industry news
UK CMA confirms block of Microsoft’s acquisition of ActiBlizz, prompting a restructuring of the deal
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority continues to be a hard hurdle for Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard to clear. As a refresher, the UK government...
BitCraft developer releases source code for its SpacetimeDB backend engine to everyone on Github
How has the 20-person Clockwork Labs studio been able to put together its sandbox MMORPG BitCraft? With the use of its bespoke backend engine...
UK regulatory body seeks additional comments regarding the Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard merger
The long-tail process of the UK approving Microsoft's buyout of Activision-Blizzard has made one more step forward. As a reminder, the UK's Competition and...
The ESRB seeks a COPPA provision to let apps scan children’s faces for age verification
You might have heard the legal disclaimer "ask your parents' permission before going online" in some advertisements aimed at children, which is understandable because...
The FTC suspends its administrative challenge of the Microsoft Activision-Blizzard merger
It would seem as if the US Federal Trade Commission has read the suggested writing on the wall: The government body has officially withdrawn...
Roblox apologizes for data breach that leaked nearly 4000 employees’ personal details
Roblox Corp has apparently suffered a major data breach that leaked the personal details of nearly 4000 past and present workers - including names,...
Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard file a legal request for the FTC to drop its August hearing
Now that the US Federal Trade Commission has been handed two big losses in its challenge of the $69B merger between Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard,...
Genshin Impact voice actors claim that they haven’t been paid for months [Updated]
If you play Genshin Impact, you're likely familiar with the character of Paimon; she's literally the first person who greets you when the game...
MMO Business Roundup: Unity clings to AI, Apple appeals again, Embracer restructures
Business doesn't take a break, and so neither must we. Except for holiday breaks. But then those also can get busy because studios sometimes...
Valve confirms blocking games featuring AI-generated assets on Steam is primarily about copyright law
Most of the time when AI art generators are heralded by game studios and publishers, one of the first questions people begin to ask...
Among Us is getting its own animated TV series sometime in the future
There isn't a lot of story to be told in the greater scheme of the multiplayer deceive-em-up Among Us, but apparently there's enough meat...
One of the lead devs for Star Wars The Old Republic confirms his move to the Broadsword team
At this point, everyone has all but full-out confirmed that Star Wars: The Old Republic is changing hands from BioWare to Broadsword. This open...
ESA claims it is ‘currently having conversations’ about E3 in 2024 and 2025
With E3 officially dead for this year, many are likely assuming that the Entertainment Software Association's marquee show is completely dead. This presumption was...
Reddit CEO remains unfazed by blackout protests, calls organizing moderators ‘landed gentry’
This week saw a pretty significant lashing out from the vast majority of Reddit, as multiple subreddits, including several that serve MMORPG communities, went...
Electronic Arts SEC filing expresses concern over the potential impact of unionization and AI regulation
In what can only be absorbed as a bid to take its awful corporation crown back from other major contenders, statements from Electronic Arts...
Microsoft is reportedly considering pulling Activision out of the UK market over regulatory block
The locking of horns between Microsoft and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority over Microsoft's billion-dollar acquisition of Activision-Blizzard appears to be reaching a...
South Korea approves merger of Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard as both companies continue to fight UK regulators
There has been another plodding step forward in Microsoft's billion-dollar buyout of Activision-Blizzard, as reports from Korea Xbox News have now confirmed that South...
NCsoft West restructures as NC America, with shared CM for Lineage II, Aion, and Blade & Soul
Back in February, we reported on a wave of layoffs that struck NCsoft West, which saw 20% of its workforce handed their walking papers...
Microsoft’s buyout of Activision-Blizzard gets full clearance from China
Microsoft has cleared yet another hurdle in its slow subsumption of Activision-Blizzard, as China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has completed its investigation of...
CD Projekt Red lays off employees working on a multiplayer version of The Witcher as a result of a ‘new framework’
This story will need a bit of a primer before we get into the details of the headline, so let's review: Last October, CD...
