Zynga’s acquisition of Finland’s Small Giant Games last year represented a triumph for the surging Finnish mobile gaming studio as well as another sign of its new owner’s turnaround.
But given that most acquisitions fail, it was also a huge risk for both sides. How can one company buy another without quashing the culture and creativity that made it a success?
I discussed this subject…
Dreamscaper puts a nightmarish twist on action-RPGs
December 9, 2019
This article is made possible by Intel’s GameDev BOOST program — dedicated to helping indie game developers everywhere achieve their dreams
Afterburner Studios began as a lark. Cofounders Robert Taylor, Ian Cofino, and Paul Svoboda had just left their previous company…
Bethesda stops work on 'The Elder Scrolls: Legends'
December 9, 2019
It’s not a good time for card battle games, apparently. Bethesda has put all The Elder Scrolls: Legends development “on hold” for an indefinite amount of time, effectively canceling both the console version and a planned card set. The game will still be…
Super Mario Maker 2 is a really good game. I love playing it. I’ve gone back to it again and again since it debuted over the summer. But I’m still baffled by Nintendo’s struggle to get parts of it right.
The publisher just launched the second major update for the make-your-own-Mario platformer this week. And it’s a pretty beefy patch. It features new tools for building stages and even the…
Fortnite‘s tie-in with Star Wars is about to extend beyond a stormtrooper skin. Gamers have discovered that Disney is premiering a scene from The Rise of Skywalker at the game’s Risky Reels drive-in theater on December 14th at 2PM Eastern, with…
Twitch streamer DrDisRespect is creating a TV show
December 7, 2019
Guy Beahm IV, a popular Twitch streamer known for his alter ego DrDisRespect, is developing a narrative scripted series about the character he created. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s working on the project under a deal with Skybound Entertainment, the…
If you livestream on Twitch or YouTube, you may have thought about getting a multi-camera switcher to boost your production values. The problem is devices that can handle that while doing picture-in-picture and other effects can cost up to a grand. However, Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Mini is a four-input switcher that can handle transitions, picture-in-picture, pro-level audio control and more…
Developers using the Epic Games Store now have more options for processing payments. Epic told developers this week that they can set up alternative systems for taking in-app purchases. This should help studios that want to make games that appeal to people in countries that…
It appears that Platinum Games will release current-gen remasters of Bayonetta and Vanquish, two of the studio’s most popular games, early next year on Xbox One. This week, separate listings for the two titles, along with a bundle that includes both of them, have…
Call of Duty Endowment and U.S. Army create Code Bowl esports event for armed forces
December 5, 2019
The Call of Duty Endowment and the U.S. Army Esports are announcing the first-ever Code Bowl event on December 13.
The event will feature eight teams, each captained by a popular streamer playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare along with members of the U.S. Army Esports team.
Each team will be competing to become the Code Bowl Champions by earning the most points in-game. Each team will include a…
