Sat.Mar 29, 2025 - Fri.Apr 04, 2025

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Solo dev Jason Priskomatis on his horror debut Friday Night: “Keep pushing your comfort zone”

PreMortem.Games

Jason Priskomatis , the solo developer behind EJETA Studios, always enjoyed playing video games, ever since he was young. It was always my escape, a comfort place, he says. While studying Information Technology in Athens, Greece, he created a small game for his thesis. It was nothing special, but it was enough to make me fall in love with the process of creating something that other people can play and enjoy.

Horror 104
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Myst developer Cyan Worlds has laid off half of its workforce

Game Developer

'Our sincere hope is to continue to be around.

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Unity Finally Start Developing Games

Game From Scratch

GameFromScratch.com Unity Finally Start Developing Games One common request of the Unity development team is that they start developing games in-house, like their rival Epic Games does with Unreal Engine. This dog fooding will help them discover issues and pain points that developers using their tools daily commonly encounter. Back at GDC 2022 with the announcement The post Unity Finally Start Developing Games appeared first on GameFromScratch.com.

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On the topic of horror, how do you make a grim subject matter feel silly spookville experience instead of actually scary? For example, the Luigi Mansion games, the Disney Haunted Mansion ride, the Medevil games, etc?

Ask a Game Dev

The counter to anything terrifying, off-putting, or grim is cuteness. This is done by exaggerating certain features that humans typically find endearing and downplaying the features that humans find alarming, while keeping the visual recognizable. This works with animals. It works with the undead. It works with just about anything. Humans tend to look at a few things to determine cuteness - the main two being proportion and the removal or masking of traits that we find scary or off-putting.

Horror 59
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VR Can Improve Your Skills

Played with Fire

How Virtual Reality (VR) Enhances Reflexes and Coordination Virtual Reality (VR) is revolutionizing the way we train reflexes and coordination. By immersing users in dynamic, interactive environments, VR offers an innovative platform for improving motor skills, reaction times, and hand-eye coordination. This article explores how VR enhances these abilities and its real-world applications across various fields.

Esports 52
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'Redesigned from the ground up:' The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5 for $449

Game Developer

Nintendo's next-generation device features a larger 7.9 inch LCD display, upgraded dock with 4K support, brand new voice chat functionality, and more.

Feature 259
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Blockbench Easy 3D Modelling

Game From Scratch

GameFromScratch.com Blockbench Easy 3D Modelling Today we revisit Blockbench (we first reviewed this application back in 2020) a powerful, but completely free and open-source 3D modelling application for Mac, Windows, Linux and even the Web. It is one of the easiest to use 3D modelling applications in existence and in addition to modeling also is The post Blockbench Easy 3D Modelling appeared first on GameFromScratch.com.

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Yoko Shimomura to receive BAFTA Fellowship

GamesIndustry.biz

Japanese composer and pianist Yoko Shimomura will be awarded a BAFTA Fellowship at the BAFTA Game Awards on April 8, 2025.

Games 122
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Dredge wasn't originally going to be a narrative game, but then it became one of 2023's best

Game Developer

Inside the building of Dredge's dialogue-based narrative system

Build 269
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Ucupaint – Turning Blender into Substance Painter

Game From Scratch

GameFromScratch.com Ucupaint – Turning Blender into Substance Painter Ucupaint is a completely free and open-source add-on for Blender that when combined with Blender’s existing painting tools adds a Substance Painter like experience. This enables you to easily texture your 3D objects directly inside Blender, with new more sophisticated layering tools and more.

Texture 81
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Is Gameplay Programmer some form of specialization? I always see people who work as gameplay programmer have some secondary skill, like tools, graphics, etc. In order to create a game you need these guys, but when it comes to layoffs, are they considered high-priority?

Ask a Game Dev

Yes, Gameplay Programmer is a specialization. Gameplay Programmers are the engineers who work directly with designers to make the designs actually work in game. This primarily means writing code to make the systems and rules that the designers come up with work. Gameplay programmer goals tend to be building systems that allow designers to create new content.

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ZeniMax union "overwhelming" votes to authorise strike if Microsoft contract negotiations break down

GamesIndustry.biz

ZeniMax Workers United has "overwhelmingly voted" to authorise a strike against Microsoft.

Media 108
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Embracer studio Eidos-Montreal has laid off 75 employees

Game Developer

The Deus Ex developer explained the cuts were made with one of its mandates coming to an end.

Studios 268
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Babylon.js 8 Game Engine Released

Game From Scratch

GameFromScratch.com Babylon.js 8 Game Engine Released The popular 3D game engine/framework for the web, Babylon.js just released Babylon 8. This release comes a year after the release of Babylon 7, so this annual release is absolutely jam packed with new features. Highlight features of Babylon.js 8 include: IBL Shadows Image-Based Lighting is a computer graphics lighting The post Babylon.js 8 Game Engine Released appeared first on GameFromScratch.com.

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Previously, you’ve explained that even with all the high-profile flops recently, lifestyle games with a big investment up-front and ongoing revenue are still the most financially viable projects. Would there be a tipping point in the market where that changes, and smaller and more experimental projects become the more viable strategy?

Ask a Game Dev

Sure. If spending on the smaller and experimental projects severely eclipses the spending on the mega franchises, the publishers would take notice and you'd see a lot more of the former. The gaming industry is, unfortunately, very hit-driven. The top 10% of earning games take in ~90% of the total revenue for the entire industry. Work horse franchises like Call of Duty, Pokemon, Grand Theft Auto, Madden, Fortnite, Monster Hunter, etc. generally out-earn the experimental and new games by orders of

Dev 59
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Six Great Indie Games

Game Wisdom

Six Great Indie Games Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" The indie showcases highlight the many indie games we play on the channel and feature a mix of demos, games bought, and press key submissions. 0:00 Intro 00:14 Crown of Pain 2:46 Sulfur 6:01 Our Adventurer Guild … The post Six Great Indie Games appeared first on Game Wisdom.

Indy 52
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SAG-AFTRA urges more non-struck game studios to sign interim agreement

Game Developer

'It's an illusion to think that we don't impact each other, that's not how the industry works.

Studios 267
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Godot + Toon Boom = Jump!

Game From Scratch

GameFromScratch.com Godot + Toon Boom = Jump! Toon Boom, the creators of the Toon Boom Harmony (and other) 2D animation packages have just announced a new product in beta format, Toon Boom Jump! Toon Boom Jump! takes the animation tools they are known for, but integrates the open-source Godot game engine. Toon Boom already offering a gaming The post Godot + Toon Boom = Jump!

Beta 69
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Builder Edition now live & free

Indie DB

This is a free puzzle game focused on gravity like mechanics (bombs, bouncy blocks, portals) that features 150 levels, online levels and a level editor that is now released.

Editing 103
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Azra Games appoints PlayStation's former co-head of mobile, Kris Davis, as CBO

GamesIndustry.biz

Azra Games has appointed PlayStation's former co-head of mobile, Kris Davis, as its chief business officer.

Mobile 108
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Want to know the best way to gain attention on Steam? Add a demo.

Game Developer

'Valve was saying, in not so subtle terms, that everyone needs to make a demo.

Demo 256
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Building A Full-Stack Online Game Framework

Cocos

This comprehensive course is designed to teach you the fundamentals of Go while guiding you through the creation of a full stack web application.

Build 52
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Best Horde Survival Games

Indie DB

What are the best Vampire Survivors clones available?

Games 101
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No Foolin' Here - Kristala's Enemy AI Update is LIVE MEOW on Steam ⚔️

Astral Clock Tower Studios

Greetings, Kristalans!No jokes over here! The newest Kristala update is officially LIVE MEOW on Steam, bringing a host of major improvements, new content, and impactful gameplay refinements to make your journey across the dark-fantasy world of Ailur more intense, immersive, and rewarding than ever before.And to celebrate this exciting milestone, were launching our biggest discount yet40% off Kristalas Early Access release!

Fantasy 52
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HYBE IM nets $21 million to expand publishing business by wielding the power of K-pop

Game Developer

The publisher is owned by record label HYBE, known for managing popular boyband BTS through its Big Hit label.

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Half of Myst developer Cyan Worlds laid off

GamesIndustry.biz

Myst developer Cyan Worlds has announced the decision to lay off half of its team.

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Folklands is now available!

Indie DB

Cozy settlement builder Folklands is now available in Early Access.

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(2.4.5)Is there anyway to update PhysicsManager by function for each frame instead of real time simulating in order to predict the result?

Cocos

Let me show the pinball: now when I runs the canvas, the ball would normally drop and finally stop at slot 3. But I want to do something different: The result from server is 3, I need an animation that the ball drop to slot 3, so I need to randomly generate a drop ball animation that the ball goes to slot 3, here is the following pseudo code: 1.Get the required result from server, which is 3 (eg:Need an animation that the ball drops to slot 3) 2.Set the random position x of the ball 3.Simulate t

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Unity promises to deliver 'battle-tested' Switch 2 support

Game Developer

The engine maker wants to help developers 'push the power' of the Switch 2 without compromising performance.

Engine 221
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Tara Mustapha's vision to support marginalised developers and build sustainable studios

GamesIndustry.biz

Last week, the organisers of the London Games Festival announced 2025's cohort for its Ensemble initiative.

Build 103
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Creating Immersive Horse Racing Experiences in Gaming

Game Wisdom

Creating Immersive Horse Racing Experiences in Gaming Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com Video game developers are redefining the thrill of horse racing by creating highly immersive experiences. They meticulously design every aspect, from motion physics to track realism, to capture the essence of real-life racing. This digital transformation is enhanced by drawing … The post Creating Immersive Horse Racing Experiences in Gaming appeared first on Game Wisdom.

Racing 40
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Is cc.RigidBody deterministic for all platforms?

Cocos

For example, if I have a pinball game, the ball starts dropping at position x,y, finally stops at slot 1, would the result be the same (position that the ball stops) at all platforms and browsers? Also, would the simulation be affected by the frame rate (eg: Would there be a situation that because sometimes the device is slow and frame rate drops and hence the dt to update decreases, resulting different simulate result for same initial positions and velocities)?

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Australian studio PlaySide is making layoffs after delivering record revenue

Game Developer

The company has announced a restructuring plan in response to waning contract work, but the news comes just months after it reported record annual revenue of $64.6 million AUD.

Studios 201
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Former EA exec Adolf Kristjansson appointed Starbreeze CEO

GamesIndustry.biz

Adolf Kristjansson has been appointed as Starbreeze's new CEO. Kristjansson will assume the role on April 1.

Studios 98
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Medievaly: Battle Simulator

Indie DB

Medievaly: Battle Simulator transports players to a lively rendition of the Dark Ages, challenging them to defend their kingdoms against enemy troops. The game emphasizes creative strategy development, resource management, and participation in dynamic.

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Unit tests (vitest)

Cocos

Has anyone been able to use Vitest along with Cocos Creator? I compiled a custom ESM build of the engine and set up Vitest. However, as soon as I add any *.spec.ts file to the assets directory, I get the following error: Error: We currently do not support the package 'imports' field. Is there any way to exclude spec files from the game build? I already tried adding assets/src/**/*.spec.ts to the exclude section of tsconfig, but it didnt help.

Asset 40
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'We'll be showing them just how valuable our labor is:' Zenimax workers vote to authorize strike at Microsoft

Game Developer

'Paying your employees a livable wage as a multi-trillion dollar company is the least they could be doing.

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