Top Stories

"Hydra is polished and battle-tested" – Why Saber Interactive is opening up its live-ops tool all developers (5 min read)

Saber Interactive opened its proprietary Hydra live-ops platform to all developers this year. The tool, built over years supporting titles like Space Marine 2, World War Z, and SnowRunner, provides cross-platform play, matchmaking, and dedicated service management. Developers can integrate the Hydra SDK into Unreal Engine 5, Unity, and Saber's Swarm engine projects with modular, customizable services. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Nexon Q1 net income rises 118% to $360.7m (3 min read)

Nexon reported Q1 net income of $360.7 million, up 118% year-over-year, driven by record results from Embark Studios' Arc Raiders and the MapleStory franchise. Arc Raiders sold 4.6 million additional units, bringing total sales to 16 million. Revenue reached $959.9 million, up 34% year-over-year, with a ¥14.5 billion foreign exchange gain contributing to results. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Subnautica 2 has surpassed 2 million sales in 12 hours (3 min read)

Subnautica 2 sold 2 million copies within 12 hours of launch, according to developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The sequel launched in early access on PC via Steam. The figure marks a significant commercial performance for the underwater exploration game's follow-up. (Game Developer)

Business & Finance

The hangover kicks in after a decade of games-as-a-service obsession | Opinion (8 min read)

Sony booked a $765 million impairment against its 2022 Bungie acquisition, with Marathon underperforming. Sega took a $200 million impairment on Rovio and cancelled its "Super Game" initiative. Capcom posted its ninth consecutive year of record profits focusing on traditional single-player games with full-price sales. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Xbox is now XBOX, apparently (3 min read)

Xbox is rebranding to XBOX (all caps) under new CEO Asha Sharma. Sharma polled players on X/Twitter about the preference between the original and stylized branding. (Eurogamer)

Games & Releases

Stories from making Marvel Rivals (3 min read)

Game Developer published a retrospective on Marvel Rivals' development, featuring stories from the team behind the hero shooter. The article covers production decisions and creative process insights from the NetEase-developed title. (Game Developer)

Culture & Community

QuakeCon 2026 Is Different This Year: Four Founding Members of id Software, Including Carmack and Romero, to Reunite for 30th Anniversary (3 min read) 今年の「QuakeCon 2026」は何かが違う。30周年を記念して，カーマック氏やロメロ氏らid Softwareの創設メンバー4人が集結へ

QuakeCon 2026 marks the event's 30th anniversary (Aug 6–9, Grapevine, Texas) with a rare reunion of four id Software founders: John Carmack, John Romero, Adrian Carmack, and Tom Hall. (4Gamer.net)

Unity reveals winners for its 2026 Humanity Grant (2 min read)

Unity named winners of its 2026 Humanity Grant, selecting 10 developers and 3 honorable mentions from 8 countries. The $600,000 prize pool supports projects addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals. Record participation reached 515+ submissions. (GamesIndustry.biz)

gg! see you in game!

— james