Chris Deering, former president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), has pushed back against the idea that large-scale layoffs in the industry are caused by corporate greed. In a recent episode of Simon Parkin My perfect console podcast, Deering shared his thoughts on the last two years of staff cuts and studio closures. Citing Sony … Read more
Games parent company Roblox Corporation shared some fascinating news today at the Roblox Developers Conference. The company announced that developers make “paid access experiences” (think premium games) on Games will soon be able to earn a larger share of revenue than developers making free-to-play games. This increase applies to games purchased with “real money value” … Read more
There's been a lot of talk lately about what constitutes a solid publishing deal. Hooded Horse, the publisher behind Lords of the fiefdomhas been a vocal advocate for better contracts. Earlier this year, co-founder and CEO Tim Bender said that publishers should abandon “horrible” recovery clauses to help developers and suggest companies like Hooded Horse … Read more
Independent study Jyamma Games is indefinitely delaying the Xbox Series X|S port Enotria: The Last Song, and placed the blame squarely on Microsoft. For IGNfounder Jacky Greco reportedly said on Discord that Xbox “obviously doesn't care Enotria and they don't care [players].” THE Official announcement attributed the delay to “challenges” not present in the PlayStation … Read more
Valve has added new Detection characteristics to Steam for studios to implement. These changes, according to Valve, were made based on explicit feedback provided by developers, some during Gamescom in early August. Both changes give studios control over which related elements appear on a title’s store page. They can now choose which studio, franchise, or … Read more
Developers of Greedfall and Technomancer Spiders studios will be on strike next week, Monday 2nd September and Tuesday 3rd September. In a document published by the French Union of Video Game Developers STJV (spotted by Gaming Industry), staff have denounced years of mismanagement. 44 employees, or about half of Spiders’ 95-person team, have signed a … Read more
Has Capcom figured out the formula for a sustainable game studio? Not quite. The upcoming Hunter of wild monsters It took about 5-6 years to develop, so it's clear that the Japanese developer/publisher is still making the same big, risky bets on AAA games as many of its peers do. But unlike its peers, Capcom … Read more
Sony Interactive Entertainment is extending an olive branch to developers in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Its Hero Project The incubation program will “identify promising local developers and support them” through mentoring and training programs. The program’s goal is to “drive growth and innovation with developers in the MENA region” and also … Read more
A new survey by Game Developers Collective shows that developers remain at a standstill when it comes to generative AI. Among those interviewed, 30 percent believe that technology will reduce development costs in the next 12 months. In contrast, 8 percent are certain that it will lead to increased costs, while 35 percent are skeptical … Read more
Publisher North Beach Games is expanding internationally and opening a new studio in Prague. The branch will be led by Creative Director and CTO Sam Edwards, along with General Manager Tomáš Pšenička. Its core team will be based in Prague, while some staff will work remotely. Primarily, the new North Beach team is tasked with … Read more