Google scrapped Stadia studios due to 'level of investment required to reach scale,' say ex-Stadia devs
Two former Stadia devs claim Google's fleeting internal development plans unravelled because the tech giant underestimated "the level of investment required to reach scale." ...
Typhoon Studios devs launch new studio and secure Savage Planet rights from Google
"We think player stories are much more interesting than authorial narratives, and we think there†™s a lot left to discover in player driven humor, so whatever we do will include these pillars." ...
Blog: How difficulty impacts motivation in game design
Continuing my thoughts on difficulty design, I want to spend a few minutes discussing player motivation and how it can push someone to keep playing a game, or cause them to bow out if they feel stuck. ...
Activision Blizzard shareholder calls cultural reform plans 'deficient' and 'inadequate'
Activision Blizzard shareholder SOC Investment claims the company's plan to reform its culture in the wake of widespread misconduct allegations is "deficient" and "inadequate." ...
Azerion has taken charge of Softgames' web browser game business
Digital game company Azerion, best known as the owner of Habbo developer Sulake, has taken over the web games business of German casual developer Softgames. ...
Don't Miss: Behind the solo dev effort that birthed Stardew Valley
Eric Barone talked to Gamasutra about the long and difficult solo process that ended up giving birth to Stardew Valley. ...
Chinese state media's comments tank PUBG maker's stock market debut
Krafton, the developer behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, faced a dismal stock market launch after Chinese authorities pushed more online gaming restrictions on its major partner Tencent. ...
Revenue and loss from operations beat expectations as Unity closes out Q2
Unity has closed out Q2 of its 2021 financial year with gains in both revenue and profit compared to the year prior. ...
Congress turns its eye toward loot box regulation in letter to developers
Several Congresspersons led by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) are urging large game companies to adopt improved standards for loot box design. ...
Unity to acquire remote desktop tool maker Parsec for $320 million
Unity has entered into an agreement to acquire Parsec, the company behind the game-centric remote desktop app of the same name, for a grand total of $320 million in cash. ...
Get a job: PlayQ is hiring a Senior QA Tester
PlayQ is looking for a motivated, highly technical Senior QA Tester to contribute to the development of world-class mobile games targeting a mass market. ...
Xsolla lays off 150 after an algorithm ruled staff 'unengaged and unproductive'
Xsolla laid off roughly one-third of its workforce after an algorithm employed by the company decided those 150 individuals were "unengaged and unproductive employees". ...
Niantic acquires 3D scanning app Scaniverse to expand 'real-world gameboard'
Pokemon Go developer Niantic has acquired 3D scanning mobile app Scaniverse for an undisclosed fee. ...
GameMaker Studio 2 pivots to subscription model and expands free version
YoYo Games is making GameMaker Studio 2 free to all developers looking to learn the ropes, meaning creators will only need to pay when they want to share and publish their project. ...
Blog: Using better interface layouts to alleviate your UX design burdens
This blog post talks about the role of hierarchical unfolding thinking in game UX design. ...
