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All publications for 15.09.2021

Industry News September 15, 2021

tinyBuild buys Deadside developer Bad Pixel for up to $17.1 million

tinyBuild has announced the acquisition (or as it calls it, “acquihire”) of another studio. It will buy Russian game studio Bad Pixel, known for multiplayer shooter Deadside. The deal could be worth up to $17.1 million.

Industry News September 15, 2021

10 years ago today: Sony presented PS Vita on boat and turned it into hell for journalists

On September 15, 2011, Sony organized a press tour for game journalists to present PlayStation Vita during the Tokyo Game Show. However, it turned into the controversial event known as “Vita Boat.”

Industry News September 15, 2021

Report: NetEase downsizes game studios in wake of China’s latest regulations.

NetEase, which is the second-largest game publisher in China, has reportedly downsized some of its studios and taken dozens of employees off their jobs. It happened in the wake of the country’s latest restrictions on the games industry.

Industry News September 15, 2021

Brace Yourself lets devs spend 20% of their work time creating personal projects

Brace Yourself Games, known for games like Crypt of the NecroDancer and Industries of Titan, has implemented a new program that allows its employees to develop personal projects during their work time.

Industry News September 15, 2021

Apple also investigated by Department of Justice. US lawmakers address “serious competition concerns” in app store space

On September 10, a federal judge in California ruled that app developers can now direct users to payment options outside the App Store. That said, the court failed to “ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist.” Nor did the ruling force Apple into allowing third-party app stores on iOS. The iPhone maker was also allowed to keep its steep 30% commission. While Epic has lost on 9 of 10 counts, the Fortnite company might just have powerful…

Industry News September 15, 2021

Activision Blizzard faces new lawsuit from its employees and media labor union

Activision Blizzard employees and the Communications Workers of America (CWA), U.S.’s largest communications and media labor union, filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. The lawsuit, which is filed in California with the National Labor Relations Board, accuses Activision Blizzard of acting coercively to stop its workers from unionizing.

Industry News September 15, 2021

App Annie and its founder to pay over $10 million to settle securities fraud charges

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged App Annie and its co-founder and former CEO and Chairman Bertrand Schmitt with securities fraud. SEC found that the mobile analytics firm engaged “in deceptive practices” and made “material misrepresentations” about how it obtained its market data on mobile app performance. Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, App Annie agreed to pay more than $10 million to settle the matter.