In this recession, Britain has lost many things. Trust in banks, institutions which we always expected would be around forever but the worst of all; jobs. The video game industry hasn't really been affected by it much in the UK. Mainly because we no longer have a video games industry here and ones we did have... We weren't all that proud of. (Of course, there's one we're always proud of too.)

When Square Enix took over Eidos Interactive earlier this year, I don't think anyone batted an eye. We assumed that Square's mega-bucks would save a somewhat diminishing Eidos Interactive, which has a large stake in UK video game development. Sadly, news filtered through this week that Square would be 'restructuring' Eidos' subsidiary; Beautiful Game Studios, which has been responsible for games such as Championship Manager. By 'restructuring' they mean what we all fear; cutting jobs here and moving them far-east. 80% of staff at BGS will face the pink slip, it's unknown if they'll actually be offered to move over to Shanghai where their jobs will most certainly be headed.

It's uncertain if more UK-based jobs will soon vanish in the near future. I'm betting: yes. Happy Christmas from Square Enix.