BREAKING: The entire World of Warcraft dev team has unionized at Blizzard Entertainment.
The new unit includes over 500 developers and is described by the CWA as another "wall-to-wall union." The news comes days after almost 250 workers at Bethesda Game Studios organised.
World of Warcraft developers form wall-to-wall union at Blizzard Entertainment
The new unit comprises over 500 developers representing the entire World of Warcraft development team
In Game Developer's chat with Mark Whitten, the Unity exec also suggested the company needed to "make more money so that we can continue to invest in the engine."
Here's what Unity has spent on exec compensation (including stock awards, bonuses etc) over the past three years:
NEW: Multiple sources, including one former Nintendo employee, have revealed the Japanese company has a harmful policy of refusing to credit external translators.
It also deploys restrictive decade-long NDAs to prevent translators from speaking out or promoting their work.
The company also suggested that retaining the services of president and CEO John Riccitiello would be "critical" to the continued development of the platform, culture, and strategic direction.
I suspect some developers might disagree.
'Gamers' out here hounding The Verge for betraying the trust of massive corporation Valve when there's a full blown Deadlock subreddit with almost 12k members tossing out invite codes left right and center. Truly barmpot.
Looking at the proxy statement Unity filed back in April and the company, rather ironically, suggested future success would depend on its ability to maintain customer trust and differentiate itself from competitors.
You could argue it has now successfully achieved the latter.
BREAKING: Embracer just sold key Gearbox Entertainment assets to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million.
The divested assets include:
-Gearbox Software
-Gearbox Montréal
-Gearbox Studio Quebec
-Franchises including Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Risk of Rain, and more
Sony has announced layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures just months after reporting Q3 sales of $1.36 billion within its video game segment.
That's a 16 percent upswing year-on-year, driven by an "increase in sales of non-first-party titles."
Miscrediting is unfortunately very common in the game industry, but Nintendo (often perceived as one of the 'good guys') is normalising the demoralising and damaging practice by refusing to credit people for months and years of work.
I’m trying to put together a feature that spotlights how being omitted from game credits affects developers in the game industry. If you’ve experienced this first-hand (on a project of any size) and feel comfortable talking anonymously or on record, I’d be keen to chat.
A lot of recent reports have claimed Nintendo is completely ruling out using GenAI. But the English version of the investor Q&A those comments were pulled from just dropped, and the company is actually sitting on the fence:
Nintendo president says generative AI can be used in 'creative ways'
Contrary to recent reports, Nintendo hasn't ruled out using generative AI technology, but emphasized that games 'cannot be created by technology alone'
You'd perhaps expect the largest companies (with the deepest pockets) to lead by example and usher in positive change. This isn't the case.
Nintendo also seems intent on maintaining its silence. I reached out to the company weeks ago for comment but have yet to hear back.
@gamedevdotcom
One union member said the WoW dev team unionised to "improve our working conditions and protect the things we love about Blizzard."
"This victory underscores the growing momentum of worker organizing in the video game industry, they added.
HELLO DEVELOPERS. If you're working on a cool project that's likely to launch in 2024 give me a nudge in the replies/QTs and get it on my radar.
I'm putting together a watchlist that'll help inform some of my coverage on GD this year, so please show me your wares!
@SanatanaMishra
Also, like, endings are impactful. Some of my favourite experiences left a mark precisely because of how they approached their final act. Knowing when *and how * to say goodbye is an artform.
NEW: I spoke to Game UI Database founder
@EddCoates
about how OpenAI scraping briefly crippled the website and why it can be such a debilitating practice.
Full story below:
'This was essentially a two-week long DDoS attack': Game UI Database slowdown caused by relentless OpenAI scraping
The free repository relaunched a few weeks ago to provide 'the ultimate reference tool for game designers.' Then OpenAI came knocking.
As noted in the full article on
@gamedevdotcom
, another 60-person unit of Blizzard QA testers called Texas Blizzard QA United-CWA has formed simultaneously in Austin, Texas.
I spoke with multiple freelance translators who told me they worked on Skull & Bones for months/years at Keywords but have yet to be credited.
This isn't the first time a major studio has failed to properly credit workers, but there's a sense that patience is wearing thin.
Earlier this year I had the chance to chat with
@andrewprahlow
about the decade he spent working on Outer Wilds.
We talked about his creative process, the tonal shift required for the Echoes of the Eye expansion, and what the project means to him. 🚀🪐✨
It's that time of year again! If you're working on a neat video game project that'll (most likely) launch in 2023 I want to hear about it!
Nothing is off limits. It could be a little morsel for Playdate, a slice of interactive fiction, a big hitter, or the next indie darling!
I've been a game journalist for a decade and this keynote from the
@summerfallgames
team is one of the best I've ever seen.
An incredibly honest and deeply moving account of the challenges some members of the team faced while making Stray Gods. I encourage you all to read it.
The meaningful choices that made Stray Gods developer Summerfall Studios
During an incredibly candid closing keynote at GCAP 2023 in Melbourne, four members of the Summerfall team recalled how the studio has evolved for the better since its inception
Thank you Embracer for breaking this news at almost 4am in the UK on the one night I didn't hit "do not disturb."
I'm going back to sleep now. Full story tomorrow.
BREAKING: Unity is scrapping its controversial Runtime Fee effective immediately.
The company is reverting back to a seat-based subscription model. Unity Personal will remain free. Unity Pro and Enterprise will receive price increases starting in January 2025.
Exclusive: Unity is killing its controversial Runtime Fee
The company is reverting to a seat-based subscription model, but will be increasing the price of Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise in January 2025
This gained a *little bit* of traction, so I'm gonna take the opportunity to nudge y'all in the direction of
@gamedevdotcom
if you want ongoing in-depth coverage on the Unity debacle.
Lend us your support so we can keep reporting on the issues that matter to game devs.
The games industry is mad because whether you work in media, development, PR, publishing or whatever you can be acquired by a company worth billions and somehow feel MORE unsafe.
It will be retaining:
-Gearbox Publishing San Francisco, including the publishing rights to the Remnant franchise, Hyper Light Breaker and other unannounced titles
-Cryptic Studios, including Neverwinter Online and Star Trek Online
-Lost Boys Interactive
-Captured Dimensions
Here's a BIG ONE. I spent months chatting with union staff and members from around the world to learn about the trials and triumphs that unionization brings.
The TLDR? Fear often prevents devs from speaking out, but that's why it's vital the industry finds its collective voice.
Corporate kryptonite? Developers and insiders discuss the power of game industry unions
Union workers and members get candid about the value of collective action within an increasingly hostile industry
The Australian dev scene has become a poster child for indie success, but what's it actually like making games in the region?
I spoke with local developers and advocates during a recent trip to Melbourne in an effort find out. There's hope down under, but also huge challenges:
The triumphs and struggles of the resurgent Australian game industry
"There has been an extraordinary evolution over a period of time but I wouldn't necessarily call it revolution."
I spent months chatting with advocates and developers about the impact of miscrediting in the games industry.
With their help, I also sought to outline some best-practices and possible solutions that might address what's become a persistent and pervasive issue.
More below:
Developers anonymous: The normalization and impact of miscrediting in games
"It's hard to be excited about a release when you know your name or title is left out. It's effectively stealing someone else's work."
This is looooooooong overdue.
Game composers have been creating incredible works for years, so I'm hopeful this will encourage more major award shows to recognise their efforts.
Grammy organizers to introduce video game music category in 2023
The first-ever Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games award will be up for grabs next year
Had a fantastic chat with Pacific Drive game director
@SIRrosen
at Gamescom.
The drive-to-survive adventure was easily one of the highlights of the show, not least because of how it manages to sell the surreal pitch at its core. Keep an eye on this one.
Here's a bit of good news amid the deluge of layoffs. The developers at Polish studio Flying Wild Hog have unionised!
Notably, Flying Wild Hog says it has become the first Embracer-owned studio to unionise and the third to rally under the Polish Gamedev Workers Union banner.
Embracer-owned studio Flying Wild Hog has unionized
"The union membership has been steadily growing, and if you too want to act and change the industry for the better—contact us!"
Hello! I'm looking to speak with developers who've successfully joined a union for a multi-source feature on the subject. Can remain anonymous if you'd prefer. DMs open. Email in bio!
(RTs appreciated!)
@nazihfares
Agreed. What's doubly frustrating is the unwillingness to change (or even acknowledge the practice) when called out. Crediting people for their contributions is the *least* an industry that so frequently undervalues its workforce should do. This isn't a big ask.
Humanity is everything you'd expect from a game published by Enhance. It's a weird, surreal, often hilarious puzzler that elevates a simple concept (move souls from A to B) into something verging on genius. It's right up there with Tetris Effect, which I absolutely adored.
GAMESCOM 2024.
Yes, I'm going.
Yes, I'm keen to speak with devs, publishers, and everyone in-between for
@gamedevdotcom
.
Yes, that means you should email me (deeds in bio) if you want to catch up.
See you in Germany 🇩🇪
I've been looking for a reason to chat with
@KommanderKlobb
and
@Dick_Hogg
about Hohokum for YEARS, and with the game celebrating its eighth anniversary (today!) and heading to Steam I finally had the perfect excuse.
Legacy of the Long Mover: A Hohokum retrospective
As Hohokum heads to Steam and celebrates its 8th birthday, we sit down with co-creators Richard Hogg and Ricky Haggett to delve into the creation of the whimsical adventure
NEW: Keywords debuts AI-driven FAQ translation tool it claims will "reduce translation costs by 100 percent."
I asked the company, which also offers localisation services, whether similar tech could reduce the need for human translators elsewhere.
It wouldn't answer.
Keywords launches AI-powered FAQ translation tool it says will reduce costs by 100 percent
Helpshift, a subsidiary of Keywords, will bundle the feature into its customer support platform
AMAZE was a blast and something I think every dev should experience at least once. Will have Hyper Talk writeups and more THOUGHTS on
@gamedevdotcom
next week.
NEW: EA published its Proxy Statement over the weekend and revealed that its exec team earned over $60M during 2024–a year that saw the company lay off 5 percent of its workforce.
CEO Andrew Wilson received around $25.6 million–or 172 times more than the median EA worker.
Back from GDC. Immediately did two loads of washing and then napped for four hours. I still can't recall what it feels like to be human, but give it a few days and I'll be wishing I could do it all again.
Arco is out (later) today. It's the game with cute llamas and simultaneous turn-based combat. It looks adorable, bloody, and properly bonkers.
I spoke with developers
@Franrekk
,
@FayerDev
, and
@bibikigarcia
ahead of launch to learn all about it.
Flock is out today! Had this one on my radar for a while, so ahead of launch I caught up with Hollow Ponds creative director
@KommanderKlobb
and Rekim Ltd programmer
@mike_robbo
to learn how those titular flocks were made reality.
Lots of tasty dev insights below! 🐦🌈
Spoke with
@BlackSaltGames
last week for this postmortem that details how the studio raised Dredge from the game development abyss.
Challenges included making fishing accessible, designing mechanics that didn't harsh the vibe, and ensuring waves didn't punt players into the sun.
Trawling in the deep: How Black Salt Games made spooky fishing RPG, Dredge
How do you create waves that don't scupper players, and what goes into building an accessible fishing mini-game? Here there be answers
This preposterously in-depth Hohokum retrospective, which was basically an excuse for me to interview the devs behind one of my favourite games of all time. If you still haven't played Hohokum, stop reading this thread and download it immediately.
Devs! I've been thinking about curating a design document repository over on
@gamedevdotcom
for YEARS and figured it's finally time.
If you'd be willing to share your design doc(s) to help us build a treasure trove of knowledge, please get in touch!
DMs open. Email in bio.
CI Games CEO lauds record annual revenues months after cutting 10 percent of jobs
The Lords of the Fallen developer earned $60 million during fiscal 2023, representing its "best ever" year in terms of revenue
Next up! I spoke with
@KeitaTakahash
,
@Animohler
, and
@shauninman
to find out how they brought time-bending antics to Playdate in Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure!
I asked multiple questions about the ethics of using AI-powered tools to eliminate jobs and whether they'd be able to capture the nuance of human translations.
Keywords refused to answer all of them. That in itself speaks volumes.
I flew to Melbourne to speak with advocates at
@igea
and
@wearevicscreen
, as well as numerous developers based in Australia, to learn more about the highs and lows of making games in a country that's building a reputation as an indie powerhouse.
The triumphs and struggles of the resurgent Australian game industry
"The amount of people accidentally fucking over their contractors and employees is pretty upsetting. Most of us did arts degrees and are simply ignorant of better ways to run things."
It's fascinating to see how Nintendo turned Pikmin from a Yoshi-like blob to one of its most iconic characters (with a little help from none other than Tim Burton).
Early Pikmin concepts included creatures powered by AI chips and "Yoshi-like" blobs
An in-depth interview conducted by Nintendo has shed light on how the franchise was born
I found
@clairebkwong
's talk on 'touch' as a game mechanic at
@AMazeFest
absolutely fascinating.
Even if you're making more conventional video games, I think there's a lesson in here about how creating safe, consensual play spaces encourages experimentation and exploration.
'Touch can bring people together like nothing else': Sparking connections through video game intimacy
Claire Kwong, creator of experimental video game installation Between, shares her findings after exploring the idea of physical touch as a game mechanic
Shout out to
@cabel
for giving the world SLOWBIZ.
For real though, I went to his talk expecting a clean cut Playdate deep dive, and left wondering what the industry might look like if everybody approached business with the same level of sincerity, humility, and care as Panic.
Slowbiz not showbiz: How Playdate maker Panic avoided becoming a "garbage" tech company
"We're a different kind of tech company. We're playing the long game."
Friends, followers, sickos...
... it's time to race
🏁 Phantom Spark - Precision time-trial racing
🚨 AVAILABLE NOW
🖥️ Steam
🎮 Nintendo Switch
🎮 PS4 / PS5
🎮 XBOX SERIES X | S
... right now
I'm so late to the party everyone has gone home but I finally started Disco Elysium last night and am in awe at the writing. Imagine putting those words down. The sheer, palpable thrill of it. Decadent.
BREAKING: Embracer has confirmed a number of Saber Interactive assets, including all Saber branded studios and others like 3D Realms, Slipgate, and New World, have been divested.
The buyer is Beacon Interactive, which is controlled by former Saber co-founder Matthew Karch.
Embracer Group divests 'core' Saber Interactive assets in deal worth $247 million
The deal includes 38 ongoing development projects and studios such as 3D Realms, Slipgate, and New World Interactive
That's a wrap on Jusant. Climbing mechanics are rad. There's a real cadence to the whole experience that intertwines with the narrative in a fascinating way (especially during the last act).
Paced to perfection and damn beautiful.
So the Fallout show is pretty damn good. Lovely to hear so many audio effects from the games, and the visuals are spot on.
I suspect a lot of Bethesda developers are doing the 'leo points at screen' meme right now.
I'm toying with the idea of kickstarting a new series of features for
@gamedevdotcom
that spotlight super small games (think itch/tiny playdate projects) with a superb mechanical hook
If that sounds like something you're working on, please let me know so I can take a look!
Spoke about some of these on the recent GD Podcast, but here are a few of the games that caught my eye at SGF:
- Phoenix Springs
- Battle Vision Network
- While Waiting
- Cairn
A super insightful Q&A with Animal Well developer
@Billy_Basso
. Got a feeling this 2D platformer is going to blow everyone away when it eventually launches.
Lots of wonderful design tidbits here, including concept sketches and WIP gifs.
@HoodedHorseInc
chief product officer Ashkan Namousi says it pains him when devs suffer in silence instead of reaching out for help.
It might sound like a no-brainer, but he says indies need to overcome their shyness and start pelting their publishers with questions.
'Just ask:' Hooded Horse chief product officer tells devs to treat publishers like an open book
'I think, especially in a new relationship, there's a bit of coyness'
I suspect this
@GCAPConf
talk in which
@SanatanaMishra
broke down how to interpret feedback from public demo events will be invaluable to any devs about to attend PAX Australia.
So many useful pointers in here!
Had a very candid chat with
@ustwogames
at Gamescom 2024 (more on that in a certain newsletter on Friday) about the decision to make Monument Valley 3 a Netflix Games exclusive and veer away from the App Store. TL:DR? It's all about discoverability.
Monument Valley 3 is heading to Netflix Games to avoid App Store 'compromise'
'If you think about the choices one might have in the market economy, it's not the same as it was 10 years ago'
So, after a brief flirtation with crypto shills I'm pleased to report that I'M BACK.
If it wasn't already abundantly clear, NFTs are beyond worthless and can get utterly and completely fucked.
Humanity is out today! The latest release from
@enhance_exp
is both a wonderfully absurd puzzler and a heartfelt meditation on what it means to be human.
Last week, I sat down with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Yugo Nakamura, and Mark MacDonald to find out how it all came together.
The struggles and shifting perspectives that birthed Humanity
Humanity producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, designer Yugo Nakamura, and executive producer Mark MacDonald on the design philosophies behind the surreal, logic-bending puzzler
Around 18 months after delivering Hi-Fi Rush, a title Microsoft called a "break out hit," Tango Gameworks staff in Tokyo spent their final day eating pizza and packing up work equipment. The studio is officially closed.
Thank Goodness You're Here! is out today. I spoke with creators
@WontTodd
and
@james_carbutt
ahead of launch to learn more about their approach to absurd, wonderfully northern, comedy.
'Humor is all we've really got': Championing absurdity in Thank Goodness You're Here!
"We got really experimental with it, but I think what worked was very slowly teasing gameplay and narrative out of the gags"
Caught up with
@jesawyer
and
@hothambone
at Gamescom last week to chat about the choice-driven storytelling in Pentiment, a stylish, whip-smart murder mystery set in 16th century Bavaria.
The value of small storytelling in Obsidian's next RPG, Pentiment
"I don't like the idea of a game where all you're doing is focusing on finding the one 'true' answer. I liked that there could be ambiguity."
Almost 750 employees have unionized across Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda Game Studios this week.
There's a sense that unionisation in the game industry is becoming somewhat 'normal.' That might very well be the case, but that's down to worker solidarity–not corporations.
🚨 GIG ALERT 🚨
Game Developer is bringing on a temporary UK news reporter to cover for me when I'm on vacation in October. Additional details in thread below.
If you think you fit the bill, DM/email me directly for more info (check bio).
A flock of Flock articles are taking over Game Developer today to celebrate the latest release from
@hllwpnds
and
@A_i
.
Here we explore the origin of Flock's wide-eyed sheep, which were initially called "ongles, gongles, and bongles" and evolved A LOT during production.
Why Flock turned sheep into Zelda-esque treasure chests
"For a long time, the sheep were almost this separate thing—and a couple of times we were like 'should we just cut the sheep?' Because they were just this weird way of getting clothes"
Devs! I've been thinking about curating a design document repository over on
@gamedevdotcom
for YEARS and figured it's finally time.
If you'd be willing to share your design doc(s) to help us build a treasure trove of knowledge, please get in touch!
DMs open. Email in bio.
If you are looking for something to do this weekend, why not explore a mountaintop in search of strange and silly creatures from the comfort of a giant bird?
Flock’s demo is downloadable on Steam right now!
Sat down with Bit Reactor CEO and creative director
@GregFoertsch
to see how the strategy studio is shaping up after two years and discuss how he's building a team capable of pushing the genre into new territory with its debut Star Wars project.
From XCOM to X-wings: How Bit Reactor is rethinking the rules of strategy design
"We need to look at whether there are opportunities in these games to reward players that actually enhance our design choices."
Myself and
@RBryant2012
have been looking into Unity's shifting explanation regarding who's responsible for Runtime Fees related to titles on Xbox Game Pass and similar services.
TLDR: Something doesn't add up, and it reeks of Unity attempting to rewrite history.
Wise words from
@alexvscoding
at AMAZE Sheffield.
Alt Ctrl titles might be considered a niche, but there are huge swathes of people out there who've never played a video game because the industry is devoted to ageing conventions.
Why not reach out and try something new?
'We're currently choking to death': Glow Golf developer Alex Johansson says the industry must engage new audiences
'Why are we building 100 hour experiences for gamers when there are still a billion people who've never had a 100 second experience?'