Top Stories

"I'm not going to fight the Chinese Communist Party" – Why Eve Online firm CCP Games rebranded to Fenris Creations (9 min read)

CCP Games bought itself back from Pearl Abyss for $120M (half the 2018 acquisition price), rebranding as Fenris Creations. CEO cites divergent strategic focuses between the studios. The deal includes a partnership with Google DeepMind for AI research. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Double Fine Productions is the latest Microsoft subsidiary to unionise (3 min read)

Double Fine Productions filed a union petition with the NLRB, supported by the Communications Workers of America, covering 42 employees at the Psychonauts developer. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Business & Finance

Switch 2 outpacing original Switch after nearing 20 million sales (4 min read)

Nintendo Switch 2 has sold nearly 20 million units and is outpacing the original Switch's early sales trajectory. Strong adoption signals robust install base for developers planning titles and ports. (Game Developer)

Why the founder of Kongregate believes that Roblox is its successor (6 min read)

Kongregate founder Jim Greer, now at Roblox, compares the platform to early Flash portals, noting similar creator communities and Roblox's strategy to expand genres and reach older audiences at scale. (GamesIndustry.biz)

April Douyin Mini-Game Top 100 Bestseller List: Casual Games Exceed 40%, 37Games, Dameng Longtu, and Pokémon City Lead Top 3 (7 min read) 4月抖音小游戏畅销榜Top 100：休闲占比超四成，三七、大梦龙途、波克城市前3

China's Douyin mini-game platform saw 120% year-on-year active user growth in 2025, with casual games comprising 40% of the April Top 100 bestseller list. Mid-core and heavy games account for nearly half the list. (GameLook)

Studios & People

How a trio of Canadian modders stumbled into making an official Die Hard game: 'I've had projects disappear that had 10 times the promise that this did' (17 min read)

Three Canadian modders secured an official deal to develop a Die Hard game after their fan project caught the attention of licensors, turning their passion project into a commercial title. (PC Gamer)

Games & Releases

Arrowhead addresses the Helldivers 2 community as recent Steam reviews slump to Mostly Negative: 'We want to be clearer about what we're working on and what's coming next' (7 min read)

Arrowhead addresses Helldivers 2's declining Steam reviews by committing to clearer communication about development priorities and upcoming content, signaling a shift in community engagement strategy. (PC Gamer)

Two Point Museum's latest DLC features a buildable studio where artists can create 'millions' of unique artworks, and there's 'no generative AI involved' whatsoever (7 min read)

Two Point Museum's new DLC adds a buildable artist studio where players generate millions of unique artworks through procedural systems, with no generative AI involved. (PC Gamer)

AI/Tech & Tools

Guerrilla Games co-founder developing European game engine to rival Unreal and Unity (3 min read)

Guerrilla Games co-founder Arjan Brussee is developing a European game engine to rival Unreal and Unity. The engine will be fully European-hosted and built to comply with EU guidelines, positioning itself as an alternative to US-centric platforms. (Eurogamer)

Culture & Community

Darkest Dungeon studio refuses to AI generate deceased narrator's voice despite his permission: 'I would never, ever erode his incredible and timeless performances' (6 min read)

Red Hook Studios declined to AI-generate deceased narrator Wayne June's voice for Darkest Dungeon despite having permission, prioritizing preservation of his original performances over technical convenience. (PC Gamer)

gg! see you in game!

— james