Top Stories

Mobile studio Vento Games nets $4 million to expand puzzle portfolio (3 min read)

The investment round was co-led by Makers Fund and Arcadia Gaming Partners.... (Game Developer)

The Unity Asset Store is ditching publishers based in China, Hong Kong, and Macau (4 min read)

Unity is removing Asset Store publishers based in China, Hong Kong, and Macau from the platform. Developers in those regions will lose the ability to sell assets, directly impacting studios that rely on the store for tools and revenue. (Game Developer)

Embracer subsidiary Tripwire Interactive has laid off 23 employees (3 min read)

Tripwire Interactive, the Killing Floor and Maneater studio under Embracer Group, has laid off 23 employees. The cuts are the latest in a string of reductions across Embracer's portfolio. (Game Developer)

Business & Finance

Netflix boss says Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros will result in "cuts in excess of $16 billion" within "18 months or so" (2 min read)

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos warns Paramount's $31/share acquisition of Warner Bros. requires "$16 billion in cuts within 18 months," putting WB's games division — including Rocksteady, TT Games, and Avalanche Software — under direct cost scrutiny. (Gamesindustry)

Studios & People

Report: Fewer than 20 staff remain at Highguard dev Wildlight Entertainment (2 min read)

Wildlight Entertainment has fewer than 20 staff remaining after telling its ~100-person team it "was out of money" following Highguard's launch, which shed 90% of players within a week. Tencent subsidiary TiMi reportedly tied funding to retention metrics the game never hit. (Gamesindustry)

Killing Floor dev Tripwire Interactive lays off 23 employees (1 min read)

Tripwire Interactive (Killing Floor) laid off 23 employees across QA, art, engineering, and customer support. The Embracer-owned Georgia studio cited the need to "align with business realities" while continuing work on current projects. (Gamesindustry)

Despite studio closures and project cancellations, PlayStation Studios is still hiring for new roles (2 min read)

Team Asobi, Housemarque, and Polyphony Digital are all posting new job listings, signaling fresh project ramp-ups across PlayStation Studios despite recent closures and cancellations elsewhere in Sony's first-party portfolio. (Eurogamer)

Games & Releases

'It F***ing Sucks, and in a Way Is a Compliment' — Resident Evil Requiem Is Proving Tough for Fans With Arachnophobia, Though the Inevitable Thomas the Tank Engine Mod Is Here to Help (4 min read)

Arachnophobia sufferers are having a tough time with Resident Evil Requiem, but there is help at hand from fellow players — as well as in the shape of... (IGN)

WoW's new allied race in Midnight, the Haranir, has a model clipping issue with dozens of gear items—a problem that's been on the PTR for months (7 min read)

WoW: Midnight's new Haranir allied race launched with widespread gear clipping bugs affecting dozens of items — a problem players flagged on the PTR months before release. The issue stems from the race's slightly larger body proportions. (PC Gamer)

Bungie is considering a dedicated duos mode and time-to-kill changes after Marathon server slam feedback (5 min read)

Following Marathon's server slam playtest, Bungie is weighing a dedicated duos queue, time-to-kill adjustments, and a more forgiving consumables economy based on player feedback ahead of the game's March 5 launch. (PC Gamer)

Policy & Labor

Metacritic pulls Resident Evil Requiem review after reports it was generated by AI and attributed to a writer that doesn't exist (2 min read)

Metacritic removed several Videogamer reviews after discovering they were AI-generated and attributed to fabricated writers, severing ties with the outlet. Co-founder Marc Doyle confirmed AI-generated critic reviews violate Metacritic's policy and will trigger permanent removal. (Gamesindustry)

Sims 4 Players Don’t Understand How ‘Disgusting’ Epstein Family Made It Into Game’s Gallery [Update] (3 min read)

EA removed an Epstein-themed Sims 4 gallery upload featuring partially nude child characters after Kotaku flagged it, but other Epstein creations — some live since 2023 — remain. A reminder for UGC platform owners that reactive moderation has real reputational costs. (Kotaku)

Culture & Community

Clair Obscur writer shares production advice that could improve your game's story (5 min read)

The writer behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 shared narrative production advice for game developers, covering story structure and writing process lessons learned during development. (Game Developer)

Hytale celebrates 20M mod downloads, launches $100K modding contest (2 min read)

Hypixel Studios is running a $100K modding contest for Hytale in partnership with CurseForge, awarding 65 winners across WorldGen, NPC, and Experiences categories. The game has hit 20M mod downloads since its Jan. 13 Early Access launch. (Dot Esports)

gg! see you in game!

-james