"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 these practices inflate game prices and limit market competition. Valve maintains that Steam’s extensive user base justifies its fees, while developers argue they have no realistic alternative platforms. The court has ordered the case to proceed to trial despite Valve’s objections.
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...
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
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...
Embracer Sales Decline 26% to $1.3bn During First Nine Months of Fiscal Year
Embracer Group reported a 26% year‑on‑year drop in net sales to SEK 11.9 billion ($1.3 billion) for the nine months ending December 31, 2025, with mobile revenues plunging 63% and PC/console sales down 22%. Despite the overall decline, CEO Phil Rogers called Q3 a “clear...
Why Hiro Is Bullish on UK and EU Game Dev Funding After Helping The Chinese Room and Bulkhead Go Independent
Venture capital firm Hiro Capital launched its advisory arm to guide fragmented game studios, recently steering The Chinese Room and Bulkhead Interactive out of Tencent‑owned entities toward independent UK/EU ownership. The firm argues that Europe’s talent, lower costs and restrictive...
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Rogue Point Aims to Prove Old School Is the New Cool with a Back-to-Basics Shooter
Crowbar Collective’s Rogue Point entered Early Access as a retro‑style co‑op shooter that deliberately shuns the grind‑heavy design of modern FPS titles. The game offers eight short missions for four‑player teams, runs under 10 GB, and uses peer‑to‑peer networking to keep...
Nexon Revenue Rises 6.5% to $3.1bn in 2025, Driven by Ongoing Success of Arc Raiders
Sega Sammy reported nine‑month results ending December 31, 2025, with net sales up 4% to ¥335.2 billion but operating income plunging 55% YoY to ¥19.8 billion. The company recorded a ¥30.4 billion ($198.6 million) impairment on Rovio, the Angry Birds developer it bought for ¥776 million in...