| Game World Observer

Legal October 5, 2022

FTC has ‘significant concerns’ about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, ruling to come in November

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to rule on Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard next month. The regulator is now listening to concerns that other parties have about this deal.

Industry News October 5, 2022

CD Projekt’s updated strategy: 7 new games in pipeline, flywheel approach, more mobile titles, and new US office

CD Projekt has shared new details about its updated strategy. The company several games in its pipeline, including a brand new IP. It also plans to expand its brands into new mediums and partner with third-party teams.

Industry News October 4, 2022

Sony plans to invest more in PC, mobile, and live service games amid growing competition

Sony is now looking for more opportunities for its expansion outside the console market. PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst said the company wants to increase its investment in PC, mobile, and live service titles.

Industry News October 4, 2022

Microsoft thinks Activision Blizzard deal will provide devs with “better revenue and fair marketplace rules”

Microsoft has tried to explain how the upcoming acquisition of Activision Blizzard will benefit players, developers, and the games industry as a whole. The company thinks that “we all win” from this $68.7 billion deal.

Market Analysis October 3, 2022

State of hypercasual games in Q3 2022: 4 billion downloads, misleading ads, and top 10 titles

AppMagic has released a report on the state of hypercasual mobile games in the third quarter of 2022. Analysts broke down the latest market trends and highlighted the top 10 titles in this category.

Industry News October 3, 2022

‘Involuntary’ departures of key Disco Elysium devs: what it means for ZA/UM and game’s sequel

It has been revealed that several key developers of Disco Elysium have left ZA/UM. The studio confirmed the news, promising to share details about its next project soon. But how painful can these departures be for the team?

Industry News October 3, 2022

Owlcat Games lost rights to Pathfinder: Kingmaker and stopped receiving revenue from it after going independent

Many fans wondered why Owlcat Games stopped updating Pathfinder: Kingmaker as the game still has some unfixed issues. It turned out that the studio lost the rights to its first title three years ago.

Dev Interviews September 30, 2022

Free Lives on Studio Ghibli-inspired reverse city builder Terra Nil: “Player involvement is a central part of our development ethos”

Restoring the environment instead of turning the planet into an industrial nightmare? This is what Terra Nil is all about. We spoke with Free Lives producer Ruan Rothmann about making this beautiful reverse city builder.

Industry News September 30, 2022

Many devs had no idea about Google Stadia shutdown, wondering “what’s happening with our games, deals, anything”

Google has decided to kill Stadia, just like many other products before it. It seems that the company didn’t notify its partners beforehand, making game developers wondering about the future of their projects and deals.

Industry News September 29, 2022

Devolver Digital: Inscryption sales reach 1.46 million units, Cult of the Lamb exceeds full-year expectations

Devolver Digital has released a financial report for the first half of 2022. The indie publisher also opened up about its plans and shared results for some of its hit games like Cult of the Lamb and Inscryption.

Industry News September 29, 2022

Xbox Game Pass day-one titles have median of 230k owners, new estimates show

Microsoft is sticking to its strategy of turning Game Pass into the ultimate deal for gamers. But how many players can a day-one title reach? Here are some numbers.

Market Analysis September 29, 2022

Genshin Impact remains 3rd highest-grossing mobile game globally since its launch, with $3.7 billion in revenue

Two years after its launch, miHoYo’s global hit Genshin Impact remains one of the highest-grossing mobile games. It is also the largest title with gacha monetization by player spending.

Industry News September 29, 2022

VR publisher nDreams announces £1,000 pay raise to protect employees against rising energy costs

nDreams is another British publisher that has raised the wages of its employees amid rising energy bills. The company wants to protect its staff by ensuring their wellbeing.

Industry News September 28, 2022

Cyberpunk 2077 sales hit 20 million units since launch, thanks to latest patch and Edgerunners success

CD Projekt has revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 has now surpassed 20 million units sold. It took the game nearly two years since its botched launch to hit this milestone.

Game Development September 28, 2022

Redditor improves Fallout 2 character models using Stable Diffusion AI art generator

Fallout 2, one of the most iconic RPGs in video game history, still has a lot of loyal supporters. One of its fans has reimagined in-game characters using a machine learning model.

Legal September 28, 2022

Suspected GTA VI teen hacker pleads not guilty but admits breaching bail conditions

The 17-year-old boy arrested by UK police last week has pleaded not guilty to hacking charges. He is likely the one responsible for the GTA VI and Uber leaks.

Events September 28, 2022

WN CEO Summit in Turkey brought together around 100 gaming executives

The third WN CEO Summit took place on September 21. This time, it was held in Istanbul, Turkey, attracting around 100 C-level executives of gaming companies from 18 countries.

Industry News September 28, 2022

Epic Games partners with Autodesk to make real-time content creation more accessible

Epic Games has announced a new strategic partnership with Autodesk. The two companies joined forces to accelerate real-time 3D content creation across several industries.

Deals September 27, 2022

Russian tech giant VK sells its gaming division MY.GAMES for $642 million

VK, one of the largest IT companies in Russia, has decided to sell its gaming division MY.GAMES. The deal is worth $642 million.

Market Analysis September 27, 2022

Top PC game genres on Steam: Simulation and Strategy tags still generate buzz

Game discoverability expert Simon Carless has shared some data on top Steam tags. The chart is dominated by different simulation and strategy subgenres, with platform and puzzle titles generating much less interest among PC players.

All publications of the author

FTC has ‘significant concerns’ about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, ruling to come in November

CD Projekt’s updated strategy: 7 new games in pipeline, flywheel approach, more mobile titles, and new US office

Sony plans to invest more in PC, mobile, and live service games amid growing competition

Microsoft thinks Activision Blizzard deal will provide devs with “better revenue and fair marketplace rules”

State of hypercasual games in Q3 2022: 4 billion downloads, misleading ads, and top 10 titles

‘Involuntary’ departures of key Disco Elysium devs: what it means for ZA/UM and game’s sequel

Owlcat Games lost rights to Pathfinder: Kingmaker and stopped receiving revenue from it after going independent

Free Lives on Studio Ghibli-inspired reverse city builder Terra Nil: “Player involvement is a central part of our development ethos”

Many devs had no idea about Google Stadia shutdown, wondering “what’s happening with our games, deals, anything”

Devolver Digital: Inscryption sales reach 1.46 million units, Cult of the Lamb exceeds full-year expectations

Xbox Game Pass day-one titles have median of 230k owners, new estimates show

Genshin Impact remains 3rd highest-grossing mobile game globally since its launch, with $3.7 billion in revenue

VR publisher nDreams announces £1,000 pay raise to protect employees against rising energy costs

Cyberpunk 2077 sales hit 20 million units since launch, thanks to latest patch and Edgerunners success

Redditor improves Fallout 2 character models using Stable Diffusion AI art generator

Suspected GTA VI teen hacker pleads not guilty but admits breaching bail conditions

WN CEO Summit in Turkey brought together around 100 gaming executives

Epic Games partners with Autodesk to make real-time content creation more accessible

Russian tech giant VK sells its gaming division MY.GAMES for $642 million

Top PC game genres on Steam: Simulation and Strategy tags still generate buzz