Engine maker Unity has released its development app Struckd onto the online game platform CrazyGames.Struckd features easy-to-learn tools that allow anyone to learn game development, regardless of their skill. It runs on Unity 6 (which fully launches in October), and will feature a simplified UI "that makes game development accessible to everyone."The app will let creators instantly share their games, which CrazyGames is counting on to grow its presence as a hub for user-generated content.This move brings another set of easy-access game development tools to the web, and integrates them with a growing, browser-based platform.In April, Unity's then-product chief Marc Whitten told Game Developer about the growing interest in browser-based games built on WebGPU. Teaming with Cra…
Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, Kraven the Hunter) has officially signed on for Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, a reimagining of the classic Universal monster movie. The actor replaces Ryan Gosling, who has been attached to the project for three years. While Gosling dropped out of acting in the project, he remains an executive producer.
The new Wolf Man will mark Whannell’s second Universal reimagining after 2020’s The Invisible Man with Elisabeth Moss, and his fourth collaboration with Blumhouse. The official synopsis for the film describes it as “Abbott as a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator.” Much like Invisible Man, look for this remake to have a more contemporary twist. Come from Sports betting site V…
After eight months as a paid game, Square Enix's Foamstars will go free-to-play on October 4.The developer further revealed that it'll remove the PlayStation Plus requirement for the sudsy shooter on the same day. In short, it's effectively giving the game away for free to anyone interested.Foamstars released in early February for the PlayStation 4 and 5. While it was priced at $30, PS+ subscribers got the game packaged in with their subscription, similar to how PlayStation handled the launch of Destruction All-Stars in 2021.
Will free-to-play status clean up Foamstars' numbers?
Reading between the lines, the free-to-play shift indi…
Two weeks after release, Firewalk Studios is taking its debut shooter Concord offline on Friday, September 6.While acknowledging its high points, director Ryan Ellis admitted the PlayStation 5 and PC game's initial launch "didn’t land the way we’d intended."Concord released on August 23, and its alleged underperformance has dominated conversation around the game. On Steam, it's had low numbers since launch, and PlayStation hasn't commented on its sales or player metrics.Firewalk will "explore options" to improve Concord so it finds a better audience. Current players will be refunded for their digital (on PlayStation Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store) and physical purchases, then lose access to the game after September 6.
Indie developer Blingame revealed it had to kill the Xbox Series X|S version of its 2022 game, Haak, owing to a tumultuous porting process.Over the weekend, the studio released a statement detailing how it spent "over 14 months" trying to bring its game to Microsoft's console. That ended up being a "nightmare," mainly owing to "many" alleged bugs in Microsoft's Partner Center.Last year, Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox Series X|S port hit a snag pre-release owing to the S console. Those issues were later resolved, but the two games indicate a potential larger issue with bringing titles to Xbox as a staggered release.Porting games can already be tricky for various reasons. A lack of proper support from console makers cuts multiple ways, especially in …
Indie developer Blingame revealed it had to kill the Xbox Series X|S version of its 2022 game, Haak, owing to a tumultuous porting process.Over the weekend, the studio released a statement detailing how it spent "over 14 months" trying to bring its game to Microsoft's console. That ended up being a "nightmare," mainly owing to "many" alleged bugs in Microsoft's Partner Center.Last year, Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox Series X|S port hit a snag pre-release owing to the S console. Those issues were later resolved, but the two games indicate a potential larger issue with bringing titles to Xbox as a staggered release.Porting games can already be tricky for various reasons. A lack of proper support from console makers cuts multiple ways, especially in …
For Remedy, the first half of 2024 has been quite fruitful.In the six-month period for January-June 2024, the Alan Wake developer saw a revenue growth of 33.7 percent from last year's period to €21.1 million (or $23 million). For the period's operating profit, Remedy reported a loss of €5.3 million, down year-over-year from €10.4 million.The three-month second quarter (between April 1 and June 30, 2024) saw revenue of €10.3 million, up 16.2 percent from last year's €8.9 million. It also had its own operational loss of €3.2 million, down compared to €4.8 million in the same period last year.Still, there's been "improved profitability" overall compared to last year's fiscal period.And while Alan Wake II still hasn't become fully profitabl…
Canadian VR studio Archiact is shutting down after over a decade. The company laid off an undisclosed number of workers in January but will now be pulling down the shutters for good.Archiact has published over 35 titles to date and worked on notable projects such as Doom 3: VR Edition and Marvel Dimension of Heroes.It also ventured into self-publishing for Journey to Foundation, a sci-fi adventure based on the 'Foundation' novel series that launched in December 2023 for PS VR2, Meta Quest, and Pico.Archiact had over 100 employees at the beginning of the year. Those who remain at the company will be laid off when the studio closes in just two weeks time."Archiact's journey is coming to a close. On August 12, we informed the staff that the studio will close in two weeks,&…
Adam Boyes, longtime co-CEO of Iron Galaxy, has departed the Rumbleverse studio. Per the developer's website, he'll remain with the company until the end of the year. Chelsea Blasko will then take the reins as its sole CEO.Boyes joined Iron Galaxy in 2016 after stints at Starbreeze, PlayStation, and Capcom. He noted he stayed "twice as long" here than his earlier jobs, which speaks to "[Iron Galaxy's special culture and the outstanding people who work here.""I want to offer my sincerest thanks to the people who welcomed me to lead this company with them," he continued. "Dave Lang, thank you for trusting me to push the boundaries of what Iron Galaxy could accomplish. Chelsea, thank you for teaching me so much about building a strong culture.…
Over a full year ago, EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was making its way to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Now, the publisher has announced the game is arriving on last-gen on September 17 for $50.The game originally launched on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S in April 2023. At the time of its last-gen announcement, Wilson suggested the move would benefit both the game and Star Wars as a video game property."I would love to see more in the Jedi franchise over time," he said last year. "It's one of the great beats in the Star Wars Galaxy this year. […] As we bring it to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, we think there'll be another little bump there for the franchise."While Jedi Survivor isn't the only current-gen game to stick aroun…
The fallout of Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm's ban from Twitch in 2020 is still being felt, as the streamer unveiled some new changes to combat sexual harassment on its platform.In a new blog post, Twitch underlined that sexual harassment "is never okay or acceptable" and clarified its policy in reflection of Beahm's actions so they'd be "easier to understand."Chiefly, the policy's language now prohibits "unwanted comments" about someone's body (like implied or sexually charged emojis), sexual advances or objectification, and negative statements related to a person's "perceived sexual behavior or activities."Likewise, recording or sharing nonconsensual images or videos is equally not tolerated, and Twitch warned s…