How Humble Bundle allocated $12.4 million of its funding in 2024 – including a substantial focus on games industry charities
Humble Bundle – which operates a digital storefront and gaming membership service – has unveiled its latest social impact report, revealing it raised $12.4 million for various causes in 2024. More generally, Humble’s causes are focused around health and well-being, crisis and disaster relief, equity and opportunity, quality education, and climate change and sustainability. The […]
Rebellion CEO on Atomfall’s success and launching a new IP on Xbox Game Pass
In a post celebrating survival-action game Atomfall’s launch milestone of 1.5 million+ players, which has since grown to 2 million players, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley drew attention to the studio’s way of making games. “Our size and stability mean that we can take risks to create something as different as Atomfall. Happily, that risk is […]
Ubisoft releases open source tool to help devs tailor games for colourblind players
Ubisoft has released Chroma, an open source tool that adds colour blindness filters to in-game content in real time, helping developers tailor games for those players. Developed by Ubisoft’s Quality Control team in India and announced at this week’s Game Accessibility Conference, Chroma has been in the works since 2021 and was built to help […]
Japanese modder handed suspended prison sentence for modding Nintendo Switch consoles
A Japanese modder has been sentenced to two years in prison. As reported by NTC (thanks, Automaton), a 58-year-old man has been found guilty of modifying and selling Nintendo Switch consoles. He was allegedly arrested for “soldering modified parts” within the Switch system, enabling modded consoles to run pirated games. In a hearing earlier today, […]
Tequila Works auctions off game rights and IP following insolvency
Tequila Works has begun auctioning off the rights to its games and IP after filing for insolvency last November. As spotted by VGC, the Spanish developer has set up a page on auction site Escrapalia where it has listed its “intangible assets” including IPs, in-development titles, and the studio’s branding. Adventure platformer Rime, action-adventure puzzle […]
Tariffs are an industry nightmare, but digital games seem safe – for now | Opinion
The timing of the global battle over trade and tariffs sparked off by President Trump over the past weeks is pretty dreadful for a lot of industries, and the video games sector is no exception. At the point when I’m writing this, most of the heavy tariffs have been paused for 90 days, though a […]
Influencer report highlights gender pay gap in sponsored content earnings
A new report on sponsored influencer activations suggests a pay gap between male and female-identifying creators across all video platforms, with women earning around 32% less than men. These stats come from Collabstr, which counts sponsored streams or a video of any length in their metrics, and is based on a sample size of 2,414 […]
Bloodborne producer establishes Sirius Studio
Bloodborne producer Teruyuki Toriyama has banded with former Thirdverse colleagues Tomohiro Suzuki and Hideki Irie to establish “world class development studio,” Sirius Studio. As reported by Famitsu (thanks, VGC), Sirius – a subsidiary of Gz Group – will “prioritize creator independence” after all three developer left prior employer, Thirdvers, after its focus shifted to more […]
UK minister slams Steam for explicit game promoting “non-consensual sexual contact” and sexual violence
CW: This story contains references to extreme sexual violence – reader discretion advised. UK technology secretary Peter Kyle has slammed Valve’s PC storefront, Steam, for hosting a sexually explicit visual novel in which the protagonist engages in non-consensual sexual contact, sexual violence, rape, and incest. Zerat Games’ No Mercy is clearly marked as containing “graphic […]
Astro Bot wins big at the BAFTA Game Awards 2025
Astro Bot was the big winner at the BAFTA Game Awards 2025, picking up five awards including Best Game. The acclaimed PS5 platformer by Team ASOBI also picked up Audio Achievement, Animation, Family and Game Design awards on the night. Still Wakes The Deep from British studio The Chinese Room also won three awards, with […]
IDGA-F strengthens commitment to DEI with new chair appointment
The International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDA-F) has welcomed Shannon Loftis as new chair of its board of directors. Loftis replaces Ed Fries, who steps down from his director position after two years but remains on the board. Loftis brings “over 30 years in game development and a commitment to inclusion” at Microsoft that will […]
Inzoi reaches 1m sales in first week of early access | News-in-brief
Inzoi reaches 1m sales in first week of early access | News-in-brief Source link : Gamesindustry
Ubisoft Leamington has now closed
Ubisoft Leamington has closed its doors, following January’s news that the UK-based studio was caught in the publisher’s latest round of layoffs. The news was shared on the developer’s LinkedIn page. “After many incredible years, we want to share the news that Ubisoft Leamington has officially closed its doors. “We are beyond grateful to our […]
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders delayed in the US over Trump’s tariffs
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will not go ahead on April 9, 2025 in the US as originally planned due to the evolving situation of US President Donald Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on imported goods. The console’s launch date of June 5 has not changed. As confirmed by IGN, Nintendo has sent out a press statement to […]
QA firm TestFly acquires Brazilian testing company Red Cerberus
TestFly, a self-described “leading provider of strategic and innovative quality assurance testing solutions” for the gaming industry has acquired Brazilian testing firm Red Cerberus from tinyBuild. TestFly stopped short of outlining the terms of the acquisition, but some outlets report it was a $1.5m cash deal. The firm said the acquisition will “significantly expand TestFly’s […]
Unity outlines support for approved Nintendo Switch 2 developers
Unity has pledged to support game developers with “official support for Nintendo Switch 2.” In a statement, the engine maker said support will soon be available via a Unity 6 add-on for approved Nintendo developers, “further expanding Unity’s commitment to enabling creators to bring their visions to life on the widest range of platforms.” Developers […]
Krafton acquires $14m controlling stake in Indian studio Nautilus Mobile
Krafton has acquired a controlling stake in Indian gaming studio Nautilus Mobile for $14 million. The all-cash deal was confirmed at the close of last week, with TechCrunch reporting Krafton’s “north of 75% stake” in the studio best known for its Real Cricket IP. It follows an earlier $5.4m investment Krafton made in Nautilius in […]
IGN Entertainment opens ticket sales for IGN Live
IGN Entertainment has confirmed the official dates for its fan-facing event IGN Live, June 7-8, and ticket sales are now open. Last year the event played host to more than 100 studio partners from the world of games and entertainment, and shows from its stages were shared worldwide through streaming. “We’re thrilled for the return […]
Nintendo announces new lending feature for digital games
Nintendo has announced a new feature for the Switch and Switch 2 changing digital games to Virtual Game Cards. Set to launch in late April, users will be able to digitally eject and load games between two systems, and lend titles to Nintendo Account family group members as they would with physical game cards. Virtual […]
Square Enix to shut down War of Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius in May 2025
Square Enix has announced that its mobile title War of Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius will shut down on May 30, 2025. In a notice posted to the game’s website, the developer said it had come to the conclusion “that it would be difficult to maintain a satisfactory app experience.” The game launched in March […]
National Videogame Museum appoints new trustees
The National Videogame Museum has unveiled a new roster of trustees that will join the board of its governing charity, The BGI. The nine trustees will join the board in two phases. The first occurred in March 2025 while the second will join in November 2025. These additions will help “bolster the governance” of the […]
Former Space Ape devs band to form Offroad Games
Former Space Ape developers have banded together to form Offroad Games. Two former Space Ape projects, Chrome Valley Customs and Fastlane: Road to Revenge, follow the team, although the 10-person start-up is also working on Space Ape’s cancelled racer, Go Race: Super Karts, as well as another unannounced car-focused IP. Talking to PocketGamer.biz, CEO Geoffrey […]
Game Informer returns after being shut down by GameStop
Game Informer has returned after being shut down by GameStop in August 2024. In a letter from editor-in-chief Matt Miller, he revealed that the publication had been purchased by Gunzilla Games. The firm secured the rights to the brand, with Game Informer operating independently from the studio under the entity Game Informer Inc. The whole […]
German games market drops 6% to €9.4bn in 2024
The German games market decreased by 6% year-on-year to €9.4 billion in 2024, with sales of premium games dropping 17% to €921 million compared to revenues of €1.1 billion the previous year. This is according to market figures from the German Games Industry Association (Game), based on data compiled by YouGov Shopper, Nielsen IQ, and […]
Opus Major raises $10m in seed funding round
Paris-based developer Opus Major has raised $10 million in a seed funding round, led by Griffin Gaming Partners and early investor Alven. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Opus Major will use the investment to support the ongoing development of its debut, cross-platform multiplayer codenamed Opus #1. The studio also plans to produce a limited-access […]
Report: Half of all mobile players have received real-world rewards from games
50% of mobile players have now received a reward with real monetary value from a smartphone game. Meanwhile, 72% of that group say real-world rewards are now “important” when it comes to them selecting a new mobile game to download. That’s according to the second part of Almedia’s Rewarded Returns report conducted by Atomik Research, […]
United Videogame Workers union launches at GDC 2025 in partnership with CWA
During the 2025 Games Development Conference this week, industry workers launched the United Videogame Workers union in partnership with the Communication Workers of America. The UVW-CWA is the first direct-join union for developers in the US and Canada, meaning it does not represent a single workplace. Both full-time and freelance workers across various disciplines can […]
ESA launches Accessible Games Initiative to improve visibility of accessibility features
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced the formation of the Accessible Games Initiative. Developed by Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Ubisoft, the Accessible Games Initiative aims to provide clear information about accessibility features in games. Firms including Amazon Games, Riot Games, Square Enix, and Warner Bros. Games have […]
Balatro leads Game Developers Choice Awards 2025, wins Game of the Year
Balatro dominated the Game Developers Choice Awards last night, taking home Game of the Year and Best Debut alongside Best Design and the Innovation award. Astro Bot won two awards in the Audio and Technology categories, while Black Myth: Wukong received the accolade for Best Visual Art. Studio Zero’s Metaphor: ReFantazio won Best Narrative with […]
ID@Xbox has paid indie devs more than $5bn since 2013
Microsoft has revealed it has paid developers in its ID@Xbox program more than $5 billion since it launched in 2013. In a blog post, ID@Xbox director Guy Richards shared that ID@Xbox saw more than 1,000 games launch in 2024 including Balatro, Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl, and Phasmophobia. Richards also spoke with GameRant, revealing that […]
Ubisoft reportedly implements “anti-harassment plan” for Assassin’s Creed Shadows devs
Ubisoft has reportedly implemented an “anti-harassment plan” for developers that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. As reported by PCGamesN, an anonymous Ubisoft employee told French news network BFMTV that the plan was allegedly being implemented to discourage employees from sharing their involvement with the game on social media. The employee also claimed that Ubisoft has […]
Split Fiction reaches 2m sales in one week | News-in-brief
Moon Studios' Ori series tops 15m sales | News-in-brief
Zenless Zone Zero voice actors quietly recast following SAG-AFTRA action
Two Zenless Zone Zero voice actors claim they have been replaced for participating in the SAG-AFTRA strikes. As spotted by Eurogamer, Emeri Chase and Nicholas Thurkettle – playing Soldier 11 and Lycaon, respectively – claim they found out their voices had been replaced by reading the patch notes at the same time players did. As […]
Spectre Divide developer Mountaintop to shutter just six months post-launch
Spectre Divide developer Mountaintop Studios is shuttering just six months after launch. In a blog post, CEO Nate Mitchell told players the free-to-play shooter “hasn’t achieved the level of success [it] needed to sustain the game and keep Mountaintop afloat.” It’s unclear how many people have been impacted by the closure, but LinkedIn states the […]
SAG-AFTRA remains “frustratingly far apart” from major game companies
SAG-AFTRA – the union that represents 160,000 actors, voiceover artists, and other media professionals – has issued an update about the video game strike, saying it remains “frustratingly far apart” from video game studios and publishers. In a statement, the union said it was working to address “alarming loopholes” in a proposal prepared by the […]
Netflix Games confirms departure of former president and VP of GenAI Mike Verdu
Netflix Games’ VP of generative AI, Mike Verdu, has left the streaming giant. Although Netflix confirmed Verdu’s departure in a statement to Game File, the company did not comment on why the VP left after just five months in the role, nor revealed who has replaced him. Verdu joined Netflix in 2021 to launch its […]
Leaked video appears to show Sony director conversing with an AI Aloy prototype
PlayStation is reportedly using characters from its biggest franchises in an AI prototype. A leaked video appeared to show PlayStation’s director of software engineering, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, conversing with an early AI Aloy prototype. The video – sent to The Verge but since taken offline following a copyright claim from Sony – showed Raghoebardajal give a […]
Indie developer Welevel raises $5.7m in funding
Munich-based indie developer Welevel has raised $5.7 million in a funding round led by Bitkraft Ventures. The studio said it will use the investment to support the development of its in-house AI platform, and to expand its core team “twofold” in preparation for its upcoming AAA sandbox survival game. The untitled project has been in […]
French Supreme Court rules in favour of Nintendo against site hosting pirated copies of its games
Nintendo has won a long-running legal battle against French sharehosting operator Dstorage. Following a decision dated February 26, 2025, the French Supreme Court found Dstorage “liable for failing to remove access to unauthorised copies of Nintendo games stored on its platform” – referring to the filehosting site 1fichier.com. This decision means other European-based filesharing sites […]
Shocking success: Understanding a new era of horror with Blumhouse Games | Playable Futures
This series of Playable Futures articles considers how the design, technology, people, and theory of video games are informing and influencing the wider world. Horror as a theme has a storied history in video games. From early releases like 1986’s unexpectedly eerie point-and-click Uninvited: Entering the Mansion to the disturbing setting of The Last of […]
Sony announces PlayStation 5 rental scheme in UK
Sony has partnered with tech leasing service Raylo to offer a rental scheme for PlayStation 5 hardware in the UK via its Flex program. Customers will have the ability to lease PS5 consoles and other accessories for no upfront cost with either a flexible monthly rolling plan that can be cancelled at any time, or […]
Hidden Variable sues Skullgirls publisher Autumn Games for $1.2m in unpaid payments
Hidden Variable has announced that as of January 21, 2025, it was “no longer involved in the development on Skullgirls Mobile, 2nd Encore” due to a “dispute with Autumn Games.” In a statement, Hidden Variable said the dispute had now been formally lodged with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Court papers intimated Hidden Variables […]
20-year-old browser game to shut down as result of UK’s new online safety law
Free-to-play text MMO browser game, Urban Dead, will close just shy of its 20th anniversary because of the introduction of the UK’s Online Safety Act. In a statement spotted by GameDeveloper, developer Kevan Davis said that as the law applies to “all social and gaming websites where users interact” and “heavy corporate-sized fines [apply] even […]
Match-3 devs blasted for “incredibly harmful” stereotypes and gender-based violence in advertisements
Mobile game developers Microfun, Nanobit, and Magic Tavern have been accused of reinforcing harmful stereotypes and gender-based violence in a new report about mobile game advertising. In a Sky News report, Project Makeover (Magic Tavern), Gossip Harbor (Microfun), and Hollywood Story (Nanobit) were singled out for perpetuating “incredibly harmful” misogynistic tropes to sell their match-3 […]
Capcom promotes Monster Hunter producer to chief product officer in charge of all development
Capcom’s current executive corporate officer and chief product officer, Yoichi Egawa, will step down on April 1, with Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto assuming the latter role from that same date. President and COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto will take over Egawa’s role of overseeing Capcom’s Pachinko and Pachislo business divisions. Ryozo Tsujimoto – who currently serves […]
Warner Bros games revenue dropped 29% during Q4 2024
Warner Bros. has released its financials for Q4 and FY2024, reporting that revenue for its games segment dropped 29% year-on-year for the three months ended December 31, 2024. Detailed figures are not provided for games revenue (which falls under the Studios segment). However, the firm said that while games revenue decreased in Q4, it experienced […]
4A Games Ukraine rebrands to Reburn, announces new IP
4A Games Ukraine has rebranded to Reburn, and has announced its new IP La Quimera. As reported by Polygon, La Quimera was co-created by Reburn alongside filmmaker Nicolas Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives) and writer E.J.A. Warren. Currently in development, La Quimera is a first-person shooter set in a fictional Latin American metropolis. It is […]
Pokémon TCG Pocket reaches 100m downloads | News-in-brief
StreamElements brings “performance-based sponsorships” directly to Twitch dashboards
StreamElements has partnered with Twitch to bring StreamElements’ “performance-based sponsorships from marquee brands” directly to streamer dashboards. The firm states this will expand the monetization opportunities for creators of all sizes and “expand the broader creator community’s awareness of StreamElements’ best-in-class tools and sponsorship opportunities while illustrating Twitch’s ongoing commitment to providing its users with […]
