Spotify expected to layoff employees as soon as this week

Photo by @felipepelaquim on Unsplash

Spotify is the latest tech company expected to layoff employees as soon as this week. It isn't known how many of its 9,800 employees will be affected, but the company is reportedly moving forward with the plan to reduce operational expenses. This layoff is expected to be more broad than previous round of cuts in October, which affected staff working on canceled shows from its in-house podcast studios Gimlet and Parcast.

The streaming service has declined to comment on this report. But Spotify executives have previously signaled plans to reduce headcount-related expenses. CEO Daniel Ek told staff in June the company planned to reduce its hiring growth by 25 percent. CFO Paul Vogel also pointed to “increasing uncertainty regarding the global economy” during Spotify's investor day in June as a reason to evaluate its "headcount growth in the near term." The company is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings on January 31.

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Microsoft shuts down AltspaceVR

Source: Microsoft

As Microsoft laid off over 10,000 workers across the company, one of the divisions impacted is its mixed reality arm. And one of the results is the shutdown of its social virtual reality platform, AltspaceVR. The company acquired the platform back in 2017, but now it meets its end on March 10. According to Microsoft, it will help the company shift focus "to support immersive experiences powered by Microsoft Mesh." Users of AltspaceVR can download their data before the shutdown.

AltspaceVR was one of the first social VR experiences in 2015, but it shut down in 2017 due to financial issues. Microsoft bought the platform to build its own mixed-reality ecosystem. As The Verge pointed out, Microsoft is reexamining its mixed reality ambitions. It's been reported that the team working on the open-source Mixed Reality Toolkit has been laid off along with the AltspaceVR team.

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Crystal Dynamics to discontinue 'Marvel's Avengers' in Sept.

Crystal Dynamics to discontinue 'Marvel's Avengers' in Sept.

Source: Crystal Dynamics

Marvel's Avengers is nearing its end. Developer Crystal Dynamics announced it'll discontinue support for the game on September 30. This means digital purchases won't be available then. The solo content and multiplayer experience will still be playable after support ends. But the developer has no plans to release any new stories, features, or Heroes. 

There will be a final balance update on March 31. After that, Crystal Dynamics will turn off the cosmetics marketplace, and you can't buy credits anymore. Credit balances will be converted into in-game resources. And all cosmetics will be available for free.

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