Spotify put GTA 6 artwork on billboards in Los Angeles, New York and Miami this week, and seven musicians posted matching images tagging Rockstar, with neither company saying what the tie-in is. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil film opens on 18 September with a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, the highest any game adaptation has reached. Heart Machine, the Hyper Light Drifter studio, laid off nearly everyone after a publisher pulled out of an unannounced game, and Build a Rocket Boy staff say they have been let go too. Treyarch says it is done with Black Ops for now, and Media Molecule is reported to be making a social sim for 2027.
Spotify’s GTA 6 billboards and seven artists’ posts, 15 September
On 15 September Travis Scott, Future, Metro Boomin, Morgan Wallen, PinkPantheress, Keith Richards and Yung Lean posted matching GTA 6-styled images on X and Instagram, tagging Rockstar Games; Scott’s caption read “PHASE 1”. The same day Spotify’s billboards went up in Los Angeles, New York and Miami carrying GTA 6 artwork and the Spotify logo with no text, per GTA Boom and IGN. Rockstar and Spotify have said nothing on the record.
Why it matters: licensed radio has been part of every GTA since 1997, and Spotify already built a playlist around the songs in An Extended Look. A billboard campaign 65 days before the 19 November launch is a marketing start, and the artist posts read as a soundtrack reveal in stages.
The PlayTheory take: the billboards and the posts are real and the artists are on the record; what the partnership is, and whether the seven are on the soundtrack or in the game, is not. It goes on the Rumour Ledger as Likely for a soundtrack tie-in and Unverified for anything more, and the GTA VI hub carries the confirmed facts only.
Resident Evil: 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 80 on Metacritic, in cinemas 18 September
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil holds a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and an 80 on Metacritic ahead of its 18 September release, which GameSpot reports as the highest for any video game film; the previous Metacritic best was Exit 8 at 71 earlier this year. PC Gamer collected the reviews calling it the best game adaptation made. Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter the production was a painful period for him, per GameSpot, without detailing why, and has already named his pick to play Lady Dimitrescu in a Village film, per GameSpot.
Why it matters: 96% is not a low-bar record. Reviews for game films have historically sat in the 30s and 40s, and the Metacritic gap between this and the prior best is nine points.
The PlayTheory take: a sequel conversation is already under way from the director’s side, and Capcom has the material. We will report a Village film when a studio announces one.
Heart Machine lays off nearly everyone after a publisher withdraws
Heart Machine founder Alx Preston said on LinkedIn that “nearly everyone at the studio” has been laid off after a publisher pulled out of a deal to fund an unannounced game, according to PC Gamer and IGN. The publisher is not named and no headcount is given. Preston said he is “not sure yet what’s next for Heart Machine to survive.”
Why it matters: Heart Machine shipped Hyper Light Drifter in 2016 and Possessors this year, and a mid-sized studio with that record losing its funding mid-project is the pattern this cycle keeps repeating.
The PlayTheory take: the publisher’s reason is not public, so we do not guess at it. Preston’s own words describe a studio unsure it survives, not a restructure.
Build a Rocket Boy staff say they have been laid off
Developers at Build a Rocket Boy, the MindsEye studio, have posted on LinkedIn that they have been laid off, and reports say the remaining staff are being let go, according to PC Gamer and IGN. The company has not issued a statement.
Why it matters: MindsEye launched in June 2025 to poor reviews and a refund wave, and the studio has been shedding staff since. If the remaining team goes, that is the end of the studio.
The PlayTheory take: we are reporting what departing staff say about their own jobs. The studio’s closure is not confirmed until the company or the register says so.
Treyarch finishes its Black Ops run and Black Ops 2 outdraws Black Ops 7 on PS5
Treyarch says it is ready to make something new after two years on Black Ops, per IGN, and a developer told GameSpot the next project is “something that nobody’s ever experienced before,” with no name or date. Separately, IGN reports that Black Ops 2, the 2012 game, is showing more PS5 players than Black Ops 7 and Warzone this week.
Why it matters: Treyarch is the studio behind the Black Ops line, so its rotation off it changes which studio carries the 2027 slot. The Black Ops 2 figure is the same week the older game went on sale at $19.99 on the PlayStation Store.
The PlayTheory take: no name, no date, no genre, so nothing to add to the calendar. The Black Ops 2 number is worth one more week of watching before it means anything beyond a sale.
Media Molecule reported to be making a social sim for 2027
IGN reports that Media Molecule, the LittleBigPlanet and Dreams studio, is working on a social sim in the Animal Crossing mould for 2027. Neither Media Molecule nor Sony has announced it.
Why it matters: Media Molecule’s last release was Dreams in 2020 and it was cut back in 2023, so a new project of any kind is news for the studio.
The PlayTheory take: Unverified until Sony says so; it goes on the ledger at that state and not on the calendar.
Which of these are you tracking: the Spotify campaign, the Resident Evil reviews, or the layoffs? Tell us on Discord.
Sources
- GTA Boom: Spotify puts GTA 6 artwork on billboards in LA, New York and Miami
- IGN: Spotify seems to be teasing a GTA 6 collaboration with Rockstar Games
- GameSpot: Resident Evil is now the highest-rated gaming movie ever
- PC Gamer: Multiple reviews call Resident Evil the best videogame movie ever
- GameSpot: Resident Evil director was in horrible pain making the movie
- GameSpot: Resident Evil director on who should play Lady Dimitrescu
- PC Gamer: Heart Machine lays off nearly everyone
- IGN: Studio behind Hyper Light Drifter in peril
- PC Gamer: MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy may finally be closing
- IGN: MindsEye developers say they have been laid off
- IGN: Treyarch ready to make something new
- GameSpot: Black Ops dev teases something nobody has experienced before
- IGN: Black Ops 2 appears more popular than Black Ops 7 and Warzone on PS5
- IGN: LittleBigPlanet developer reportedly working on Animal Crossing-like game