Jon Smith

Jon Smith

@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Trying to Build a Better Game Industry Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated and Opinions are regrettably my own.

671 followers183 following684 posts

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Cannot believe I have to say this, but here we go - The #SaveMassEffect petition/thing is not only tone deaf, but actively harmful to the industry at large. Let me explain…

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Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

If you find this all upsetting - good! It is! Don’t just shout out your favorite devs, but demand more of those in charge, and better working conditions for those who make the art you love. Support Unionization efforts across the industry. Fight for the people who *make* the games not the IP.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

BioWare deserved better than this. But so did all the many many other studios who closed down in the last three years. None of this had to happen. Saving Mass Effect without saving the people misses not only the point, but the whole damn solar system.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Cannot believe I have to say this, but here we go - The #SaveMassEffect petition/thing is not only tone deaf, but actively harmful to the industry at large. Let me explain…

View full thread
Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Saving Mass Effect without Saving BioWare misses the point. I don’t want more ME if it’s at the expense of an entire studio closing or from a company that sees its workers as expendable. And I don’t want to continue to see successful teams shit down to finance the poor decisions of the C-Suite.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

For as much as I may try to sugarcoat those trying to #SaveMassEffect; there simply isn’t really a good read on it. At best; they are naive to the reality of the gaming industry at large Or At worst; they are actively proving EA right - BioWare never mattered. Just the Universes they built.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Cannot believe I have to say this, but here we go - The #SaveMassEffect petition/thing is not only tone deaf, but actively harmful to the industry at large. Let me explain…

View full thread
Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Let’s even take a more generous read that the petition is purely performative and those signing know there isn’t going to be any meaningful impact from it. Okay. Fine. If you know it’s not going to move the needle - why not go ahead and push/ask for the thing that would actually help?

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

If the C-Suite think they can make money off an IP; they’ll do it. (I mean, shit - they are still making the ME show for Amazon) But if you care about the games as much as you say you do - you should know it’s the people that are the lifeblood of the series.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Cannot believe I have to say this, but here we go - The #SaveMassEffect petition/thing is not only tone deaf, but actively harmful to the industry at large. Let me explain…

View full thread
Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Because it’s not asking for the right thing. Asking EA to keep making it, to give it to another team is an insult to the Bioware devs. Because what the request says to them is - “The team doesn’t matter. The IP does.” What is Mass Effect or Dragon Age or SWOTOR without the team behind it?

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

What you’re telling them is that you’re fine if the industry keeps contracting, people keep losing their jobs, and devs are constantly in search of work; as long as you get your space toys. You’re fighting for the wrong thing here. Mass Effect is great, but it was only great because of team.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Cannot believe I have to say this, but here we go - The #SaveMassEffect petition/thing is not only tone deaf, but actively harmful to the industry at large. Let me explain…

View full thread
Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

BioWare closing sucks. It means they won’t have a chance to tell any more of those stories. They won’t have a chance to open the world up to people who might not have explored things otherwise. But, what sucks worse is the 12,000 games industry jobs we’ve already lost this year.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

This isn’t a drop in the bucket type of argument. What I’m saying is that this is a symptom of the much greater issue. We’re bleeding talent. Losing storied studios. Stymying the future of the industry All in the service of private equity, AI, and number go up. So why is the petition bad?

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Cannot believe I have to say this, but here we go - The #SaveMassEffect petition/thing is not only tone deaf, but actively harmful to the industry at large. Let me explain…

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

I get it. I love BioWare games. I’m old enough to have played them all at release (and did!) Mass Effect, as well as DA, were super important to people for a variety of reasons. Hell, one of the ways I began to understand my own queerness was because of how I could explore that in those games.

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

I cannot even begin to describe how much this (and the incoming Microsoft cuts) continue to irreparably damage the industry. Consolidation is bad. Shareholder value over Art is bad. AI over people is bad. This disconnect between the higher ups and the greater public has never been bigger.

Jason Schreier@jasonschreier.bsky.social

BREAKING: Electronic Arts is cutting 400 jobs and shutting down BioWare, the legendary development studio behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

bloomberg.comElectronic Arts to Cut 400 Jobs, Shut Down BioWareThe next ‘Mass Effect’ will be canceled as part of the layoffs

Jon Smith reposted

Ash Parrish, Kotaku's LeBron James
@adashtra.bsky.social

ooooo if penguin colony gets nom'd and wins ANY award, we're gonna see how fast they get flute guy to play them off

Chris Person@papapishu.bsky.social

(Game developers being yanked off the stage at TGA with a big vaudeville cane for mentioning the BDS boycott live) JEFF: [trying to keep cool] our next presenter for the award for Best Innovation In Multiplayer took the web by storm this year. Let’s give a big “Scrib Doon” to-

Jon Smith reposted

Chris Kerr
@kerrblimey.bsky.social

🎉 HUGE CAREER ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉 Today, I'm launching Vertical Slice, a new independent trade outlet committed to producing quality video game journalism that inspires, informs, and interrogates. That means daily news, incisive interviews, vital investigative work, and more. www.verticalslice.news

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

This absolutely rules.

Steve Lin@stevelin.bsky.social

Re-release of Wing Commander III coming out with video taken from the original tapes courtesy of a restoration project led by Jim Vessella who has been digitizing the EA video archive

Jon Smith reposted

headfallsoff
@headfallsoff.com

listening to idle thumbs it feels like a star wars game about old sebulba as a nostalgic and melancholic elder legend of the racing scene was always the inevitable outcome

Jon Smith reposted

Zoe TunnHELL
@zoewithasword.bsky.social

The thing about JKR and telling folks not to buy Harry Potter shit is it isn't because we think it can take away her fortune and platform. She's so rich she would still be rich if she never sold another book It is because it is literally the smallest possible hurdle to clear to value trans lives

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

This is me every time I remember that the XIII trilogy is some of the most bonkers shit Square Enix ever put out and it absolutely owns.

doctober@docseuss.bsky.social

and then i forgot to attach it because, surprisingly, im still high, 2 minutes after the part where i forgot what final fantasy xiii was

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

I could easily go on about how incredible Once More Into The Void is and how gorgeous that hardcover looks; but also - have you considered the importance of mutual aid in this capitalistic hellscape?

Jason Pitre@genesisoflegend.bsky.social

Once More Into the Void is a game about family and healing. The designer of Once More Into the Void, Rae Nedjadi, is in the midst of recoving from a medical crisis and needs our collective support. All proceeds for sales of OMITV till Dec 31 go to him. www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Once-M...

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

I may be biased because I know some of these awesome folks; but LudoNarraCon is one of my favorite events whenever it pops up.

Fellow Traveller@fellowtraveller.games

🌟 Presenting the LudoNarraCon 2026 Official Selection 🌟 🎮 51 narrative indie games 🗓️ October 8–15 PT on Steam 💙 Supported by @jacobgeller.com, @lookingfor.game, @remapradio.bsky.social & @thisweekinvideogames.com 🌐 More info at bit.ly/FTLNC2026 📬 Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated!

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

It’s me, but call be Jon. Mr Autumn Man is my father.

The Onion@theonion.com

Mr. Autumn Man Walking Down Street With Cup Of Coffee, Wearing Sweater Over Plaid Collared Shirt https://theonion.com/mr-autumn-man-walking-down-street-with-cup-of-coffee-1819574012/

Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

I need to be better about shouting out great pieces of journalism and critique; so here’s an incredible piece of reporting from Lex that is a *must read*

lex luddy needs a nap@lexluddy.xyz

My first piece for @kotaku.com sees me document the rather surreal experience of demoing a game funded by a government that would have me executed for being trans. kotaku.com/the-1001-thr...

kotaku.comThe 1001 Threads Of Mizan Director Avoids Answering A Simple Question At Gamescom - Kotaku'This is a really decentralized company. We completely decentralized'
Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

Imagine a new Wing Commander coming out before Star Citizen. (Never going to happen for a bunch of stupid reasons, none of which are Star Citizen actually ever coming out.)

GamesRadar+@gamesradarplus.bsky.social

EA could sell "dormant IPs" like Ultima and Wing Commander after Saudi acquisition, former manager says: "There are plenty of IPs like that at EA that nobody cares about at this moment" www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/ea...

gamesradar.comEA could sell "dormant IPs" like Ultima and Wing Commander after Saudi acquisition, former manager says: "There are plenty of IPs like that at EA that nobody cares about at this moment""I think probably they will leverage that either by just selling it or trying to find external studios that can work on that"
Jon Smith
@heyitsjon.bsky.social

I’ve never thought of this before and now my brain is broken in yet another way because of this dumb (positive) film.

headfallsoff@headfallsoff.com

qui gon first tried to get watto to part with both anakin and his mother but we know jedi separate their children from parents anyway so what would he have done if he won that argument. would he leave shmi on tatooine with now no income. does he set her up in a coruscant flat. what was step 2

Jon Smith reposted

Deval 『CEO of Girl Kissing』🔞
@deval.gay

I really cannot state this enough, you cannot be meaningfully anti-ai whilst still playing/supporting fortnite.

Ultima@ultimashadow.bsky.social

I knew that AI Darth Vader shit was gonna come around again eventually, we do not collectively hate Tim Sweeney enough.