowingly facilitating child sexual exploitation will be centralized before a court in San Francisco, a federal judicial panel said Friday.
www.reuters.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:28 PM
New: AAA gaming's star is falling. The industry of making $300 million games with Hollywood marketing campaigns is undergoing a correction. Today's favored Game Awards winner cost $10 million. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
December 11, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Cecilia D'Anastasio
Holy shit.

Reuters reporting that new admin instructions on visas are if you worked at a platform in trust & safety or content moderation or on fact checking or online safety at an platform you *and your loved ones* are ineligible for H-1B visa.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
December 4, 2025 at 5:41 PM
New: MrBeast hasn't "put much too thought into" the impact of social media on kids' brains, he said in an interview with @andrewrsorkin.bsky.social.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
MrBeast Hasn’t Thought Much About How Social Media Impacts Kids
YouTube star MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, created a $5.2 billion business empire making stunt videos for children without thinking much about how social media affects kids.
www.bloomberg.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Roblox has been banned in Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Oman and Qatar over some mix of child safety concerns and issues with LGBTQ content. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Roblox Gaming Service in Russia Is Shut Down, Local Outlets Say
Roblox Corp.’s popular gaming platform was blocked in Russia, local news outlets reported, cutting off millions of daily users.
www.bloomberg.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
A strong and true report from the frontlines of tech accountability journalism by @caseynewton.bsky.social: "I'm noticing the degree to which platforms wish to be judged only by their stated intentions, and almost never on the outcomes of anyone who uses them." www.platformer.news/roblox-ceo-i...
Roblox is a problem — but it’s a symptom of something worse
What is the role of tech journalism in a world where CEOs no longer feel shame?
www.platformer.news
November 25, 2025 at 3:19 AM
This will be my first year going to The Game Awards in LA :) Excited to check out fun events surrounding the show and set up some coffee chats and interviews ☀️
November 20, 2025 at 4:57 PM
New: How is Roblox's ads push going? 4 years in, ads remain an "insignificant" part of the business.

Brands are weary of putting ads in the popular kids' gaming platform, and devs polled by @bloomberg.com aren't earning a ton of money yet. Deep dive: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Roblox Bid for Ad Riches Collides With Wary Sponsors, Developers
Gaming platform geared for kids turns out to be a tough sell
www.bloomberg.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
New: Women working in the US games industry earn a quarter less than men on average, according to a new study -- significantly more than the average US gender pay gap: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Women in Games Industry Paid 24% Less Than Men, Survey Shows
Women working in the video-game industry earn 24% less than their male colleagues on average, according to a new survey — a wider gap than in the US at large that suggests the sector is still struggli...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Kudos and congrats to the most unhinged and least rigorous "video game extremism" take I've ever read, and the bar is soo high nypost.com/2025/11/13/t...
Exclusive | Inside the world of Discord and the far-left-coded games radicalizing young boys
What is really happening on these gaming and chat platforms?
nypost.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:34 PM
If this happens in the games industry, I will be very unhappy www.wired.com/story/google...
Google, Microsoft, and Meta Have Stopped Publishing Workforce Diversity Data
Other big tech companies including Amazon, Apple, and Nvidia have continued their annual disclosures this year even as the Trump administration cracks down on DEI.
www.wired.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
New: Web games are so back. Consoles cost $450, "app fatigue" is real, and browser games are booming.

One ray of light for the struggling games industry: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Video Games’ Hottest New Platform Is an Old One: Websites
Time-squeezed players appreciate the fast access, ease of use
www.bloomberg.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I just switched from TikTok to Reels and am beginning to think we overhyped the TikTok algorithm..... instead of serving me makeup tutorials and niche influencer drama, Meta knows what I really want is memes for despairing ADC mains
November 4, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Roblox is doing gangbusters numbers. But this morning, shares fell despite record-smashing results. New safety features could "cause short-term friction to engagement and bookings," Roblox's CFO said today. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Roblox Bookings and Users Top Estimates Thanks to Three Hit Games
Roblox Corp. shares fell after the company reported widening losses in the third-quarter as costs at the video-game company increased during a period of soaring user engagement.
www.bloomberg.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:08 PM
It's so cute when someone goes out of their way to post "I already knew that" under one of my articles. I wish I could pat you all on the head and congratulate you for having nothing to learn
October 29, 2025 at 3:28 PM