Finji’s Adam Saltsman- Tips for deciding which game ideas to pursue
In his Wednesday GDC talk, Adam Saltsman of Finji describes a nightmare scenario that will give any game developer chills.
A couple walks up to him and says that they’ve just quite their jobs and plowed their life savings into making an indie game…that looks a lot like other indie games that are already out there on the market.
They’ve run out of money, and they’re seeking Saltsman’s advice on what they should do next. Take out a loan? Do some marketing?
There is no good answer. “It’s way too late,” says Saltsman. “There’s just no good version of what to do next. A little more care a little earlier in the process helps a lot.”
That…
Scottish Games Week skips 2024, promises late 2025 return
The annual Scottish Games Week will be a no-show for 2024.
Per founder and director Brian Baglow, the organizers put it on rest mode due to "disruption across the video game ecosystem and political landscape." With "ongoing" delays in funding and government support, Baglow says he doesn't want 2024 to have a "substandard" showing.
Since its start in 2022, SGW has been billed as Scotland's biggest games event. While temporary, its loss creates a further rift between the country's developers and that of other UK regions like London.
Baglow assured SGW would return in October 2025 "bigger, better, and more creative than ever.&q…
Space Ape Games launches offshoot studio NextBeat
Mobile developer Space Ape Games recently launched a spinoff team called NextBeat, reports PocketGamer. Several Space Ape employees are transferring to the new studio, including co-founder Simon Hade as its CEO and product manager George Yao as head of live games.
Per MobileGamer, 30 staffers currently make up NextBeat. Several non-Space Ape developers have joined, such as CFO (and Kepler Interactive veteran) Joe Adams.
NextBeat's emergence comes as Space Ape is set to be fully acquired by Supercell by the spring Come from Soccer 13 pools and matches . The Clash of Clans
Microsoft is bringing cloud gaming to Xbox consoles later this year
Microsoft is bringing cloud game streaming to Xbox Series X | S and Xbox One consoles later this year.
Those keen to access the feature will need a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Once subscribed, users will gain access to over 100 cloud-supported titles on their consoles. Come from Soccer 13 pools and matches
It's already possible to use cloud streaming to play Xbox titles on a number of devices including tablets and smartphones, but Microsoft is keen to put the functionality in the hands of console owners to let them try-before-they-install and give them more flexibility when it comes to managing storage space.
As detailed…
Studio Fizbin shutting down after Reignbreaker’s mid-March release
Developer Studio Fizbin revealed its upcoming game, Reignbreaker, will be its last. After the game's release on March 18, the developer will close its doors.
In a statement, founder and CEO Alexander Pieper explained Fizbin was impacted by Thunderful's late 2024 decision to "drastically reduce internal development." Since that news, he said the team looked at different ways to keep going after Reignbreaker's launch, but said "none of those projects will move us forward, leading us to make this difficult decision."
This marks the first set of layoffs for the month of March that we&#…
The Switch sold over 830,000 units during Thanksgiving week alone
Over 830,000 Nintendo Switch consoles were sold in the United States last week, making for the system’s best overall sales week in its nearly 3 years out in the wild.
Those numbers come straight from Nintendo itself, and kick the console’s lifetime sales in the Americas to 17.5 million units. Last we heard, the Switch had sold somewhere over 15 million units in North America, as of mid-October.
Nintendo attributes this surge in Switch demand to a suite of attractive Black Friday bundles advertised that week, the recent launch of the portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite, and the console’s expansive game library. Both recent and older releases hit sales milestones over the holiday week as well.
Ni…
PlayStation finds two new execs for its mobile game division
PlayStation has uploaded a new pair of executives to lead its mobile division. As of today, Olivier Courtemanche and Justin Kubiak hold respective positions as the head of mobile and leader of mobile business development and partnerships at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).
Both men have been at SIE since 2022: Courtemanche, an alum of EA and Meta, started out as a senior director for PlayStation Studios' mobile division and last year became co-head alongside Kris Davis. Kubiak joined SIE in licensing mobile partnerships and previously worked at Samsung and NCSoft.
Game Developer’s 2024 Wrap-Up- Holly Green’s top 10 games of the year
2024 was a great year for unconventional games: short games, silly games, games that weren’t games. Games with cool skeleton guys. Games with cats. Games that challenged convention and reinvented the mainstream, and did so with style.
These titles proved that the simple things in life are some of the sweetest and that, whatever its outer trappings, good game design will float to the top every time. Here are my 10 favorite games from 2024.
Oddada, Sven Ahlgrimm
Both in looks and objective, Oddada
2024 was a great year for unconventional games: short games, silly games, games that weren’t games. Games with cool skeleton guys. Games with cats. Games that challenged convention and reinvented the mainstream, and did so with style.
These titles proved that the simple things in life are some of the sweetest and that, whatever its outer trappings, good game design will float to the top every time. Here are my 10 favorite games from 2024.
Oddada, Sven Ahlgrimm
Both in looks and objective, Oddada
Patch Notes #2- How does the game industry survive beyond 2025-
We're back, and I mean that in a very literal sense. We've just returned from Gamescom 2024 where this (rather fatigued) editor had a wonderful time catching up with old faces and new.
Most of our week was spent flitting between the business areas, chatting all things video games with developers, publishers, studio leaders, and pretty much anybody PR would let us in a room with. Our ongoing Gamescom coverage is right here, so do tuck in.
Outside of the show, the flags were cracking, the bratwurst was sizzling, and the Kolsch was flowing. I know, because that's pretty much all I could hear from my hotel room in Alter Markt. Yes, I chose to slap myself in the middle of a market square bustling with interl…
Switch and 3DS games are now up for sale on the Humble Store
A smattering of Nintendo games can now be found on The Humble Store for US-based shoppers, expanding the digital storefront’s offerings beyond just PC, Mac, Linux, and Android platforms in the process.
While over 40 games for Nintendo platforms can now be purchased through the Humble Store, Switch or 3DS developers keen to get their own games placed on the storefront shouldn’t get their hopes up quite yet. So far, all of the games listed were either developed or published by Nintendo.
Right now, that list includes Nintendo-developed heavy-hitters like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and <…