Time for another quick roundup of a bunch of MMO-adjacent businessy stories that were drowning in our busy Thursday newsroom!
The International: Valve is raising eyebrows as it shops around for a host city for The International, Dota 2’s top championship. The company’s request for proposal claims that past host cities see significant sums “injected” into their economies, but of course it has some stringent requirements too, including hotel space and fiber connections.
GOG: GOG’s new refund policy is pretty dang generous, granting a “full refund up to 30 days” after you buy a game, “even if you downloaded, launched, and played it.” The FAQ, however, does note that it reserves the right to refuse refunds if you’re abusing it, like, say, buying games to review and then refunding them repeatedly. “Please don’t take advantage of our trust by asking for an unreasonable amount of games to be refunded. Don’t be that person. No one likes that person.”
Apex Legends: Respawn’s Drew McCoy, who’d been with the studio for the last decade since its founding, has now moved on, saying it was “time for a bit of a break and to find new challenges.”
MyGames: The Russian company continues to surprise even itself, as it pulled in $464M in revenue last year, an increase of 23%. That’s thanks to a hefty slice of mobile, yes, but also to Warface.
Game preservation: The National Videogame Museum in the English city of Sheffield launched an initiative to lead a “network of museums and independent collectors who are engaged in videogame preservation.”
Spot other interesting business bits relevant to MMO players? Drop us a tip!
