Game Development
Ongoing coverage on Game Development.
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EVE Online studio hires former Icelandic minister to lead autonomous AI efforts
Fenris Creations, the developer behind EVE Online, has appointed former Icelandic minister Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir as its senior director of AI partnerships. She will lead the studio's initiative to test advanced AI systems within the persistent virtual world of EVE Frontier, aiming to create a live proving ground for autonomous agents in complex economic and social environments.
‘Flaming swords, here we go!’: Indie MMO Hollowed Oath focuses on improving combat feels
The indie MMORPG Hollowed Oath is focusing on improving its combat feel, with recent updates adding custom skill animations, enhanced particle and sound effects for staves and wands, and persistent weapon effects. The team also worked on reducing memory usage, improving targeting, and constructing the framework for "express delivery" quests. Future updates will include pet item loadouts, quick-use item slots, and a rebuilt ability bar.
Unity credits AI advertising platform for driving its 'best quarter ever'
Unity reported its best quarter ever, with total revenue reaching $546 million, a 24% increase year-over-year, driven primarily by its AI-driven advertising platform, Vector AI. Despite a net loss of $23 million, the company has significantly reduced its losses compared to the previous year. CEO Matthew Bromberg highlighted the company's "ecosystem" strategy and anticipates growth from generative AI's impact on game development.
Sean Murray reflects on 10 years of No Man's Sky, its future, and why Hello Games' "redemption arc" narrative "isn't really the story" of the developer
Hello Games founder Sean Murray reflects on the 10-year journey of No Man's Sky, highlighting its evolution through over 45 major updates and its recent success, including winning awards and achieving record player numbers. Murray emphasizes that the team's focus remains on continuous development and future updates rather than dwelling on past controversies or a simple 'redemption arc' narrative. He also briefly touches upon the development of their next game, Light No Fire, and the unique communication strategies employed by the studio.
As developer Arc System Works promises a fix, Marvel Tōkon's suffering PC players are creating some bizarre home remedies for its dire performance woes
Players of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls on PC are experiencing significant performance issues, including stuttering and online matchmaking problems. While developers Arc System Works have promised a fix, the community has devised several unusual workarounds, such as using the 'set graphics automatically' option or manually capping the frame rate, with some even finding success by simply running the Epic Games Store in the background.
Sean Murray suggests No Man's Sky follow-up Light No Fire is quite far along, but he's 'learned a very important lesson' about speaking too soon
Hello Games studio boss Sean Murray stated that the development of their upcoming fantasy adventure game, Light No Fire, is significantly further along than typically disclosed by other studios. While he learned a lesson about not speaking too soon after the initial trailer release in 2023, Murray expressed excitement about the game's progress and anticipates sharing more details when the team is ready.
No Man's Sky is now ten years old, and the best reminder that games deserve time to grow
Hello Games founder Sean Murray reflects on the ten-year anniversary of No Man's Sky, highlighting its transformation from a rocky launch into a critically acclaimed and continuously updated space exploration game. The article emphasizes how giving games time to grow can lead to significant success, citing No Man's Sky's numerous free updates and awards as proof of its evolution and the developer's commitment.
Sean Murray doesn't care how much money No Man's Sky DLC would've made, and "it doesn't matter" because updates will stay free
Hello Games head Sean Murray stated that No Man's Sky's substantial updates will remain free, prioritizing player experience over potential revenue from DLC or in-app purchases. He believes this approach fosters a unified player base and keeps the development team motivated, even if it's not the most commercially efficient strategy. The studio's small size and sustainability also shield them from external financial pressures.
Light No Fire will 'absolutely' be like No Man's Sky, with new features coming post-release: Sean Murray says he'd like to still be working on it '10 years after launch'
Hello Games founder Sean Murray stated that their upcoming fantasy game Light No Fire will follow a similar post-release development model to No Man's Sky, with new features being added over time based on community feedback. He also mentioned that some features initially developed for Light No Fire, such as multi-crew ships, were incorporated into No Man's Sky updates. Murray expressed a desire to support Light No Fire for a decade after its launch.
Sean Murray still loves playing the 2016 version of No Man's Sky: 'It's a little bit weirder, but…
Hello Games founder Sean Murray expresses a fondness for the original 2016 version of No Man's Sky, describing it as a more esoteric and charming experience. Despite the game's extensive evolution with numerous free updates adding features like base-building and multiplayer, Murray still finds the core feeling of solitary exploration present in the current version and enjoys the new additions like custom ship building.
Light No Fire only has "between 12 and 20" devs, says lead – but that's ok because a similar number…
Hello Games founder Sean Murray revealed that Light No Fire is being developed by a small team of 12 to 20 people, similar to the size of the No Man's Sky team at its launch. Despite the small team size, the company has developed tools and technology to maintain productivity across both ambitious titles. Updates on Light No Fire have been infrequent since its announcement.
After a Decade of No Man's Sky, Players Have Explored Less Than 1% of the Planets
Hello Games, the developer of No Man's Sky, is celebrating the game's 10-year anniversary. Despite a decade of development and player engagement, less than 1% of the game's procedurally generated planets have been explored. The studio also teased an upcoming update for the game.
GTA Online will not end because of GTA 6 as Take-Two addresses multiplayer
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that Grand Theft Auto Online will continue to receive support even after the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6. While Grand Theft Auto 6 is slated for a November 19, 2026 release as a single-player experience, Rockstar Games plans to maintain the current iteration of Grand Theft Auto Online, suggesting any online component for the new title will be a separate entity.
Former Ubisoft Barcelona workers launch Dark Ritual Studios, an indie developer focused on "craftsmanship over scale"
Former Ubisoft Barcelona employees have launched Dark Ritual Studios, an independent game development company focused on "craftsmanship over scale." Led by Myles Kerwin, the studio aims for agility and creative ownership, contrasting with large AAA productions. Their first game, the dark fantasy puzzle title Puzzle Mage, is set for a 2027 PC release and has already garnered over 1,000 Steam wishlists.
Black Myth: Wukong sequel isn't using AI because the devs were inspired by The Odyssey and Christopher Nolan's…
Game Science's art director Yang Qi stated that the sequel to Black Myth: Wukong, tentatively titled Black Myth: Zhong Kui, will not use AI in its design and asset creation phases. He drew inspiration from Christopher Nolan's filmmaking approach and the timelessness of The Odyssey, emphasizing a focus on human-led creativity over rushing to adopt new technologies.
'We're Totally Supporting It' — Take-Two Boss Says Borderlands 4 Performance 'Has Not Affected Our Plans at All' as Fans Await Year 2 Roadmap
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that publisher 2K remains committed to Borderlands 4, and its commercial performance has not impacted plans for the looter shooter. He assured fans that development and support for the game are proceeding as planned.
Dev at id Software says Microsoft 'burned a lot of bridges' in the industry: 'They fundamentally don't understand art, they don't understand games'
Chris Hays, lead services programmer at id Software, criticized Microsoft's handling of recent layoffs, stating the company "fundamentally don't understand art, they don't understand games." He described the process as "inhumane" and "demoralizing," leading to a significant loss of talent and expertise within the studio. Hays believes Microsoft has "burned a lot of bridges" and damaged its reputation, making future recruitment and trust difficult.
Peak's final biome update was under threat from dataminers, so the developers came up with a load of fakes like…
The developers of the game Peak, Landfall Games and Aggro Crab, implemented a strategy of adding fake biomes to the game's files to prevent dataminers from spoiling the content of its final update. This update, dropping tomorrow, introduces two new biomes, The Gloom and The Citadel, and also prepares the game for console ports.
Doom dev criticises Xbox after studio layoffs: 'Morale has never been lower'
A lead programmer from id Software, Chris Hays, has heavily criticized Microsoft and Xbox following recent layoffs that significantly impacted the studio. Hays described the process as 'inhumane' and stated that morale is at an all-time low, making it impossible to develop AAA games with half the staff. He also criticized Xbox's understanding of the Game Pass business model and its impact on game development.
Gothic 1 Remake devs hint at next game while announcing a photo mode, "Marvin mode" for cheaters, and some mysterious "alternative progression systems"
Alkimia Interactive, developers of the Gothic 1 Remake, have announced several new features including a photo mode, an official mod kit, and a "Marvin Mode" for cheating, referencing a debug feature from the original game. The studio also hinted at their next project, which will be formally revealed next year, while confirming that smaller bug-fixing updates will precede the larger additions.
