Massive Entertainment
Massive Entertainment business and news from across the web.- The Stream Team: Surviving a summer holiday swim in Subnautica 2Massively OP's MJ Guthrie will be streaming Subnautica 2 on July 4th, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The stream will focus on MJ's efforts to explore the underwater world and gather resources needed for base building in the game.
Star Wars Outlaws and the Ubisoft ProblemThis opinion piece criticizes Ubisoft's current game design philosophy, arguing that a pursuit of ubiquity has led to formulaic and uninspired titles, exemplified by Star Wars Outlaws. The author contrasts this with Ubisoft's past willingness to take creative risks and explore mature themes, suggesting the company has lost its innovative edge.
The Division 2: Into the Dark Introduces New Toxic Dark Zone, Improves PvEvP ExperienceThe Division 2's latest season, Into the Dark, introduces significant updates to the Dark Zone, including a new Toxic Dark Zone for cooperative play and improved rewards from Landmarks. The season also adds new mechanics for collecting and using Sample Canisters to unlock powerful bonuses.
Ubisoft is reportedly closing two studios and restructuring another, with around 380 people expected to be laid offUbisoft is reportedly closing its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios, impacting around 380 employees. Ubisoft Barcelona will now focus solely on Rainbow Six projects, and other departments, including Global Publishing and Ubisoft Montreal, are also affected by restructuring and layoffs. This marks the third round of job cuts at Ubisoft this year, following earlier reductions at Red Storm Entertainment and other studios.
Summer Game Fest 2026: Every Big Announcement Ranked and ExplainedSummer Game Fest 2026 showcased a wide array of upcoming video game titles, with notable announcements including the third Final Fantasy VII installment, a remake of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, and the long-awaited sequel to The Wolf Among Us. The event highlighted the increasing saturation of the game market and featured titles aiming for distinct identities to stand out.
HAEX is Survival Shooter Made by Veterans From Massive Entertainment and Epic GamesDeveloper Dead Astronauts, comprised of veterans from Massive Entertainment and Epic Games, has unveiled its debut title, HAEX. This first-person survival shooter features multiplayer elements and is set in an alien-infested wilderness. Players must manage survival mechanics like hunger and thirst while battling alien creatures and environmental hazards. HAEX is planned for PC release via Steam and the Epic Games Store as an Early Access title, with no release date yet announced.
HAEX Revealed at Summer Game Fest, Bringing Co-Op Survival Horror to an Alien-Scarred WildernessDead Astronauts has unveiled HAEX, a new first-person survival horror game with co-op exploration and survival mechanics, revealed during Summer Game Fest. Developed by a team with veterans from Massive Entertainment and Epic Games, HAEX features players managing resources and fighting alien creatures in a hostile, mist-covered wilderness. The game allows up to four players to explore persistent worlds and features a unique mechanic where players can plant alien seeds to alter the environment.- Brave a procedural world of alien monsters and mysteries in HaexHaex, an open world survival shooter from Dead Astronauts, has been revealed. The game features a procedurally generated sub-arctic world filled with monsters, robots, and mysteries, and is set to launch in 2027 with an Early Access release. Players will explore, gather alien abilities, and uncover the fate of a previous science expedition.
The Division 3 Studio Ramps Up Development With Seven New Job OpeningsMassive Entertainment, a studio under Ubisoft, is actively hiring for multiple roles related to The Division 3, indicating continued development. The job listings suggest the game will retain its live-service model and focus on features like character realization, lighting, and facial animation. Despite the departure of former executive producer Julian Gerighty, Ubisoft has confirmed that work on the title is progressing.- Game and Mod DevelopmentMassive Entertainment has made its pioneering crowd simulation software, originally developed for The Lord of the Rings, freely available for use. This tool, which was instrumental in creating large-scale virtual crowds, is now accessible to developers for game and mod creation.
Forza Horizon 6 Proves Xbox Still Has One Franchise No One Can TouchForza Horizon 6 continues the franchise's streak of critical acclaim, earning high Metascores and praise for its visuals, gameplay, and open-world design in Japan. This consistent excellence stands in contrast to the struggles of other Xbox franchises like Halo and Gears of War. Playground Games' ability to deliver on fan expectations and maintain quality is highlighted as the key to Forza Horizon's enduring success.
Star Wars Outlaws, Red Dead Redemption 2 and More Join PS Plus Extra/Premium on May 19thPlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will receive several new games on May 19th, including Star Wars Outlaws and Red Dead Redemption 2. The latter will include Red Dead Online. Additional titles like Bramble: The Mountain King and Broken Sword – Shadows of the Templar: Reforged will be available for both PS4 and PS5 players, with PS5 owners also getting Enotria: The Last Song, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, and The Thaumaturge. Premium subscribers can also access the arcade classic Time Crisis.- Announcing The Breaking Room: Shatter everything, from a coffee cup to a skyscraper, in this physics-based destruction clickerThe Breaking Room, a physics-based destruction clicker developed by djuD, is set to release in Q4 2026 on PC via Steam. The game features incremental gameplay where players use telekinetic abilities to shatter environments, with upgradeable stats and researchable compounds. The developer, djuD, has over 10 years of AAA industry experience, having worked at companies like Ubisoft and Behaviour Interactive.
A minor Fallout: New Vegas quest got its own ending slide because the team was transfixed by the choice where you make…Obsidian studio design director Josh Sawyer discussed the arbitrary nature of which quests receive ending slides in Fallout: New Vegas. He highlighted a minor quest, 'Flags of Our Foul-Ups,' which received an ending slide due to the team's fascination with the consequences of a player choice involving drugs.- Devs for The Division discuss how its first iteration was more MMO and less shooter mechanicallyOriginal developers from Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment discussed the early design of The Division, revealing it initially had World of Warcraft-style MMO gameplay with hotbars. The team shifted focus to a more traditional shooter with RPG elements, emphasizing an 'observe, plan, execute' loop.
The Division was originally a World of Warcraft style MMO, but "that skill component wasn't there", says Massive EntertainmentMassive Entertainment revealed that The Division was initially conceived as a World of Warcraft-style MMORPG with a hotbar and companion system. The developers discussed how they shifted the gameplay focus to incorporate more traditional shooter mechanics, leading to the game's eventual launch and success. The article also mentions the game's 10th anniversary and the ongoing development of The Division 3.
The Division was originally "an MMO with World of Warcraft-style gameplay," devs reveal, and it had hotbars and all before it became a full looter-shooterDevelopers revealed that The Division was initially conceived as an MMO with gameplay similar to World of Warcraft, featuring hotbars. This early vision contrasted significantly with the final looter-shooter product, which focused on a different combat loop and setting.
I got murdered by a ladybug in Neverway, and that cemented it as the only game I care about this yearNeverway, the debut title from Coldblood Inc., blends life simulation elements reminiscent of Stardew Valley with a dark, Lovecraftian horror atmosphere. Despite its initial appearance, the game delves into themes of mental illness and spiritual rebirth, offering a unique 'cozy horror' experience. The preview highlights challenging combat, a reactive soundtrack by Disasterpiece, and a compelling narrative that sets it apart from similar titles, with a planned 2026 release.
The Division: Resurgence Review – Mobilised agentsThe Division: Resurgence offers a mobile adaptation of the tactical looter shooter experience, featuring cover-based combat and looting in a snowy New York City. While the core gameplay and controls are adapted well for touchscreens and gamepads, the narrative progression is hampered by level gating and repetitive mission objectives, and technical compromises are evident in the graphics and performance on older mobile devices.
'We know exactly where we are going and exactly what we want to do' — The Division 3 senior producer suggests fans shouldn't worry about the departure of the game's executive producer, confirming its roadmap has been 'planned and secured for some time'Ubisoft has confirmed that The Division 3's development roadmap is secure and planned, despite the recent departure of its executive producer. Senior producer Fredrik Brönjemark stated that the team knows exactly where they are going. The creative director also revealed that the studio considered a free-to-play model for The Division 2 but decided against it, finding their current monetization strategy effective.