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June 2018 Archive

    1. International Olympic Committee to host esports forum
    2. End is Nigh dev uses achievement stats to determine Steam sales data
    3. Kotaku Compete shuts down
    4. French gambling regulator criticizes loot boxes, stops short of regulation
    5. Life is Strange: Before the Storm takes home two Games for Change awards
    6. Frostpunk picks up Best Game at BIG Festival Awards
    7. EA Sports VP Daryl Holt on loot boxes: "Our model is sustainable"
    8. Frontier: “We want to become a third-party publisher”
    9. Winners of Will Wright's Proxi Challenge revealed
    10. Rovio's Wilhelm Taht resurfaces on Animoca Brands board of directors
    11. Amy Hennig: Atomised development, not crunch, will lead to games industry unions
    12. 2K Games banks on Carnival Games to recreate Wii success on Switch
    13. Our Uncertain Streaming Future
    1. Valve working on something "better than Steam Spy"
    2. Prey ties SGDQ donation incentive to in-game skin
    3. State of Decay 2 celebrates 3 million players
    4. Epic awards $1 million in grants to 37 teams
    5. H1Z1: Battle Royale beta reaches 10 million PS4 players
    6. Google reportedly planning streaming platform, gaming hardware
    7. Jobs Roundup: Invisible Hours writer Rob Yescombe moves to Valve
    8. Halo TV series gets green light at Showtime
    9. Niantic acquires Matrix Mill
    10. Shuntaro Furukawa officially takes over as Nintendo president
    11. Amy Hennig confirms EA departure
    12. Sega Europe names Gary Dale as new president and COO
    13. French mobile studio Oh BiBi secures $21m for future titles
    14. Crackdown creator David Jones on what his departure means for the franchise
    15. Fig: Digital currency won't be what makes blockchain go mainstream
    16. National Videogame Arcade to move as British Games Institute relocates to new Sheffield HQ
    17. Forza Horizon 4's stream-to-earn function is Microsoft's latest attempt to push Mixer
    18. Warner Bros surprised by Bethesda's “baseless accusation” in Westworld lawsuit
    19. Nintendo names Koji Miyake as new European CEO
    20. US Judge halves ZeniMax's $500m win in Facebook Oculus legal battle
    21. Snapchat reportedly launching a gaming platform
    1. Tencent: Chinese esports market expected to grow to $1.5 billion in 2020
    2. Elgato sells gaming business to Corsair
    3. Blizzard adds "endorsements" to encourage positive behavior in Overwatch
    4. Which game companies could be using slave labor?
    5. Sensible Object: “Voice control will bring people closer together”
    6. Sony changes tone on PS4 cross-play with Xbox One, Switch
    7. Xbox and Nintendo gang up on PlayStation in cross-platform row
    8. EA Sports creates 24 jobs with new division in Madrid
    9. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds dev drops lawsuit against Fortnite
    10. Australian classification board to reconsider We Happy Few ban
    11. Google launches Indie Games Accelerator in Asia
    12. 69% of Fortnite players have bought in-game purchases, average spend is $85
    13. Minecraft partners with The Nature Conservatory to restore coral reefs
    1. E3 2018 audience breaks Twitch all-time concurrent viewer record
    2. Worldwide esports to hit $2.17 billion by 2023 - Report
    3. Monument Valley 2 sold almost 3.5 million copies in its first year
    4. How Hitman Sniper prepared Square Enix Montreal for the switch to freemium
    5. Fortnite growth slows in May as Pokemon Go makes comeback
    6. Indie post-apocalyptic comedy game 60 Seconds sells one million units
    7. Epic Games sues former QA contractor over Fortnite leak
    8. Global expansion for Insomnia Gaming Festival
    9. WHO expert defends gaming disorder listing: "This moral panic lives its own life"
    10. Donut County developer speaks out on frustration of app store clones
    11. Overwatch hacker jailed by South Korean court
    12. Madmind Studio cancels Agony Unrated
    13. Sony stops launch of explicit anime dungeon crawler
    14. Newzoo: Mobile most popular platform, least popular to spend money on
    15. Nintendo adds Mario Kart functionality to boost Labo sales
    1. Trion Worlds acquires Gazillion Entertainment assets
    2. Star Control II developers crowdfund legal fight for IP control
    3. Guillemot explains Ubisoft's apolitical political games
    4. Avalanche Studios finds the line between AAA and independence
    5. Gamelab closes out line-up with Lemmings creator and EA Sports VP
    6. "People make the mistake of saying, 'This is what you really want'"
    7. Mario Tennis Aces claims top spot in the UK retail chart
    8. FIFA 18 remains No. 1 in Europe for third week running
    9. Immortals acquire previously defunct Brazilian esports brand MIBR
    1. Microsoft switches to blockchain tech for publisher royalty calculation
    2. Bluehole to acquire Delusion Studio
    3. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice hits one million sales across all platforms
    4. Bethesda sues over Westworld mobile game
    5. What Apptopia learned from four years of top grossing mobile games
    6. Tickets on sale for GamesIndustry.biz Summer Party in Brighton
    7. Fancensus: Fallout 76 most viewed game on YouTube of E3 2018
    8. Fortnite, Fallout 76, Cyberpunk 2077 lead E3 media coverage
    9. Nintendo and Microsoft unite against Sony with Minecraft cross-platform play
    10. Prickly denial is the wrong response to WHO's "gaming disorder"
    11. You Must Build a Boat joins Mightier
    12. Intel CEO resigns over breach of "non-fraternisation" policy
    13. YouTube challenges Twitch by expanding $5 channel memberships
    14. Discord adds new Games tab
    15. HTC gives 110 Vive headsets to US libraries
    1. The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast: E3 Aftermath (2018 Edition)
    2. For EA and loot boxes, "Fair is the number one thing"
    3. Reagent Games no longer working on Crackdown 3, seemingly shuttered
    4. PUBG offers compensation for erroneously banned players
    5. PayPal blocks school shooting simulator dev from making sales online
    6. Team17, Private Division and UK Games Fund added to GamesIndustry.biz Investment Summit
    7. The blood, sweat and tears behind Cyberpunk 2077
    8. NPD: Software sales slump in May offset by hardware and accessory spending
    9. Dungeon Fighter Online gross lifetime revenue exceeds $10bn
    10. New security measure from Nintendo 'perfectly prevents' digital piracy on the Switch
    11. Jobs Roundup: Alto's Odyssey producer leaves for Cuphead studio
    12. Nintendo attracts most attention on Twitter during E3
    13. Inkle starts a bold new chapter with Heaven's Vault
    14. Shroud of the Avatar developer lays off staff
    15. Mighty Bear Games closes seven-figure seed funding round
    1. Pokemon Quest captures 2.5 million downloads
    2. DLC: The VR cooldown
    3. Why Unravel Two is not on Nintendo Switch
    4. Valve disables CS:GO and DOTA 2 item trading in Netherlands after legal warning
    5. TinyTap raises $5m for user-generated educational games
    6. Ukie: WHO gaming disorder diagnosis is based on "highly contested evidence"
    7. Fortnite hits $100m revenue in its first 90 days on iOS
    8. Steam Creator Homepages enters beta
    9. American Girl dolls get Xbox One accessories
    10. Studios commit to removing Red Shell due to player complaints
    11. Ubisoft won't whitewash Ancient Greece with Assassin's Creed Odyssey
    12. Unity and Google Cloud announce partnership to create multiplayer development suite
    13. PUBG reaches over 400m total players to date, 50m units sold
    14. CEO and studio director of Owlchemy Labs to co-found new venture
    1. Sony launches PlayStation Hits line for PS4
    2. Human: Fall Flat surpasses four million units sold globally
    3. Digital distributor Libredia to enter publishing
    4. E3 2018: Every major announcement and release date
    5. The joys of living in a Bubble (Bobble)
    6. Phones within phones: Simulating real apps to explore real issues
    7. Industry trade bodies from around the globe unite to condemn 'gaming disorder' decision
    8. Fortnite breaks record for concurrent Twitch viewers
    9. Nintendo and Disney partner for family TV show
    10. Microsoft condemns separation of families at US border
    11. Critical Force nets $6.3m investment to scale esports operation
    12. GameStop in buyout talks, reports Reuters
    1. Valve continues work on rejected iOS Steam Link app
    2. Sensible Object raises $3.2 million for R&D, customer acquisition
    3. Gamurs esports media network raises $2.2 million
    4. WHO makes 'gaming disorder' diagnosis official
    5. E3 2018: Microsoft finally comes out of its "self-imposed damage control position"
    6. Owner of fake Kaz Hirai Twitter account bows out with charity drive
    7. Valve continues its fight against "fake games" on Steam
    8. PUBG Corp. defends the use of asset stores as the only way to "work smart"
    9. UK Charts: No new releases as PS4 dominates
    10. Sea of Thieves hit three month target in a single day
    11. PlayStation 4 sale transforms EMEA games charts
    1. The GamesIndustry.biz E3 Award Winners
    2. Streaming could be key to Xbox reclaiming the lead from PlayStation
    3. Activision Blizzard hires communications veteran Kristen Binns from Twitter
    4. HitRecord "has to draw a line somewhere" on payment for Beyond Good & Evil assets
    5. Former Telltale CEO sues developer over alleged breach of contract
    6. Xbox and Nintendo speak out against Fortnite PS4 stalemate
    7. Naughty Dog marks The Last of Us' fifth birthday with 17m copies sold
    8. E3 attendance reaches highest point since 2005
    9. E3 2018: Starting next-gen hype early is bad for business
    10. Bethesda to raise money for charity by selling Fallout 76 trailer song
    1. PlayStation briefing a response to "shallow" E3 press conferences
    2. E3 2018: Cyberpunk 2077 astounds, but so do the crowds
    3. Celebrating experience and tackling ageism: 50 Over 50 industry list revealed
    4. Is Nintendo Switch in trouble?
    5. Fortnite racks up two million downloads on Switch in a single day
    6. PlayStation 4 owners can't access Fortnite accounts on Switch
    7. Nintendo: Loot boxes "have gotten a bit of a bad rap"
    8. THQ Nordic completes share issue worth $168m
    9. Netflix and Telltale partner on Minecraft TV show, Stranger Things game
    1. Xbox's evolving first-party strategy
    2. Even Assassin's Creed is a live service now
    3. E3 Roundtable: E3 2018 showed an industry on the brink of change
    4. Sunset for LawBreakers as shooter prepares to go offline after only a year
    5. Apple clamps down on developers sharing data on users' friends
    6. Valve to challenge Discord with overhauled Steam Chat
    7. Epic Games announces 2019 Fortnite World Cup as game reaches 125m players
    8. Steam deprecating support for Windows Vista and XP
    1. Nintendo Direct shows off packed release schedule for 2018
    2. Read the GamesIndustry.biz E3 Special Magazine right here
    3. Fortnite to launch for Nintendo Switch today
    4. The Elder Scrolls VI is still in pre-production, not yet "playable"
    5. E3 2018: Watch the Nintendo Direct here
    6. E3 Roundtable: PlayStation disappoints on a day short on surprises
    7. FIFA 18 tops European charts with combined digital and retail sales
    8. Playground Games: "Our best is yet to come" thanks to Microsoft acquisition
    9. Tripwire Interactive opens a publishing division
    10. Detroit: Become Human hits one million sales faster than any Quantic Dream game
    11. Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima headline Sony's E3 briefing
    1. Valve launching Steam China with Perfect World
    2. Beyond Good & Evil 2, Assassin's Creed and Miyamoto (again) light up Ubisoft's E3 briefing
    3. Ubisoft and HitRecord sourcing community-created assets for Beyond Good and Evil 2
    4. E3 2018: Watch the PlayStation press conference here
    5. InnoGames to close second location in Dusseldorf and merge with Hamburg HQ
    6. Zeldathon charity marathon seeks to break $375,000 record
    7. Phil Spencer on Microsoft's commitment to the traditional console experience
    8. E3 2018: Watch the Ubisoft press conference here
    9. E3 Roundtable: Microsoft's first-party intent, EA's loot box lament
    10. Celebrate the people who inspire you with Game Dev Heroes
    11. Ninja Theory bosses explain decision to join Microsoft Studios
    12. Keywords buys Blindlight for $3.6 million
    13. Dontnod's Vampyr is the UK's number one game
    14. Wales Interactive co-founder David Banner to receive MBE
    15. Microsoft boosts Xbox Game Pass with better third-party support
    16. The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield close out Bethesda E3 briefing
    1. Halo Infinite, Gears trio and Cyberpunk 2077 lead Xbox's E3 2018 line-up
    2. Microsoft super-sizes first-party studio system
    1. EA CEO's damage control speech: “We want to be better”
    2. EA touts "profound impact" of streaming and subscription, announces Origin Access Premier
    3. Anthem deep dive, Jedi: Fallen Order and EA Originals lead publisher's E3 2018 showcase
    4. E3 2018: Watch the Bethesda press conference here
    5. E3 2018: Watch the Xbox press conference here
    1. E3 2018: Watch the Electronic Arts conference here
    2. ESA Foundation launches "We Are" diversity initiative
    3. How Playground is hiring top talent for its secret second project
    4. IO partners with Warner Bros for Hitman 2, ditches episodic format
    5. EON Foundation raises $5 million for blockchain game publishing
    6. Microsoft pushes Crackdown 3 to February 2019
    7. Facebook's Level Up program aims to support new creators
    8. Mail.ru partners with Unity to offer funding to developers
    9. Xbox has everything to prove at E3
    1. Valve removes AIDS Simulator, other controversial games from Steam Store
    2. Harebrained Schemes parts ways with designer accused of sexual harassment
    3. Bad Robot, Tencent team up to open new dev studio
    4. Monolith Soft opens Iidabashi studio
    5. Supercell acquires minority stake in Redemption Games
    6. Fast Travel Games: "Think long and hard on free locomotion in VR"
    7. Half of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon's week one sales were on Switch
    8. Jobs Roundup: MZ appoints new CEO
    9. Yves Guillemot: We're approaching the final console generation
    10. Itch.io: Valve's new stance on content "ridiculous" and "out of touch"
    1. Valve's new content policy is a gutless attempt to dodge responsibility
    2. Steam Store to allow everything that isn't illegal or trolling
    3. How can indies build their brand?
    4. E3 2018: When and where to watch all the press conferences
    5. Steam "might have killed our business"
    6. Nier Automata exceeds three million sales
    7. Indiegogo confirms debt collectors will recoup crowdfunding money for ZX Spectrum Vega+
    8. Arena of Valor tournament will mark Tencent's E3 debut
    9. Australian gamers could face throttled data usage
    10. Using AI to take the "emotional work" out of community management
    1. One-third of UK women gamers report abuse or discrimination from male gamers
    2. High school esports firm PlayVS raises $15 million
    3. Ubisoft tests limited revenue sharing for Rainbow Six Pro League
    4. Paradox Interactive acquires Harebrained Schemes for at least $7.5 million
    5. Onrush: The shooter-inspired racer that saved the Evolution team
    6. What makes Dark Souls work?
    7. Limited Run Games to host own E3 press conference
    8. Developers can now offer free trials on the App Store
    9. How Minit's team found creativity through limitations
    10. Keywords Studios secures €105m credit for yet more acquisitions
    11. iOS developers have made $100 billion since App Store launched
    12. State of Decay 2 hits 2 million players across Xbox and PC
    13. CI Games partners with Defiant Studios for Lords of the Fallen 2
    14. Florence and Inside among the winners of Apple's Design Awards
    15. Apple deprecates support for OpenGL
    16. Horizon Zero Dawn wins the Ivor Novello Award
    1. The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast: E3 Expectations (2018 Edition)
    2. Microsoft acquires GitHub for $7.5 billion
    3. Deep UX: The last "Here Be Dragons" area of modern game development
    4. Indiegogo extends deadline for ZX Spectrum Vega+ as June shipping date announced
    5. Activision ending Guitar Hero TV in December
    6. Retailer Xbite concerned by “adverse effect” of indie closures
    7. World Cup fever propels FIFA 18 back to No.1 in UK charts
    8. Bethesda's Todd Howard to receive Industry Legend Award at Gamelab
    9. Evolve servers to shut down in September
    1. Pokemon Quest reaches one million downloads
    2. Bungie gets more than $100 million investment from NetEase
    3. Square Enix Montreal abandons Go series, will continue work on mobile
    4. Twitch promotes Pride Month, raises money for Human Rights Campaign
    5. First Overwatch League Grand Finals event sells out Barclays Center
    6. Tomonobu Itagaki: From Team Ninja to Ronin
    7. Roblox will teach kids to code with new educational initiative
    8. Why Platinum Games may never work with a publisher again
    9. Riot Games donating all proceeds from limited edition skin to charity
    10. Arc System Works introduces 'non-negotiable' streaming guidelines
    11. Unity and Universal reveal GameDev Challenge finalists
    12. Former Xbox boss Shane Kim named interim CEO at GameStop
    13. Games account for 75% of App Store spending
    14. PUBG vs Fortnite: Let the market decide