All posts | Game World Observer

Industry News February 16, 2023

Embracer Group records 128% revenue growth, plans to launch 31 AAA games (including 5 from Crystal Dynamics/Eidos)

Embracer Group has released its financial report for the third quarter ended December 31, 2022. The Swedish holding company recorded strong revenue growth and detailed its game development pipeline for the next several years.

Marketing February 16, 2023

No More Robots plans to add every game to Game Pass to “relieve immense pressure for the devs”

No More Robots founder Mike Rose has shared his thoughts on Game Pass and its positive impact on the game’s commercial performance. He also explained why his publishing company would try to add every title to Microsoft’s subscription service.

Industry News February 15, 2023

Supercell plans to take “bigger creative risks” with new games, entering its next chapter with €1.7 billion made in 2022

Supercell has disclosed its revenue and other financial results for 2022. CEO Ilkka Paananen also outlined the main challenges facing the company, as well as key steps the Clash of Clans developer should take to fulfill its mission of creating innovative live service games.

Industry News February 15, 2023

Microsoft asks EU regulator for closed hearing to defend its Activision Blizzard acquisition

The European Commission will soon hold a closed hearing on Microsoft’s bid to acquire Activision Blizzard. The company will try to convince the EU regulator to approve the deal, with some of its rivals also likely to participate.

Game Development February 15, 2023

Researchers release MarioGPT model to generate Super Mario Bros. levels from text prompts

A group of Danish researchers have created a model to generate Super Mario Bros. levels. Here is how MarioGPT works and what limitations it has.

Industry News February 14, 2023

Mick Gordon donates his Atomic Heart earnings to Ukrainian people: “The tragedy of this conflict cannot be overstated”

Mick Gordon, best known for his work on soundtracks for the last Doom games, has announced his decision to donate his Atomic Heart fees to humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine. The composer noted that he wanted to “provide practical support” to those affected.

Industry News February 14, 2023

miHoYo’s Honkai: Star Rail tops 2.3 million pre-registrations in just 4 days

Honkai: Star Rail, the upcoming game from Genshin Impact developer miHoYo, has already attracted millions of players in the months leading up to its launch. This is due to the recently launched pre-registration event.

Events February 14, 2023

WN Belgrade’23 brought together almost 400 companies, with 89 games showcased at conference

WN Media Group has shared the data to sum up its latest conference, which took place on February 8-9 in Belgrade, Serbia. Here are some graphs about the event’s attendees and games showcased there.

Industry News February 14, 2023

Tencent to double down on its child protection measures as China’s crusade against gaming addiction continues

China has no plans to ease its regulations aimed at protecting minors from gaming addiction. Tencent has already expressed its readiness to help the government in the new phase of this protracted fight.

Industry News February 14, 2023

Netmarble ends 2022 with net loss of $714 million, with Marvel Contest of Champions still its top-grossing game

Netmarble has joined other game companies struggling with declining financials. The South Korean mobile developer and publisher has ended the last year with huge net losses despite a modest increase in revenue.

Marketing February 13, 2023

How game discounts work in digital storefronts like Steam in terms of psychology

People love discounts on both physical and digital products, and gamers are no exception. So how do they work from a psychological perspective and why do people sometimes want to buy even games they don’t really need?

Game Development February 13, 2023

Fan releases Fallout 1 open source project allowing players to install original game on mobile devices

Even two decades after its launch, the original Fallout has a large fan base around the world. There is now a new open source project that allows players to run the classic game on their phones natively.

Industry News February 13, 2023

Hogwarts Legacy breaks into top 10 Steam titles by concurrent players, becomes biggest HP game launch of all time

Hogwarts Legacy is having a massive launch both in terms of sales and player count. The latest game based on the Harry Potter franchise has already become one of the most played titles on Steam of all time.

Industry News February 10, 2023

Assassin’s Creed creative director Jean Guesdon leaves Ubisoft after 17 years

Another Ubisoft veteran has announced his departure from the company. Jean Guesdon, known for his involvement in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, is no longer part of the team.

Game Development February 10, 2023

How to turn morality into game mechanic using Dishonored, Rimworld, and Crusader Kings as examples

Morality is a great tool for game designers that adds depth and complexity to player decisions. So how do we transform morality into game mechanics? Let’s take a look at a few games that have done this well.

Game Development February 9, 2023

How Captain Mathius’ transformation scene was made in Dead Space remake — explained by EA Motive

The Dead Space remake not only carefully recreates the original game, but also uses modern technologies to breathe new life into certain scenes. Here is how EA Motive reworked the famous transformation sequence.

Industry News February 9, 2023

FFXIV operator Shengqu Games rumored to be Blizzard’s new partner in China. But company denies reports

Blizzard is yet to announce its new Chinese partner following its split with NetEase. However, new rumors allege that the company may strike a licensing deal with Shengqu Games, the local operator of Final Fantasy XIV.

Industry News February 9, 2023

Ubisoft partners with UK police to fight toxic players — unprecedented move in games industry

Ubisoft has gone even further in its fight against toxic player behavior. The company has signed a first-of-its-kind deal with the UK police to address some issues with online gaming.

Industry News February 8, 2023

Hogwarts Legacy peaks at nearly 400k concurrent players on Steam, days before its official launch

Hogwarts Legacy is on its way to huge commercial success. The game is already showing impressive numbers on Steam, though it hasn’t been officially released yet.

Events February 8, 2023

Join Amazon Web Services’ exclusive workshop on improving key game metrics at WN Belgrade’23

Amazon will hold a special workshop at the upcoming WN Belgrade’23 conference. The talk, aimed at a non-technical audience, will guide attendees through the different stages of a game’s lifecycle and provide insights into monetization, retention, and other metrics.