Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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How you (yes, you) can benefit from 1-on-1 synchronous playtesting
Designer Brian Cronin advocates for synchronous one-on-one playtesting, even for small teams, as an inexpensive and effective method for gathering actionable feedback. This approach helps developers understand player pain points, emotional impact, and can even foster early community by treating playtesters with care.
Teaser: Häng med i Indiespelklubbens sjätte period!
Indiespelklubben is teasing its sixth period with a cryptic image, inviting guesses about the upcoming game. The club, hosted on FZ, has been active since the beginning of the year and offers members access to discussions, interviews, guides, and challenges related to featured games. Members who join by August 31st will receive the sixth period's game.
Vague Patch Notes: Resenting structure and blaming guidance in MMOs
This article analyzes the evolution of game structure and guidance in MMOs, contrasting early titles like Final Fantasy XI with more modern experiences like Final Fantasy XIV. It discusses how the 'bump method' of exploration in older games has been replaced by more direct questing and guidance, and how this shift impacts player experience and perception of game openness.
Oh no, you can doomscroll in GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto 6 will feature in-game smartphones with working social media feeds, allowing players to engage in "doomscrolling." This feature is part of the game's satirical take on modern life, with dual protagonists Jason and Lucia offering distinct gameplay experiences. Head of development Rob Nelson highlighted the team's surprise at the tabloid response to early information.
Roblox Bans Games That Pay Kids to Keep Scrolling in Wake of Steal an Egg Uproar
Roblox Corporation has updated its policies to ban games that reward players for continuous media feed consumption, following backlash over the popular game 'Steal an Egg.' This change aims to create a safer environment for younger users by prohibiting mechanics that combine infinite scrolling feeds with rewards. The update comes amidst ongoing investigations by the U.S. Senate and several states into allegations of child exploitation on the platform.
Halo co-creator praises Witcher 3 Songs of the Past, wonders "what it would have been like if we’d kept…
Former Halo co-creator Joseph Staten expressed admiration for The Witcher 3's new expansion, Songs of the Past, and reflected on the potential for similar expansions for Halo games. He mused about how Halo 3 ODST-like expansions could have offered new stories and mechanics, though acknowledged this likely wouldn't have happened if Bungie had remained with Microsoft, thus preventing the creation of Destiny.
Fable 4 is missing "a whole myriad of combat system basics," says head of Ori studio, who offers Playground Games a call "to point you in the right direction"
Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios, criticized the combat in the upcoming Fable game, stating it lacks basic elements like enemy hit reactions. He offered Playground Games assistance in improving the combat system. The Fable game is scheduled for release on February 23, 2027.
Armatus gets Nintendo Switch 2 release date, new trailer
Publisher Fictions and developer Counterplay Games have announced that their third-person roguelite shooter, Armatus, will be released on January 7, 2027, for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game features fast-paced combat, procedural generation, and a persistent progression system set in the demon-infested ruins of Paris. A new trailer was also released alongside the announcement.
Palia players grumble over a storage chest expansion silently added to the cash shop in latest patch
Players of the cozy mini-MMO Palia are expressing displeasure after developer Singularity 6 silently added a premium storage chest expansion to the cash shop in the latest patch. While the studio explains this is to help players with limited time and allows for more free cosmetic options, fans argue it contradicts promises of only selling cosmetics and points to a failure in game design for inventory management.
Persona 4 Revival is a faithful JRPG remake because the original's only gotten more relevant: "We live in an…
Persona 4 producer Kazuhisa Wada stated that the upcoming remake, Persona 4 Revival, will remain faithful to the original game's themes, which he believes have become even more relevant today. He explained that the game's focus on confronting inner psyche and looking beyond public perception resonates strongly in the current social media-driven age. The goal is to enhance immersion with updated visuals rather than altering the core narrative.
Alien Isolation 2's new outdoor areas are there to "support the iconic cat-and-mouse game"
Developers Anastasia Sopikova and Laura Maurerer discussed how Alien: Isolation 2 will incorporate outdoor areas to support its signature cat-and-mouse gameplay. These new environments will offer different survival strategies and introduce environmental hazards like fog and rain to enhance the tension.
Recension – Half-Life
This review examines Half-Life, a seminal first-person shooter released in 1998 by Valve. Despite its age, the game is praised for its innovative storytelling without cutscenes, immersive audiovisual design, and player freedom. While acknowledging minor issues like pathfinding for NPCs and the design of the Xen planet, the article concludes that Half-Life remains a masterpiece and is still highly enjoyable today, having inspired numerous games and mods like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress, and ultimately leading to the creation of Steam.
WoW Factor: Yes, there really is too much to do in World of Warcraft Midnight
The author expresses feeling overwhelmed by the amount of content and weekly tasks in World of Warcraft's latest patch, "Curse of Ula'tek." Despite the game's history of content droughts, the current eight-week patch cycle is perceived as too fast, leading to an exhausting experience for players, especially those with multiple characters.
Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy ditches the rats in an attempt to "break the mold and try something else"
The next installment in the A Plague Tale series, Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy, will remove the signature rat gameplay to explore new mechanics and themes. Creative Director David Dedeine stated that the rat gameplay was reaching an end and that the team wants to "break the mold and try something else." The new Macula threat will be an external force to avoid, maintaining the series' stealth elements while offering different strategic approaches.
Football Manager 27 will restore ideas players loved from older games when it launches this November
Sports Interactive has confirmed that Football Manager 27 is in the final stages of development and is scheduled for a November 2026 release. The studio plans to restore popular features from previous iterations of the game, addressing player feedback following the controversial overhaul in Football Manager 26. More details on gameplay and features will be revealed starting in September.
Warlock's take on D&D magic might make me willing to sell my soul
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is an upcoming open-world action RPG from Invoke Studios and Hasbro, where players control Kaatri, a magic-user gifted by Tasha. The game emphasizes creative use of spells for combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving, offering a flashy, action-dense approach to D&D magic. It is slated for a 2027 launch.
Exodus will likely win the Mass Effect spiritual successor war, thanks partly to its Cool Octopus, but I think it has a boring hero problem
Archetype has announced an April 7, 2027 release date for their space RPG Exodus, a spiritual successor to Mass Effect. The game features a unique octopus sniper companion named Salt and a Celestial character named Emrys, but the article criticizes the main protagonist, Jun Aslan, for being a boring 'chosen one' archetype with a generic appearance.
"We're not doing something that everyone [would] do": After Cost of Hope, Stalker 2 devs are working on multiplayer which won't be "session-based" like Counter Strike
GSC Game World is developing a second DLC for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl with a focus on different storytelling, alongside a free multiplayer mode. The studio aims to create unique experiences that deviate from common industry practices, with the multiplayer not being session-based like Counter-Strike.
Path of Exile 2's melee options have "been a bit deficient," but that changes with 1.0
Grinding Gear Games director Jonathan Rogers acknowledges that Path of Exile 2's melee options have been deficient, particularly the lack of swords, but assures that version 1.0 will address this. He discusses the challenges in developing melee classes like the Duelist due to animation complexity and the team's efforts to create engaging sword combat and iconic skills like Cyclone.
GTA 6 promises big consequences for your actions that go beyond Red Dead Redemption 2's honor system
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to feature more significant consequences for player actions than previous Rockstar titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5. Decisions will have broader impacts on the narrative and the game world, with even minor actions potentially affecting the story. The game will also feature more reactive NPCs and character visual changes based on player habits.
