Industry News November 10, 2021 Xbox offers free Game Pass to every 18-year-old French citizen as part of country’s culture initiative Since May 21, all 18-year-olds living in France can obtain a €300 loan as part of the Culture Pass initiative. They can spend money on different cultural activities and products. And now Microsoft has announced that it will also offer them free access to Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Industry News November 10, 2021 Devs on how Texas’ anti-abortion law might affect games industry: “Women are being told to be terrified” Texas remains one of the most promising and welcoming states for game developers. The latest anti-abortion law, however, might affect companies located there, as it might become harder for them to hire women.
Legal November 10, 2021 Court denies Apple’s appeal and orders it to allow additional payment solutions on App Store by December 9 A court has denied Apple’s request to pause orders requiring the company to let developers add links to third-party payment solutions outside the App Store. It still must make changes to its policies by December 9.
Deals November 10, 2021 Unity acquires Peter Jackson’s VFX studio Weta Digital for $1.62 billion Unity has announced an acquisition of Weta Digital, a New Zealand-based VFX studio, which was co-founded by Peter Jackson. The deal worth $1.62 billion is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Market Analysis November 10, 2021 SocialPeta on mobile games markets of China (mainland and non-mainland), Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia SocialPeta has published a report of market features and preferred game types in different regional markets in Asia. Here are the key takeaways from the study.