| Game World Observer

Industry News October 26, 2022

Panoramik, another Playrix-backed mobile studio, terminates cooperation with remote employees in Russia

Cyprus-based mobile developer Panoramik has announced the termination of cooperation with remote employees from Russia. The company won’t relocate people, but will continue to work with those who have already left the country.

Game Development October 25, 2022

Valve increases Steam recommended regional prices, with Turkey and Argentina up over 450%

Valve has improved its pricing tool for Steam to help developers better manage selling their games in different currencies. The company also updated its recommendations, with significant price increases in certain regions.

Industry News October 25, 2022

Microsoft wants to bring more Chinese games to Xbox after missing out on Genshin Impact success

It seems that Microsoft regrets missing out on Genshin Impact, so now it wants to make up for lost opportunities. The company is reportedly scouting for Chinese games to strengthen its positions in the console race against Sony.

Events October 25, 2022

WN Conference coming to Tel Aviv, event to take place on November 23-24

WN Tel Aviv’22, the upcoming business conference for games industry professionals, has been announced. Here are the first details about the two-day event, which will feature an expo zone, lectures, and a contest for game developers.

Legal October 24, 2022

Disco Elysium lead designer Robert Kurvitz sues ZA/UM following exodus of key developers

The future of Disco Elysium remains hazy after several key developers left ZA/UM. It has now been revealed that the game’s lead designer and writer Robert Kurvitz has filed a lawsuit against the studio.

Industry News October 24, 2022

AppQuantum opens new offices to relocate remaining Russian employees abroad

Mobile publisher AppQuantum has expanded a relocation program for its Russia-based staff and decided to open several new offices abroad.

Industry News October 24, 2022

Persona 5 Royal becomes one of highest-rated PC games of all time, outshining classics like Half-Life 2 and GTA V

Persona 5 Royal, a critically acclaimed JRPG from Atlus, has been launched on PC to massive success. It is now the highest-rated game on the platform by Metascore, albeit with some nuances.

Market Analysis October 21, 2022

Report: games industry saw 976 deals in 2022, totaling at least $123 billion

In the first nine months of 2022, 976 deals were announced or closed across the games industry globally. Here are some key takeaways from Drake Star’s latest report, including the top 15 largest M&A deals this year.

Featured October 21, 2022

Adoption of Web2 models and other prospects of play-to-earn gaming: expert opinion

What’s happening to play-to-earn gaming? Is it still alive or is it at a dead end? A GameFi expert has shared his opinion with us, so here are some insightful comments on the current market situation.

Game Development October 20, 2022

Valve says Steam’s regional pricing issue runs deeper than exchange rates, pledges to update recommendations more often

Valve has committed to updating its regional pricing recommendations for Steam developers more frequently. The company says this problem is bigger than just foreign exchange rates and should reflect different economic circumstances.

Industry News October 20, 2022

Tencent shares hit 5-year low, as company already lost over $650 billion in market value

Tencent has been struggling to make a comeback amid ongoing regulatory pressure in China and other macroeconomic factors. As a result, the downfall of the company’s stock continues.

Industry News October 19, 2022

Cyberpunk 2077 attracts 1 million active daily players for four consecutive weeks

Cyberpunk 2077 is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, showing its best performance since its 2020 launch. The game continues to retain 1 million active players every day for the fourth week in a row.

Industry News October 19, 2022

Microsoft to launch Xbox mobile game store, citing Activision Blizzard titles as key to success

Microsoft has quietly revealed that it is working on its own mobile game store to compete with Google and Apple. The company wants to use Activision Blizzard’s hits like Candy Crush and CoD: Mobile to attract players.

Industry News October 19, 2022

Report: Hellena Taylor was offered $15k to reprise her role in Bayonetta 3, but she asked for six figures

The story behind Bayonetta 3’s voiceover and unfair pay seems to be more complicated than Hellena Taylor’s original claims. According to a new report, PlatinumGames offered her $15,000, but she asked for much more.

Industry News October 19, 2022

Netflix opens new studio led by former Overwatch producer, considers expansion into cloud gaming

Netflix has no plans to slow down its gaming efforts. The company has announced its possible expansion into cloud gaming and also opened a new internal studio in the US, led by former Overwatch producer.

Industry News October 18, 2022

Roblox shares surge 20% amid spike in platform’s bookings, still down 59% this year

Roblox has seen its shares increase by almost 20% after reporting a positive spike in September bookings. It was the biggest one-day jump the company has experienced in recent months.

Industry News October 18, 2022

Euro Truck Simulator 2 tops 13 million copies sold and 80 million DLCs purchased in 10 years

Euro Truck Simulator 2 has celebrated its 10th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, SCS Software looked back on its journey and shared some figures related to the game, including its sales.

Industry News October 18, 2022

Microsoft lays off under 1,000 employees, including Xbox staff and people with over 20 years of experience

Microsoft has laid off hundreds of employees, with job cuts affecting multiple divisions, including Xbox. Even people with decades of experience were not immune from being fired.

Marketing October 17, 2022

How indie roguelike miner Dome Keeper generated $1 million at launch, and why Raw Fury laid eyes on it

Dome Keeper, an unusual combination of roguelike and mining genres, has grossed $1 million at launch. Here is how the Raw Fury-published indie game became profitable.

Industry News October 17, 2022

How much video game voice actors get paid, explained amid Hellena Taylor’s Bayonetta revelations

Hellena Taylor, the original voice actress for Bayonetta, has revealed she was offered only $4,000 for her entire performance. She called for a boycott of the new game, drawing the attention of fans and developers. So let’s take a look at how much video game voice actors actually get paid.

All publications of the author

Panoramik, another Playrix-backed mobile studio, terminates cooperation with remote employees in Russia

Valve increases Steam recommended regional prices, with Turkey and Argentina up over 450%

Microsoft wants to bring more Chinese games to Xbox after missing out on Genshin Impact success

WN Conference coming to Tel Aviv, event to take place on November 23-24

Disco Elysium lead designer Robert Kurvitz sues ZA/UM following exodus of key developers

AppQuantum opens new offices to relocate remaining Russian employees abroad

Persona 5 Royal becomes one of highest-rated PC games of all time, outshining classics like Half-Life 2 and GTA V

Report: games industry saw 976 deals in 2022, totaling at least $123 billion

Adoption of Web2 models and other prospects of play-to-earn gaming: expert opinion

Valve says Steam’s regional pricing issue runs deeper than exchange rates, pledges to update recommendations more often

Tencent shares hit 5-year low, as company already lost over $650 billion in market value

Cyberpunk 2077 attracts 1 million active daily players for four consecutive weeks

Microsoft to launch Xbox mobile game store, citing Activision Blizzard titles as key to success

Report: Hellena Taylor was offered $15k to reprise her role in Bayonetta 3, but she asked for six figures

Netflix opens new studio led by former Overwatch producer, considers expansion into cloud gaming

Roblox shares surge 20% amid spike in platform’s bookings, still down 59% this year

Euro Truck Simulator 2 tops 13 million copies sold and 80 million DLCs purchased in 10 years

Microsoft lays off under 1,000 employees, including Xbox staff and people with over 20 years of experience

How indie roguelike miner Dome Keeper generated $1 million at launch, and why Raw Fury laid eyes on it

How much video game voice actors get paid, explained amid Hellena Taylor’s Bayonetta revelations