Top Stories

Warner Bros. shareholders "overwhelmingly" back Paramount's $111bn acquisition (2 min read)

Warner Bros. shareholders overwhelmingly approved Paramount's $111 billion acquisition. The deal still requires DOJ and EU regulatory approval, with closing expected Q3 2026. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Gamescom Dev 2026 announces first speakers and sessions (2 min read)

Gamescom Dev 2026 confirmed 50+ speakers including developers from Sony, Remedy, Insomniac, CD Projekt Red, and Epic Games for August sessions. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Canada federal government concerned about children's safety in Roblox (4 min read)

Canada's federal government raised concerns about child safety in Roblox, citing risks including predatory behavior and inappropriate content. Developers on the platform should monitor regulatory developments that could affect content policies and moderation requirements. (Game Developer)

Business & Finance

Xbox will reevaluate exclusivity and target daily active players under new leadership (5 min read)

Xbox is reevaluating its exclusivity strategy and shifting focus to daily active players under new leadership. The move signals a strategic pivot that could reshape how studios approach platform partnerships. (Game Developer)

Atari acquires emulation studio Implicit Conversions (4 min read)

Atari has acquired Implicit Conversions, an emulation studio, expanding its technical capabilities in game preservation and legacy platform support. (Game Developer)

How have things been going at Rovio since it was bought by Sega? (10 min read)

Rovio has faced challenges under Sega ownership since the 2023 $776M acquisition, with Sega recording a $200M impairment due to market shifts and underperformance. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Studios & People

Developer Whose Game Went Viral Despite Being Built Mostly from Copy-Pasted Code Reflects: "I Earned About 3 Million Yen But Understood Nothing." A Failed Interview Becomes a Turning Point for Learning (9 min read) コードをほぼコピペで作ったゲームがバズった開発者、「約300万円稼いだが何ひとつ理解してなかった」と大反省。“ズタボロ面接”を転機に学び直し

Veteran Unity dev Darko Tomic earned ~3M yen with an AR game built mostly from copy-pasted tutorials, but lacked foundational knowledge. A failed interview became a turning point, prompting him to learn proper debugging, Git, and core programming concepts. (Automaton)

Games & Releases

Slay the Spire 2 Developer Reveals Early Inspiration from Dark Souls Series; Originally Planned Fewer New Cards, But Ended Up Adding More (7 min read) 『Slay the Spire 2』開発者、「当初は『ダークソウル』シリーズを参考にしてた」と明かす。“新カード少なめ構想”もあった、でも結局増えた

Slay the Spire 2 initially planned to retain most original cards (inspired by Dark Souls' design consistency), but playtesting revealed players wanted more freshness. The final build now splits returning characters' card pools roughly 50/50 between old and new cards. (Automaton)

Sega Launches "SEGA UNIVERSE" Project to Revitalize Classic IPs; Hints at New Developments for Outrun, Bare Knuckle, NiGHTS into Dreams, and Sakura Wars (4 min read) セガ、往年のIPの新展開を担う「SEGA UNIVERSE」を始動。『アウトラン』『ベア・ナックル』『NiGHTS into dreams�』『サクラ大戦』などの新展開を示唆

Sega launched SEGA UNIVERSE, a project to revitalize classic IPs including Outrun, Bare Knuckle, NiGHTS into Dreams, and Sakura Wars. The initiative will deliver anniversary campaigns and new content in 2026, transcending gaming into other media. (Automaton)

This indie developer is making Titanfall 3 because EA won't do it, and even in 'pre-pre-pre alpha' it's one of the most fun shooters in years (7 min read)

An indie developer is creating a Titanfall-inspired shooter because EA hasn't made Titanfall 3. The project is in early pre-alpha but has drawn attention for its fast-paced gameplay mechanics. (PC Gamer)

Overwatch Is Making Good On A Decade-Old Promise (4 min read)

Overwatch 2 is advancing its story at an unprecedented pace with cinematics, audio dramas, and a Webtoons partnership, moving past a decade of stalled narrative development. (Kotaku)

AI/Tech & Tools

Valve Employee Insists There's No "Secret Button" for Game Promotion on Steam; Offers Developers Advice on Algorithm Mechanics and Steady Effort (1 min read) Valve社員が「Steamにはゲーム宣伝用の“秘密のボタン”なんてない」と断言。開発者向けに、アルゴリズムの仕組みや地道な努力などいろいろアドバイス

Valve staff explained Steam's algorithm mechanics and Next Fest visibility strategy in a Q&A video. The platform displays all titles randomly for the first 48 hours, then reorders based on user behavior—meaning promotional effort remains critical despite equal initial placement. (Automaton)

Policy & Labor

Turkey Passes Law Regulating Game Platforms; Rating Systems and Parental Controls Now Mandatory (8 min read) トルコでゲームプラットフォームを規制する法律が可決。レーティング導入や保護者による管理システムなどが必須に

Turkey mandates that game platforms with 100,000+ daily users implement rating systems and parental controls within six months, or face fines and 30–50% traffic restrictions. The Turkish Game Developers Association supported the balanced approach. (GameSpark)

Stop Killing Games movement celebrates as The Crew 2 sees further offline mode support (6 min read)

The Stop Killing Games advocacy movement claims credit for Ubisoft's expanded offline support for The Crew 2, signaling growing pressure on publishers to preserve playability after server shutdowns. (Eurogamer)

gg! see you in game!

— james