Mobile publisher Playtika has reached a “definitive agreement” to acquire mobile studio SuperPlay in a deal for an initial $700 million. An additional contingent consideration of up to $1.25 billion could be paid out subject to SuperPlay achieving certain financial targets for 2025, 2026, and 2027 Playtika CEO Robert Antokol described the acquisition as a …
Saudi wealth fund considering increased stakes in Japanese game devs
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) may be looking to up its already-established stake in Japanese studios like Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, and begin new investments into others in the region. Per Kyodo News, the fund’s vice chairman Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud recently acknowledged the “possibility” of these backings, but only with …
Book Excerpt: Animal Crossing tracks the rise of the original cozy life sim
The following excerpt is from Animal Crossing by Kelsey Lewin. The book was published August 15, 2024, and is available from Boss Fight Books. Use discount code TOMNOOK for 10% off your purchase. The story of Animal Crossing’s development first starts in the space between Yoshi’s Story’s international release date in 1998 and Eguchi’s new …
Better together: Making sense of the frenetic floating fleets in Flock
Chris Kerr, News Editor July 16, 2024 6 Min Read Image via Hollow Ponds Cosmets. Bewls. Pipers. Gleebs. These aren’t the mutterings of a lunatic, but rather a mere handful of creatures you’ll be able to charm and collect in Flock, the next title from Wilmot’s Warehouse and I Am Dead developer Hollow Ponds. Flock …
Rare alum Craig Duncan appointed Xbox Game Studios head
GamesIndustry reports Xbox Game Studios will have a leadership shakeup with the departure of studio head Alan Hartman. Hartman, who previously led Forza developer Turn 10, took on the role last year, and will retire from the company at the end of November. Craig Duncan, current leader of Rare Ltd, will take over for Hartman. …
Game Developer’s 2023 Wrap-Up: 10 Must-Read Deep Dives
Developer Insights is one of the coolest places on Game Developer. And I am not just saying that as the section editor. I’m also saying that as someone who gets to passively benefit from absorbing all this amazing design information every day. I’m getting the education of a lifetime. This year, our deep dives and …
Character creators are more important than ever: An interview with the team of Witchy Life Story
Video games profoundly benefit from the player’s relationship with the avatar. As an in-game representation of self that facilitates identity, participation, and self-expression, there are few art forms that foster such a direct relationship between artist and audience. In the past several years, as the desire for diverse representation in games has grown, character creators …
Curves in Games: The Art of Bezier Curves
Dongxin Tian, Blogger December 4, 2023 5 Min Read Image via Pexels user Monstera Production. What is a Bezier curve? Bezier curves are one of the most important concepts in computer graphics, known for their flexibility and precision in representing curves. The foundation of the mathematical principles of Bezier curves are the Bernstein polynomials which …
European Court of Justice rules against Sony in PSP cheating lawsuit
Sony has lost a more than decade-old lawsuit against UK peripheral firm Datel, with The European Court of Justice ruling in favor of the Action Replay manufacturer. The lawsuit dates all the way back to 2012, when Sony filed a lawsuit against Datel in German courts over the use of its Action Replay cheating device …
Deep Dive: Fleshing out the universe of Lunar Lander Beyond
Game Developer Deep Dives are an ongoing series with the goal of shedding light on specific design, art, or technical features within a video game in order to show how seemingly simple, fundamental design decisions aren’t really that simple at all. Earlier installments cover topics such as creating a game manual that accommodates multiple learning styles with …