Fortnite outfit Epic Games has launched a new multi-platform publishing initiative that promises to be ‘developer-first’ in its make-up and delivery. A number of high-profile game studios are already on board with the Epic Games Publishing effort, with Playdead, Remedy Entertainment and gen DESIGN announced as early partners. “We’re building the publishing model we always wanted for ourselves when we worked with publishers,” said Tim Sweeney, Epic Games founder and CEO. “gen DESIGN, Remedy, and Playdead are among the most innovative and talented [...]

In this special exclusive contributed piece, Dimoso CEO Jacki Vause considers the fine art of publishing mobile games to China. Vause is a widely respected veteran of the tech, mobile and PR space, has been named one of PCR’s Top-30 Women in Mobile, and is an experienced entrepreneur and founder. — China should be considered by all mobile games developers who are looking to take their games global. Over the years I have represented many developers and publishers both from the East [...]

Audio-first and audio-only games have to-date offered a fascinating micro niche within the gaming medium. In the late 1990s the visionary musician and game designer Kenji Eno released a game with very few visuals at all for the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast called Real Sound: Kaze no Regret. The idea was that blind and sighted players could enjoy the same experience. A few years later Nintendo debuted SoundVoyager for the GameBoy Advance, which challenged you not to look at the screen [...]

TheGamingEconomy Daily Digest brings you the trending business stories in gaming. In today’s edition: Google opens Playa Vista Stadia studio; Esports Players League completes USD$1m seed round; and Phoenix Games acquires Studio Firefly. Google opens Playa Vista Stadia studio Google has opened its second studio specifically focused on making games and entertainment content for the Stadia cloud platform. The studio will be based in Playa Vista, California, joining the existing operation in Montreal, Canada. Former Sony Santa Monica lead Shannon Studstill is to [...]

The classic video game arcade has almost become a trope for nostalgia. They appear across contemporary fiction as shorthand for a fondly remembered version of the 1970s and 1980s. The arcade’s ‘passing’ is often lamented in tandem with warm, fuzzy memories of growing up in those decades; even if that lamenting started while arcades were still active. Indeed, arcades are still active. Here in the UK there may be very little of any ‘arcade industry’ remaining, and that is true at many [...]

In this special contributed feature by Wilhelm Voutilainen, senior game analyst at GameRefinery looks at what we can learn about mobile gaming by looking back to the previous year, pulling insights from the company’s considerable pool of data. — So here we are in 2020 – not just a new year, but the start of a whole new decade. We’ve returned to our desks full of heady optimism, and focused on the future. Looking back at the past year can often be [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Digital drives 68.7% of EA’s Q3 net revenue; Zuckerberg still committed to AR and VR as ‘the holy grail of social experiences’; and Global Game Jam 2020 begins. Digital drives 68.7% of EA’s Q3 net revenue EA’s digital net revenue totalled USD$1.12bn (£854.7m) in the last full financial quarter, demonstrating the significance of the company’s considerable portfolio of live games to its commercial health. That figure accounts for 68.7% [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s news: 55% of UK dev jobs are outside of London and the South East; Atari to open gaming hotels; and USD$10m-plus (£7.68m-plus) contracts for top streamers departing Twitch 55% of UK dev jobs are outside of London and the South East UK games industry trade body Ukie and cultural charity the BFI have released a new report that reveals that 55% of game developers were based outside London and the [...]

Esports organisation Gen.G has partnered with cosmetics specialist Benefit to deliver a an initiative targeting female gamers that will include a series of beauty routine videos staring women popular as streamers and players. The ‘Game Face’ video series continues Gen.G’s apparent effort to recognise, serve and encourage female presence in the esports player-base, industry, community and audience. Not all females that devote time to gaming will find interest in beauty videos, of course, but the move seemingly demonstrates the significance of [...]

CD Projekt Red has delayed the release of its eagerly anticipated sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077. The game will now miss its scheduled April release slot, instead arriving in September 17th this year. That puts it in a very busy slot for new releases, and may mean it competes for attention with the arrival of next-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X; platforms it is not understood to support. A release delay isn’t the most unusual event in the game industry, [...]