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October 2021 Archive

    1. Oculus' John Carmack skeptical about efforts to build the metaverse
    2. Krafton to acquire Subnautica studio Unknown Worlds
    3. SOC Investment Group: Bobby Kotick paycut "falls short of lasting changes"
    4. Pragma raises $22m in Series B funding round
    5. Breaking off the engagement | This Week in Business
    6. The art of fair play: Developing the best systems to deal with players who cheat
    7. Slightly Mad Studios founder and CEO departs
    8. Bobby Kotick asks for minimum salary as Activision addresses toxic culture
    9. Oculus plans to remove Facebook account requirement
    10. Communications Workers of America complaint against Activision Blizzard temporarily withdrawn
    11. Beat Saber passes $100m in revenue on Oculus Quest
    12. Activision acquires Digital Legends
    13. Nintendo draws attention (and ire) to its weak online offering | Opinion
    1. Assassin's Creed Valhalla already second most profitable title in Ubisoft history
    2. Facebook changes name to Meta
    3. Recent acquisitions drive MTG Q3 sales growth
    4. Resident Evil and Monster Hunter boost Capcom Q2 sales to $616m
    5. Indie tides start turning | 10 Years Ago This Month
    6. Kepler Interactive hires former Xbox head as VP of partnerships and portfolio
    7. Mobile version of Terraria sells 1m units in China
    8. Amplifier Game Invest opens new studio Goose Byte
    9. 12 winning tools and strategies for the games industry's work from home era
    10. Sony's quarterly game revenues rise to $10.8bn as PS5 sales pass 13m
    11. Glass Bottom Games turns a profit on Skatebird, shares insight into early costs
    12. US Copyright Office rules console owners can repair optical drives
    13. Age of Empires 4 | Critical Consensus
    14. NFT developers petition Valve to allow games on Steam
    1. Streamlabs: Facebook Gaming surpasses YouTube Gaming in views during Q3
    2. Survios launches 2124 Publishing
    3. Shoji Meguro announces exit from Atlus
    4. One year of Baldur's Gate 3: An adventure in failure and success
    5. Limited Run sees pandemic boosting demand as it constricts supply
    6. Back 4 Blood hits 6 million players
    7. Admix raises $25m in Series B funding round
    8. Xbox hardware revenues up 166% as Microsoft continues to battle supply constraints
    9. Thunderful acquires Robot Teddy, forms new investment pillar
    10. DICE Summit returns to in-person event in 2022
    11. Shadow Warrior 3 delayed to 2022
    1. Activision Blizzard suspends BlizzCon planning
    2. Stadia launches streaming enabled features
    3. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy | Critical Consensus
    4. GoodGame Studios launches publishing division with eyes on mobile
    5. How Unity helped Easy Trigger craft the incredible aesthetic of Huntdown
    6. How to get the most out of your community and embrace its ideas
    7. IronSource acquires marketing platform Bidalgo
    8. Former Blizzard devs form Notorious Studios
    1. Faze Clan goes public with $1bn valuation
    2. Valve answers your questions about SteamDeck and releasing on Steam
    3. Esports added to The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme
    4. Ember Lab recoups development costs for Kena: Bridge of Spirits
    5. The developers that supported the PlayStation Vita until the very end
    6. Court refuses Activision request to pause DFEH suit over alleged ethics violations
    7. King to shut down online games portal Royal Games
    8. FIFA 22 holds No.1 and Resident Evil Village sales jump 227% | UK Boxed Charts
    9. Epic urges court to deny Apple's request to pause anti-steering changes
    1. CD Projekt acquires developer The Molasses Flood
    2. "The epic intimacy of World War II" | This Week in Business
    3. Report: ByteDance lays off dozens at publisher Ohayoo
    4. Advance Wars remake pushed back to spring 2022
    5. EA says FIFA 22's player engagement is “highest ever”
    6. Jen MacLean joins Microsoft as GM of game creator partnerships | Jobs Roundup
    7. EA and FIFA $1bn branding dance | Podcast
    8. Focus Home Interactive acquires partner studio Douze Dixièmes
    9. How to become a video game sound designer
    10. Kazoo Games raises $12m, round led by Garena
    11. Google lowers Play Store subscription share to 15%
    12. NetEase acquires Grasshopper Manufacture
    13. FIFA 22 UK sales were 77% digital | UK Monthly Charts
    14. A missed target reveals Game Pass' growing pains | Opinion
    1. Ubisoft employees upset with lack of communication on misconduct reports
    2. InGAME and Nesta launch $69,000 game dev contest for healthier neighborhoods
    3. Sponsored: Check out Huawei Developer Conference 2021 right here
    4. How streamers pick games: An interview with SplatterCat
    5. Piepacker raises $12m in funding round
    6. Improbable takes another crack at explaining the metaverse
    7. God of War coming to PC in 2022
    8. Has Dbrand done enough to withstand further legal action from Sony?
    9. Sony patent would let viewers vote or pay to remove players from games
    10. Tax breaks and talent are attracting AAA back to Britain, say trade bodies
    11. Cyberpunk 2077 next gen versions delayed to Q1 2022
    1. Koch Media acquires Splatter Connect
    2. Games for Change launches Game Exchange for young developers
    3. Twitch viewership grows 20% year-over-year for September
    4. Facebook reportedly rebranding around metaverse
    5. What's in store at this weekend's Huawei Developer Conference 2021
    6. German ban of Dying Light on Nintendo eShop affects multiple countries
    7. How China's gaming regulations affect its market and the rest of the industry
    8. Square Enix opens London mobile studio
    9. SEC investigates GameStop stock surge, finds no evidence of fraud
    10. Ripstone Games triples footprint with two new studios
    11. Sea of Thieves passes 25m players
    12. 20 Activision Blizzard employees have "exited company" since lawsuit
    13. Xbox Game Pass growth slows as Microsoft misses target
    14. Rare, Criterion, Sumo Digital, Eurogamer, Ubisoft and more join our free student event next week
    1. Activision Blizzard moves to pause California suit over ethics violation
    2. Phil Spencer says Xbox is not done acquiring game studios
    3. Measuring ad performance in a privacy first world
    4. EA to open new studio in Seattle
    5. Spin Master establishes $100m fund, invests in Nørdlight
    6. A developer's guide to releasing a game on Steam
    7. Sony threatens legal action against Dbrand over PS5 faceplates
    8. Obsidian CEO on acquisitions: "Find a partner who's going to be all-in"
    9. How Unpacking kept a steady heartbeat after going viral years before launch
    10. Ubisoft expands partnership with Digital Schoolhouse
    11. Monster Hunter: World passes 20m units sold
    12. Sega's Ikebukuro Gigo arcade to reopen in new venue
    13. Namco artist Hiroshi 'Mr Dotman' Ono has died
    1. Valve releases game compatibility details for Steam Deck
    2. IGDA developer survey sees jump in union participation
    3. Scopley acquires GSN Games for nearly $1bn
    4. US game spending up 3% to $4.4bn in September, says NPD
    5. Elden Ring delayed to February 25
    6. Valve ban deals blockchain gaming a big blow | Opinion
    7. Six essential tips about effective infrastructure management from the experts
    8. Three of the best from GI Live: London | Podcast
    9. FIFA 22 remains at No.1 for third consecutive week | UK Boxed Charts
    10. Blue Box Game Studios taking action against death threats over Abandoned
    11. Download Improbable's 'Crossplay - Power in numbers' ebook
    12. Epic welcomes blockchain and NFT games as Steam bans them
    1. FIFA doesn't want an exclusive license deal
    2. Twitch says "minimal" impact to users from hack
    3. Steam bans blockchain and NFT games
    4. Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion subscription will cost $50 a year
    5. Netflix takes a page from gaming's playbook | This Week in Business
    6. Tencent-owned Team Kaiju is searching for the untapped fantasies of first-person shooters
    7. Lucid Sight raises $2.6m
    8. Riot Games acquires media tech firm Kanga
    9. GamesAid appoints George Osborn and Terry Hayes as new co-chairs
    10. Xbox Series X|S sells 100,000 units in Japan
    11. Would losing the FIFA name hurt EA? | Opinion
    12. MercurySteam responds to complaints over staff missing from credits
    13. Fantasy and Destiny: Designing for returning players | Opinion
    1. Mobile veterans form Papukaya
    2. IronSource acquires Tapjoy for roughly $400m
    3. When a game blows up, how do you deal with the fallout?
    4. Sledgehammer Games opens new UK studio
    5. Rovio Toronto preparing to take flight
    6. Former Aeon Must Die developers issue fresh demands to Focus and Limestone as game finally launches
    7. Final Fantasy 14 surpasses 24m players, is series' most profitable game
    8. Stillfront reportedly sued for $30m over mobile subsidiary Kixeye
    9. Introducing Kepler Interactive, a publisher run by independent developers
    10. Resetera sold for $4.5 million
    11. It Takes Two sells 3m copies
    12. Activision announces new anti-cheat system for Call of Duty
    1. Report: FIFA wants EA to double payments for next licensing deal
    2. ArenaNet and Ubisoft veterans create new studio Possibility Space
    3. Why a pandemic was the perfect time to launch the first Brazilian Games Week
    4. How to update your game without impacting player experience (or revenue)
    5. Navigating the post-IDFA world: All you need to know about iOS 14.5
    6. Unity aims to achieve net zero carbon emission
    7. Nintendo Switch OLED UK launch significantly bigger than Switch Lite
    8. Creating game videos: best practices and pitfalls to avoid
    9. Google countersues Epic Games for breach of contract
    10. Communications Workers of America union also objects to EEOC, Activision Blizzard settlement
    11. The next free GI Academy student event set for October 27th - 29th
    1. Riot disables League of Legends /all chat to cut down on toxicity
    2. EA and FIFPRO extend contract
    3. Paradox the subject of additional reports of discrimination
    4. Virtuos opens new studio in Lyon
    5. Epic Games credits Among Us devs for Impostors Mode
    6. Evercade VS delayed
    7. Ubisoft employees call for removal of 'role model' evaluation goal over concerns of misuse
    8. Do Steam's pre-launch wishlists and post-launch sales line up meaningfully?
    9. SideQuest raises $3m to fuel VR development
    10. IO Interactive reports record-breaking year driven by Hitman 3
    11. Raw Fury games to be adapted for TV and film
    12. Just how big is the Metroid franchise in the UK? | UK Time Tunnel
    13. Former Apple Arcade head leading PlayStation's mobile strategy
    14. Magic Leap raises $500m, unveils Magic Leap 2
    1. California DFEH accused of ethics violations in Activision Blizzard lawsuit
    2. Post-pandemic games investment must go beyond "fishing in the same pond"
    3. My.Games hires former Activision Blizzard exec as head of Europe
    4. Hypercasual startup Homa Games raises $50m
    5. Metroid Dread | Critical Consensus
    6. GOG removes Hitman from store due to online requirements
    7. Chinese state media calls for closure of gaming restrictions
    8. Apple appeals against court ruling that would enable external payment options
    9. Metroid Dread is the highest-grossing Metroid game launch in UK history | UK Boxed Charts
    1. Nazara Technologies raises $42m in funding
    2. Square Enix backtracks on cosmetics-only pledge for Avengers microtransactions
    3. Gaming's short-sighted treatment of its own history | This Week in Business
    4. US gaming has lost half of the audience gains it made in 2020 - NPD
    5. My.Games VC invests in three studios
    6. Assassin's Creed, Stadia and kindness: Introducing Jade Raymond's Haven Studio
    7. New leadership at Yakuza studio as series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi departs
    8. Dutch antitrust regulator finds Apple App Store payments anti-competitive
    9. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard sells 10m copies globally
    10. Nacon acquires Ishtar Games, launches indie label
    11. Jade Raymond, Warner Music and more: Watch today's free GI Live sessions here
    12. Amazon could be Valve's only serious challenger | Opinion
    1. Eidos Montreal and Eidos Sherbrooke announce four-day work week
    2. Infinity Ward opening new studio in Austin
    3. California prepping objection to Activision Blizzard-EEOC settlement
    4. Twitch was warned about security and safety issues - Report
    5. Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama dies aged 90
    6. Microsoft expands "right to repair" options following shareholder resolution
    7. Jim Ryan: “I would love a world where hundreds of millions enjoy our games”
    8. AppLovin acquires MoPub from Twitter for $1bn
    9. GAME confident of "healthy Q4" as dry spell of new releases ends
    10. Far Cry 6 | Critical Consensus
    11. Psychonauts 2's mental health approach: Handle with care
    12. Studio director at Arkane Lyon leaves after 17 years
    13. EA could rename FIFA games franchise
    14. PlayStation's Jim Ryan, Obsidian Entertainment and more: Watch today's free GI Live sessions here
    15. DAGERSystem launches Accessible Games Database
    16. Is Bandai Namco on the verge of cracking the West?
    17. Randy Pitchford steps away from Gearbox Software, leads Gearbox Studios
    18. Twitch confirms it was hacked by "a malicious third party"
    1. Unpacking wins Game of the Year at 2021 Australian Game Developer Awards
    2. StreamElements launches 2021 Creator Diversity Program
    3. Microids opening new Paris studio
    4. How should Rockstar handle GTA 5's transphobia on next-gen? | Podcast
    5. An introduction to game worker cooperatives
    6. Worldwide esports viewership will grow to 519 million by 2024 - Report
    7. New Ofcom rules calls for Twitch and platforms to better police video content
    8. How Midwinter Entertainment iterates at speed with the help of Improbable Multiplayer Services
    9. Twitch hacked, source code and creator payout information leaked online
    10. PlayStation to discontinue card payments for PS3 and Vita stores
    11. The Pokémon Company partners with Universal Studios
    12. Monster Hunter Rise passes 7.5m copies shipped
    13. Amazon CEO says games could become its biggest entertainment category
    1. Niantic acquires Hoss
    2. Epic Games Store launching achievements systems
    3. The show must go on: Running Melbourne International Games Week during a sixth lockdown
    4. MechWarrior Online maker renames 'Trans Rights' team, then reverses decision
    5. Peter Moore on the future of sports and the history of games
    6. Obsidian's Feargus Urquhart completes GI Live: London line-up
    7. EGX Career Stage 2021 full schedule revealed
    8. Games industry hit by Facebook outage
    1. Konami holds contest to have indies revive old IP
    2. Valve cancels physical ticket sales for The International 2021, event will be shown online
    3. Nominations now open for Game Changers 2021
    4. Blocking ransomware, hackers and more: What you need to know about security for games
    5. Paradox cancels several unannounced projects amid ongoing company shakeup
    6. Why bother bringing back Alan Wake?
    7. Xbox introduces accessibility tags in its store
    8. Phil Spencer expects Xbox console shortage to extend into 2022
    9. Former Starbreeze CEO Mikael Nermark has died
    10. Apple estimated to earn more from gaming than Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo
    1. FIFA 22's boxed launch down 35% over FIFA 21 | UK Boxed Charts
    1. Capcom intends to make PC its main platform
    2. StreamElements acquires Paragon
    3. Honor of Kings breaks $10bn in lifetime revenue
    4. Activision Blizzard settles for less | This Week in Business
    5. Kalypso announces new studio in Munich
    6. Twitch adds Boost feature that lets viewers pay to promote streams
    7. A beginner's guide to mobile distribution
    8. Voodoo acquires mobile studio Beach Bum
    9. Product Madness acquires Playsoft
    10. Epic Games, Wizards of the Coast and Miniclip join GI Live: London
    11. Can Marvel's Avengers find long-tail success on Game Pass? | Opinion