Industry veteran Philippe Sauze, formerly Vice President / Head of Activision Blizzard EMEA, has joined MY.GAMES to lead the company’s European division.

French publisher Nacon announced that it has acquired 100% of the Ishtar Games studio. This deal will also include the launch of the new Ishtar label, which will “develop the creation and marketing of high-potential “independent” games.”

MY.GAMES Venture Capital, the investment arm of MY.GAMES, has invested in three studios: VOX, Tworogue Games, and Wideview Games. The total investments in the three studios amounted to around $3 million. In all three deals, MGVC acquired minority stakes in the studios with options to purchase control later.

Following the investigation launched in 2019, the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) found that Apple has been abusing its market power by forcing devs to use its in-app payment system. The authority, however, has not yet published its decision, which is currently under legal review.

Tallinn-based indie studio Mishura Games, made up of the former Limestone Games developers, has announced side-scrolling beat-em-up IMMORTAL: And The Death That Follows.

Leading luxury fashion brands are putting together internal teams dedicated to metaverse collaborations. Experts believe that the most forward-thinking companies will soon introduce a role of chief metaverse officer.

Just over a month ago, Unity bought AI-driven audio analysis platform OTO to fight toxic behavior in multiplayer games. A month before that, Discord acquired Sentropy, a company behind AI-powered software to detect and remove online harassment. We sat down with Utopia Analytics‘ Sharon Fisher, a veteran in the games moderation space, to discuss the challenges the industry is facing in its quest to make the gaming environment safer.

French publisher Voodoo has announced a new competition for game prototypes, open to all studios worldwide. From October 10th to December 10th, studios can enter an unlimited number of prototypes for the chance to win $1 million or more.

Apple might not be making games, but it knows how to monetize them. A report by The Wall Street Journal suggests the iPhone maker is generating more video games revenue than the key platform holders.

Paradox Interactive has discontinued the development of several unannounced titles. The company has written down their value, which is $15.3 million (135 MSEK), impacting the Q3 2021 profit before tax.

Amplifier Game Invest, a subsidiary of Embracer Group, has launched new development studio Zapper Games in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cyberpunk isometric RPG Gamedec came out on September 16. The game, inspired by the Gamedec book series by Marcin Przybyłek, puts you in the shoes of a game detective, who solves mysteries inside virtual worlds. A year ago, we discussed the Gamedec demo with the development team known as Anshar Studios. Now, days after the title’s release, we caught up with Mateusz Greloch, Community Manager at Anshar Studios, for an update on what has been…

WN Moscow’21 will be held Oct 13-14. Held in the hybrid format, the event will allow participants to discuss the latest news, share expertise, and attend industry talks both on-site and online.

Quantic Dream has won the libel case against French newspaper Le Monde, which published claims by the studio’s employees of alleged harassment, homophobia, racism, and sexism in the workplace.

Netflix has released a free-to-play VR game called Eden Unearthed for Oculus Quest. The game is available through App Lab, rather than through the Oculus Store, meaning the title hasn’t gone through the full Oculus review process and could be experimental or still in development.

MY.GAMES has announced the acquisition of Minsk, Belarus-based Mamboo Games, which publishes hyper-casual and hybrid-casual titles and develops its own games. In total, the Mamboo Games portfolio includes over 30 titles.

Blackbird Interactive CEO and founder Rob Cunningham revealed that the studio is investigating if any cases of emotional abuse and manipulation have taken place at the studio. This is in response to the harassment allegations against Jennifer Scheurle, who joined the studio in January 2021.

The trailer for the upcoming sci-fi brawler Aeon Must Die! has been taken down from YouTube following a copyright claim from animator Arsen Shakhbabyan.

Neil Druckmann may have been confirmed as the director of at least one episode of the upcoming The Last of Us TV show. That’s in addition to his role as the show’s co-writer.