Devan Soyka
@windmilljouster.bsky.social
Senior Narrative Designer at Crytek | She/Her | 🖤🤍💜 | A proud founder of the VOW game writers union | Opinions here are mine alone | PFP by @diansakhuart
Pinned
Devan Soyka
@windmilljouster.bsky.social
· Oct 19
Hi new folks! I'm a senior narrative designer who has written everything from FPS to RPGs to dating sims. My work is always looked over by my editor in chief, Basil the cat.
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Games industry dot biz is asking how you are using AI, do your thing!
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8679343/b...
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8679343/b...
GamesIndustry.biz AI Survey
survey.alchemer.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Games industry dot biz is asking how you are using AI, do your thing!
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8679343/b...
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8679343/b...
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Valentine's surprise - GALEAS THE KEEN is up for preorder!
A butch/femme retelling of Galahad & the Fisher King, where a blind knight discovers a wounded woman at the center of a cursed flood, and is driven to save her at any cost.
50% off:
riengray.itch.io/galeas-the-k...
riengray.shop/b/cZt4g
A butch/femme retelling of Galahad & the Fisher King, where a blind knight discovers a wounded woman at the center of a cursed flood, and is driven to save her at any cost.
50% off:
riengray.itch.io/galeas-the-k...
riengray.shop/b/cZt4g
February 14, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Valentine's surprise - GALEAS THE KEEN is up for preorder!
A butch/femme retelling of Galahad & the Fisher King, where a blind knight discovers a wounded woman at the center of a cursed flood, and is driven to save her at any cost.
50% off:
riengray.itch.io/galeas-the-k...
riengray.shop/b/cZt4g
A butch/femme retelling of Galahad & the Fisher King, where a blind knight discovers a wounded woman at the center of a cursed flood, and is driven to save her at any cost.
50% off:
riengray.itch.io/galeas-the-k...
riengray.shop/b/cZt4g
Reposted by Devan Soyka
when I look at things like the Highguard layoffs it always strikes me that the people who are inevitably laid off are the skilled workers and never the managers and middle managers that made the decisions to cause a project to fail. unions now.
February 12, 2026 at 7:42 PM
when I look at things like the Highguard layoffs it always strikes me that the people who are inevitably laid off are the skilled workers and never the managers and middle managers that made the decisions to cause a project to fail. unions now.
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Working remotely also helps mitigate the impact of layoffs. If we're going to have constant boom and bust cycles, then WFH is the least we can do to accommodate that.
Making people relocate and then laying them off is cruel, expensive, and should be illegal.
Making people relocate and then laying them off is cruel, expensive, and should be illegal.
February 12, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Working remotely also helps mitigate the impact of layoffs. If we're going to have constant boom and bust cycles, then WFH is the least we can do to accommodate that.
Making people relocate and then laying them off is cruel, expensive, and should be illegal.
Making people relocate and then laying them off is cruel, expensive, and should be illegal.
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Over 1,000 Ubisoft workers around the world have walked off the job.
In response to a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, and the cancellation of several games, workers launched a three-day strike.
The workers walked out in response to five French unions issuing the strike call.
In response to a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, and the cancellation of several games, workers launched a three-day strike.
The workers walked out in response to five French unions issuing the strike call.
Ubisoft workers are on strike: 'We are treated like children'
The strike comes after the publisher revealed plans to cut up to 200 jobs and ordered remote workers back into the office
www.polygon.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Over 1,000 Ubisoft workers around the world have walked off the job.
In response to a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, and the cancellation of several games, workers launched a three-day strike.
The workers walked out in response to five French unions issuing the strike call.
In response to a return-to-office mandate, layoffs, and the cancellation of several games, workers launched a three-day strike.
The workers walked out in response to five French unions issuing the strike call.
Reposted by Devan Soyka
the WAY i’m going to teach borges to these masters students!!!!!!!! multiverses honey? oh you think you know about multiverses? let me tell you about a little something called the GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS
February 12, 2026 at 2:01 PM
the WAY i’m going to teach borges to these masters students!!!!!!!! multiverses honey? oh you think you know about multiverses? let me tell you about a little something called the GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS
The agony of waiting for a phone call (no) from a doctor (NO) which is going to take place in a language you only started learning in your 30s (NOOOOOOOO). I can barely even do this shit in English
February 12, 2026 at 12:04 PM
The agony of waiting for a phone call (no) from a doctor (NO) which is going to take place in a language you only started learning in your 30s (NOOOOOOOO). I can barely even do this shit in English
I enjoy the little stories peoples' groceries make on the conveyor belt as I wait.
The guy with cases of beer, soda, 8 sparkling water? Hosting a party.
The guy with 4 bags of chips? GOING to a party.
Guy buying exactly 3 bananas at 8pm? 100% spouse forgot them and the kids need them for tomorrow
The guy with cases of beer, soda, 8 sparkling water? Hosting a party.
The guy with 4 bags of chips? GOING to a party.
Guy buying exactly 3 bananas at 8pm? 100% spouse forgot them and the kids need them for tomorrow
February 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM
I enjoy the little stories peoples' groceries make on the conveyor belt as I wait.
The guy with cases of beer, soda, 8 sparkling water? Hosting a party.
The guy with 4 bags of chips? GOING to a party.
Guy buying exactly 3 bananas at 8pm? 100% spouse forgot them and the kids need them for tomorrow
The guy with cases of beer, soda, 8 sparkling water? Hosting a party.
The guy with 4 bags of chips? GOING to a party.
Guy buying exactly 3 bananas at 8pm? 100% spouse forgot them and the kids need them for tomorrow
Reposted by Devan Soyka
📣 TOMORROW 📣
We've also had several people ask us if we will send out a video afterwards if folks aren't able to attend the live event: yes! Please sign up via Action Network so we know where to send it!
We've also had several people ask us if we will send out a video afterwards if folks aren't able to attend the live event: yes! Please sign up via Action Network so we know where to send it!
Are you a freelancer hoping to level up your bookkeeping before tax season? UVW-CWA has joined forces with freelancer-specialist tax firm Brass Taxes for a webinar. Open to non-members!
February 11th, 10AM Pacific on Zoom
Art by Cleveland Mosher
Sign up: actionnetwork.org/events/brass...
February 11th, 10AM Pacific on Zoom
Art by Cleveland Mosher
Sign up: actionnetwork.org/events/brass...
February 10, 2026 at 5:52 PM
📣 TOMORROW 📣
We've also had several people ask us if we will send out a video afterwards if folks aren't able to attend the live event: yes! Please sign up via Action Network so we know where to send it!
We've also had several people ask us if we will send out a video afterwards if folks aren't able to attend the live event: yes! Please sign up via Action Network so we know where to send it!
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Depressed Fire Emblem Character Doesn’t Have Enough Movement to Get Out of Bed Today
Depressed Fire Emblem Character Doesn't Have Enough Movement to Get Out of Bed Today - Hard Drive
Mercenary-turned-teacher Byleth has not left his bedroom for several days due to what he is calling poor use of action economy.
hard-drive.net
February 9, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Depressed Fire Emblem Character Doesn’t Have Enough Movement to Get Out of Bed Today
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"I'm going back on an FBI watchlist"
"I'm going back on an FBI watchlist"
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
“I need you to imagine a couple million people interpreting this with the worst faith possible.”
“I need you to imagine a couple million people interpreting this with the worst faith possible.”
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"Right… where am I and what’s just happened?”
"Right… where am I and what’s just happened?”
February 8, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"I'm going back on an FBI watchlist"
"I'm going back on an FBI watchlist"
Reposted by Devan Soyka
If I race to the bottom, and you don't race to the bottom, who's going to reach the bottom first?
February 8, 2026 at 2:03 PM
If I race to the bottom, and you don't race to the bottom, who's going to reach the bottom first?
Reposted by Devan Soyka
I'd like to add that like in all industries, when we stop understanding how our tools work, we become entirely dependent on the corporate entities that own the mold. We are trading the ability to build and repair for the convenience of being permanent tenants in someone else's infrastructure/subs.
Vibe coding is working as expected: it'll kill the open-source, secure, and ideologically maintained alternatives to make sure you have to pay the oligarchs to do anything at all, and they can control what you're allowed to make.
www.404media.co/vibe-coding-...
www.404media.co/vibe-coding-...
Vibe Coding Is Killing Open Source Software, Researchers Argue
‘If the maintainers of small projects give up, who will produce the next Linux?’
www.404media.co
February 5, 2026 at 5:29 PM
I'd like to add that like in all industries, when we stop understanding how our tools work, we become entirely dependent on the corporate entities that own the mold. We are trading the ability to build and repair for the convenience of being permanent tenants in someone else's infrastructure/subs.
Reposted by Devan Soyka
I may delete this because it’s a bit spicy but it shouldn’t be lost on us that games being turned into TV is essentially harvesting the stories written by those who don’t have union representation or healthcare with WGA by those that do. Our stories are good enough for TV but the writers aren’t?
February 6, 2026 at 1:59 AM
I may delete this because it’s a bit spicy but it shouldn’t be lost on us that games being turned into TV is essentially harvesting the stories written by those who don’t have union representation or healthcare with WGA by those that do. Our stories are good enough for TV but the writers aren’t?
Reposted by Devan Soyka
6/ The Post has lost over 375,000 subscribers in just over a year. If 10% of those readers subscribed to The 51st instead, we could hire 10 reporters and five editors, dramatically scaling our coverage of the city at this critical time. 51st.news/signup
Join The 51st
The 51st is a worker-led nonprofit news source for D.C. Our reporting is rooted in our conviction that local journalism is meant to make people’s lives better — no paywalls, ever. But that's only…
51st.news
February 4, 2026 at 7:21 PM
6/ The Post has lost over 375,000 subscribers in just over a year. If 10% of those readers subscribed to The 51st instead, we could hire 10 reporters and five editors, dramatically scaling our coverage of the city at this critical time. 51st.news/signup
Last repost is a great example of why a union is statistically proven to raise conditions for everyone, whether they're in a union or not: because union members OFTEN vote to make their privileges & knowledge open to all.
It's union members who do that work, learn those skills, set that up for you!
It's union members who do that work, learn those skills, set that up for you!
February 4, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Last repost is a great example of why a union is statistically proven to raise conditions for everyone, whether they're in a union or not: because union members OFTEN vote to make their privileges & knowledge open to all.
It's union members who do that work, learn those skills, set that up for you!
It's union members who do that work, learn those skills, set that up for you!
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Are you a freelancer hoping to level up your bookkeeping before tax season? UVW-CWA has joined forces with freelancer-specialist tax firm Brass Taxes for a webinar. Open to non-members!
February 11th, 10AM Pacific on Zoom
Art by Cleveland Mosher
Sign up: actionnetwork.org/events/brass...
February 11th, 10AM Pacific on Zoom
Art by Cleveland Mosher
Sign up: actionnetwork.org/events/brass...
February 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Are you a freelancer hoping to level up your bookkeeping before tax season? UVW-CWA has joined forces with freelancer-specialist tax firm Brass Taxes for a webinar. Open to non-members!
February 11th, 10AM Pacific on Zoom
Art by Cleveland Mosher
Sign up: actionnetwork.org/events/brass...
February 11th, 10AM Pacific on Zoom
Art by Cleveland Mosher
Sign up: actionnetwork.org/events/brass...
Reposted by Devan Soyka
I just saw this instagram post from the incredibly talented and breathtakingly hilarious Kate Welch, who was laid off around a year ago, and I wanted to share it here. It’s an important message, and you deserve to read it:
(thread)
(thread)
February 4, 2026 at 6:42 PM
I just saw this instagram post from the incredibly talented and breathtakingly hilarious Kate Welch, who was laid off around a year ago, and I wanted to share it here. It’s an important message, and you deserve to read it:
(thread)
(thread)
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Aftermath was born from the wake of previous Washington Post layoffs, a way to keep writing for the audience we knew was out there without short-sighted corporate decisions getting in the way. The indie road is a tough one, but it's one way forward for writers and readers
aftermath.site
aftermath.site
February 4, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Aftermath was born from the wake of previous Washington Post layoffs, a way to keep writing for the audience we knew was out there without short-sighted corporate decisions getting in the way. The indie road is a tough one, but it's one way forward for writers and readers
aftermath.site
aftermath.site
Is it dark yet fellas
February 4, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Is it dark yet fellas
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Blizzard QA workers' newly ratified union contract locks in pay increases, better benefits
aftermath.site/blizzard-qa-wo...
aftermath.site/blizzard-qa-wo...
February 2, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Blizzard QA workers' newly ratified union contract locks in pay increases, better benefits
aftermath.site/blizzard-qa-wo...
aftermath.site/blizzard-qa-wo...
Reposted by Devan Soyka
Quality assurance testers at Blizzard Albany and Austin offices have reached a groundbreaking contract at Microsoft, marking the third union contract across the company's gaming studios.
Solidarity!
Solidarity!
Blizzard Quality Assurance Workers Ratify Video Game Union Contract With Microsoft
A strong majority of quality assurance workers at Blizzard’s Albany and Austin locations overwhelmingly voted to ratify a union contract at Microsoft, ensuring lasting protections in the workplace.
cwa-union.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Quality assurance testers at Blizzard Albany and Austin offices have reached a groundbreaking contract at Microsoft, marking the third union contract across the company's gaming studios.
Solidarity!
Solidarity!
Reposted by Devan Soyka
This is Jerry Lawson. He invented the video game cartridge for the Fairchild Channel F system. Because of his invention, many consoles had cartridges and CD formats and would become the norm.
The Atari 2600, NES, Genesis, and many consoles wouldn't exist without him.
Happy Black History Month.
The Atari 2600, NES, Genesis, and many consoles wouldn't exist without him.
Happy Black History Month.
February 1, 2025 at 11:04 PM
This is Jerry Lawson. He invented the video game cartridge for the Fairchild Channel F system. Because of his invention, many consoles had cartridges and CD formats and would become the norm.
The Atari 2600, NES, Genesis, and many consoles wouldn't exist without him.
Happy Black History Month.
The Atari 2600, NES, Genesis, and many consoles wouldn't exist without him.
Happy Black History Month.