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Splash Damage Acquires Gamepires From Jagex

Splash Damage announced the acquisition of Gamepires, the developer behind SCUM, from Jagex. The deal, backed by Emona Capital, aims to combine Splash Damage's multiplayer expertise with Gamepires' open‑world survival experience.

How Recent Laws Impact Game Design, From In-Game Chat to Notifications

2026 marks a turning point as a wave of regulations—DMCCA, the EU Digital Services Act, the upcoming Digital Fairness Act, the AI Act and others—target core game mechanics. Dark‑pattern practices, UI prompts, loot‑box disclosures, virtual‑currency pricing and player‑generated communication are...

Clint Hocking, Creative Director of the Next Assassin's Creed, Leaves Ubisoft Following Restructure

Sensor Tower’s State of Gaming 2026 report shows mobile game revenue barely budged, rising just 1% to $82 billion while downloads slipped. In contrast, PC and console revenue jumped 13%, driven by a surge in AA and AAA releases and a record‑breaking...

"It Needs to Cooperate Fairly, and It's Clearly Not." Why Valve Is Facing a £656m Day in the UK Courts

A UK class‑action lawsuit led by digital‑safety advocate Vicki Shotbolt accuses Valve of breaching competition law by imposing a 30% revenue‑share fee and a price‑parity rule on Steam. The claim seeks up to £656 million in damages for consumers, arguing that...

Night in the Woods Publisher Finji Accuses TikTok of Creating "Racist, Sexist" And Uneditable GenAI Ads for Its Games

Microsoft announced that longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer and president Sarah Bond are departing the division. Asha Sharma, previously Microsoft’s CoreAI product president, will take over as Xbox CEO, while Matt Booty moves into the chief content officer role. The...

Former Firaxis Games Creative Director Announces Closure of Midsummer Studios

Microsoft announced that longtime Xbox leader Phil Spencer will step down, remaining in an advisory role through the summer, while President Sarah Bond also departs. Asha Sharma, previously president of Microsoft CoreAI, will assume the role of Xbox CEO, and...

Remake Specialist Bluepoint Games, Co-Developer of God of War Ragnarok, Shut Down by Sony

Phil Spencer and Xbox president Sarah Bond are exiting Microsoft’s gaming division, ending a decade‑long era of leadership that oversaw the acquisition of Bethesda, Activision and other studios. Asha Sharma, formerly head of Microsoft’s CoreAI product, will assume the role...

Starbreeze Revenue Rises 19% to $24.5m in 2025

Starbreeze Entertainment reported a 18.8% rise in 2025 revenue to SEK 221 million ($24.5 million), yet the company posted a larger net loss of SEK 402.7 million ($44.6 million). Quarterly sales slipped 10.7% in Q4, driven by a decline in third‑party publishing and mixed performance of...

Scopely Acquires Majority Stake in Turkish Mobile Game Studio Loom Games

Scopely announced the acquisition of an undisclosed majority stake in Loom Games, the Istanbul‑based developer of the mobile puzzle title Pixel Flow. The deal gives Loom Games access to Scopely’s resources while allowing it to retain creative autonomy. Loom Games,...

Football Commentator Permits EA to Use an AI Version of His Voice for EA Sports FC

EA Sports FC commentator Guy Mowbray has authorized Electronic Arts to clone his voice using artificial intelligence, allowing the game to generate pronunciations for more than 20,000 footballer names. Mowbray currently records each name several times to capture different emphases,...

Remote Working Down, Mid-Level Contraction, and Eastern Migration: The Signals We're Seeing in Games Job Data

Sorcery.gg’s hiring data shows a modest 4% global contraction in games‑industry jobs in 2025, driven largely by a 25% drop in U.S. openings. Meanwhile, China posted a 25% increase, overtaking the U.S. as the top source of new roles. Mid‑level...

Tencent's TiMi Studio Group Reportedly Funded Highguard Dev Wildlight Entertainment

Tencent's TiMi Studio Group Invests in Wildlight Entertainment

Tencent's TiMi Studio Group, the mobile gaming arm of Tencent, has reportedly provided funding to Wildlight Entertainment, a developer under Highguard. The strategic investment aims to support Wildlight's upcoming projects and strengthen Tencent's presence in the gaming ecosystem.

US Video Game Consumer Spending Predicted to Reach $62.8bn in 2026

U.S. video game consumer spending is projected to hit $62.8 billion in 2026, a 3% rise from the previous year, according to market‑research firm Circana. The growth is anchored by strong hardware demand for the Nintendo Switch 2 and the launch of...

A Practical Guide to Indie Comms: How Studios Can Build Visibility without Burning Out

Rebecca Attard‑Phillips, co‑founder of Boost, offers indie studios a practical communications roadmap that replaces noisy, omnichannel marketing with a realistic focus on clarity, consistency, and connection. The guide introduces three messaging pillars—emotional fantasy, signature mechanic, and world tone—and shows how...

Nintendo Strikes More Emulators with DMCA Takedown Notices

Anchor Point Studios, the Barcelona‑Seattle action‑adventure outfit founded by NetEase, announced it will spin out and operate as an independent studio. CEO Paul Ehreth thanked NetEase for resources and said the team will now seek investors and publishing partners to...

Ares Interactive Raises $70M in Series A Funding

Ares Interactive, a provider of AI-enabled development, marketing, and live-ops solutions for the gaming industry, announced it has closed a $70 million Series A funding round. The capital will be used to accelerate product development and expand its market presence....