games industry
Rumor: With Kotick gone, Blizzard and NetEase might repair year-long rift over China publishing
Readers likely remember that 2023 started off with a tire fire as Blizzard and NetEase had a particularly nasty dissolution of a licensing deal...
Chinese regulators go into damage control mode after proposed gaming restrictions burn $80B in market value
Last week we reported on some newly drafted restrictions by Chinese regulators that were aimed at curbing game time, limiting rewards for spending and...
China’s government drafts new restrictions on gaming time, spending and login rewards, and lockboxes
The Chinese government has decided to once more consider a tightening of the thumbscrews on gaming, as regulators in the country have issued a...
QA employees accuse Activision-Blizzard of a ‘soft layoff’ after studios mandate a return to offices in January
Activision-Blizzard is once again electing to mistreat its QA employees according to a statement from the A Better ABK proto-union, which accuses the company...
Activision-Blizzard settles its 2021 California Civil Rights department lawsuit for $50M
Who here wanted one final reminder before the end of the year that we live in a cursed capitalist hellscape where justice can be...
Epic wins its lawsuit against Google as jury finds Google Play engaged in monopolist practices
The long-running lawsuit between Epic and Google has been decided, and it's been a slam dunk win for Epic Games: A jury found that...
MMO Business Roundup: Lockboxes, Twitch Korea, and the FTC’s latest MS/ABK merger appeal
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news.
The FTC vs. Microsoft and ABK - Surely you didn't think that "signing the...
Project Boston was Activision-Blizzard’s attempt to create a ‘Steam of mobile’ games store
The point of the Epic v. Google antitrust lawsuit is ostensibly about whether Google is holding a monopoly that prevents competitors like Epic from...
MMO Business Roundup: Gaming addiction, GTA6, Ubisoft layoffs, Epic v. Google, and more
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news. There's been a lot this week, so we'll keep 'em brief!
Addiction: A woman...
Former Trion boss Scott Hartsman cautions studios to reconsider live service games
Former Trion Worlds CEO Scott Hartsman has a few words of advice for any studio contemplating the creation of a live service game: Maybe...
Xbox announces plans for AI-based gamedev tools that generate game dialogue and quests ‘at scale’
The invasion of generative AI text and large language model (LLM) tools like ChatGPT into game development and design has gotten the backing of...
Nitrado CEO claims ARK Survival Ascended ‘would never have existed’ without its $4M loan
The twisty, tangled, muddy mess between Nitrado, ARK: Survival Ascended publisher Snail Games, and the wider business of private server hosting continues to present...
Modders declare petition victory as ARK Survival Ascended team lifts server hosting exclusivity restrictions
Remember when ARK developer Studio Wildcard announced a seven-year partnership with Nitrado for private server rental for the just-released ARK: Survival Ascended, which ended...
Microsoft eyes October 13 completion date for its Activision-Blizzard buyout
Microsoft appears to be fairly certain that its multi-billion dollar acquisition of Activision-Blizzard will go through, as a company source reports that it's looking...
Former Ubisoft execs and employees were detained by French police over sexual misconduct allegations
It looks as if the French authorities are moving against Ubisoft employees who were among those accused in the studio's wide-reaching sexual misconduct exposé....
SAG-AFTRA members overwhelmingly vote in favor of a video game voice actors strike
Over the past few months, Hollywood has been ground to a halt as voice actors and screenwriters hit the picket lines to fight against...
Roblox sheds 30 ‘talent acquisition’ employees as part of a company plan to improve its profits
We've reported numerous times how the company that runs Roblox has continually seen revenue rise but profits plummet as it outspends those earnings to...
Unity’s runtime fee scheme sees game devs shut off Unity ads and employees turn in resignations
The tire fire of Unity's decision to impose "runtime fees" on studios that use the engine continues to burn bright and hot. Game developers...
SEC filings reveal the multi-million-dollar debt ARK Survival Evolved’s publisher owes Nitrado
In the middle of August, ARK: Survival Ascended called attention to a partnership with Nitrado that would guarantee the option for players to rent...
SAG-AFTRA union prepares for a second strike over video gaming’s use of AI and low wages
The SAG-AFTRA union has already stood up to TV and film companies with no apparent resolution in sight, and now it looks as if...
