Sam Heaney
@samheaney.bsky.social
• 28 - He/Him
• @IGN Guides Writer
• Writer/Actor
• Podcaster
• KFBF
• A boring Brit
• @IGN Guides Writer
• Writer/Actor
• Podcaster
• KFBF
• A boring Brit
I can see this winding up a more borked and confusing hardware launch than Xbox One.
Supposedly an insight to the “future of Xbox” where “everything is an Xbox” & you can “Play Anywhere”.
Yet this is the furthest thing from an Xbox they’ve ever made, & Xbox aren’t correcting errors.
Supposedly an insight to the “future of Xbox” where “everything is an Xbox” & you can “Play Anywhere”.
Yet this is the furthest thing from an Xbox they’ve ever made, & Xbox aren’t correcting errors.
Good Morning America did a holiday shopping tech segment on the ROG Xbox Ally gets the most important thing wrong about the device claiming it can play Xbox console games.
October 15, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I can see this winding up a more borked and confusing hardware launch than Xbox One.
Supposedly an insight to the “future of Xbox” where “everything is an Xbox” & you can “Play Anywhere”.
Yet this is the furthest thing from an Xbox they’ve ever made, & Xbox aren’t correcting errors.
Supposedly an insight to the “future of Xbox” where “everything is an Xbox” & you can “Play Anywhere”.
Yet this is the furthest thing from an Xbox they’ve ever made, & Xbox aren’t correcting errors.
So does this mean it can be my 2025 GOTY as well?
Long overdue and couldn't be happier I get an excuse to experience it all over again
Long overdue and couldn't be happier I get an excuse to experience it all over again
October 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
So does this mean it can be my 2025 GOTY as well?
Long overdue and couldn't be happier I get an excuse to experience it all over again
Long overdue and couldn't be happier I get an excuse to experience it all over again
Reposted by Sam Heaney
We have some upcoming news that we are VERY excited to share next week.
Thank you for making the future of 1000xRESIST so bright. Hekki grace. 💙
In the meantime, here's a little sneak preview of what's to come...
Thank you for making the future of 1000xRESIST so bright. Hekki grace. 💙
In the meantime, here's a little sneak preview of what's to come...
October 8, 2025 at 6:10 PM
We have some upcoming news that we are VERY excited to share next week.
Thank you for making the future of 1000xRESIST so bright. Hekki grace. 💙
In the meantime, here's a little sneak preview of what's to come...
Thank you for making the future of 1000xRESIST so bright. Hekki grace. 💙
In the meantime, here's a little sneak preview of what's to come...
Reposted by Sam Heaney
The difference between THIS bad-news cycle for Xbox compared to others is that it's more about the brand itself now, which seems not as fixable as their previous lack-of-great-games problems. The damage now – exacerbated by retailers cutting bait on Xbox – feels unrecoverable. (1/2)
October 6, 2025 at 7:50 PM
The difference between THIS bad-news cycle for Xbox compared to others is that it's more about the brand itself now, which seems not as fixable as their previous lack-of-great-games problems. The damage now – exacerbated by retailers cutting bait on Xbox – feels unrecoverable. (1/2)
Not that Xbox and Microsoft have given me a litany of misleading quotes and broken promises and countless reasons to not trust them but - oh wait, what’s that?
October 5, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Not that Xbox and Microsoft have given me a litany of misleading quotes and broken promises and countless reasons to not trust them but - oh wait, what’s that?
Reposted by Sam Heaney
One of the things that has me curious given the rush to cancel Game Pass is about how significant the attrition rate was expected internally at MS.
Any time you change a service offering or increase pricing, there is an expectation you'll price out some of your customers.
Any time you change a service offering or increase pricing, there is an expectation you'll price out some of your customers.
October 3, 2025 at 4:48 PM
One of the things that has me curious given the rush to cancel Game Pass is about how significant the attrition rate was expected internally at MS.
Any time you change a service offering or increase pricing, there is an expectation you'll price out some of your customers.
Any time you change a service offering or increase pricing, there is an expectation you'll price out some of your customers.
*maniacally laughs*
September 26, 2025 at 1:07 AM
*maniacally laughs*
Reposted by Sam Heaney
A new State of Play airs September 24.
Tune in for 35+ minutes of reveals and news from PlayStation Studios and developers around the world: play.st/4mtkL4c
Tune in for 35+ minutes of reveals and news from PlayStation Studios and developers around the world: play.st/4mtkL4c
September 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
A new State of Play airs September 24.
Tune in for 35+ minutes of reveals and news from PlayStation Studios and developers around the world: play.st/4mtkL4c
Tune in for 35+ minutes of reveals and news from PlayStation Studios and developers around the world: play.st/4mtkL4c
Reading this considering how abhorrent the pricing on those ROG Ally handhelds’ll be:
September 19, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reading this considering how abhorrent the pricing on those ROG Ally handhelds’ll be:
Reposted by Sam Heaney
For Mouthwashing's 1-year anniversary, Lost In Cult, @wrongorgan.bsky.social & @cr-games.bsky.social proudly announce Mouthwashing: Design Works – a premium book documenting the design & development of this cult horror hit.
Launches Tuesday 30 September, 6pm BST.
www.lostincult.co.uk/mouthwashing
Launches Tuesday 30 September, 6pm BST.
www.lostincult.co.uk/mouthwashing
September 18, 2025 at 5:00 PM
For Mouthwashing's 1-year anniversary, Lost In Cult, @wrongorgan.bsky.social & @cr-games.bsky.social proudly announce Mouthwashing: Design Works – a premium book documenting the design & development of this cult horror hit.
Launches Tuesday 30 September, 6pm BST.
www.lostincult.co.uk/mouthwashing
Launches Tuesday 30 September, 6pm BST.
www.lostincult.co.uk/mouthwashing
Play. This. Goddamn. Game.
🎊 We’re in the Fellow Traveller Publisher Sale starting today! 🎊
If you haven’t already checked out our game, it’s 30% off! It has:
‼️ a deadly pandemic
❌ no combat, just (emotionally destructive) vibes
❤️ generational trauma that will wreck your heart
Gogogo, get it while it’s cheap!
If you haven’t already checked out our game, it’s 30% off! It has:
‼️ a deadly pandemic
❌ no combat, just (emotionally destructive) vibes
❤️ generational trauma that will wreck your heart
Gogogo, get it while it’s cheap!
September 16, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Play. This. Goddamn. Game.
Reposted by Sam Heaney
Israel is using Microsoft Azure to store recordings of every phone call made by Palestinians in the occupied territories, then using AI to analyze the contents and select targets. Microsoft is (dubiously) claiming ignorance.
‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians
Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe
www.theguardian.com
August 6, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Israel is using Microsoft Azure to store recordings of every phone call made by Palestinians in the occupied territories, then using AI to analyze the contents and select targets. Microsoft is (dubiously) claiming ignorance.
Reposted by Sam Heaney
BREAKING: Xbox is canceling Contraband, announced in 2021 from Avalanche Studios (Just Cause), after four years of radio silence, sources tell Bloomberg News. This news arrives weeks after a mass layoff in which Xbox canceled several other big titles.
August 7, 2025 at 4:56 PM
BREAKING: Xbox is canceling Contraband, announced in 2021 from Avalanche Studios (Just Cause), after four years of radio silence, sources tell Bloomberg News. This news arrives weeks after a mass layoff in which Xbox canceled several other big titles.
Excellent interview from @samhallofgames.bsky.social w/ @remysiu.com
Truly insightful conversation & thrilled that my questions got through to Remy, and got *great* answers - even the VO offer I submitted as a joke… or, was it? 👀
Just cementing my adoration for 1000xResist & @sunsetvisitor.studio
Truly insightful conversation & thrilled that my questions got through to Remy, and got *great* answers - even the VO offer I submitted as a joke… or, was it? 👀
Just cementing my adoration for 1000xResist & @sunsetvisitor.studio
July 26, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Excellent interview from @samhallofgames.bsky.social w/ @remysiu.com
Truly insightful conversation & thrilled that my questions got through to Remy, and got *great* answers - even the VO offer I submitted as a joke… or, was it? 👀
Just cementing my adoration for 1000xResist & @sunsetvisitor.studio
Truly insightful conversation & thrilled that my questions got through to Remy, and got *great* answers - even the VO offer I submitted as a joke… or, was it? 👀
Just cementing my adoration for 1000xResist & @sunsetvisitor.studio
It’s been about 7 months since I played through 1000xResist & I’ve thought about it often.
But somehow a random wave of emotion just hit me out of nowhere tonight while listening to the OST in a way that it hasn’t since my playthrough ended.
Take that as a sign a replay is due @sunsetvisitor.studio
But somehow a random wave of emotion just hit me out of nowhere tonight while listening to the OST in a way that it hasn’t since my playthrough ended.
Take that as a sign a replay is due @sunsetvisitor.studio
a close up of a person 's face with glasses and a surgical instrument
ALT: a close up of a person 's face with glasses and a surgical instrument
media.tenor.com
July 24, 2025 at 12:04 AM
It’s been about 7 months since I played through 1000xResist & I’ve thought about it often.
But somehow a random wave of emotion just hit me out of nowhere tonight while listening to the OST in a way that it hasn’t since my playthrough ended.
Take that as a sign a replay is due @sunsetvisitor.studio
But somehow a random wave of emotion just hit me out of nowhere tonight while listening to the OST in a way that it hasn’t since my playthrough ended.
Take that as a sign a replay is due @sunsetvisitor.studio
Reposted by Sam Heaney
The big day is finally here: www.ThisWeekinVideogames.com is officially live! It's 100% ad-free and you can sign up for free to get access to our news, reviews and previews, or become a supporter to get more exclusive content.
www.ThisWeekinVideogames.com
July 17, 2025 at 9:32 PM
The big day is finally here: www.ThisWeekinVideogames.com is officially live! It's 100% ad-free and you can sign up for free to get access to our news, reviews and previews, or become a supporter to get more exclusive content.
Reposted by Sam Heaney
NEW: In March, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was so impressed by the demo of a Zenimax game codenamed Blackbird that Matt Booty had to tell him to stop playing so the meeting could continue. Yesterday, they canceled it.
Inside one of Xbox's most shocking cancellations: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Inside one of Xbox's most shocking cancellations: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Xbox Executives Were Blown Away by an Upcoming Game. Then They Canceled It.
Blackbird, a new game from ZeniMax Online Studios, impressed Xbox boss Phil Spencer earlier this year
www.bloomberg.com
July 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM
NEW: In March, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was so impressed by the demo of a Zenimax game codenamed Blackbird that Matt Booty had to tell him to stop playing so the meeting could continue. Yesterday, they canceled it.
Inside one of Xbox's most shocking cancellations: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Inside one of Xbox's most shocking cancellations: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Reposted by Sam Heaney
There's something to be said about projects going over time & budget, meandering, struggling, and eventually the need to make a decision. Fine.
But let's also note: the management who allowed projects to struggle like that for so long, to get to this place -- remain in heartily-paid work today.
But let's also note: the management who allowed projects to struggle like that for so long, to get to this place -- remain in heartily-paid work today.
Xbox has cancelled its Perfect Dark reboot and closed its developer The Initiative, it's confirmed.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-ha...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-ha...
Xbox has cancelled its Perfect Dark reboot and closed its developer | VGC
The Initiative will be closed as part of Microsoft layoffs…
www.videogameschronicle.com
July 2, 2025 at 5:21 PM
There's something to be said about projects going over time & budget, meandering, struggling, and eventually the need to make a decision. Fine.
But let's also note: the management who allowed projects to struggle like that for so long, to get to this place -- remain in heartily-paid work today.
But let's also note: the management who allowed projects to struggle like that for so long, to get to this place -- remain in heartily-paid work today.
Reposted by Sam Heaney
Microsoft never should have been allowed to acquire Bethesda and Activision-Blizzard-King, it should have been blocked for the clear monopoly making move it was, and anyone with pattern recognition could've seen this coming, because voraciously acquisition always comes with mass layoffs.
July 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Microsoft never should have been allowed to acquire Bethesda and Activision-Blizzard-King, it should have been blocked for the clear monopoly making move it was, and anyone with pattern recognition could've seen this coming, because voraciously acquisition always comes with mass layoffs.
Reposted by Sam Heaney
Reposted by Sam Heaney
BREAKING: Mass layoffs at Xbox have started. Candy Crush maker King told employees that it is cutting 10% of staff, or 200 jobs. Bethesda's Europe offices were hit too. U.S. offices are expected to inform people this morning. More to come shortly www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Microsoft Begins Deep Job Cuts Across Xbox Division
European subsidiaries such as King were informed about the job cuts on Wednesday
www.bloomberg.com
July 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM
BREAKING: Mass layoffs at Xbox have started. Candy Crush maker King told employees that it is cutting 10% of staff, or 200 jobs. Bethesda's Europe offices were hit too. U.S. offices are expected to inform people this morning. More to come shortly www.bloomberg.com/news/article...