Update (10/16/2024): Uematsu clarified that his previous video for Fantasian: Neo Dimension was a “misunderstanding,” and that he is retiring from full-time composing for games. He explained that he will “cut back a bit on my video game music work. […] The time commitment for composing [an entire soundtrack] would be too long.” Uematsu reiterated …
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is shutting down in November, then reopening as a paid game
Nintendo has revealed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will go offline on November 29. The good news? A paid version of the game will go online that same day. The free-to-play mobile spinoff launched in November 2017, and Nintendo called it an honor “to see everyone’s lovely, diverse campsites grow and flourish. We extend our heartfelt …
Roblox rolls out higher-rev share plan for devs making premium games
Roblox parent company Roblox Corporation shared some fascinating news today at Roblox Developers Conference. The company announced that developers making “paid access experiences” (think premium games) on Roblox will soon be able to earn a higher revenue share than developers making free-to-play games. This increase applies to games that are purchased with “real currency value” …
Paradox leaders say ‘overconfidence’ led to ‘undisciplined’ decision-making
Paradox Interactive deputy CEO Mattias Lilja feels the publisher’s recent struggles are the result of overconfidence and claims the company needs to return to its roots. The Swedish company has made a number of high-profile missteps over the past year. In June, Paradox scrapped Life by You and shuttered developer Paradox Tectonic, resulting in a …
BFI issues £510,000 from lottery challenge to back dev-focused aid projects
A quartet of projects focused on assisting indie developers recently won £510,000 (or $665,275) from the British Film Institute (BFI). Per GamesIndustry, the four were awarded funding from the production company’s National Lottery Innovation Challenge. Businesses will put that money toward new tools and resources for undersupported developers. BFI’s research and industry innovation director Rishi …
Unity CEO Matt Bromberg says Runtime Fee reversal is part of bid to become ‘a fundamentally different company’
One year after introducing a controversial Runtime Fee that raised outrage from game developers and sparked rising interest in alternative game engines, Unity is rolling back its policy. The change isn’t happening in a vacuum. Unity is also raising prices on Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise subscriptions, and according to CEO Matthew Bromberg, it’s part …
1,000 little Post-It notes: an interview with the developer of He Came From Beyond
There’s an immense charm to games with hand-drawn illustrations; 2021’s Mundaun, for example, was well received for adopting a pencil sketch visual style, which imbued the game with a visceral texture that seemed to reinforce the rough-hewn edges of its dark religious folk horror. Like Mundaun, He Came From Beyond is drawn by hand, but with an …
Xsolla starts industry advancement into Uzbekistan with development academy in 2025
Game commerce platform Xsolla is partnering with IT Park Uzbekistan to launch a game development academy in the country next year. Like the academies established in Saudi Arabia and Central Asia, Uzbekistan’s will “train local talent and create new opportunities for game production & development within [its] growing industry.” The aim is for Uzbekistan to …
Deep Dive: Modeling the global economy in Victoria 3
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 how art director Olivier Latouche reimagined the art …
Creating a Spatial Query System
Jitesh Mulchandani August 26, 2024 17 Min Read Image via olia danilevich. Introduction Hello, I am Jitesh Mulchandani, a senior gameplay engineer at Super Evil Megacorp. Spatial query systems have become an essential tool for enabling intelligent AI behaviors in complex game environments. They allow AI characters to dynamically analyze their surroundings and find optimal …