Game Development
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The AI state of play: AI laws and game development
Game studios face increasing legal complexities surrounding the use of generative AI in development. Key concerns include intellectual property infringement risks from LLMs, data privacy issues with AI tools, and evolving copyright laws across different jurisdictions. Regulations like the EU AI Act also mandate labeling for AI-generated content resembling real people or events, requiring studios to implement robust compliance policies and human oversight.
Steam Week in Review: Steam Next Fest has over 8,000 demos, as worthless vibe coded slop levels up
Steam Next Fest features over 8,000 game demos, a significant increase from previous years, with many criticized as low-effort "vibe coded" creations. The article argues that AI tools, particularly Anthropic's Claude Opus, are enabling rapid cloning and decompilation, leading to a proliferation of unoriginal games and concerns about intellectual property theft, potentially harming independent developers.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Was Developed by a Small Team With Extensive Outsourcing, Says Studio CEO
Fuse Games CEO Matt Webster revealed that Star Wars: Galactic Racer was developed by a small core team utilizing extensive outsourcing and distributed development. This approach allowed the studio to operate at a high level without the constant growth and shrinking typical of larger AAA studios. The game, released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, was praised for its core mechanics and roguelite structure.
Samson Studio Liquid Swords Has Gone Bankrupt
Liquid Swords, the developer behind Samson: A Tyndalston Story, has filed for bankruptcy, leaving its nearly thirty employees eligible for state support after not being paid for months. The studio is now seeking a buyer. The bankruptcy follows the mixed reception of Samson, which was criticized for bugs and design issues despite praise for its city detail and combat.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Pays Tribute to Vince Zampella in its Credits
Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 includes a tribute to studio co-founder Vince Zampella in its "In Memoriam" credits section. Zampella, who co-created the Call of Duty franchise and founded Respawn Entertainment, passed away in December 2025. His significant impact on the gaming industry was highlighted by colleagues and media figures.
PlayStation Files a Patent for its Own Implementation of Frame Generation
PlayStation has filed a patent for its own frame generation technology, dubbed "Generation Super Sampling." While similar to Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FSR, PlayStation's implementation may leverage controller input for more accurate frame predictions. This technology could allow for higher visual fidelity at smoother frame rates on future consoles.
Hadar is CD Projekt RED’s “Biggest Undertaking to Date”, Now Has a “Coherent Vision”, Says Co-CEO
CD Projekt RED's co-CEO Michał Nowakowski stated that the studio's new project, codenamed Hadar, is its "biggest undertaking to date" and now possesses a "coherent vision." While still in its concept stages with prototypes being developed in Unreal Engine, the team is growing, and the game is described as an "emotional, open-world experience," potentially expanding into future products.
Dark Souls 2 dataminer shows off massive prototype coliseum level from early development
A dataminer named Doneda has uncovered a massive prototype coliseum level from the early development of Dark Souls 2. The unused content, which also includes mines and a crypt, suggests significant story rewrites and a rushed development cycle for the game. The discovery highlights the ambitious scope FromSoftware aimed for, even amidst development challenges.
The Outlast Trials' initial playtests went poorly: Designer says 6-year development took 'a f**king long…
Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin revealed that The Outlast Trials underwent a six-year development cycle filled with numerous prototypes and a struggle to balance replayability with the core Outlast experience. Despite initial playtest failures, the game has found success as a live service title, though player reception to its use of AI-generated imagery is mixed.
"The physical element of gaming will always, always be there": Bloober Team and Broken Mirror Games want to…
Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno and Broken Mirror Games executive director Tymon Smektala express a strong commitment to physical game releases, even as platforms like PlayStation move towards digital distribution. They believe physical media fosters a deeper emotional connection with games and fans. The discussion touches on the future of visual fidelity in games and the potential for other senses to be engaged, particularly with the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, Onyx: The Dark Grip.
Evil Empire "will always miss Dead Cells," but it's already working on its dream collab
Evil Empire's CEO Thomas Pfeiffer and Head of Business Ben Laulan reflect on their studio's origins supporting Dead Cells and discuss future projects. While they express nostalgia for Dead Cells, they are excited about their current work on The Rogue Prince of Persia, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and a secret dream collaboration they are already developing.
After Star Wars: Zero Company and Galactic Racer, Lucasfilm says it will "continue to surprise folks" and is…
Lucasfilm Games executive Douglas Reilly stated that the company is adopting a more flexible approach to licensing the Star Wars franchise, leading to a wider variety of games like Star Wars: Zero Company and Star Wars: Galactic Racer. This shift allows for collaborations with more experienced, smaller studios, and hints at further surprising game announcements in the future.
A Halo extraction shooter and battle royale hybrid game was reportedly scrapped during the development of Campaign…
A planned Halo multiplayer game, described as a hybrid extraction shooter and battle royale, was reportedly scrapped by 343 Industries. The project, codenamed 'Project Ekur' and previously 'Project Tatanka,' would have featured squads of Spartans and Banished Brutes fighting AI-controlled Flood and other players on Zeta Halo. The studio also faced significant layoffs and the cancellation of other projects, including a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved.
Clive Barker says he's 'genuinely astonished' by Hellraiser: Revival: 'I'm proud as f**k at the…
Hellraiser creator Clive Barker expressed genuine astonishment and pride in the final product of Hellraiser: Revival, developed by Saber Interactive. He praised the game for pushing boundaries and not being overly censored, considering it a successful adaptation of the franchise. Barker also indicated a desire to continue working with Saber Interactive on future projects within the Hellraiser universe.
Outlast designer says that one playtester was so upset by the horror series they 'ran out of the studio to go cry…
Red Barrels co-founder Phillipe Morin discussed the intense and graphic nature of the Outlast series, noting that some playtesters have been so affected they left the studio in tears. The company prioritizes transparency about its content during recruitment, though some individuals have still found the material too disturbing to continue working there. Despite the challenging content, the Outlast series has achieved significant commercial success.
Liquid Swords, developer of open-city crime sim Samson, has gone bankrupt following staff claims that they haven't…
Liquid Swords, the developer of the open-city crime sim Samson, has declared bankruptcy six months after its release. The Swedish studio, founded by Christofer Sundberg, reportedly owes its 30 employees two months of unpaid wages, leading them to petition for bankruptcy. The company struggled with funding and publisher rejections, leading to layoffs and a shift in Samson's gameplay design.
Dev Behind Russian Roulette Drinking Game Cancels Steam Demo Plans Following AI Copycat Concerns
The developer of the anime game Drunken Goddess Reflux has canceled its Steam demo due to concerns about AI copycats. This decision reflects growing anxieties within the game development community regarding artificial intelligence.
As too much of the industry embrace their own death through genAI, Konami say it's real people that are most important for making good games
Konami Digital Entertainment president Hideki Hayakawa stated that human creators are the most important factor in producing entertaining and innovative video games, rather than generative AI. While acknowledging AI's potential for production efficiency, he believes the "chemical reaction" from diverse developers working together cannot be easily replaced. This stance contrasts with the widespread adoption of AI in the industry.
LOTRO Legendarium: Looking back at Gondor’s phantom expansion
This article examines the history of Gondor's content in Lord of the Rings Online, which was released in stages between 2014 and 2017 rather than as a single expansion. This period was marked by financial struggles and a leadership shakeup at developer Turbine, leading to rumors of the game entering maintenance mode. Despite these challenges, the content eventually formed a cohesive, albeit 'phantom,' expansion, which is considered a positive outcome compared to the game's potential shutdown.
No Publisher Wanted Outlast. 60 Million Players Later, The Horror Juggernaut Is Doing Just Fine.
Red Barrels' horror series Outlast, which began as a debut effort from a 10-person team with no publisher interest, has now attracted over 60 million players. The studio's founders, who left AAA studios, self-funded the first game and learned publishing on the fly, eventually finding success with the signature night-vision camera and unflinching gore. The latest entry, The Outlast Trials, has become their most successful game, embracing live-service elements while staying true to the series' core horror identity.