| Game World Observer

Industry News March 21, 2022

Epic Games and Xbox to donate Fortnite revenue to humanitarian relief in Ukraine

Epic Games will be donating all the Fortnite proceeds for the next two weeks to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. Microsoft has also joined the initiative by providing additional help.

Industry News March 21, 2022

Humble’s Stand with Ukraine bundle raises almost $10 million in just three days

Humble has launched the Stand with Ukraine bundle, which has raised nearly $10 million so far. 100% of the proceeds will go to humanitarian crisis relief efforts.

Industry News March 18, 2022

Lost Ark devs “made a mistake” by adding controversial boss that made game feel pay-to-win

Amazon Games and Smilegate have addressed negative comments within the Lost Ark community about pay-to-win elements in the MMORPG. According to the developers, it wasn’t their intent to frustrate so many players.

Industry News March 18, 2022

Eric Barone now finally self-publishing Stardew Valley on all platforms, including mobile

Chucklefish has handed the publishing rights for the mobile version of Stardew Valley back to its creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. From now on, he will be self-publishing the game on all platforms.

Industry News March 18, 2022

itch.io bundle for Ukraine raises $6.3 million from almost 450k contributors in 10 days

An itch.io bundle launched by Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield closes after 10 days. Almost 450 people supported the fundraiser, donating $6.3 million for humanitarian efforts.

Industry News March 18, 2022

Ubisoft aims at creating next-gen virtual worlds by introducing cloud technology Scalar

Ubisoft has revealed its new cloud technology Scalar, which will be used for creating next-gen virtual worlds. The purpose is to populate them with huge numbers of players and update them in real time.

Industry News March 18, 2022

Apex Legends Mobile reaches over 7.5 million pre-registrations ahead of its summer launch

Electronic Arts has opened pre-registrations for Apex Legends Mobile. As a result, the upcoming mobile title has already attracted over 7.5 million Android users.

Industry News March 18, 2022

Devs demand answers from Valve as Steam stops sending payments not only to Russia but Ukraine as well

Steam has stopped sending payments to Russia and Belarus. The restriction, however, also applies to Ukraine, which made local indie developers angry.

Deals March 17, 2022

Tencent’s investment in Studio MayDay results in its rebranding to Riffraff Games

Tencent continues to buy stakes in Western game companies. The Chinese tech giant now has a minority ownership of Studio MayDay, which is now working on two games.

Industry News March 17, 2022

Detroit: Become Human surpasses 6.5 million copies sold on PS4 and PC globally

Detroit: Become Human is now officially the most commercially successful game in the history of Quantic Dream. The title has sold over 6.5 million units worldwide since its launch In April 2018.

Industry News March 17, 2022

Kowloon Nights surpasses $150 million in revenue across its portfolio of indie games

Kowloon Nights, a fund for indie developers, has generated $150 million across its big gaming catalog. On top of that, the company also signed eight new titles.

Industry News March 17, 2022

Yacht Club Games releases free archive of Shovel Knight art from 7 years of production

It is rare to see studios share their own assets with other developers for free. However, this is exactly what Yacht Club Games made by releasing a nearly 1GB archive containing all the art from Shovel Knight.

Industry News March 17, 2022

Square Enix joins growing list of companies to suspend game sales in Russia

Square Enix has seemingly suspended game sales in Russia, with its titles becoming unavailable on Steam in the country. The company has also made a donation for humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees.

Legal March 17, 2022

US lawmakers introduce bill to block mergers worth $5+ billion ahead of Microsoft-Activision deal

Democratic lawmakers have introduced a new bill prohibiting antitrust mergers. It would allow the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to block M&A deals worth $5 billion or more.

Industry News March 16, 2022

Bandai Namco Mobile starts six-month trial to adopt four-day workweek

With more studios across the globe shifting to a four-day workweek, Bandai Namco Mobile has also announced its transition to this model. The team wants to focus on working “smarter and more efficiently.”

Industry News March 16, 2022

GTA IV might come out in FY 2024-2025 as Take-Two projects significant increase in revenue

According to several analysts, there’s a chance GTA VI might be released in fiscal year 2024. This is according to Take-Two’s own projections, with the publisher expecting a significant increase in revenue.

Industry News March 16, 2022

Google Stadia to offer free trials and new porting tools to improve its cloud gaming platform

After several setbacks, Google might be going in the right direction with Stadia. The company has revealed new features that could possibly bring new players and devs to its cloud gaming platform.

Deals March 16, 2022

First Class Trouble developer Invisible Walls joins Embracer Group

Amplifier Game Invest, a subsidiary of Embracer Group, has acquired Danish independent studio Invisible Walls. The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.

Industry News March 16, 2022

Elden Ring sells 12 million units since launch, far exceeding Bandai Namco’s expectations

Elden Ring has shown the biggest launch among all FromSoftware’s games. The title has sold 12 million units worldwide since February 25.

Industry News March 16, 2022

Almost 7000 mobile apps removed from App Store in Russia since February 24

As the exodus of tech companies from Russia continues, global developers continue to suspend their operations in accordance with sanctions and in support of Ukraine. Almost 7000 apps have already been removed from the country’s App Store.

All publications of the author

Epic Games and Xbox to donate Fortnite revenue to humanitarian relief in Ukraine

Humble’s Stand with Ukraine bundle raises almost $10 million in just three days

Lost Ark devs “made a mistake” by adding controversial boss that made game feel pay-to-win

Eric Barone now finally self-publishing Stardew Valley on all platforms, including mobile

itch.io bundle for Ukraine raises $6.3 million from almost 450k contributors in 10 days

Ubisoft aims at creating next-gen virtual worlds by introducing cloud technology Scalar

Apex Legends Mobile reaches over 7.5 million pre-registrations ahead of its summer launch

Devs demand answers from Valve as Steam stops sending payments not only to Russia but Ukraine as well

Tencent’s investment in Studio MayDay results in its rebranding to Riffraff Games

Detroit: Become Human surpasses 6.5 million copies sold on PS4 and PC globally

Kowloon Nights surpasses $150 million in revenue across its portfolio of indie games

Yacht Club Games releases free archive of Shovel Knight art from 7 years of production

Square Enix joins growing list of companies to suspend game sales in Russia

US lawmakers introduce bill to block mergers worth $5+ billion ahead of Microsoft-Activision deal

Bandai Namco Mobile starts six-month trial to adopt four-day workweek

GTA IV might come out in FY 2024-2025 as Take-Two projects significant increase in revenue

Google Stadia to offer free trials and new porting tools to improve its cloud gaming platform

First Class Trouble developer Invisible Walls joins Embracer Group

Elden Ring sells 12 million units since launch, far exceeding Bandai Namco’s expectations

Almost 7000 mobile apps removed from App Store in Russia since February 24