TRIPLEPOINTS OF INTEREST: JULY 29

In this week’s gaming news breakdown, Ninja announces his departure from Twitch, Rockstar Games is in hot water for dodging UK corporation taxes, and GameStop let go of 50 regional managers.

Famous Fortnite streamer, Ninja, swaps Twitch for Mixer
Tyler Blevins, known as “Ninja” to the gaming community, has announced that he is leaving Amazon’s Twitch and will be streaming exclusively on Microsoft’s Mixer. In a series of tweets, Ninja expressed his excitement to be streaming on Mixer and noted that nothing about the content of his streams will change. The New York Times shared a statement from Ninja’s management company explaining that despite popular belief, Ninja made the decision to hop platforms not for the monetary value but instead to better reach his core audience of console-based players. The Verge, CNN, and WIRED reported that there were no hard feelings from either party regarding the split.

Rockstar North accused of 10-year tax avoidance in the UK
Edinburgh-based studio Rockstar North, a subsidiary of Rockstar Games, was accused of tax avoidance this week. According to a study conducted by TaxWatch UK, the studio has neglected to pay corporation taxes for 10 years, despite accumulating billions of dollars in revenue from parent company Take-Two Interactive and claiming more than £42M in tax relief. The company is now facing widespread criticism for its actions, and TaxWatch is calling for the UK tax office to investigate the country’s current tax relief system to stop similar situations such as this from happening again. Rockstar Games is known for the popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and Red Dead franchises. The Guardian, GameSpot, PC Gamer, Screen Rant, and more reported the news. 

GameStop lays off 50 regional managers amidst brand restructuring
This week, GameStop quietly let go of 50 regional, district, and loss prevention managers. The news comes after the company experienced half a billion dollars worth of losses in 2018. IGN reports that GameStop’s corporate headquarters sent an email to the managers being let go explaining the decision was part of the company’s “realignment” strategy. Game Rant speculated that the layoffs and restructuring will play a part in the success of the company’s latest reimagined store concepts. GameSpot, Kotaku, and more covered the news.