Business
Ongoing coverage on Business.
Latest coverage
Jobs roundup: August 2026 | Paramount Games appoints Nate Nanzer as EVP, head of commercial & marketing
This article rounds up recent appointments and transitions within the gaming industry. Notable moves include Nate Nanzer joining Paramount Games, Julia Gutnik heading media at Amazon Gaming, and Tracey Thompson returning to Bethesda as VP of communications. Several other companies like Epic Games, Studio MDHR, Games Workshop, and Blizzard Entertainment also saw new hires or promotions.
After earning $1 million on Steam from a game that took 4 months to make, stunned devs end up in Valve's coveted…
The indie game Sir, We Have an Orc Problem, developed by Mumpitz Games, has achieved over $1 million in gross revenue on Steam within its first week. The physics-based tower defense game, which took four months to develop, has sold over 128,000 copies and maintained a positive review score of 86%.
Is Palworld Worth It in 2026? A Verdict for Busy Adults | Two Average Gamers
Palworld 1.0 is a survival game with a significant gap between critical reception and player scores, reflecting its strengths in gameplay loops and weaknesses in polish. While critics point to issues with AI, performance, and shallow building, players praise its addictive systems and creature collection. The game is available on PC and Xbox Series X, including day one on Game Pass, and despite a lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, its merits are considered independent of legal outcomes.
Two AI Commercials, Two Futures: Anthropic Sells Fear, Alibaba Sells Free Time
Alibaba's new Qwen3.8-Max AI model, with 2.4 trillion parameters, demonstrates impressive long-horizon agentic task capabilities, operating autonomously for nearly five days on an experiment. Priced significantly lower than competitors like Anthropic's Fable 5 and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol, Alibaba's model is poised to disrupt the market, with some users already switching from Western AI subscriptions. The article contrasts Alibaba's commercial, which emphasizes free time and leisure, with Anthropic's fear-based advertising, reflecting differing public sentiments towards AI in China and the US.
Business and Finance
Atari has returned to profitability, achieving its highest revenue in a decade. The company's financial turnaround was reported by Reuters.
FIFA World Cup developer Refactor Games reportedly shuttered by Delphi Interactive
Refactor Games, a studio co-owned by Delphi Interactive, has reportedly been shut down shortly after releasing FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition for Netflix Games. Meanwhile, Atari reported significant revenue growth for its 2025-26 fiscal year, driven by acquisitions, though its consolidated group posted a net loss.
Business and Finance
GameStop has announced a private exchange offer for its convertible senior notes, totaling $1.4 billion, in exchange for equity. This financial maneuver aims to restructure the company's debt.
MMO Week in Review: I want to believe
This week's MMO news roundup covers updates and announcements for numerous titles including Stars Reach, EverQuest Legends, Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy XIV. Key stories include Stars Reach's official early access date, Elder Scrolls Online's post-layoff roadmap, and Guild Wars 3 revealing its composers. The article also touches on game development, business practices, and player sentiment across various MMORPGs.
Story of Seasons mobile game cancelled as Marvelous cuts six-year Tencent partnership
Marvelous has officially ended its six-year partnership with Tencent, leading to the cancellation of a Story of Seasons mobile game that was in development since 2019. The decision was made due to business environment and profitability concerns, though the original licensing agreement remains intact. This move follows reports of Tencent re-evaluating its stakes in several Japanese game developers amidst a global industry slump.
Saturday Postmortems/Retrospectives
This article features retrospectives on the Civilization franchise's 35th anniversary, including insights from Sid Meier and Firaxis Games regarding the future of XCOM. It also delves into Tencent's unsuccessful attempt to compete with Grand Theft Auto.
Business and Finance
Electronic Arts anticipates its Saudi takeover deal will close next week, while Xbox revenue has seen a significant drop of $1.7 billion year-over-year, with hardware sales declining by 29%. Roblox Corporation has also reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2026.
The Spectrum White Edition interview: ‘it smells the same as Christmas Day 1984'
Retro Games CTO Chris Smith discusses the company's mission to recreate classic 8-bit computers like the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 with modern hardware. The Spectrum White Edition aims to capture the original experience, including programming capabilities, while offering modern conveniences like HDMI output and save states. Smith highlights the challenges of hardware replication and the importance of preserving gaming history for both nostalgic adults and curious younger generations.
Xbox revenues dipped $1.7 billion last year, but Asha Sharma predicts a 'return to growth' by mid-2027
Xbox experienced a revenue dip of $1.7 billion in the last fiscal year, with content and services revenue down 10% and hardware revenue down 29%. Despite these declines, CEO Asha Sharma predicts a return to growth by the end of the 2027 fiscal year, citing investments in player value and the company's IP. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also expressed confidence in the business's long-term growth potential.
Business and Finance
Microsoft's Xbox division experienced a 10 percent revenue drop, contrasting with significant growth in its cloud and AI businesses. Separately, a Capcom producer indicated that the Resident Evil remakes are a key financial driver for the company.
Evening Consolidation
Microsoft CEO stated that the Xbox division is expected to return to growth in the upcoming fiscal year. Separately, Xbox acknowledged that game disc functionality failed during a recent service outage.
Subnautica 2’s 5M+ box sales helped Krafton reach record-setting second quarter earnings for this year
Krafton reported record-setting second quarter earnings, driven by over 5 million sales of Subnautica 2 within 22 days of its early access release and continued growth of PUBG. Despite a net profit deficit due to a $250 million payout to Unknown Worlds, the company plans to develop Subnautica into a lasting franchise IP.
Morning Consolidation
Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles are reportedly losing $150 per unit sold. This financial information raises questions about the company's hardware sales strategy and profitability in the current market.
Subnautica 2 is responsible for Krafton's 'record second quarter performance' despite the messy legal battle and accusations of sabotage
Krafton announced a record second quarter performance, driven by the success of Subnautica 2, which has sold 5 million copies. Despite a tumultuous development period involving legal battles and accusations of sabotage between Krafton and developer Unknown Worlds, the game's early access launch was successful. The company's revenue and operating profit reached their highest points for the second quarter, though net profit showed a deficit due to acquisition and earnout costs.
Wizards of the Coast president steps down after only two years in the role
John Hight is stepping down as president of Wizards of the Coast after two years, transitioning to an advisory role on September 1st. This announcement follows a recent $56 million impairment charge and cancellation of several video games by parent company Hasbro. Despite these changes, Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons continue to perform well, and the upcoming 2027 video game slate remains on track.
Business and Finance
A former BioWare developer criticized Electronic Arts, likening the company to a hedge fund with a video game hobby. This perspective suggests that the Dragon Age series may be considered 'dead and buried' due to EA's business practices.