GamesIndustry.biz

Handhelds are in vogue – but they’re still a commercial minefield | Opinion Once thought destroyed by smartphones, handheld gaming devices are now a hot sector; but nobody whose name isn’t Nintendo is actually selling many

Rob Fahey says that although handheld gaming devices are now a hot sector, nobody who isn’t Nintendo is actually selling many. "Building a dedicated handheld Xbox with a commitment to sell at least ten million units would have been pure hubristic madness."

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Watch the GamesIndustry.biz UK Best Places to Work Awards 2025 The full ceremony is now online to view

The UK Best Places to Work Awards 2025 took place at the Royal Institution in London last week, and now the entire awards ceremony is available to view online.

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Union members announce legal action against Build A Rocket Boy over layoffs An open letter to the studio's leadership alleges systemic mistreatment, mismanagement, and mishandling of the redundancy process

An open letter attributed to "93 employees and ex-employees" of Build A Rocket Boy has accused the studio's leadership of "longstanding disrespect and mistreatment of your staff." It's accompanied by news of legal action over mishandling of redundancies.

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"Usually, we're not on the map." How a new initiative is platforming Palestinian developers The creators of Dreams on a Pillow and Pomegranates reflect on the help they've received from the newly formed industry initiative Palestinian Voices in Games

In September, a group of industry professionals announced Palestinian Voices in Games. Now, the creators of Dreams on a Pillow and Pomegranates reflect on the help they've received from the newly formed industry initiative.

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PolyDream Studio raises $500,000 to accelerate development of FPS project Azerbaijan-based studio aims to increase its team to over 100 developers over the next decade

Azerbaijan-based developer PolyDream Studio has raised $500,000 in funding

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A Minecraft Movie sequel greenlit for July 23, 2027 Jared Hess returns to direct and co-write screenplay with Chris Galletta

Warner Bros. has greenlit a sequel to A Minecraft Movie, which is set to premiere on July 23, 2027

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Report: Ubisoft cancels Assassin's Creed game set in post-Civil War US Former and current employees claim game was scrapped due to "online backlash" of Shadows' protagonist Yasuke and an "increasingly intense" political climate in

Ubisoft reportedly scrapped an Assassin's Creed game set after the American Civil War due to "online backlash" of Yasuke in Shadows and an "increasingly intense" political climate in the US

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Heart Machine affected by second round of layoffs Development on its early access title Hyper Light Breaker to wind down

Los Angeles-based studio Heart Machine has announced an unspecified amount of job cuts

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70,000 users affected in Discord customer service breach UPDATE: Social platform clarifies it has "secured the affected systems and ended work with the compromised vendor"

UPDATE: Social platform clarifies it has "secured the affected systems and ended work with the compromised vendor"

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70,000 users affected in Discord customer service breach UPDATE: Social platform clarifies it has "secured the affected systems and ended work with the compromised vendor"

UPDATE: Social platform clarifies it has "secured the affected systems and ended work with the compromised vendor"

www.gamesindustry.biz/small-number...

The Drifter wins Game of the Year at Australian Game Developer Awards 2025 Massive Monster takes home Studio of the Year, Epic Games' Antony Reed receives Adam Lancman Award

Powerhoof's The Drifter took home Game of the Year at the Australian Game Developer Awards 2025, as well as Excellence in Art, Excellence in Narrative, and Excellence in Sound Design

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Nintendo of America seeks $4.5m in damages from Redditor for copyright violations Activities of James C. Williams, also known as 'Archbox', has "substantially damaged NOA’s overall business and intellectual property rights"

Nintendo of America is seeking $4.5 million in damages against Redditor James C. Williams, also known as 'Archbox'

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Kimberley Turner and Mark South appointed Double Eleven co-CEOs Former CEO Lee Hutchinson steps down, moves into "broad strategic role" as chairman of studio's parent company

Double Eleven founder Lee Hutchinson is stepping down as CEO, with Kimberley Turner and Mark South leading the indie studio as co-CEOs

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The European launch of PlayStation, as remembered by Shuhei Yoshida Thirty years on, the former SIE Worldwide Studios president recalls inter-regional rivalries and the Nintendo prototype that started it all

Thirty years on, former SIE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recalls the European launch of the PlayStation - and the Nintendo PlayStation prototype that started it all. "It was almost helpful that Nintendo cancelled the project," he says.

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Former ZeniMax Online devs form Sackbird Studios "We realized the best way to protect our craft – and our team – was to create a studio where creative independence isn’t negotiable," says CEO

A group of former ZeniMax Online developers have announced the formation of Sackbird Studios

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Kimberley Turner and Mark South appointed Double Eleven co-CEOs Former CEO Lee Hutchinson steps down, moves into "broad strategic role" as chairman of studio's parent company

Double Eleven founder Lee Hutchinson is stepping down as CEO, with Kimberley Turner and Mark South leading the indie studio as co-CEOs

www.gamesindustry.biz/kimberley-tu...

Nintendo of America seeks $4.5m in damages from Redditor for copyright violations Activities of James C. Williams, also known as 'Archbox', has "substantially damaged NOA’s overall business and intellectual property rights"

Nintendo of America is seeking $4.5 million in damages against Redditor James C. Williams, also known as 'Archbox'

www.gamesindustry.biz/nintendo-of-...

Why Relic Entertainment wants to make games more quickly CEO Justin Dowdeswell explains his vision for the future of the storied RTS developer, following its breakaway from Sega

Relic Entertainment CEO Justin Dowdeswell explains his vision for the future of the storied RTS developer, following its breakaway from Sega. "If we have an Achilles heel [...] one would be how long it's taken us in the past to release games."

www.gamesindustry.biz/why-relic-en...

The Drifter wins Game of the Year at Australian Game Developer Awards 2025 Massive Monster takes home Studio of the Year, Epic Games' Antony Reed receives Adam Lancman Award

Powerhoof's The Drifter took home Game of the Year at the Australian Game Developer Awards 2025, as well as Excellence in Art, Excellence in Narrative, and Excellence in Sound Design

www.gamesindustry.biz/the-drifter-...

Fragbite sells Playdigious to venture fund Griffin Gaming Partners for $12.2m Fragbite has divested Playdigious to venture fund Griffin Gaming Partners for $12.2 million (€10.5 million).

Fragbite sells Playdigious to venture fund Griffin Gaming Partners for $12.2m
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New Sustainable Games Standard framework hopes to help studios measure and reduce emissions A global non-profit co-operative of game devs, universities, and associated companies, the Sustainable Games Alliance (…

New Sustainable Games Standard framework hopes to help studios measure and reduce emissions

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NBA 2K26 and Switch 2 drive growth in August 2025 video game spending | US Monthly Charts NBA 2K26 was the best-selling premium game of August 2025, rocketing into the best-selling games of the year list, char…

NBA 2K26 and Switch 2 drive growth in August 2025 video game spending | US Monthly Charts

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Why Relic Entertainment wants to make games more quickly CEO Justin Dowdeswell explains his vision for the future of the storied RTS developer, following its breakaway from Sega

Relic Entertainment CEO Justin Dowdeswell explains his vision for the future of the storied RTS developer, following its breakaway from Sega. "If we have an Achilles heel [...] one would be how long it's taken us in the past to release games."

www.gamesindustry.biz/why-relic-en...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tops 5 million sales worldwide in 5 months | News-in-Brief The resource for people who make and sell games.

News-in-Brief: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tops 5 million sales worldwide in 5 months
"We cannot thank you enough," said developer Sandfall
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Microsoft halts Xbox Game Pass price rises in select markets "Current subscribers [...] will continue renewing at their existing price for now, in line with local requirements," firm says

Microsoft is pausing price hikes for its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in some countries

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ESA: 48% of video game players are women 2025 Global Power of Play report also found that mobile is the preferred device for women and players overall

Just under half of gamers worldwide are women, according to a new report published by the Entertainment Software Association

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Roblox invites applicants to join its first Parent Council to provide "real-world perspectives" and "play an active role" Roblox has launched its first Parent Council.

Roblox invites applicants to join its first Parent Council to provide "real-world perspectives" and "play an active role"
www.gamesindustry.biz/roblox-invit...

U.S. SEC investigates AppLovin over data collection The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating AppLovin's data collection practices following allegations…

U.S. SEC investigates AppLovin over data collection
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Royal Bank of Scotland to launch IP-backed loans ranging between £250,000 to £10m "This new funding could help IP-rich businesses scale up and compete on the global stage," says Secretary of State for Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland has unveiled plans to launch IP-backed loans aimed at "high growth businesses" in Scotland

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Jobs roundup: October 2025 | Yrs Truly names Summer Tang operations director It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them…

Jobs roundup: October 2025 | Yrs Truly names Summer Tang operations director

Gaming and Esports community agency ELO appoints Joost van Dreunen as strategic advisor

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