Pixel P&L: EA's Battlefield 6 Hits $350M Revenue Mark with 7 Million Copies Sold

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 5 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• Battlefield 6 hits $350M in five days, becoming 2025's second-biggest premium launch.

• ESL FACEIT Group cuts jobs in third major layoff since 2022 merger.

• Blinkit launches 10-minute manga delivery in India as the anime market explodes.

• Microsoft officially ends Windows 10 support after a decade, pushing upgrades to Windows 11.

• Japan demands OpenAI stop copyright violations after Sora 2 generates Pokémon and Mario content. 

Let's get into it.

ESL FACEIT Group Cuts Jobs in Strategic Overhaul

ESL FACEIT Group, the world's leading esports tournament organizer, has implemented layoffs as part of what CEO Niccolo Maisto calls "the end of this phase of change" aimed at ensuring sustainable growth.

In an internal memo obtained by Esports Insider, Maisto acknowledged "incredibly tough choices" while pledging no further large-scale redundancies. The cuts follow industry reports suggesting 200 to 300 employees could be affected.

"This was not solely about cost cutting, but a strategic realignment to reduce complexity, streamline operations, and focus resources on areas with the biggest growth potential," Maisto wrote to staff.

The layoffs mark the third workforce reduction since EFG's 2022 formation through merger. The company previously cut approximately 15% of staff in March 2024.

Recent organizational changes include Craig Levine's May departure as co-CEO and October's indefinite suspension of ESL Impact, the women's Counter-Strike tournament series. Despite restructuring efforts, EFG continues securing partnerships with brands including Red Bull and Lamborghini.

📚 On Our Radar: Blinkit's 10-Minute Manga Delivery

Could manga consumption be measured in minutes rather than days? Indian quick-commerce giant Blinkit is launching a "Comics & Manga" category, delivering titles like Naruto, One Piece, and Demon Slayer to doorsteps in just 10 minutes.

The timing is strategic. India's anime market has exploded from niche to mainstream. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle recently became India's highest-grossing anime film ever at over INR 83 crore, outperforming major Bollywood releases. Blinkit is now stocking officially licensed manga from Viz Media, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin India, while aggressively pricing to compete with Amazon.

This mirrors how quick-commerce platforms globally are expanding beyond groceries into entertainment, capturing passionate fan communities through instant gratification. Blinkit isn't stopping at manga either, having added Marvel/DC comics and PlayStation 5 consoles earlier this year to target Gen Z and millennial audiences.

We're watching this convergence of rapid delivery and pop culture retail closely. Will instant commerce reshape how Indian fans consume physical media?

⚡️Quick Bytes

Microsoft Ends Windows 10 Support After Decade

Microsoft officially terminated support for Windows 10, ending security updates for the operating system that launched in 2015 and still runs on hundreds of millions of devices worldwide. Users must enroll in Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program to receive another year of patches, available free with a Microsoft account or for $30 annually. Without enrollment, devices face unpatched security vulnerabilities. Microsoft is urging users to upgrade to Windows 11.

Japan Requests OpenAI Halt Copyright Infringement

Japan's government formally requested OpenAI cease copyright violations after its Sora 2 app generated videos depicting anime and video game characters including Pokémon and Mario. Minister Minoru Kiuchi called manga and anime "irreplaceable treasures" at a Cabinet Office conference. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised enhanced controls for rightsholders but hasn't formally responded to Japan's request.

Indian Esports Team Reaches Brawl Stars World Finals

Revenant XSpark qualified for the Brawl Stars World Championship 2025 after finishing top four at the Last Chance Qualifier in São Paulo, marking the second time an Indian squad reached the tournament's finals. The three-member team includes captain Ashmit Raj Singh and former world champion Jerome Kuek. Revenant Esports founder Rohit Jagasia called the achievement a victory for Indian esports.

⚔️Side Quest

🤣Laugh:

📺 Watch: Saudi Arabia is aggressively investing billions through its sovereign wealth fund to dominate global gaming, acquiring stakes in Nintendo, EA, and other major studios. The Economist examines Crown Prince bin Salman's strategy to diversify beyond oil, build a domestic industry, and wield soft power through the world's largest entertainment medium.

🎮 Play: Superliminal offers mind-bending perspective-based puzzles that blend Portal's clever mechanics with The Stanley Parable's surreal atmosphere. This satisfying first-person puzzler challenges players to manipulate objects based on perception, creating logical yet surprising solutions. Perfect for puzzle enthusiasts seeking a creative, non-threatening experience with strong speedrunning potential. A uniquely inventive game that rewards creative thinking.

📚 Read: Necrosoft Games' Brandon Sheffield discusses the brutal realities of indie development, revealing Demonschool needs 100,000 sales to break even after five years in production. He explores why the team delayed launch to avoid Hollow Knight: Silksong, the challenges of securing funding, and why maintaining creative vision matters in an increasingly risk-averse industry.

💡Did You Know

Call of Duty only exists because of a corporate dispute with EA? Vince Zampella, now head of Battlefield, revealed that after his team created Medal of Honor: Allied Assault at 2015 Inc., they formed Infinity Ward. When EA suddenly moved Medal of Honor development in-house, leaving the team without payment for delivered work, they were nearly forced to disband. Activision swooped in with an offer, leading to the creation of Call of Duty, originally codenamed "MOH Killer." Ironically, Zampella now leads Battlefield 6 in competing against the very franchise he helped create after being fired from Activision in 2010.

📜 Quote of the Day

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