Game Development
Ongoing coverage on Game Development.
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Pixels Opens Its Game Client Code as It Pivots Toward Platform Model
Pixels has open-sourced its game client as part of a strategic pivot towards an ecosystem and platform model. This move allows developers to contribute to improvements and modifications, with plans to eventually open-source the backend and build community governance mechanisms. The company aims to leverage its player community for content creation and scale, while retaining oversight on official game updates.
Two years on from taking the role, Wizards of the Coast's president is stepping down
John Hight is stepping down as President of Wizards of the Coast on September 1st, after two years in the role, and will move into an advisory position. This transition occurs shortly after parent company Hasbro reported a significant impairment charge. Wizards of the Coast stated that its core games, Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, are performing well, and their upcoming video game slate remains on track.
Wizards of the Coast president is stepping down after just 2 years on the job
John Hight, president of Wizards of the Coast and former general manager at Blizzard Entertainment, is stepping down after two years. He will transition from his role on September 1st to an advisory position with Hasbro, the parent company. This departure occurs amidst Hasbro's reported $56 million impairment from cancelled video game projects and a stated goal to reduce digital spend.
The Witcher 3 director says solely aiming for high sales is a great way to make a game "fail," and he wants to measure his new RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker by the "opinions of fans"
Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, director of the upcoming RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker and a veteran of The Witcher 3, believes that solely focusing on high sales figures is a detrimental approach to game development. He stated that he prefers to measure the success of his games by fan reception and artistic achievement, asserting that if a game is good, sales will follow. The Blood of Dawnwalker is described as a 14th-century horror RPG where a half-human, half-vampire protagonist has 30 days to save their family.
Cyan visar upp ett nedlagt spel i Myst-världen
Cyan, the creators of Myst and Riven, has revealed a cancelled project codenamed 'Project Anglerfish' that was set in the Myst universe. The company shared a prototype demonstration intended for publishers, showcasing a prototype developed over a year ago. While the project will not be released in its current form, Cyan may be gauging interest for its potential revival.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs talk about the challenges of a Nintendo Switch 2 port
Sandfall Interactive, the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, have stated that a port to the Nintendo Switch 2 would present a significant technical challenge due to the console's power limitations compared to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. While they are interested in exploring the possibility, the team noted that certain Unreal Engine 5 features are not compatible with the Switch 2, though newer features like Lumen Lite might offer some benefits.
Buffs, Nerfs, and Bugs
The developer of Marvel Tōkon has apologized to PC players for performance issues encountered during the game's beta phase. This apology comes just one week before the game's official launch.
Obituary: TaleWorlds Entertainment co-founder İpek Yavuz has passed away
İpek Yavuz, co-founder and studio head of TaleWorlds Entertainment, has passed away at the age of 54. Yavuz was instrumental in the development of the Mount & Blade series, co-founding the studio in 2005 and contributing as a CG artist and studio head. Her passing was announced by the company on Friday.
Wizards of the Coast president John Hight is stepping down
John Hight, president of Wizards of the Coast and former executive producer of World of Warcraft, is stepping down from his role. He will transition to an advisory position with Hasbro, the parent company, until September 1, continuing to receive his salary and a bonus for fiscal year 2026. Hight has overseen the Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons franchises, as well as the digital gaming division, during a period that saw several game cancellations and layoffs.
"I wish I could do that": A developer on The Sims has been eyeing up Paralives' characters' asymmetric shoes and their wider possibilities
A senior character artist for The Sims 4, Jess Hyland, expressed admiration for Paralives' character creator, particularly its support for asymmetric accessories like shoes and prosthetic legs. This feature highlights limitations in The Sims 4's current system, which relies on symmetry and has faced challenges in decoupling character appearance from gender presentation due to its foundational design choices. The competition from Paralives may push EA to address these long-standing issues in The Sims 4's character creation tools.
"Across the industry, we don't think enough about how we match the scope to what we're making" – Mike Bithell on why the world needs an im-slim
Mike Bithell discusses the challenges faced by indie developers, including the recent downsizing of Bithell Games. He introduces his new experimental immersive sim, Vampirium 1997, which adopts a minimalist, tile-based approach to reduce development scope and cost. Bithell advocates for better matching project scope to market potential, criticizing the industry's risk aversion and reliance on established IPs.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was reportedly being turned into a 2.5D brawler by CD Projekt Red and Shantae studio WayForward, but its fate is uncertain
CD Projekt Red and Shantae developer WayForward were reportedly collaborating on a 2.5D brawler based on the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, codenamed Gemini. The project, believed to be in early development between 2025 and 2026, may have an uncertain future due to funding delays and layoffs at WayForward. CD Projekt Red also has other Cyberpunk and Witcher projects in development.
Epic Games just hired former Battle.net head, as studio gears up for "the era of Unreal Engine 6"
Epic Games has hired Martin Keely, former Senior Vice President of Technology and Services for Battle.net at Blizzard Entertainment, as the new Vice President/General Manager for the Epic Games Store and Epic Online services. CEO Tim Sweeney stated this move is part of Epic's preparation for the era of Unreal Engine 6 and the development of an open, interoperable gaming ecosystem across platforms and stores.
Sonic Team boss will continue to deliver content that “stays true to the Sonic universe”
Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka stated in an interview that the studio is committed to developing new projects that remain true to the Sonic universe. He highlighted the ongoing content for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds as an example of this commitment.
John Hight steps down as Wizards of the Coast president
John Hight, president of Wizards of the Coast, will step down on September 1 after two years in the role. He will continue with the company as an advisor. Hight previously served as general manager for the Warcraft franchise at Blizzard. During his tenure at Wizards of the Coast, he oversaw Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
Shigeru Miyamoto knows some fans have "multiple Nintendo consoles at home," and hopes that'll become "the norm" in the future: "That would be the best scenario"
Legendary Nintendo fellow Shigeru Miyamoto expressed his hope that owning multiple Nintendo consoles will become the norm for players. He believes this would simplify game development by allowing studios to target both current and next-generation hardware simultaneously, reducing concerns about sales cannibalization between console generations.
'I have been hunted down by HR reps, lawyers, and comms people:' Developers discuss the pain and prevalence of side work clauses
Developers discuss the prevalence and impact of restrictive side work clauses in the video game industry, where companies often claim ownership of personal projects. While some employees have successfully negotiated these terms, many face broad restrictions that hinder personal and professional growth. Legal experts note that clauses are generally enforceable if the side work falls within the scope of employment, emphasizing the importance of transparency and written agreements.
Myst Game Codenamed Mudfish Revealed
Cyan has revealed a new Myst game codenamed Mudfish during their Mysterium 2026 announcements. The studio also shared a postmortem of an abandoned project during the event.
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.
Evening Legal Briefs
New European Union deepfake legislation will require video game developers to be cautious when incorporating real-world individuals into their games. This follows a US court ruling that blocked a Texas law mandating websites filter 'harmful' speech.