YouTube launches in-app Playables arcade

Video platform YouTube is entering games through a new avenue: a free arcade of games that can be played directly in the app.Dubbed "Playables," the feature was first reported last summer shortly ahead of public testing. After a limited rollout in select countries, it's now getting a full launch over the next few months.At the moment, the arcade will have over 75 games that are instantly playable whether on computer, iOS, or Android. Players can even share games with friends using the three-dot "More" menu, and save game progress.According to YouTube, launch titles will include Cut the Rope, Angry Birds Showdown, and Tomb of the Mask.

Microsoft confirms Call of Duty is heading to Xbox Game Pass

It's official: the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise will be heading to Xbox Game Pass at launch.Microsoft has confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Xbox Game Pass on "day one," ending speculation as to whether of not the series will be bundled into the subscription service.The Verge has previously reported that Microsoft was unsure whether to toss the lucrative franchise onto Xbox Game Pass following its colossal $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard.It was claimed there were concerns about whether the revenue Call of Duty brings in would be undermined by its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass. Sources also told The Verge that Microsoft was considering increasing the price of Game Pass Ultimate—but reiterated those plans hadn't b…

Remedy adds Control director Mikael Kasurinen to central management group

Changes are underway within Remedy Entertainment's core management team. The most immediate change is adding Mikael Kasurinen as co-creative director for the whole studio.Previously the director on Control and its upcoming sequel, he'll work with Alan Wake 2 creative director Sami Järvi to make games "aligned with Remedy’s strategy and operational priorities."Remedy has previously indicated the Control and Alan Wake series will be key to its future, and CEO Tero Virtala welcomed Kasurinen to the management team. With him on board, Virtala said the studio now has a "needed focus" on the two franchises."Kasurinen and Järvi have worked together in a number of games," he explained. "They have complementary world class skills [and are] the right …

Sega sells off Relic Entertainment, will axe 240 jobs

Sega Europe has informed employees that it plans to lay off 240 workers in the coming weeks, and that it is selling off Company of Heroes 3 developer Relic Entertainment.According to emails sent to staff reviewed by IGN, word of the layoffs was issued to staff early this morning. In a conciliatory note by Sega Europe COO and regional managing director Jurgen Post, he revealed the company would be laying off 240 employees across Sega Europe and Creative Assembly. "A small number" of employees would be laid off from mobile game developer Hardlight.Post apologized to employees for "the worry and understandable distress this news will cause, particularly for those effective," before going on to say the decisions were "necessary to secure the future of our game business…