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Industry News March 16, 2023

Chinese game company NetDragon Websoft sees its shares surge after making AI its new CEO

Last year, NetDragon Websoft appointed a new CEO who was not a human, but an AI bot. This non-trivial solution eventually helped the Chinese company increase the value of its shares.

Industry News March 16, 2023

Nasdaq resumes trading of Nexters shares, one year after halt

Mobile developer Nexters has announced that its shares are now back traded on the Nasdaq. This happened a year after the US stock exchange brought the trading of the company’s stock to a halt.

Legal March 16, 2023

FTC wants more documents from Microsoft, including info about its ‘next-generation gaming ecosystem’

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now demanding additional documents from Microsoft. The regulator wants more information related to the company’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Market Analysis March 15, 2023

Sensor Tower: Mobile games with LiveOps generate 30 times more revenue than non-GaaS titles

Sensor Tower has released its State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report. This is a deep analysis of key market trends, as well as top performing genres, titles, and monetization strategies. Here are some findings from the study.

Market Analysis March 15, 2023

Lifespan of existing games increased by 33% in 2022, and other findings from Unity Gaming Report

Unity has released its annual report on the state of the games industry. Here are the key trends and insights regarding indie developers and larger studios using the engine and its tools.

Legal March 14, 2023

Disco Elysium co-creator Robert Kurvitz drops dismissal lawsuit against ZA/UM due to ‘lack of evidence’

The legal fight between ZA/UM and Disco Elysium original developers has taken a new turn. It appears that the game’s co-creators Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov have dropped their claims to the studio.

Industry News March 14, 2023

Supercell bans players with Russian IP addresses from accessing Clash of Clans

It looks like Clash of Clans eventually stopped working in Russia completely, a year after Supercell removed its games from local app stores.

Industry News March 14, 2023

Forspoken might have cost over $100 million to make, according to lead writer Allison Rymer

Forspoken has failed to meet Square Enix’s expectations in terms of sales. And the game’s alleged production budget indicates that the company is unlikely to recoup its investment.

Industry News March 14, 2023

Epic Games can’t verify copyright of assets sold on its marketplace, Bleak Faith devs say

Bleak Faith: Forsaken developer Archangel Studios purchased some assets on the Unreal Engine Marketplace that turned out to be a ripoff of Elden Ring animations. Epic Games, however, says it can’t guarantee that third-party sellers own the copyright for their work.

Industry News March 13, 2023

Sony has ‘good chance’ to sell over 60 million PlayStation 5s, according to president Hiroki Totoki

Sony has high hopes for the PlayStation 5’s sales potential. But right now, the company gives rather conservative forecasts, especially when compared to its previous console’s lifetime figures.

Industry News March 13, 2023

Cygames to start paying $750 per month to Japanese students aspiring to become game devs

Cygames has launched a special scholarship program for Japanese students aspiring to become game developers. This includes monetary payments and internships.

Industry News March 13, 2023

Roblox, Unity and Huuuge among game companies that held major funds in now-collapsed SVB

Silicon Valley Bank is the second-largest bank collapse in US history. Here are video game companies that had millions of dollars deposited in it.

Industry News March 10, 2023

Report: Indie studio Dynasty Loop owes its employees more than $2 million in missed payments

Dynasty Loop, an independent game development studio based in Montreal, is going through turbulent times. Dozens of workers haven’t been paid since the end of 2022, with some of them even locked out of the office.

Industry News March 10, 2023

Tim Sweeney calls Steamworks real problem for games industry: “They have a classic lock-in strategy”

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney continues to push for more transparency and unity across the various game stores. This time, he had some harsh words about Valve’s Steamworks API and how it limits multiplayer features.

Marketing March 10, 2023

Why game demos are key to opening two main marketing doors and boosting visibility, explained by Chris Zukowski

Many indie developers are still hesitant to release demos before launching their games. But the reality is that they are the essential tool for increasing visibility on Steam, so it is simply unwise to neglect it.

Industry News March 10, 2023

More than 100k players got free copy of Figment every day during Steam giveaway

Steam doesn’t give away free games often, but when it does, it is a great way for indie developers to increase their audience. Here are the results achieved by Bedtime Digital Games and its adventure puzzle platformer Figment.

Industry News March 9, 2023

Epic Games Store introduces self-publishing tools with support for IARC age rating system

From now on, game developers will be able to self-publish their titles on the Epic Games Store. All thanks to new tools available to any studio as long as it meet the platform’s requirements.

Industry News March 9, 2023

New publishing label Cult Games signs Unpacking and War for the Overworld devs

Cult Games is a new publisher founded by Helen Burnill, who previously worked as commercial director and VP at Fall Guys maker Mediatonic. The company will initially focus on helping established studios like Brightrock Games and Witch Beam build on their success.

Industry News March 9, 2023

SIE boss Jim Ryan doesn’t want new CoD deal: “I just want to block your merger”

The debate surrounding Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to heat up. This time, the focus has been on comments that SIE president Jim Ryan reportedly made before the EU regulator.

Legal March 9, 2023

Microsoft rejects UK regulator’s divestment proposal. Sony wants CoD to “remain in independent hands”

Microsoft and Sony have responded to the provisional findings of the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. The main stumbling blocks are the potential exclusivity of Call of Duty and the impact of the Activision Blizzard deal on consoles and subscription services.