Avalanche Studios Group, the Swedish developer behind the Just Cause franchise, is undergoing significant restructuring that includes the complete closure of its Liverpool office and workforce reductions at its Malmö and Stockholm locations. The announcement comes as the gaming industry faces broader challenges, with the studio citing "current challenges within our operations and the industry as a whole" as driving factors behind the difficult decisions.

The Liverpool office closure will follow a formal consultation process in accordance with UK employment law, though the exact number of affected employees across all studios remains unspecified. This marks the latest in a series of organizational changes for the developer, which previously closed its New York and Montreal offices earlier this year. Management has emphasized their commitment to supporting impacted staff during this transition period.

The restructuring follows Microsoft's cancellation of Contraband, a co-op project that Avalanche had been developing in partnership with Xbox Game Studios for four years. While Avalanche has not explicitly named the project cancellation as the direct cause for its restructuring, sources close to the situation indicate the redundancies represent a significant percentage of the company's workforce and are directly linked to Contraband's termination.

Despite these challenges, Avalanche Studios maintains that its core vision of creating vibrant game worlds remains intact. The company stated it believes these changes are "necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable future" while acknowledging the difficulty of the decisions. The gaming industry continues to navigate a period of consolidation and adjustment, with Avalanche joining numerous other developers in implementing cost-cutting measures amid evolving market conditions.

The United Kingdom is bracing for severe weather disruption as Storm Amy, the first named storm of the 2025/26 season, approaches with forecasts predicting damaging winds up to 95mph and heavy rainfall. The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings across northern and western regions, with amber wind alerts indicating potential danger to life in Scotland's Grampian, Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and Strathclyde areas between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Wind gusts are expected to reach 60-70mph widely across northern Britain, potentially exceeding 95mph in exposed coastal and hilly areas, particularly in the northwest. The storm system is forecast to bring gale-force winds initially to western regions during Friday evening before moving northeast overnight into Saturday. Transport Scotland officials have warned of expected disruption to transportation networks in affected areas, with flying debris posing additional hazards during the peak wind periods.

Heavy rainfall accompanies the strong winds, with western Scotland facing the brunt of precipitation. Forecasters predict rainfall totals could exceed 30-50mm within six to nine hours, increasing risks of localized flooding. Yellow rain warnings remain in effect for Northern Ireland and western Scotland through Thursday evening, expanding to cover all of Scotland and much of northern England from Friday noon through midnight.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Tom Crabtree emphasized that while uncertainty remains about the storm's exact track, the system will significantly impact northern and western regions. "Forecasts and warnings will be updated as the situation becomes more clear," Crabtree stated, urging residents to monitor local forecasts. Multiple yellow wind warnings will be in force across Scotland, northern England, Wales and Northern Ireland from Friday afternoon through Saturday, affecting power supplies, transportation and outdoor activities.