NetEase is partnering with Marvel Games to develop Marvel Rivals, a shooter that effectively serves as the comic publisher's answer to Overwatch and Valorant.Like those games, two teams go against each other, with each player taking on the role of a different Marvel hero (or villain). While the characters don't appear to have specific class roles, Valorant's influence is clear in Rivals' visual aesthetic.In recent years, NetEase has largely been setting up Western studios headed up by veterans from BioWare and Ubisoft. By partnering with NetEase, Marvel gets a publisher with a foot into the Chinese game market.NetEase previously worked with Marvel before on a pair of mobile games, but Rivals is being made for PC.Marvel Games head Jay Ong called Marvel Rivals "one o…
Don't Nod is changing its business structure, and thankfully, without any layoffs required.Going forward, the French studio will be split into three internal branches: RPG, narrative-adventure, and action-adventure. The first two are respectively represented by Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Harmony: The Fall of Reverie.Last month, French union STJV claimed Don't Nod suffered from widespread mismanagement and burnout. It was all at the cost of a "grueling" reorganization, which this seems to be the end product of.While each branch is said to keep its "own focus," CEO Oskar Guilbert assured there would still be "collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas."Presently, Don't Nod is at work on seven projects across its two offices. The Paris tea…
Valve has introduced a new (and old) array of parental control and family-related features with Steam Families.Under Families, multiple accounts can play games from each other's libraries, even if the original owner is currently playing. The feature evolves upon account sharing in a major way, and may impact a game's sales and player numbers.Developers will have the option to choose whether their game will allow for Family Sharing. If activated, up to six family members and approved guests can play a game, with their own individual progress.Should a Family library have multiple copies of a game, each member will be able to play it simultaneously. A list of current Sharing-enabled titles can be found here.Currently in beta, Steam Families serves as a way to manage the games in a p…
Bungie's Marathon reboot is undergoing a regime change. Per IGN, Riot alum Joe Ziegler has been directing the extraction shooter, taking over from Christopher Barrett.Ziegler joined Bungie in late 2022 in a then-vague role. According to his Twitter, he's been directing the game for nearly a year as the Marathon team's had a larger shift in its creative leadership.At time of writing, it's unclear if Barrett will remain at Bungie, and also why he was removed to begin with."For the last nine months, I’ve been working on Marathon as the game director," wrote Ziegler. "We’re still baking, but I’m excited to share with you more info on the game as we get closer and closer to bringing it to all of you."
The games industry has had countless layoffs and cancelled projects since 2023, and Tarn Adams is not happy about it.At this year's GDC (spotted by PCGamer), the Dwarf Fortress designer was frank in laying the blame for these events at the hands of executives, calling them "bad people.""These decisions, they don't sound practical," he continued. "They sound like they're driven by greedy, greedy people trying to make some kind of venture capital thing work out."This week has seen "only" three reported layoffs this far (over at IGN), but 2024 has been devastating. In March alone, several studios have either cut most of their staff or close down entirely.To Adams, executives have made a "stench of rot" that allows for staff cuts…
The games industry has had countless layoffs and cancelled projects since 2023, and Tarn Adams is not happy about it.At this year's GDC (spotted by PCGamer), the Dwarf Fortress designer was frank in laying the blame for these events at the hands of executives, calling them "bad people.""These decisions, they don't sound practical," he continued. "They sound like they're driven by greedy, greedy people trying to make some kind of venture capital thing work out."This week has seen "only" three reported layoffs this far (over at IGN), but 2024 has been devastating. In March alone, several studios have either cut most of their staff or close down entirely.To Adams, executives have made a "stench of rot" that allows for staff cuts…
Update (3/22/24): Following his GDC presentation, Vincke affirmed that Larian was doing "the right thing" in not continuing Baldur's Gate 3.Noting the disappointment from players at a lack of continuation, he argued it "doesn't need more." The studio made the game "with a beginning, middle, and end."However, he did clarify that the studio will continue to update the RPG, from mod support to "extra cinematics" for some endings. But new content is a hard "no."As for its cast, Vincke noted they're now in Wizards of the Coast's hands. "I think [WOTC] understands how important they are to the community, and I trust they'll be treated with respect."While acknowledging it's "not easy" to bid farewe…