ZeniMax QA workers to strike over concerns about return to office mandate and outsourcing
Hundreds of employees from ZeniMax Studios are striking today in response to its remote work policy and outsourcing of quality assurance work. The Communication Workers of America filed an unfair labour practice charge against ZeniMax last month for allegedly contracting out QA work without notifying the union. Members of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA have raised […]
More layoffs at Payload Studios
TerraTech developer Payload Studios has gone through another round of redundancies. Sources told GamesIndustry.biz that eight people were laid off, three months after 25% of the studio was cut. Affected staff reportedly were given one month’s notice, and no redundancy pay. Payload co-founder and CEO Russell Clarke confirmed layoffs did occur, but wouldn’t confirm further […]
How Nintendo’s past will shore up Switch 2’s future | Microcast
The latest GamesIndustry.biz Microcast is now available to download, bringing you a quick dive into the biggest news from the past week.
Our main topic this week is Nintendo’s long-awaited (but very much expected) confirmation that Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with both its predecessor’s software library and its online service. We […]
Quantifying the impact of creator programs
Over the past 15 years, influencer marketing has evolved from a novel approach to an essential component of any modern activation related to a game’s launch or significant content update. Most developers and publishers view the concept as a uniquely powerful tool in their arsenal for reaching new players, but determining the tangible potential an […]
Pocketpair shares Nintendo, The Pokémon Company’s demands from Palworld lawsuit
Palworld developer Pocketpair has shared more details from the lawsuit it faces from both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company over alleged similarities between the latter’s titular franchise and its own monster-based survival game. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company first filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair on September 19 – eight months after Palworld launched – claiming […]
GeForce Now to establish 100-hour playtime limit
Nvidia’s subscription cloud gaming service GeForce Now will soon be enforcing a playtime limit of 100 hours per month. The new rule won’t affect Founder memberships, but will impact the newly renamed Performance and Ultimate tiers, Nvidia announced on Reddit. The company said the limit “comfortably accommodates 94% of members.” Unused playtime can be rolled […]
Zelnick on Take-Two’s packed 2025, and why PC is increasingly crucial for AAA
Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick has plenty of reasons to be optimistic. It’s more than just the fact Grand Theft Auto 6 – expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time – is still on course to launch in the autumn of next year. If we look at Take-Two’s more immediate situation, […]
Feeling seen: Handling marginalised representation in Usual June
Back in 2020, Finji CEO Rebekah Saltsman and creative director Adam Saltsman were figuring out how to follow-up Overland. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, that game is a far cry from what the duo set their sights on next – the ghostly supernatural vibes of Usual June. “We knew that whatever we did next, we […]
Why the European Court of Justice’s decision on cheats is not a milestone | Opinion
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is the highest court in the European Union. Decisions regarding video games are few and far between. So when it rules, we expect the decision to be a game changer. The judgement it delivered on 17 October 2024 – ruling against Sony in a dispute over cheats provided through […]
Atari acquires Transport Tycoon IP
Atari has made an agreement with veteran games developer Chris Sawyer to acquire his iconic management game Transport Tycoon. While the company did not specify any future plans for the IP, Atari said has a “long-term plan to preserve and expand this classic sim,” potentially including new digital and physical releases of the original games, […]
Discord management platform Levellr raises $1.75m in funding round
Discord community management platform Levellr has raised $1.75 million in a funding round. The strategic investment includes contributions from Mitch Lasky, Fuel Ventures, Colopl Next and Dylan Collins’ LFG Holdings, in addition to senior executives from Krafton, Riot Games, Amazon, EA, and Super Awesome. Levellr also announced the appointment of Dylan Collins as chairman. Collins […]
Phasmophobia has sold 20m copies | News-in-brief
Baldur's Gate 3 surpasses 50m mod downloads | News-in-brief
CWA criticises Sony for shuttering Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi
The Communication Workers of America (CWA) has criticised Sony for closing Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi. As Game Developer reported, the CWA claimed the shuttering of both developers showcased that “highly-insulated video game CEOs are creating perilous working conditions for workers by eliminating their job security.” The CWA also suggested that Neon Koi’s closure resulted […]
Fingersoft lays off 14 employees
Finnish mobile developer Fingersoft has laid off 14 members of staff. As reported by Pocket Gamer, CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja cited a “substantial decline in ad revenue” for the decision. Impacted roles include those in development, marketing, community, and ASO departments. “Unfortunately, we had to conclude the change negotiations with the difficult decision to lay off […]
Kudos QA announces new leadership team
Kudos QA has announced a new leadership team following the departure of CEO and co-founder Andy Robson. The quality assurance company will be led by co-CEOs Dan Atherton and Thouraya Walker, effectively immediately. Atherton and Walker are also co-CEOs of Dune Technology, which provides offshore development teams. Dune Technology invested in Kudos QA in April […]
How video games conquered Hollywood | Microcast
The latest episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast is available to download now.
This time, we’re joined at MCM x EGX by Big Fan Games’ Amanda Kruse to talk about the evolving ways in which video games adapt IP from other forms of entertainment – and vice versa. We also discuss how having the […]
EA Sports FC 25 tops overall revenue charts for September | Newzoo Charts
EA Sports FC 25 topped Newzoo’s overall revenue charts for September and ranked within the top three on all individual consoles. NBA 2K25 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 followed closely behind on the overall charts at No.2 and No.3 respectively. Star Wars: Outlaws rose three places to No.6 following its launch on Steam on […]
Microsoft CEO pay rises 63% to $79 million
Microsoft boss Satya Nadella’s total pay package increased by 63% this fiscal year, reaching $79.1 million. As stated in a regulatory filing, $71.2 million was stock awards, which saw an 81% rise. $2.5 million of the package was Nadella’s salary, with $5.2 million for a “non-equity incentive plan compensation” and $169,791 in other compensation. In […]
Redwood takes majority stake in India streaming startup Loco for $65m
Newly formed investment firm Redwood has taken a majority stake worth $65 million in India games streaming service Loco. As reported by TechCrunch, the company hopes the deal will support its “global expansion efforts.” “The investment is a recognition of the immense work done by our team in the past few years,” said Loco founders […]
Undisputed hit: An indie-made boxing game featuring real fighters has just sold 1m copies
Undisputed has sold one million units. The boxing game is by Sheffield-based indie studio Steel City Interactive, a developer set-up by brothers Ash, Asif and Asad Habib, who had never worked in video games before. The story of the studio is a rare one. Formed in 2020, the brothers taught themselves how to make a […]
Studio Thunderhorse shuts down | GamesIndustry.biz
Indie developer Studio Thunderhorse has announced its closure. In a post shared on social media, the California-based studio cited “a number of challenges and development hurdles” as the reason for shutting down. “After more than a decade of developing games and being part of this incredible community, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to […]
Twitch has reportedly been banning sign ups from Israel and Palestine for over a year
Twitch has reportedly been banning new accounts from Israel and Palestine on the platform since October 7, 2023. As reported by 404 Media, new users from both regions have seemingly been unable to sign up to the streaming platform with both phone and email verification leading to error pages. Twitch addressed the situation on social […]
Is AA dead? | Microcast
The latest GamesIndustry.biz Microcast is available to download now, bringing you a quick dive into the biggest stories of the past week.
This time, our main topic centres around comments by former Sony boss Shawn Layden, who declared that not only is the AA space gone but its loss is a threat to […]
Black Ops 6 is make-or-break for the Game Pass strategy | Opinion
It’s just over a year since Microsoft shattered industry records with its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard – and next week, that eye-wateringly expensive deal will face its most important test yet. The launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be a major data point both for Microsoft itself, and for external […]
Tales of Kenzera: Zau dev Surgent Studios puts entire games team on hiatus due to lack of funding
Surgent Studios has put its entire games division on hiatus as it struggles to secure funding, placing an unknown number of staff at risk of being laid off. The developer, which also operates in TV and film production, announced the news via a statement on social media in which it said it has “unfortunately had […]
Super Nintendo World opens in Orlando on May 22, 2025 | News-in-brief
Super Nintendo World opens in Orlando on May 22, 2025 | News-in-brief Source link : Gamesindustry
How Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge highlights the importance of environmental change
Games can be a great tool to convey important messages, whether plainly or subliminally. For Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, developer Humble Reeds used the idea of collecting and taming frogs to highlight the importance of ecological biodiversity, and how simple restoration efforts can help save the planet. GamesIndustry.biz spoke with the studio’s co-founders Aurélien Condomines […]
Out on the town: How esports events drive cultural and economic impact | 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. You can find all previous Playable Futures articles here. When a major esports event rolls into a city, there is an immediate contribution that goes far beyond the walls of the […]
Live Aware Labs secures $4.8m in seed funding round
Seattle-based technology firm Live Aware Labs has raised $4.8 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by venture capital firm Transcend, alongside A16z Speedrun, Lifelike Capital, and a group of strategic angel investors. Founded in 2022 by gaming veterans Sean Vesce and David Berger, Live Aware Labs provides developers with a management […]
Rare’s Craig Duncan to become head of Xbox Game Studios as Alan Hartman retires
The head of Xbox Game Studios Alan Hartman will retire from the company at the end of November, with Rare boss Craig Duncan taking over. Hartman is best known for leading Turn 10 and the Forza franchise since 2005, and stepped up to lead Xbox Game Studios last year. He’s also worked on hit Microsoft […]
Another group of ex-Disco Elysium developers found Dark Math Games
A group of former ZA/UM staff have formed a new studio, Dark Math Games, and are working on a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium. The team of 20 describe themselves as a “breakaway group from the original development team” behind the acclaimed 2019 role-playing game. One of the four founders is Timo Albert, who served […]
The voice actors’ strike shows its claws | Opinion
It may have fallen out of the public consciousness a little bit since it began at the end of July, but the strike action by video game voice actors in the SAG-AFTRA union remains very much active. A picket was held at Electronic Arts’ studio in Los Angeles this week – but arguably much more […]
August spending drops 7% to $4.1bn despite Madden and mobile success | US Monthly Charts
Circana has released the market figures for US games spending in August, which showed an overall decline in dollars spent – down 7% year-on-year to $4.1 billion. The biggest drop was seen in hardware sales, down 36% compared to August 2023 to $208 million. Switch saw the sharpest drop off, with sales down 41%. PlayStation […]
Experts say Google Play opening up in the US will have minimal impact
Earlier this week, US courts mandated that Google must – for a three-year period – open up its Play app store to allow more competition. This ruling follows the trial opposing Epic and Google late last year, where the jury voted in favour of the Fortnite firm. The changes Google has now been told to […]
Bandai Namco: Publishers face “new risks” when planning releases
Bandai Namco is having a solid 2024, so far. The launch of Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree in June has already helped boost profits and led the publisher to raise its forecasts for the year ahead. GamesIndustry.biz caught up with the company’s European CEO Arnaud Muller to discuss the wider challenges in the […]
Tequilla Works lays off “small number” of staff, cancels unannounced game
Spanish game developer Tequila Works is the latest to suffer layoffs, letting an unknown number of staff go in the wake of a game cancellation. In a LinkedIn post, spotted by TechRaptor, the studio said it has been working on an unannounced game but, for reasons it has yet to disclose, has been compelled to […]
The perks and perils of licensed games, and games journalism’s ongoing struggle | Microcast
The latest episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast is now available to download, offering you a quick dive into the biggest news of the past week.
This week, we use Devolver’s unveiling of Big Fan Games – a new publishing label dedicated to indies working on licensed and other established IP – as a […]
Is the Star Wars franchise in crisis? | Opinion
As hints about the sales numbers for Star Wars Outlaws have trickled out through various different data tracking agencies, the depth of the crisis that has engulfed Ubisoft is slowly becoming clear. It’s not the only factor that has sent the publisher into a tailspin, but the game’s underperformance appears to be pretty serious, with […]
53% of gamers prefer single-player games
A new survey has found that over half of gamers prefer to play single-player titles. According to Midia Research, this game mode is most popular across all platforms – particularly on mobile, with 58% of respondents saying they preferred single-player games. The data from the survey was collected from Midia Research’s Q1 2024 and Q1 […]
Tencent and Guillemot family reportedly planning Ubisoft buyout
Tencent and Guillemot Brothers Ltd have been exploring ways to stabilise Ubisoft in the wake of its recent troubles, which could result in the pair buying out the publisher and taking it private. Sources close to the matter told Bloomberg that the two companies have spoken to advisors about potential routes forward, although these considerations […]
Esports Wales receives up to £125,000 in funding
Esports Wales has been awarded up to £125,000 as part of the Creative Skills Fund. Wales’ governing Esports body is one of 17 recipients, and will use the funding to extend its academy program to cover the whole country, in addition to offering taster sessions, networking and career events. The Creative Skills Fund was established […]
Awesomenauts devs reclaim their unfinished game as new studio Rangatang
Ronimo Games, the Dutch developer behind indie hit Awesomenauts, filed for bankruptcy in August last year. Today, four former members of the team – including the CEO – return with a new studio, Rangatang. Not only that, the quartet is already hard at work on Nubs, the game Ronimo never got the chance to finish. […]
Crunchyroll alumni launch indie publisher Shorelines Games
New indie publisher Shoreline Games just launched, also unveiling its portfolio for early 2025. The company was created by US-based co-founders Keith Kawamura and Jenny Zha. CEO Kawamura previously was general manager at art products company Too Corporation Americas. He’s formerly worked at the likes of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Perfect World, Crunchyroll, and more. COO […]
Nexon America lays off “small number” of staff
Nexon America has been hit with layoffs, with an unknown number of employees affected. As reported by Game Developer , the firm said the redundancies would impact a “small number” of employees. It clarified the decision was made following a restructuring plan announced earlier this month. “The re-organisation includes the elimination of a small number […]
Grand Theft Auto 5 is No.1 again in August | European Monthly Charts
11.8 million console and PC games were sold across Europe in August, a rise of 7% over the year before. That’s according to the latest figures from GSD, which tracks digital sales from most major publishers and physical sales in all major European markets. The jump in sales in August was due to discounts and […]
Tencent loans €15m to Remedy
Finnish developer Remedy has received a €15 million loan from Tencent. The finance will be converted to a maximum of approximately 811,110 new shares, representing 5.98% of all Remedy shares, and a convertible loan agreement. Remedy CEO Tero Vitala said the loan will support Remedy in development as it begins to self-publish its games. The […]
Nintendo’s patents were designed to take on Palworld
On September 19, 2024, Nintendo Co. issued a press release stating that it, along with The Pokémon Company, had officially filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, Inc. in Tokyo District Court. As stated in the press release the “lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed […]
Time spent gaming in Southeast Asia up 53% after post-pandemic drop
Players in Southeast Asia are engaging more with video games in 2024, with a 53.2% year-on-year increase in the average individual weekly gaming time. That’s according to a Niko Partners’ new SEA-6 Gamer Behaviour and Market Insights Report shared with GamesIndustry.biz, which explores the current trends in the six key Southeast Asian markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, […]
Behold Studios’ second life | GamesIndustry.biz
“No one knew that it was possible to make games in Brazil.” Saulo Camarotti set up Behold Studios, one of the longest running Brazilian developers, over 15 years ago. The studio is primarily known for 2012 RPG Knights of Pen & Paper, and 2017 sequel Galaxy of Pen and Paper. But when it first began, […]
