—GameStop rides high on used-game sales: Video game retailer GameStop’s holiday sales were up 22 percent, according to the WSJ. That’s in contrast to the 12 percent slump in game sales at Best Buy (not to mention Circuit City’s liquidation), and a robust used-games offering is what fueled GameSpot’s gains. Used-game sales will account for about 23 percent of the retailer’s total revenue for 2008—or $2 billion, up from $1.6 billion the previous fiscal year.

—Deep cuts at Microsoft’s ACES Studio: The Flight Simulator studio has been hit hard by Microsoft’s round of layoffs; according to Gamasutra, the entire development team behind the long-running series has been let go. Launched under the Microsoft brand in 1982, players and independent developers have produced a number of mods and add-ons. The most recent version of the title, Flight Simulator X, was released in 2006. 

—Eidos shuts mobile gaming studio: The Tomb Raider publisher closed down its U.K.-based mobile-gaming studio, letting go of 14 employees. Eidos acquired the studio, then called Rockpool Games, in early 2007 to bolster its push into casual and mobile gaming. Find out more at our sister site pC:UK.