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Industry News June 9, 2022

Call of Duty franchise surpasses $30 billion in lifetime revenue, with its sales topping 425 million units

Following the presentation of Modern Warfare II, Activision Blizzard has shared some stats on the Call of Duty series. It’s been revealed that the franchise has surpassed $30 billion in lifetime revenue.

Industry News June 9, 2022

CD Projekt stock sinks to 2018 lows, with analysts setting target price at less than $13 per share

The downfall of CD Projekt shares continues, with the company’s stock now falling to 2018 lows. Analysts, meanwhile, recommend selling shares, almost halving the target price.

Industry News June 8, 2022

Tencent to launch new global version of Honor of Kings as China still holds freeze on its games

Tencent will roll out a new global version of its biggest hit Honor of Kings. The announcement comes amid ongoing regulatory pressure in China, as no new games from Tencent have been approved by the government in 11 months.

Deals June 8, 2022

Keywords snaps up Age of Empires developer Forgotten Empire for $32.5 million

Keywords Studios, which provides different services to other game companies, has acquired Forgotten Empire for $32.5 million. The studio is known for working on remasters of the Age of Empires series.

Deals June 8, 2022

Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund invests $1 billion in Embracer Group, becomes its second-largest owner

Savvy Gaming Group, established by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has acquired a $1 billion stake in Embracer Group. This marks its second large investment in the Swedish games industry this year.

Industry News June 7, 2022

Former Arkane Lyon director joins French indie studio ZeDrimeTim to make Inside-inspired platformer Darwin’s Paradox

Romuald Capron, the former studio director of Arkane Lyon, has joined new Paris-based indie studio ZeDrimeTim. The team is now working on its debut game Darwin’s Paradox, a platformer influenced by 50s science fiction.

Industry News June 7, 2022

Dragon Age testers at Keywords Studios vote unanimously to form union

A new gamedev union has been formed by a group of QA contractors at Keywords Studios. The team, which is now working on the next Dragon Age game, voted unanimously for unionization after defending its right to work remotely.

Industry News June 7, 2022

China licenses 60 domestic games in second batch of approvals, including new miHoYo title

China has released a new list of approved games allowed for distribution in the country. This move comes amid concerns following the local regulator’s decision to license no domestic titles last month.

Industry News June 6, 2022

Pokémon GO surpasses $6 billion in lifetime revenue, generating $1 billion per year on average

Pokémon GO has topped $6 billion in lifetime player spending since its launch in 2016, according to Sensor Tower. Niantic’s title also remained the highest-grossing AR game globally last quarter.

Industry News June 6, 2022

Diablo Immortal becomes lowest-rated Blizzard game by players, while its revenue tops $6 million

Players have been ripping Diablo Immortal apart, dropping its user score on Metacritic to near-zero values. It is now the lowest-rated Blizzard game ever, excluding remasters and other rereleases. However, the title continues to generate money on mobile.

Deals June 6, 2022

Playstack snaps up Magic Fuel Games, mobile studio founded by EA veterans

Publisher Playstack has announced an acquisition of Magic Fuel Games, a mobile studio formed by former Electronic Arts developers. The team previously worked on the SimCity series and is now focused on city builders.

Market Analysis June 3, 2022

Diablo Immortal generates almost $800k in first 24 hours since its launch on mobile

Dialbo Immortal, the first mobile title in the prominent ARPG series, had a successful launch despite the controversy surrounding its monetization. The game has already generated almost $800k on iOS and Android in 24 hours.

Dev Interviews June 3, 2022

Afterburn on crafting Railbound, a cozy track-bending puzzle game that looks like a comic book come to life

Railbound is an upcoming track-bending puzzle game created by Poland-based indie team Afterburn. We spoke with the studio’s founder Luke Spierewka about the game’s development and creating its distinctive, comic-inspired visuals.

Legal June 2, 2022

Spain to start regulating loot boxes, blaming them for causing compulsive and pathological player behavior

Spain has joined several other European countries fighting against in-game loot boxes. According to local authorities, a new law will regulate all mechanics, which have real economic value.

Industry News June 2, 2022

Playtika to lay off 250 employees as part of its decision to close 3 studios

Israeli mobile publisher Playtika has decided to close three in-house studios. As a result, the company will lay off 250 people and cancel all games that were in development.

Industry News June 1, 2022

China approved no new games in May, making domestic devs refocus on overseas markets

Gaming crackdown in China continues, as domestic developers still face regulatory pressure. As a result, the government approved no new titles in May despite ending the licensing freeze a month earlier.

Industry News June 1, 2022

Final Fantasy producer Shinji Hashimoto leaves Square Enix after 28 years

Shinji Hashimoto has announced his retirement from his position as corporate advisor at Square Enix. He worked for the company for 28 years, being in charge of Final Fantasy and other prominent series.

Industry News May 31, 2022

Rebel Wolves’ Konrad Tomaszkiewicz on making “Holy Grail” of RPGs and The Witcher parallels

The Witcher 3 game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has shared first details about an upcoming dark fantasy RPG from his new studio Rebel Wolves. The team wants to stay relatively small and offer a unique experience to players.

Market Analysis May 31, 2022

Niko Partners: grey market account for 80% of console revenues in China

In 2021, the Chinese console market surpassed the $2 billion mark for the first time, according to Niko Partners. However, most of its revenues are coming from grey market sales.

Marketing May 31, 2022

Steam players don’t care about platformers unless they mixed with other genres

Game marketing consultant Chris Zukowski has shared a deep analysis on genres that Steam users love to play. Based on this data, it is hard for an indie developer to make a profitable platformer unless it is mixed with other genres like metroidvania or roguelike.