Top Stories

Wizards of the Coast declines to voluntarily recognize game worker union (4 min read)

MTG Arena developers' union (UWOTC—CWA) says Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro declined voluntary recognition by the May 1 deadline. The union filed for an NLRB election to force recognition. (Game Developer)

Former Nintendo Of America President Warns Devs That Companies Doing Mass Layoffs Is ‘A Red Flag’ (5 min read)

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé called mass layoffs a "red flag" warning, saying companies that cut staff are likely to do so again. Speaking at NYU, he contrasted Nintendo's long-term employee development philosophy with industry-wide layoff trends, urging developers to scrutinize company culture before joining. (Kotaku)

Meet the indie studios funding other indie studios (7 min read)

Indie studios are increasingly funding other indie developers, creating alternative funding pathways outside traditional venture capital and publishers. This model helps smaller teams access capital. (Game Developer)

Business & Finance

Remedy reports "stable" Q1 performance despite decreases in revenue and operating profit (3 min read)

Remedy reported a profitable Q1 despite revenue declining to €13.1 million and operating profit dropping. New CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon (ex-EA) is prioritizing Control Resonant's 2026 launch. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Former Nintendo of America boss cut off Amazon's supply of Wii and DS consoles due to "obscene" demands: "I wasn't going to do something illegal" (4 min read)

A former Nintendo of America executive revealed he cut off Amazon's supply of Wii and DS consoles over what he called "obscene" demands, refusing to engage in practices he deemed illegal. (Eurogamer)

GameStop Makes $55.5 Billion Offer to Buy eBay (3 min read)

GameStop announced a $55.5 billion offer to acquire eBay at $125 per share, with CEO Ryan Cohen pledging to become CEO of the combined entity. The deal would integrate eBay into GameStop's retail footprint and target $2 billion in annual cost reductions. (IGN)

Games & Releases

Warcraft 3 Legacy is finally back on Battle.net (6 min read)

Blizzard restored Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne (Legacy) to Battle.net after removal. The classic RTS is now available again on the platform. (PC Gamer)

Wolf With Inn Developers Discuss Their New Dark Cozy Fantasy Game About a Werewolf Running a Tavern (5 min read)

Thundertale Studio's Wolf With Inn, a dark cozy fantasy game about a werewolf innkeeper, launched on Steam. Developers discussed balancing meditative gameplay with darker themes exploring human duality, drawing inspiration from fairy tales and music. (IGN)

Policy & Labor

US PlayStation players could be due payout as court agrees class-action settlement of $7.8 million (4 min read)

A US court approved a $7.85 million class-action settlement against Sony for allegedly monopolizing PlayStation digital game sales through game-specific vouchers. Eligible players purchased digital games on PSN between April 2019 and December 2023. (Eurogamer)

Culture & Community

Zelda was Nintendo's answer to "traditional RPGs," Shigeru Miyamoto says: "We wanted the player to interact with the game world using the controller, and conquer dungeons" (6 min read)

Shigeru Miyamoto explains Zelda was Nintendo's response to traditional RPGs, emphasizing player interaction with the game world via controller to conquer dungeons. A foundational design philosophy that shaped the action-adventure genre. (GamesRadar)

How a '90s Zelda PC port became a fangame factory, turning one legend into a thousand (12 min read)

ZQuest Classic, a '90s Zelda PC port, became a platform for fan-game creators, spawning thousands of custom games. The tool's accessibility transformed how hobbyist developers approach game-making. (PC Gamer)

gg! see you in game!

— james