South Korean studio Challengers Games has closed down after amassing over 2.4 billion won ($1.73 million) in debt and failing to pay staff for months.The Illang and Second Wave developer shared the news on its website and explained it has shuttered after months of production struggles and financial challenges that left it unable to pay or retain employees.CEO and studio head, Koji Tamura, explained the studio's core projects failed to attract concrete publisher interest or win over players. Despite securing some investment, the studio quickly slipped into debt. By the time multiplayer hero shooter Second Wave was being beta tested in late 2023, Challengers already owed around 2 billion won.At around the same time, the entire animation team and half of the studio's artists also de…
The ESA's made a small shakeup to its executive team, adding Sue Madden to its ranks. As executive director of the ESA Foundation, she'll lead the organization's titular, education-focused arm.Madden has worked as the foundation's interim ED since 2023. She's previously led her own philanthropic consulting firm for nearly 15 years, and worked at the Gannett Foundation and BAE Systems.The ESA Foundation provides grants and scholarships to aspiring developers, along with financial support to schools and nonprofits. Madden will oversee fundraising efforts toward a "diverse pipeline" for the "next generation of industry innovators and leaders."
Square Enix is reportedly preparing to lay off employees in its American and United Kingdom offices. According to Video Games Chronicle's Andy Robinson, who spoke with sources familiar with the plans, Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu shared the news with employees earlier today.Kiryu informed workers that it would be dismissing employees working in publishing, information technology, and the Square Enix Indie Collective in the month ahead. Employees in the United States may be ousted as early as June 2024, while UK employees will benefit from the legally-required one-month consultancy period.A spokesperson for Square Enix confirmed the news to Game Developer. "After several months of analysis and discussion among our leadership team, we have made the difficult decision to rest…
Square Enix is reportedly preparing to lay off employees in its American and United Kingdom offices. According to Video Games Chronicle's Andy Robinson, who spoke with sources familiar with the plans, Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu shared the news with employees earlier today.Kiryu informed workers that it would be dismissing employees working in publishing, information technology, and the Square Enix Indie Collective in the month ahead. Employees in the United States may be ousted as early as June 2024, while UK employees will benefit from the legally-required one-month consultancy period.A spokesperson for Square Enix confirmed the news to Game Developer. "After several months of analysis and discussion among our leadership team, we have made the difficult decision to rest…
Blizzard Entertainment revealed it's canceled this year's BlizzCon, where it typically shows off big reveals for its current and future games.The axing was made after "careful consideration," and was one the studio says it didn't make lightly. It marks the fifth cancellation following the ones in 2022 (due to the studio's workplace harassment allegations), 2020 (COVID), 2012, and 2006.In the showcase's absence, Blizzard says it'll reveal more information on its games at events like Gamescom. It also plans to have several in-person events around the world specifically to commemorate the Warcraft series, which turns 30 years old.Blizzard hopes those appearances will "carry the same spirit of celebration and togetherness.""Our hope is tha…
Days ago, Embracer's tumultuous saga in games took an odd turn when the company announced it is splitting into three separate entities: Asmodee, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends.Now, CEO Lars Wingefors claims it's all part of a plan to eventually make good games and make money from them.Speaking with GamesIndustry, Wingefors explains the recent partitioning lets the company "better finance our businesses. […] We need to have the optimal structure for those companies to prosper within.Last summer, Embracer underwent a restructuring program that saw multiple layoffs and studio closures to compensate for a failed $2 billion deal. With the program ending a few weeks ago, Wingefors is now admitting the company's current structure was l…
Spooky influencer simulator Content Warning has sold 1 million copies in around two weeks.Publisher Landfall Games shared the news on X and noted those sales are in addition to the 6.2 million downloads it amassed throughout its barnstorming launch campaign.For those who missed the memo, Content Warning initially launched for free on April 1, 2024, and attracted over 200,000 concurrent players shortly after.Landfall explained that over 6.2 million people nabbed the title for free during that 24 hour promotional window, after which point Content Warning began retailing for $8.The company has pledged to continue supporting Content Warning with updates and fixes, but given the core development team comprises just five people, has asked fans to be patient."It's been a real treat watc…
The European Union has put a total of €7.5 million (or $8.05 million) towards game development through its Creative Europe program. Per GamesMarkt, the €7.5 million will be distributed across 22 countries.Creative Europe focuses on the country's cultural and creative sectors, such as games. At €818.2 million, Germany has the second-highest amount of funding behind France's €831.9 million.Those funds will be spread across projects from studios in the DACH region, like Vienna's Mi'Pu'Mi Games and Leipzig, Germany's Reynard Films.Both studios, plus Proxy Studios and Tübingen, will receive €150,000 each. Kiel's The Games Foundation and Vest Games get €140,000-€145,000, and Nürtingen gets a little over €830,000.Coming behind Germany are Italy…