Entertainment company Ardán has teamed with IMIRT to create a new pilot program specifically for independent developers based in Ireland.Dubbed IndieDev 2024, the program will support studios situated in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Successful teams get support of up to €15,000 (or £15,000, for those in Northern Ireland) to build a prototype of their project.Those seven studios will also go through two weeks of workshops and talks from industry professionals, followed by 10-12 of development toward the prototype.The fund does for Irish developers what similar ones in Australia and Brazil do for creators in those countries. Per RTE, Ireland's development scene is "growing considerably" with each year, and funding smaller studios will help it grow further…
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Games has a new CEO. Former Paradox Interactive chief business development officer Shams Jorjani has joined the Swedish studio to oversee business operations.Outgoing CEO Johan Pilestedt will remain with the studio as chief creative officer and explained the switch will enable him to spend more time with the dev team."Big update, I've decided to hire Shams Jorjani as the new CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios. We go way back and I wouldn't trust the business in any other hands than his. (and he comes with an impressive resume and love for games)," said Pilestedt on X."But what about me and my involvement in Helldivers 2? Well, I'm glad you asked! I am taking the role of chief creative officer, which means I will spend more time with…
Akira Nakao, a film and TV actor who appeared in Sega's Judgment series, died on May 16. He was 81.Spotted by Game.Watch, he reportedly passed from heart failure. Family and friends have already held a service for him.Born August 11, 1942, Nakao had just two video games to his resume. In the Judgement series (a spinoff of the Like a Dragon games), he played Ryuzo Genda, the mentor of series lead Takayuki Yagami.Outside of games, he was best known for his roles in Japanese period and contemporary dramas. His first movie appearance was in 1964's Getsuyōbi no Yuka.In film, he was a recurring player in the Godzilla films, first appearing in 1993's Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II and through 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. His final film role was the 2023 TV series Sanctuary.At …
Console maker Atari has acquired the brand of its one-time rival Intellivision, along with the rights to 200 "certain games" from parent company Intellivision LLC, for an undisclosed sum.Under the deal, Atari will "expand digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games" and potentially make brand new titles. It'll also look at brand and license opportunities to "create [long-term] value from the Intellivision properties."As part of a licensing deal with Atari, Intellivision LLC will still create and release its Amico home console. Under a new rebrand, it's also allowed to "distribute new versions" of Intellivision games for the system.
Deciding whether to work with a publisher—and then finding the right partner—is a huge decision, so how can developers make the right call? Tim Bender, co-founder and CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, believes it's imperative to avoid becoming wrapped up in another company's success. Instead, look at how publishers treat projects that perhaps underperformed.It's pretty bold advice coming from Bender, whose own company recently delivered huge results with Manor Lords. The strategic medieval city builder amassed over 3.2 million Steam wishlists and topped 2 million sales in under three weeks with Hooded Horse at the wheel, but Bender emphasized that project is a clear outlier–not the norm."When I talk to [developers] I tell them it's a little unfair to…
Deciding whether to work with a publisher—and then finding the right partner—is a huge decision, so how can developers make the right call? Tim Bender, co-founder and CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, believes it's imperative to avoid becoming wrapped up in another company's success. Instead, look at how publishers treat projects that perhaps underperformed.It's pretty bold advice coming from Bender, whose own company recently delivered huge results with Manor Lords. The strategic medieval city builder amassed over 3.2 million Steam wishlists and topped 2 million sales in under three weeks with Hooded Horse at the wheel, but Bender emphasized that project is a clear outlier–not the norm."When I talk to [developers] I tell them it's a little unfair to…
Bungie has won its lawsuit against Destiny 2 cheat maker Aimjunkies.As noted by Game File reporter Stephen Totilo, a jury awarded the PlayStation-owned studio $63,210 in damages and rejected a counterclaim from Aimjunkies that alleged Bungie illegally accessed one of its computers.David Schaefer, founder of Aimjunkies parent company Phoenix Digital, said the company intends to fight the ruling and will move to dismiss the verdict before pursuing an appeal.Bungie, however, claims the result is a win for both the studio and its players. "We are grateful for the diligence, professionalism, and care exercised by the Judge, his staff, and the Jury," said Bungie lawyer James Barker. "We're committed to our players and will continue to protect them against cheats, including ta…
Final Fantasy developer Square Enix has unveiled a new medium-term business plan centered around creating "unforgettable experiences" capable of "moving people's heart." Notably, the company is also going all-in on multi-platform development to expand its consumer base.The Japanese publisher has ditched its previous medium-term plan after acknowledging that many titles, including some outsourced projects and triple-A releases, failed to live up to profit expectations.It cited other issues with its old plan, including the cannibalisation of newer releases due to a crowded launch schedule, gaps in management infrastructure, and aging legacy titles.Broadly speaking, the company had previously hoped to find success by rebuilding its HD Game and Smart Devices/PC Browser…
Unity executive Marc Whitten is stepping down on June 1, 2024, less than a year after becoming entangled in the company's Runtime Fee fiasco.Whitten currently serves as Unity Create chief product and technology officer. It's unclear why he's resigning from the role, but an SEC filing notes he will continue to serve as an employee until December 31, 2024, to "assist with the transition of his responsibilities."Not too long ago, those responsibilities included persuading developers to accept the introduction of a new Runtime Fee policy, which ultimately went down like a lead balloon.
A brief history of the Unity Runtime Fee
Sega has attributed a downturn in profits to "challenging conditions" within its European consumer (games) business, but feels a recent spate of layoffs and project cancellations will help steady the ship.The Japanese company shared those sentiments in its fiscal report for the year ended March 31, 2024, where it revealed that net sales in its Entertainment Contents segment (home to its game business) increased by 12.4 percent year-on-year to 318 billion yen ($2.05 billion). Ordinary income fell by 25.3 percent year-on-year to 30.7 billion yen ($197.5 million) over that same period.Sega explained sales increased due to the "steady performance" of the consumer area in Japan and Asia, as well as Rovio's entry into the group. It said profit decreased due to those afor…
French publisher Ubisoft has shared its latest fiscal report, and there are some interesting musings buried within.The company delivered record net bookings of €2.3 billion during FY24 and confirmed it has reduced its headcount by 1,700 since September 2022 as part of a cost reduction program.It has also "sharpened" its strategic focus around two core verticals: open world adventure projects like Assassin's Creed and The Division and 'GaaS-native experiences' (live service titles) such as xDefiant and Rainbow Six Siege.
Ubisoft's big bets: Open worlds and live service games
Notably, the company c…