Welcome back to another edition of Patch Notes, here on my second (and final) sub-in for its usual author, senior news editor Chris Kerr. This week, we had more layoff news, unfortunately, this time hitting studios like Embracer-owned Crystal Dynamics and Rec Room. Crystal Dynamics, in particular, is suffering its third round of layoffs since being snatched up by Embracer in 2022.Elsewhere, we have some news on Switch 2 development kits, union efforts for many folks working on the Diablo franchise, Atari snatched up a couple of interesting older Ubisoft properties, and we ponder the creative core of  weirdo indie social games.Report: Nintendo reportedly withholds Switch 2 dev kits, directs devs toward OG Switch development insteadVia Game Developer/Digital Foundry // Freshly returned from Gamescom, Digital Foundry senior staff writer and video editor John Linneman spoke with "a lot of developers" that said they're unable to get Switch 2 development kits. The demand is there: plenty of teams want to be crafting games for the Switch 2, but they are reportedly being told to ship for the original Switch and rely on the new console's backward compatibility features.Atari Acquires Ubisoft IP, Including Child of Eden, Grow Home, Cold FearRelated:Via This Week in Video Games // Atari snatched up a number of intriguing Ubisoft properties this week, including the how-on-earth-was-this-a-whole-decade-ago climber Grow Home and its sequel Grow Up, Child of Eden, Cold Fear, and I am Alive. In the post, Atari VP of new business Deborah Papiernik said “Atari has a rich gaming legacy and deep appreciation for these classic titles... We’re excited to see how they’ll evolve and connect with players in fresh, meaningful ways.”Embracer studio Crystal Dynamics is laying off more staffVia Game Developer // As noted above, news of yet another round of layoffs at Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics came in hot this week. Game Developer contributing news editor Diego Arguello writes "This is the third round of layoffs since Embracer Group acquired the studio in 2022. As Embracer issued an absurd number of mass layoffs, project cancellations, and divestments across its portfolio, Crystal Dynamics conducted job cuts in 2023 and early this year.450 Diablo developers vote to unionize under CWAVia  Game Developer // Senior editor Bryant Francis covered the news today with one of my favorite opening lines in Game Developer news history: "The forces of hell are unionizing. Today the Communication Workers of America has announced that over 450 game developers at Blizzard Entertainment who work on the Diablo series have voted to unionize under the CWA."Related:What developers can learn from the indie social co-op games topping the Steam chartsVia Game Developer // In this interview piece from news columnist Nicole Carpenter, the core appeal and breakout success of "weirdo social games" (or, if you please, "friendslop") is examined in great detail by some of the folks working in the genre today.