VRChat, the studio behind the virtual reality social platform of the same name, has laid off 30 percent of its workforce.The company described the layoffs as a "proactive step towards securing the future success of our business, community, and mission.""We believe it positions us strongly for the years ahead, allowing us to navigate challenges effectively and continue delivering on our mission," reads a statement posted on X."Our founders made this difficult choice to support VRChat's future, and we are so deeply sorry for the impact this decision will have on our team."VRChat said it's currently focused on supporting impacted employees by providing assistance including extended severance packages, extended healthcare coverage, and career placement a…
What could help triple-A games get even bigger right now? According to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, the answer lies in ads.During a recent earnings call Q&A, Wilson was asked by an analyst about "dynamic ad insertion" in triple-A titles as a means of revenue. While he thinks it's "still early" for that, he noted its potential as a "meaningful driver of growth" for the publisher.In fact, internal teams at EA are already exploring "very thoughtful [ad] implentations," Wilson revealed. For him, the important thing is to build up communities in games, then figure out how ads are potential growth drivers."We have looked over the course of our history to be very thoughtful about advertising in the context of our play experiences. […] As we start t…
Roblox Corp is letting more people sell in-game items on its Roblox creator marketplace. It's also rolling out a new 'publishing advance' fee to help it "raise the bar" on the quality of those user-made assets.Yesterday, the company announced it's now possible for more people to publish and sell 3D avatar items on Marketplace, which it claims is visited by millions of people each day."Until now, the ability to create and sell 3D items on Roblox was by application only. Over the last year, we’ve seen a growing increase in interest to create and sell avatar items in Marketplace from 3D artists and developers of experiences," it wrote."In that time, we’ve also enhanced our policies and enforcement capabilities to ensure the community stays safe…
According to Reuters, Tencent is changing up its development strategy. Rather than devote its time into making mobile games for "foreign franchises," it'll focus on its own, original titles.Sources told the outlet "hundreds" of staff that spent years working on Assassin's Creed Jade for Ubisoft have now been transferred to Tencent's just-launched DreamStar. As a result, Jade is now expected to launch in 2025.Previously, Tencent was making phone spinoffs for Elden Ring and Nier. The latter was eventually scrapped, in part because it wanted to pay 10 percent in licensing fees to Square Enix rather than the standard 15-20 percent.In the past year, the company has faced several "setbacks" with its licensed lineup. Along with shuttering Apex Legends …