Game Developer

As the SAG-AFTRA voice actor strikes continue, a pair of voice actors for MiHoYo's Zenless Zone Zero learned they were abruptly recast.Emeri Chase and Nicholas Thurkettle, who respectively play Soldier 11 and Lycaon, discovered they were replaced in a recent patch for the game released earlier this week. On social media, Chase explained she was "unwilling to perform work not covered by a SAG Interim Agreement during a strike for AI protections."Earlier this week, the union said "alarming loopholes" have...

about 11 hours ago

Game Developer

Prytania Media—the parent company of now-closed game studios Crop Circle Games, Possibility Space, and Fang & Claw formed by Jeff & Annie Strain—is suing former NetEase for defamation. The lawsuit—filed on January 3, 2025—seeks $400 million in damages and blames NetEase executives for allegedly leaking confidential financial information to other investors, purportedly in retaliation of the Strains' efforts to help the Chinese conglomerate comply with American regulations.The lawsuit—which NetEase has already begun to combat with a motion to remove the...

about 11 hours ago

Game Developer

Copilot, Microsoft's AI tool, will be coming to Xbox and PC games. The tool, which was first unveiled in 2024, will "help players have time, find new games you’re likely to love, or even to help ease you back into a game you may have stepped away from." Members of the Xbox Insiders program will test the feature in April ahead of its eventual wider release.When its game functionalities were shown off at last year's Microsoft Surface and AI event,...

about 12 hours ago

Game Developer

Mountaintop Studios is shutting down just six months after launching its debut title Spectre Divide.The studio explained the free-to-play tactical shooter hasn't delivered the success required to become sustainable. As a result, the title will be axed and Mountaintop will close its doors.Mountaintop CEO Nate Mitchell broke the news in a blog post and explained interest in Spectre Divide has waned following a Season 1 launch that attracted 400,000 players and a peak concurrent player count of 10,000 across all...

about 16 hours ago

Game Developer

The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer sat down with the finalists  for the IGF’s Nuovo and Grand Prize nominees ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.INDIKA takes the player on a journey of religious self-discovery alongside the title character of the same name. Oh, and...

about 16 hours ago

Game Developer

The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer sat down with the finalists  for the IGF’s Nuovo and Grand Prize nominees ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.Caves of Qud, one of the nominees for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at this year’s IGF, offers players the...

about 16 hours ago

Game Developer

Roblox CEO and co-founder Dave Baszucki has told parents to keep their children off the popular game platform if they have safety concerns.Speaking to BBC News about the platform's widely-reported issues with safeguarding and protecting younger players, Baszucki said the company is vigilant when it comes to addressing instances of bad behaviour but that parents should keep their children away from Roblox if they have major fears."My first message would be, if you're not comfortable, don't let your kids be...

about 19 hours ago

Game Developer

Pragma, a backend engine for live-service games like Spectre Divide and Predecessor, recently secured $12.75 million in a round of "strategic investment."Square Enix and venture firms Insight Partners, Upfront Ventures, and Greylock Partners all contributed to this round. This new investment, per VentureBeat, delivers over $50 million in investment to Pragma.In its announcement, the company noted the funding "helps us continue delivering scalable, live-service infrastructure while expanding our suite of game dev tools." Pragma's services include cross-platform accounts and monetization,...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Dave Mallow, a longtime voice actor across games and animation, has died at 76.Sources speaking to TMZ revealed Mallow had been in hospice care for some time, and that his health had been declining in recent years. For many, Mallow was best known as the voice of Baboo on Power Rangers and Angemon in the first two seasons of Digimon.Games-wise, he lent his talents to several Call of Duty and Blizzard titles, including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (as...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Support developer Virtuos has founded a new studio in Seoul, South Korea.The team will "deepen collaboration with Korean game developers and publishers," and general manager Seunghwan “Sean” Yoon will lead the effort. Fellow core team members include development director Kyungjin Lee, senior business development manager Sangwon Suh, and executive producer Wang Yufang."Virtuos Seoul will enhance the delivery of creative and design capabilities, leading the liaison between Korean clients and Virtuos’ game development studios worldwide," wrote the developer. The announcement also noted its contributions to...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Thomas Lee, a business development director and executive producer at several studios, recently passed away from cancer. He was 59.According to his Facebook, Lee initially started as an advanced graphics specialist on Wing Commander III at EA, then a digital artist on Square Enix's Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy IX. He then moved on to business roles at Nexon America (as a business development manager), Gamma Interactive (strategic advisor), and Stealth CrossMedia (executive producer).Lee was remembered by Digital Native founder...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Developer Moon Studios has become "fully independent " after acquiring the publishing rights to its upcoming action-RPG, No Rest for the Wicked.Take-Two Interactive's divested Private Division label had been set to release the project. After the label was sold, Moon spent "months" negotiating for the publishing rights to No Rest for the Wicked. The game was not included in the sale of Private Division's current and unreleased assets because Take-Two initially intended to keep supporting it.What's left of the label...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Scopely, the mobile publisher owned by Saudi state-backed investor Savvy Games Group, has agreed to acquire Pokemon Go and Niantic's entire video game business for $3.5 billion.The deal will see Scopely purchase Niantic's internal development teams and major titles including Pokemon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now. It will also acquire companion apps and services Campfire and Wayfarer.Scopely said it will allow Niantic's development teams to continue pursuing their "ambitious roadmaps" under current leaders Kei Kawai and Ed Wu."Few...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Netflix Games vice president of generative AI, Mike Verdu, has departed the company.Netflix confirmed the news in a statement to Game File—although it's currently unclear why Verdu has exited less than five months after agreeing to oversee the streamer's generative AI machinations.Verdu joined the company in 2021 and initially served as VP of Netflix Games. He vacated the role in 2024 amid a leadership reshuffle that eventually saw former Epic Games exec Alain Tascan brought in to lead the division.Following...

1 day ago

Game Developer

Striking voice performer union SAG-AFTRA claims negotiations with major video game studios continue to stall due to "alarming loopholes" in proposals that would leave members open to AI abuse.SAG-AFTRA called a strike in July 2024 to secure better provisions and protections for members plying their trade in the game industry. The union specifically said it wanted to deliver "critical AI protections" for performers working under the terms of the Interactive Media Agreement.The strike was called following 18 months of negotiations...

2 days ago

Game Developer

The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer sat down with the finalists for the IGF’s Nuovo and Grand Prize nominees ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.Starship Home turns your personal living area into a spacecraft, filling it with strange machinery and alien plant forms. Whether you...

2 days ago

Game Developer

For the first time in years, Blizzard Entertainment's showcase event BlizzCon is making a comeback.The World of Warcraft and Overwatch developer revealed the convention will skip 2025, but make a two-day return on September 12 and 13, 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center. It'll be the first BlizzCon since 2023, and since Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 million.Previous BlizzCons have been defined by reveals for future projects, or updates to current titles. For example, the 2018 event featured reveals...

3 days ago

Game Developer

Sony is reportedly exploring how generative AI tools like GPT could be integrated with characters from major PlayStation franchises—and the results are weird to say the least.Internal footage sent to The Verge by an anonymous tipster shows an genAI-imbued version of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West holding conversations with a player.The video, which was published on YouTube but has now been removed due to a copyright claim, was narrated by Sony interactive Entertainment director of software engineering Sharwin Raghoebardajal who...

3 days ago

Game Developer

Castle of Secrets developer Serene Questworks has been accused of hiring human voice actors, only to fire them and replace them with performances made with generative AI. Voice actor Mika Nerida claimed the studio "decided they wanted to use AI-trained voices" for its debut game, and "canned every voice actor they had, refusing other talent onboard."A picture in the post from Castle's voice director Ian Mitchell shows he was also banned from Castle's Steam hub by a Serene Questworks developer...

3 days ago

Game Developer

Mobile publisher Tilting Point has launched a $150 million user acquisition (UA) fund to help developers scale their games and apps.The fund has been unveiled just six months after the company laid off 20 percent of its workforce in response to "tough" market conditions.Tilting Point previously offered UA financing to studios in 2016 and claims its experience scaling over 200 titles across multiple platforms helped deliver "exponential growth" for its partners.The company intends to serve as a "true financial and...

3 days ago

Game Developer

It's been a hot minute since Kickstarter was the powerhouse funding tool for indie devs. In 2012 Double Fine's Broken Age Kickstarter was such a smash hit it boosted the crowdfunding odds of every other game on the platform. But after a few heady years (and some frustrating post-funding fumbles) the platform became less potent for developers—especially during a time period where venture capital was pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into small-to-mid-sized studios.But the funding boom has gone bust....

3 days ago

Game Developer

Microsoft's previously teased Xbox handheld may come out sometime this year.According to Windows Central, the tech giant is working with a PC gaming manufacturer to create a branded device that will look "unmistakably Xbox." This handheld, currently codenamed 'Keenan,' is expected to run the Windows OS and Steam, and will prioritize the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass.Recent third-party handhelds have featured Xbox features like Game Pass and cloud streaming. To date, Xbox hasn't had a handheld to call its...

3 days ago

Game Developer

Hazelight Studios has announced that its latest co-op adventure Split Fiction sold 1 million copies within 48 hours of launch.The co-op action-adventure title released on March 6 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It's the fastest-selling game to date from the studio: 2021's It Takes Two and 2018's A Way Out took two weeks after their respective launches to reach that same milestone."The love you all show for our game is overwhelming!" wrote Hazelight. "Everyone here at Hazelight...

4 days ago

Game Developer

Since the nascent period of online games in the late '90s and 2000s, publisher NCSoft and its massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been a mainstay. The company's one significant edge against competitors like Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft was its focus on bridging the divide between Western and Eastern MMORPG audiences with a cross-continental portfolio including Lineage II, Aion, and Guild Wars 2.As live service games have become increasingly high risk for the industry, the long-running publisher sees a...

4 days ago

Game Developer

One More Level has been active in the industry for over a decade. During this time, we have created several titles of varying scale, but only one of them has received a full-fledged sequel. We're talking about Ghostrunner, the FPP slasher released in 2020, which completely changed our fate, allowing us to set sail into broader waters.The year 2020 was a special time for the industry. On one hand, it brought development delays due to the need of adapting to...

4 days ago

Game Developer

The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer sat down with the finalists for the IGF's Nuovo Award and the Seamas McNally Grand Prize ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.Nuovo Award nominee Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity is an experience in movement and transformation across stunning, alien worlds that you're tasked...

4 days ago

Game Developer

Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment laid off several developers earlier this week, and canceled an unannounced, incubated project.According to IGN, a "small" number of employees were let go as part of the project's end. At least one of those exits was voluntary, but a former executive assistant (in a now-deleted LinkedIn post) revealed the project she'd been attached to since 2024 was gutted.This project is believed to be a multiplayer shooter Respawn had been hiring for over the past year....

6 days ago

Game Developer

Developer Hidden Variable said it's "no longer involved" with the Skullgirls franchise after it filed a lawsuit against publisher Autumn Games.The suit alleges Autumn owes Hidden Variable $1.2 million in payments for its work on Skullgirls Mobile and the 2015 game Skullgirls 2nd Encore. Hidden Variable claimed Autumn was supposed to begin paying in late 2024, but failed to settle these accounts as of January 21, 2025. After that date, the studio gave Autumn "all of the account login information...

6 days ago

Game Developer

Playdead Studios co-founder Dino Patti alleged he was threatened with an IP suit from fellow co-founder Arnt Jensen after things "went downhill" between them.In a "legal love letter" sent on March 3, Jensen claimed Patti broke copyright by posting a "lengthy description" of Limbo's development in a late 2024 LinkedIn post. That now-deleted post features an "unauthorized" photo owned by Jensen, who demanded 500,000 DKK ($72,630) in "suitable compensation and reimbursement.""We want to repeat and caution that your continued use...

6 days ago

Game Developer

EVE Online developer CCP Games has brought on Icelandic economist Stefán Þórarinsson to serve as its new head of economy.Þórarinsson will help the studio "refine and legitimize" in-game player economies for its space survival game, EVE Frontier, and ensure the system "operate with the same diligence and analysis applied to real-world economies.""His appointment advances our goal toward building a truly open financial system within a virtual world," wrote CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson. "By removing currency controls and fostering emergent value...

7 days ago

Game Developer

The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer sat down with the finalists for the IGF's Nuovo Award and the Seamas McNally Grand Prize ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.Ginger is an exploration of an unknown language, tasking the player with finding meaning in their own cross-references between the words...

7 days ago

Game Developer

Amazon's GameLift service now features streaming capabilities that allow developers and publishers to "build and deliver global, direct-to-player game streaming experiences."The streams will enable them to release games directly onto any device with a web browser, including PCs, mobile phones, and SmartTVs. As Amazon notes, this means companies "[avoid] investing millions of dollars in infrastructure and software development to build your own service. Players can start gaming in just a few seconds, without waiting for downloads or installs."Party game developer...

7 days ago

Game Developer

Independent studio Welevel recently raised $5.7 million in a round of seed funding. The German studio plans to put that money toward growing its staff and developing AI tools made to "streamline game development and create dynamic, personalized gameplay."According to the announcement, these tools "innovate on world-building, NPC behavior, and quest generation, through sophisticated algorithms that make interactions tailored to each player. This system allows for adaptive storytelling where players’ choices shape the world in unexpected ways, providing a truly...

7 days ago

Game Developer

The Strong Museum has revealed its newest set of nominees for the Video Game Hall of Fame.2025's candidates for industry-shaping giants are the original Angry Birds, 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, 1997's Age of Empires, 1981's Defender and Frogger, 007: GoldenEye, Harvest Moon, Golden Tee Golf, the Tamagotchi, the first Quake, Mattel Football, and the very first NBA 2K.Do several of these look familiar? It wasn't that long ago that Quake, NBA 2K, Angry Birds, GoldenEye, Call of...

8 days ago

Game Developer

The IGF (Independent Games Festival) aims to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize independent game developers advancing the medium. This year, Game Developer sat down with the finalists for the IGF's Nuevo and grand prizes ahead of GDC to explore the themes, design decisions, and tools behind each entry. Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.Nuovo award nominee individualism in the dead-internet age: an anti-big tech asset flip shovelware r̶a̶n̶t̶ manifesto is a living digital museum and explorable discussion that...

8 days ago

Game Developer

In 2010, the team at League of Legends developer Riot Games was feeling nervous. Their scrappy multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) was taking off, but a few hours south in Anaheim, Blizzard was preparing to launch Starcraft II, a blockbuster PC strategy game that could eat up their audience and smother League before it had a chance to explode. It was an inflection point for the studio and game industry as a whole. Both companies were asking the same fundamental...

8 days ago

Game Developer

Indie newsletter and resource hub Pantaloon has launched a publishing label to provide a "home for misfits."The company said it hopes to bring weird and wayward games to market in the micro-indie space.Pantaloon will offer full brand-lead marketing campaigns, release management and store optimization, production and QA services, development financing, and more."Pantaloon operates in the micro-indie space, looking to build a label of small games with big hooks. For now, our dev-budgets are in the $30k-$100k sort of range, but...

8 days ago

Game Developer

Ballistic Moon, the studio behind the recent remake for Until Dawn, has reportedly closed its doors.Several sources speaking to Insider Gaming allege the UK developer has "effectively closed." These insiders say the studio laid off 20 more employees since its last layoff round in September 2024, where the company let go of around 40 people.Those same sources stated the remaining staff include founders Duncan Kershaw, Neil McEwan and Chris Lamb and "possibly" a handful of employees. One source revealed there...

8 days ago

Game Developer

Transperfect, a company that specializes in language services across the film and game industries, recently purchased Technicolor Games for an undisclosed fee. The new subsidiary will operate as part of Transperfect Gaming.The company's game division provides services such as art production, QA, and audio services. Its past clients have included localization for Blizzard Entertainment and Inxile and customer support and marketing for Candivore.In the announcement, Technicolor CEO Andy Emery said the acquisition "ensures [Technicolor's] legacy continues, reinforcing its reputation as...

8 days ago

Game Developer

Jim Curry, a writer and marketing manager on Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the Gex series, passed away in mid-February.In an obituary on his Facebook page, his wife Ellen revealed he had been battling an undisclosed illness for "over two years.""It has been an exhausting, difficult, and sad struggle, and we have cherished many moments along the way," she wrote. "Jim died surrounded by family."According to MobyGames, Curry got his start in the industry as a special advisor on...

8 days ago

Game Developer

The nominations for the BAFTA Games Awards 2025 are in and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II leads the pack.Ninja Theory's striking sequel has been nominated in 11 categories including British Game and Technical Achievement.A total of 41 titles across 17 categories have received nods.Astro Bot and Still Wakes the Deep have each been nominated for eight awards, while comedy slapformer Thank Goodness You're Here! is up for seven awards.Black Myth: Wukong received six nominations, while Helldivers II has been nominated in...

9 days ago

Game Developer

Sony is reportedly conducting layoffs across its Visual Arts and PlayStation Studios Malaysia support studios.Numerous current and former PlayStation employees shared the news on Linkedin, indicating there have been widespread cuts on a global scale."I don't often post, in fact, I think this is my first post. So with sadness in my heart, I was part of the PlayStation Visual Arts layoffs today," wrote senior material artist Lewis Labram."My 16-year journey at Visual Arts has come to an end as...

9 days ago

Game Developer

Longtime support developer PTW has changed its name to Side, a move that the company hopes will express its "commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions side-by-side with [our] global partners across a wider range of specialisms."In addition to landing it a new logo and mission statement, Side says that the rebranding also serves as a brand unification bid. The move will unite its multiple studios under a single, freshly rebranded umbrella.As explained by comments from chief revenue officer Kaley Hurst: "This rebrand is...

9 days ago

Game Developer

After a near 20-year run, the free-to-play browser game Urban Dead is shutting down on March 14.Creator Kevan Davis' statement pointed fingers at the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) of 2023. Under the law, all social and video game websites are "more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms," according to its website. "Platforms will be required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems...

9 days ago

Game Developer

Within three days of release, Monster Hunter Wilds sold 8 million copies, Capcom has revealed.The latest entry in the co-op action franchise released February 28 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. According to the developer, this is the fastest-selling game in company history.Thus far, the game has evoked "massive excitement" from critics and players. In its first day, the PC version had 1.3 million concurrent players on Steam, well ahead of Capcom's prior releases on the platform.For reference,...

9 days ago

Game Developer

It both was and wasn't surprising to see Team Asobi's Astro Bot scoop up another game of the year win at the 2025 DICE Awards. As Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr put it, "there is catharsis to be found in the silly and absurd," and Astro Bot delivers that catharsis in spades. It's as equal a contendor as every other game of the year award nominee from 2024, no doubt about that.That said, plenty of small, cathartic games have...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Iconic publisher Acclaim is being revived by a group of industry veterans hoping to support to indies and revive classic franchises.Originally launched in 1987, Acclaim was known for working on popular series like NBA Jam, Turok, and Mortal Kombat. After a period of sustained success in the '90s, the company began to decline and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2004—selling off key assets as a result.Now, the brand is being relaunched under the supervision of an advisory team that includes...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Long-serving Jagex CEO Phil Mansell is vacating the role after eight years.Mansell will be succeeded by Jon Bellamy, who previously held executive roles at the company from 2015 to 2018 and has served on the Jagex Board since 2024.Notably, Bellamy also serves as an advisor for CVC Capital Partners—the VC firm that purchased Jagex alongside Haveli Investments in 2024.Mansell served as CEO from 2017. He initially joined Jagex in 2011 as a lead designer on PC title Stellar Dawn, before...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Jam City has agreed to sell its Montreal studio Ludia to a group of Canadian investors.As reported by Venturebeat, the company explained it wasn't actively pursuing a sale but received an unsolicited offer that was too good to refuse.Jam City co-founder and CEO, Joshua Yguado, confirmed the news on Linkedin and said Ludia will "thrive" as an independent company under the leadership of CEO Jimmy Gendron.He said the sale represents a great opportunity for both Ludia and Jam City.The news...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Activision Blizzard has been using generative AI to create online ads for games that do not actually exist.VGC spotted promos for three fake titles—Guitar Hero Mobile, Crash Bandicoot Brawl, and Call of Duty: Zombie Defender—on Instagram. The ads lead to mockup app store pages on a site called Geeklab, where upon clicking "Get," viewers are treated to the message: "Thanks for your interest! This isn't a real game, but could be some day! We'd love if you could answer this...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Game designer Zach Barth has a new venture by the name of Coincidence. Instead of being a traditional game developer like his first studio Zachtronics, he says this studio is more of a "flexible business framework" that lets small teams work on solo or group projects, video games or otherwise.Coincidence also revealed Kaizen: A Factory Story, a puzzle automaton game about creating and optimizing factory lines in 1980s Japan. In the announcement, Barth said the company hoped to bring "the...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Various Oculus Rift games from developer Insomniac Games appear to have been delisted from the Meta store, and without any fanfare from the studio.Journalist Dominic Tarason first spotted the delistings, noting the titles were "big, high-budget PC VR games" only available for the virtual reality device. According to him, the impacted titles include 2016's The Unspoken, Edge of Nowhere, and Feral Rites, and 2019's Stormland. When he contacted Meta for an explanation, the customer support told him to "ask Insomniac."At...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Developer Studio Fizbin revealed its upcoming game, Reignbreaker, will be its last. After the game's release on March 18, the developer will close its doors.In a statement, founder and CEO Alexander Pieper explained Fizbin was impacted by Thunderful's late 2024 decision to "drastically reduce internal development." Since that news, he said the team looked at different ways to keep going after Reignbreaker's launch, but said "none of those projects will move us forward, leading us to make this difficult decision."This...

10 days ago

Game Developer

Secret Mode, the publisher founded by Sumo Group in 2020, has been sold to Emona Capital for an undisclosed fee.The deal was overseen by some familiar faces, with Secret Mode co-founder James Schall and VP of publishing Ed Blincoe partnering with Emona to lead the buyout.The publisher—known for working on titles like Still Wakes the Deep, Eternal Threads, and Wobbledogs under the Sumo banner—will now focus on uncovering indie gems for PC and console as an independent entity.Secret Mode will...

11 days ago

Game Developer

Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games has acquired Australian studio Video Games Deluxe.The Sydney-based studio will be renamed Rockstar Australia.Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive shared the news on its website and noted the two studios have previously collaborated on multiple projects."Video Games Deluxe has worked with Rockstar Games on some of its most memorable titles, including the 2017 re-releases of L.A. Noire, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, and most recently, on upgrades to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy–The Definitive Edition...

11 days ago

Game Developer

Visions of Mana co-director Kenji Ozawa has established a new studio called Sasanqua.Ozawa has unveiled Sasanqua just months after departing NetEase-owned Ouka Studio, which was reportedly facing closure as of August 2024.Speaking to Automaton about his new venture, Ozawa explained Sasanqua will initially focus on smaller-scale projects developed in Unreal Engine. He eventually hopes to create larger PC and console titles.Ozawa told Automaton that Sasanqua will work to "protect creators" and said he is prepared to accept responsibility if projects...

11 days ago

Game Developer

The newly launched Monster Hunter Wilds has already started off big, with over 1.3 million players on PC alone.As Capcom's beast-slaying game launched overnight, its concurrent player count gradually rose to hundreds of thousands. At time of writing, the current count is 1,307,976 players. So far, Capcom hasn't disclosed how this translates to sales, which would also include its release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.Wilds is now Capcom's best-ever PC launch, a record previously held by Dragon Dogma...

13 days ago

Game Developer

Warner Bros. Games intends to rebuild its video game business around four tentpole franchises: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and DC.The company outlined that plan in its latest shareholder letter and said it continues to view its games business as a "strategic differentiator."It reiterated 2024 was a 'disappointing year' for the division, with titles like Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and Multiversus underperforming, and confirmed it will be restructuring around "proven IP and games from proven, world...

14 days ago

Game Developer

Ukranian developer 4A Games has a new name and the game to go along with it. As of today, the Metro developer is now Reburn, and its "inaugural" project is the sci-fi shooter La Quimera.In an announcement to press, CEO Dmytro Lymar explained the name change was to avoid confusion with the Maltese team that shared the original name and is similarly owned by Embracer. The studio moved its headquarters to Malta in 2014 during the Russo-Ukranian war.Lymar also felt...

14 days ago

Game Developer

The upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A is making some changes to the long-running series by adding real-time combat into the mix.During Nintendo's latest Pokémon Day livestream, the developer provided a new look at the Nintendo Switch title. In what's billed a "series-first" occurrence, the game will let trainers and their Pokémon take active action during fights with other monsters. Since its inception, the mainline games have used a turn-based system wherein one or two Pokémon take turns going at one another until their enemy's...

14 days ago

Game Developer

Valve has pushed out a new update to Steamworks that provides developers with more information on Steam's Daily Deals program.Studios now get a post-promotion recap on their dashboard that shows revenue earned and impressions made during the sale, in an effort to "make it easier for them to see how well their game did during the Daily Deal featuring."There's also a log for past promotions that features its own revenue and traffic reporting. If multiple games were featured in a...

14 days ago

Game Developer

EA has released the source code for several Command & Conquer games on Github. Along with the original 1995 game, the repositories include the first Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Generals' Zero Hour expansion, Command & Conquer: Renegade, and a remastered collection of the first two games. Mod support for those games—and Command & Conquer: Kane's Wrath and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3—has also been included.Per RockPaperShotgun, the publisher commissioned a modder named Luke "CCHyper" Feenan...

14 days ago

Game Developer

Over two years after launch, the PlayStation VR2 is getting a price cut: starting in March, the VR headset will permanently retail for $399.99 in North America, €449.99 in Europe, £399.99 in the UK, and ¥66,980 (or $447.19) in Japan.This is the first sale for the peripheral, which was originally $550 when it launched in February 2023. Sony has bragged about it outselling the original PlayStation VR, but there were reports not long after release claiming the console maker halted...

14 days ago

Game Developer

Owlchemy Labs has done it again. The studio behind Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator—two games that helped introduce players to virtual reality—isn't resting easy on its laurels. With its latest omnidimensional diner/garage simulator Dimensional Double Shift, the company is once again shifting strategy with new ways to make VR games.But this time, its experiments aren't just technical or design-led in nature. In 2024 Owlchemy Labs released Dimensional Double Shift as a free-to-play open beta, a first for the company that...

15 days ago

Game Developer

South Korean studio Dynamis One has been raided by local law enforcement after being accused of illegally exporting development materials owned by Nexon.As reported by local news outlet ChosunBiz, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Industrial Technology Security Investigation Team raided the studio's headquarters on February 24, 2025.It's claimed officers have secured evidence that indicates Dynamis One illegally obtained key development materials relating to a Nexon project codenamed 'MX Blade' with the intention of using that information to develop future titles.Dynamis...

15 days ago

Game Developer

After months of tense negotiations and strike action, French union STJV has cut a deal with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage developer Don't Nod to mitigate the impact of a reorganization project that could have resulted in 69 layoffs.Don't Nod announced the plan in October 2024 and claimed it needed to scale down operations after failing to meet its financial targets. Studio leadership said it needed to cut costs to "safeguard its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding and competitive ecosystem."STJV...

15 days ago

Game Developer

The Pokémon Company recently settled its copyright infringement lawsuit against Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology and Khorgos Fangchi Network Technology, developers of the mobile game Pocket Monster: Remake.Automaton spotted the Nintendo subsidiary's mid-February announcement about the settlement, where it stated it would "continue to work to protect our intellectual property." According to the settlement's terms, Guangzhou and Khorgos have delisted the game, issued a public apology, and will pay a "substantial economic price" to the Pokémon Company."We have deeply realized that our...

15 days ago

Game Developer

Finnish developer Seven Stars has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding to grow its team and development process.Per PocketGamer, the majority of funding came from venture firms Spintop, Sisu Game, and Behold. Additional funding came from other investors, and the European Union put money into the studio's "R&D project."Sisu noted this marks the firm's latest investment into a Finland-based team, and Seven Stars' "ability to craft excellent puzzle experiences efficiently."Seven Stars was founded in 2022 by ex-Tridify CEO Alex...

15 days ago

Game Developer

Bloober Team revealed it's partnering with Konami yet again on another game.After the success of 2024's Silent Hill 2 remake, the Polish developer will work on another property owned by a publisher. However, Bloober Team described this next endeavor as a "new game" based on a Konami property, rather than another remake.Silent Hill 2's remake has sold over 2 million copies, as of early February 2025. The game's success and glowing reception "proved that [we] perfectly captured the atmosphere and...

16 days ago

Game Developer

EA is partnering with marketing company Flexion to bring its mobile games to third-party app stores in the near future.Under this deal, select titles like EA Sports FC Mobile and The Sims Mobile will come to the Amazon App store, Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, and ONE Store. Flexion's self-touted distribution services lets it "reach new players from alternative stores, significantly reducing the upfront cost or work from its partners to boost revenue and activate new audiences."In its third quarter...

16 days ago

Game Developer

Warner Bros. Games is reportedly shutting down three studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and its self-titled San Diego team.Per Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, the trio of developers will be winding down later this week. Monolith's Wonder Woman game has also been canceled as a result of the studio's closure."This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that exists within them," wrote WB Games in a statement. "We greatly admire the passion...

16 days ago

Game Developer

Over a year after launch, Tekken 8 has sold 3 million copies worldwide.Bandai Namco announced the milestone during a recent livestream, and added that the fighting game hit the benchmark faster than 2017's Tekken 7. Within a month of its launch, Tekken 8 had already sold over 2 million copies, well past initial projections."We hope that everyone will stick with us, as we have a lot of cool stuff planned to keep the franchise going," said Bandai Namco during the...

16 days ago

Game Developer

The 2025 DICE Awards was a great night for Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Studios. The chaotic co-op action shooter scooped up four trophies across the evening, giving Arrowhead chief creative officer Johan Pilestedt and deputy game director Mauricio Redondo plenty of chances to swing through the press room. That in turn gave us a chance to snag insights on its creative ambitions following a year of big success (and occasional struggles).Our number one question had to do with the future...

16 days ago

Game Developer

Developer Geometric and Annapurna Interactive are partnering up once again on a new game in another major partnership. This marks the publisher's first repeat partnership after a surprise staff exodus in late 2024.Annapurna previously published Geometric's 2023 game Cocoon, which was nominated (and won) several end of year prizes, including Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game at the 27th Annual DICE Awards.During the publisher's latest game showcase, Geometric's audio director Jakob Schmid teased the studio's next project as "unlike anything...

17 days ago

Game Developer

Activision has come under fire after admitting generative AI tools were used to produce some in-game assets for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.The news was shared by way of a disclosure added to the title's Steam page and has resulted in a flurry of negative reviews from players on the platform."Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets," explained Activision in the brief disclaimer.The Steam page was updated after Valve began requiring developers to...

17 days ago

Game Developer

Chinese conglomerate NetEase has told Game Developer it will continue to support its myriad of overseas studios, but warned that structural changes will be a 'necessary part' of ongoing growth.The Marvel Rivals developer has reiterated its stance after Bloomberg reported the company laid off hundreds of workers across its studio network and canceled multiple projects.The publication claimed NetEase, under the leadership of CEO William Ding, had pulled back on international investment to refocus on a smaller portfolio of evergreen, mass...

17 days ago

Game Developer

On May 29, Phoenix Labs is permanently taking down its flagship game, Dauntless. The developer revealed its monster hunting title will receive "no additional content or updates," or even be playable, after that date.In recent years, Phoenix Labs conducted several waves of layoffs, including over 100 employees in May 2024. Weeks ago, the developer announced it'd laid off "a majority" of its remaining staff.Dauntless first released in 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The free-to-play game tasked players...

17 days ago

Game Developer

European ratings board PEGI has amended its controversial PEGI 18 rating for mystical (read: highly unrealistic) roguelike deck-builder, Balatro.Following an appeal by Balatro Special Edition publisher Fireshine Games (which operates in the region as Sold Out Sales), the independent PEGI Complaints Board has decided that Balatro should be reclassified as PEGI 12."The PEGI 18 rating for the game 'Balatro' has been changed to a PEGI 12 following a successful appeal submitted by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing," reads an...

18 days ago

Game Developer

Unity has confirmed it parted ways with over 1,700 employees during the previous fiscal year.It's a figure that highlights the scale of upheaval at the engine maker after it announced a colossal restructuring initiative at the beginning of 2024.As noted in Unity's latest 10-K filing, the company employed a total of 4,987 full-time workers across 34 offices in 17 countries as of December 31, 2024. By contrast, the company previously employed 6,746 full-time staffers across 57 offices in 19 countries as...

18 days ago

Game Developer

Bossa Games has laid off an undisclosed number of employees due to what it has branded a "fundamental transformation of the games industry."The Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread developer previously laid off around one third of its workforce in January 2024. Roughly 40 people remained with the studio following those redundancies.Now, just over a year later, studio CEO Henrique Olifiers has confirmed the company is making additional cuts in a bid to survive."The past couple of years have brought...

18 days ago

Game Developer

Sony has pushed back against claims levied by former Bungie director Christopher Barrett, who sued the two companies in 2024 after he was fired from the Destiny 2 and Marathon developer. The PlayStation maker released a 128-page response (first obtained by GameFile), looking to dismiss six of the seven counts in Barrett's lawsuit.At the time, Barrett was laid off for alleged misconduct, which concerned "behaving inappropriately" toward at least eight women in different departments at Bungie. Barrett argued his firing...

20 days ago

Game Developer

Carter Lipscomb, a longtime game developer at Iron Galaxy and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), has passed away. A cause of death was not disclosed, but VentureBeat noted his history of heart disease.His family published a statement from him on his Facebook page, stating he "'fell out' for the last time, even though I was healthy and everything was goin’ great. I guess it was my time to go. Luckily, I was blessed to have my family nearby.""Whether you knew me...

20 days ago

Game Developer

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games has reportedly laid off hundreds of developers and canceled dozens of projects as of late, according to Bloomberg.The outlet's report alleged founder and CEO William Ding has spent the last year focusing on a "smaller portfolio" of titles in the apparent aim of outperforming fellow Chinese conglomerate Tencent. As a result, NetEase's game division has pulled back on international investments, which has already affected the various subsidiaries it's started up or acquired in recent years.Bloomberg...

20 days ago

Game Developer

The 25th Game Developers Choice Awards at GDC 2025 has unveiled the recipients of this year's prestigious special awards. Sam Lake, iconic writer for games like Max Payne, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control, will receive this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. Lucas Pope, renowned mentor, designer, and developer who's worked at major game companies for over two decades, will be recognized with the Pioneer Award. “The Game Developers Choice Awards has a proud legacy of shining the spotlight on figures who make gaming the most gripping and evocative...

21 days ago

Game Developer

The 2025 DICE Awards were a wonderful opportunity to hear high-profile developers publicly praise the work of their peers. And not just the dozens or hundreds of workers it takes to make great games come to life—around the show, you could feel the excitement for every other game nominated that evening.That excitement was so palpable that we happened to overhear Bethesda Softworks creative director Todd Howard explaining to IGN reporter Rebekah Valentine that one of his personal favorite games of...

21 days ago

Game Developer

Developer Supergiant Games is facing scrutiny today over a possible dispute between it and actor Marin M. Miller, the voice of Athena in Hades and Hades II. Earlier today Miller posted on Bluesky that their role may be "recast" by the studio following its alleged decision not to sign the SAG-AFTRA voice actor's interim agreement. The post did not name Supergiant Games directly, but in a follow up post they wrote that it would be "SUPER helpful" if their followers...

21 days ago

Game Developer

Nintendo recently started a new subsidiary office in Taiwan, which will take over operations for the region beginning April 1.Per a translation of the developer's Hong Kong website, the Taipei-based office will "further strengthen the business foundation in the Taiwan market and improve the service quality [for our] customers. [We] will uphold the business philosophy of Nintendo Group, and continue to promote business development."This subsidiary will be Nintendo's first office in the region in over a decade. Its previous Taiwan...

21 days ago

Game Developer

Developers from Cyrpus studio Belka Games have founded a new team by the name of Studio42.Per PocketGamer, former Belka CEO Alexandr Bogdanov has co-founded the new venture with former development head Ivan Larionov and ex-R&D leader Pavel Sudakov. Larionov will be Studio42's COO, and Sudakov its producer.While Studio42 was established in 2024, the trio appear to have only recently committed to it full-time, as both Larionov and Sudakov's LinkedIn posts revealed they left Belka sometime in January.A mobile puzzle focus...

21 days ago

Game Developer

Engine maker Unity says its fourth-quarter results "meaningfully exceeded" revenue and profit expectations despite a 25 percent downturn in quarterly revenue.As noted in the company's fiscal report for the year ended December 31, 2024, that decline was attributed to a "portfolio reset" that included downsizing and layoffs. It resulted in Q4 revenue falling by 25 percent year-on-year to $457 million.Revenue within the company's Create Solutions division fell by 47 percent to $152 million—although that accounts for the impact of the...

22 days ago

Game Developer

Last week's DICE 2025 conference hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences kicked off with something of a rarity: a public fireside conversation between two high-profile Sony creative directors Neil Druckmann and Cory Barlog, respectively of Naughty Dog and Sony Santa Monica. Sony's often keen to be careful of high-profile conversations like this, and the pair had a rare opportunity to speak frankly about the highs and lows of creative leadership.(Sony was probably happier with how this conversation...

22 days ago

Game Developer

Marvel Rivals has surpassed 40 million players worldwide after topping 10 million users within 72 hours of launch.NetEase shared those milestones in its fiscal report for the year ended December 2024, and revealed the free-to-play hero shooter delivered another "surge" following its Season 1 update in January 2025 to claim the top spot on Steam's global top-sellers and most-played charts.Marvel Rivals launched on December 6, 2024, and has seemingly delivered the goods for NetEase. Despite those achievements, the Chinese company...

22 days ago

Game Developer

Gamescom Asia is merging with Thailand Game Show to deliver a behemoth industry showcase organizers say will be the largest in the region.The new event, dubbed Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show, will take place from October 16 to 19 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok.It aims to unite the worlds of B2B and B2C conferencing by providing attendees with "a powerful global business and consumer platform and an electrifying fan-focused gaming experience."Last year, Gamescom Asia attracted...

22 days ago

Game Developer

Dutch consumer foundation Massaschade & Consument has filed a collective lawsuit against Sony over its pricing of digital PlayStation games in the region.In a translated story from Tweakers, the foundation allege digital PlayStation titles in the Netherlands cost 47 percent more than their physical counterparts, despite reportedly lower distribution costs in the area. In 2019, Sony stopped allowing third-party retailers from selling codes for digital games, meaning the only way to buy a digital PlayStation 4 or 5 game is...

22 days ago

Game Developer

Wrong Organ's Mouthwashing has sold over 500,000 copies since its September 2024 launch on Steam.The developer called the milestone "more surreal than any bizzaro psychosis," and extended its gratitutde to players. Upon release, the psychological horror game received critical acclaim, and was nominated or won several end of year awards, such as Best Hidden Gem at the New York Game Awards."Everyone, you truly are incredible and we’re extremely grateful to you for taking a part in this painful journey," wrote...

22 days ago

Game Developer

For the fourth consecutive fiscal year, Konami will increase the base salary for its Japanese developers starting in March 2026.In a translated announcement, the Silent Hill maker said the raise increases pay by ¥5,000 (or $32) per month–or ¥60,000 ($395) per year. It applies to full-time employees of its domestic groups in the aim of "creating a stable and rewarding environment for employees."Additionally, the starting salary for new graduates is being raised from the "traditional" ¥300,000 ($1,977) to ¥305,000 ($2,010)."We...

22 days ago

Game Developer

Microsoft says it has developed a new generative AI model that can produce "complex gameplay sequences."The Xbox maker's Research Game Intelligence team debuted the World and Human Action Model (WHAM), which it has nicknamed Muse, earlier today and described it as a "generative AI model of a video game that can generate game visuals, controller actions, or both."Okay. At this stage, we need to tap the 'generative AI isn't actually building video games' sign.Microsoft stated that Muse, which was trained...

23 days ago

Game Developer

Recent document filings show Chris Wilson silently exited Grinding Gear Games, the studio co-founded in 2006.According to the New Zealand Companies Office, Wilson "ceased" his role as managing director on January 21, 2025. Grinding Gear has not announced his departure on its website or on social media. However, several Path of Exile players have noticed his absence in the forums, and asked of his whereabouts in recent months.Wilson co-directed the original Path of Exile with Mark Roberts, but did not...

23 days ago

Game Developer

Oxenfree developer Night School Studio has laid off an undisclosed number of employees.Game Developer understands multiple workers have been made redundant at the Netflix Games studio, which was acquired by the streamer in 2021 as part of its expansion into game development.The layoffs purportedly won't impact the studio's current project slate.According to current and former Night School Studio employees, who asked to remain anonymous, the layoffs came as a surprise when they were announced in January and shocked team members.Netflix...

23 days ago

Game Developer

Pokemon Go developer Niantic is reportedly in talks to sell its video game business to mobile publisher Scopely for $3.5 billion.According to a report from Bloomberg, Niantic is contemplating exiting the world of game development to presumably focus on its other products–which include a geospatial AI model and XR visual editor Niantic Studio.Several people familiar with the situation explained a deal could be announced in the coming weeks, and claimed the transaction would include Pokemon Go and other mobile titles.The...

23 days ago

Game Developer

NetEase Games has seemingly laid off its Seattle-based team working on its free-to-play shooter, Marvel Rivals.On LinkedIn, game director Thaddeus Sasser wrote that his "stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise for NetEase, [and we] were just laid off!""This is such a weird industry," he noted. A level designer also revealed he was impacted, though it's presently unclear why NetEase has cut positions, and if teams at other locations were affected.Marvel Rivals' story so farMarvel Rivals...

23 days ago