Valve has updated Steam's refund policy so that it covers titles that offer 'Advanced Access.' The tweak means any playtime amassed prior to a title's official release will now count towards the Steam refund period.Valve's current refund policy allows people to return a title "for any reason" if the refund request is submitted within 14-days of purchase and they have no more than two hours of playtime.Until now, however, playtime accrued during an Advanced Access period wasn't tracked by Valve. That created something of a loophole. For instance, someone could purchase a specific version of a game to secure advanced access (often included as a bonus via deluxe or special editions), dip into the title before it launched, then ask for a refund when it h…
Longtime Ubisoft veteran Cécile Russeil has now been promoted to the French studio's executive vice president.Per the press release, she'll primarily lead the company's teams focused on group synergy. Along with HR and legal, she will also head up the Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility division. Ubisoft notes these departments will have "greater agility, consistency, and influence" from her leadership.Russeil first joined Ubisoft in 1990 as an executive assistant, then again in 1995 as lead legal counsel. She established its legal function in 2000, and has been the team's chief officer since 2015.Her new position comes weeks after Ubisoft elevated publishing VP Brenda Panagrossi to serve as general manager for its US market. "Cécile offers invalua…
The action-MMO Wayfinder is currently unavailable to buy, but developer Airship Syndicate isn't giving up on the game.On Twitter, the studio explained it turned off sales as publishing responsibilities transfer over from Digital Extremes. Last November, the Warframe studio gave full ownership to Airship as it reduced its third-party output.Those who bought Wayfinder before now can still access and play the game "with no interruptions." A specific timeframe for its return to digital stores wasn't given.Airship Syndicate is also taking this time to give Wayfinder an overhaul that "remains consistent with our standards and beliefs." These changes will include a business model reflective of its new status as a publisher.
Ascendant Studios has recently furloughed most of its remaining staff, according to Phoenix Labs engineer Kris Morness.In a recent post on LinkedIn, Morness claimed the furlough has affected "around 30 folks." This was further corroborated by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, who added the studio had yet to comment on the matter.The last furlough news we had was with Crop Circle Games back in February. In March, that ended with the studio being closed entirely, allegedly in an underhanded manner.Since the launch of its debut game Immortals of Aveum in mid-2023, Ascendant has been in rough straits. Almost a month after launch, it cut about half its staff (out of a then-total of 80-100 people).Those cuts were due to Immortals' poor launch sales. While EA hasn't commented o…
Ascendant Studios has recently furloughed most of its remaining staff, according to Phoenix Labs engineer Kris Morness.In a recent post on LinkedIn, Morness claimed the furlough has affected "around 30 folks." This was further corroborated by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, who added the studio had yet to comment on the matter.The last furlough news we had was with Crop Circle Games back in February. In March, that ended with the studio being closed entirely, allegedly in an underhanded manner.Since the launch of its debut game Immortals of Aveum in mid-2023, Ascendant has been in rough straits. Almost a month after launch, it cut about half its staff (out of a then-total of 80-100 people).Those cuts were due to Immortals' poor launch sales. While EA hasn't commented o…
The just-revealed Slay the Spire II won't be running on Unity, according to developer Mega Crit.After its trailer ran during the Triple-I showcase, a representative told IGN the developer had indeed switched away from the previous game's engine. Instead, the studio is using Godot for the sequel.Last year, Unity became embroiled in controversy due to changes with its Runtime Fee policy. Several indie developers spoke against the changes (sometimes vulgarly), and many threatened to abandon the engine entirely.Mega Crit was one such studio, calling Unity's actions "a violation of trust." At the time, it said it'd made much of Slay the Spire II in Unity, but would still migrate to a different engine if Unity stuck to its guns.
Update (4/12/2024): In an email obtained by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, Prytania co-founder Jeff Strain attributed the closure of Possibility Space to an incoming report from Kotaku's Ethan Gach.In his statement, Strain claimed he was asked non-public information about a game named Project Vonnegut. Following a meeting with an unnamed publishing partner, he canceled the project and ended the studio."To see internal team members under a confidentiality agreement engage in [these leaks] was sickening," wrote Strain.Gach's report, it should be noted, is not published at time of writing. Further, Strain's behavior is similar to that of his wife Annie, who made a pre-emptive statement on Gach's report last week.Strain ended his statement by revealing he was st…
Update (4/12/2024): In an email obtained by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, Prytania co-founder Jeff Strain attributed the closure of Possibility Space to an incoming report from Kotaku's Ethan Gach.In his statement, Strain claimed he was asked non-public information about a game named Project Vonnegut. Following a meeting with an unnamed publishing partner, he canceled the project and ended the studio."To see internal team members under a confidentiality agreement engage in [these leaks] was sickening," wrote Strain.Gach's report, it should be noted, is not published at time of writing. Further, Strain's behavior is similar to that of his wife Annie, who made a pre-emptive statement on Gach's report last week.Strain ended his statement by revealing he was st…
A video game for Invincible is in development over at Skybound Entertainment. Or rather, it will be after its crowdfunding campaign wraps on April 30.The publisher is calling on the public to put their money towards a game based on the hit comic book and TV series. At time of writing, it's already raised $446,200, well above the $50,000 target goal.Per Skybound, the project will be developed by over 30 employees who've previously worked at EA and Activision Blizzard. Thus far, the main selling point is that it'll be a "first-of-its-kind Invincible experience."Last month, Skybound first teased that the Invincible project was in the works when it brought on Chris Paulson. The Activision Blizzard alum was hired to help "activate" the commercial launch of the…
UK studio Kwalee has laid off an undisclosed number of workers. The company confirmed the news to MobileGamer.biz but failed to state how many employees have been let go."We are reshaping our business and our team to best capture the significant growth opportunities that currently exist in the sector, including hiring for 20 new roles," said Kwalee in a statement."Kwalee has the global scale, management expertise and security of funding, combined with a differentiated strategy to take advantage of organic and acquisitive growth opportunities."A source close to MobileGamer claims that up to 40 people could be impacted by the layoffs, but Kwalee indicated that figure is inaccurate and the number of cuts will be lower.
A new video game initiative is turning its focus towards the industry's triple-A indie darlings. Dubbed the Triple-I Initiative, it'll make its debut with an inaugural showcase on April 10.The Initiative comes from Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, with involvement from others like Terraria's Re-Logic and Slay the Spire's Mega Crit. As Evil Empire's Bérenger Dupré explained, the event will center on indie games that "resonate with millions of players around the world."Indie games like those mentioned above usually show up in games showcases as appetizers to the main course of triple-A fare. But they're triple-A in their own way, as made clear when they jump to more platforms or get adapted into TV or movies.Evil Empire COO Benjamin Laulan called th…
A new video game initiative is turning its focus towards the industry's triple-A indie darlings. Dubbed the Triple-I Initiative, it'll make its debut with an inaugural showcase on April 10.The Initiative comes from Dead Cells developer Evil Empire, with involvement from others like Terraria's Re-Logic and Slay the Spire's Mega Crit. As Evil Empire's Bérenger Dupré explained, the event will center on indie games that "resonate with millions of players around the world."Indie games like those mentioned above usually show up in games showcases as appetizers to the main course of triple-A fare. But they're triple-A in their own way, as made clear when they jump to more platforms or get adapted into TV or movies.Evil Empire COO Benjamin Laulan called th…
It wouldn't be unfair to say Embracer Group has garnered something of a bad rep within the game industry.After spending years dropping cash hand over fist to acquire a vast portfolio of game studios and franchises, the Swedish conglomerate suddenly pumped the brakes and said that, actually, it needed to become sustainable.In doing so, it quickly gutted the very studios and teams it had spent years acquiring, laying off around 1,400 workers in six months before eventually divesting some of its biggest assets in Gearbox Entertainment and Saber Interactive.So, who needs to shoulder the responsibility for Embracer's colossal failings? Some might point the finger at Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors, who earlier this year said the company would "always maximize shareholder value in any…