Rolling Stone is expanding its coverage of the video game industry with the launch of a dedicated gaming vertical.The new section has been launched in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group and will be helmed by senior gaming editor Christopher Cruz. The media company said it will report on the world of video games with a "hyperfocus on art, technology, and cultural impact.""Gaming isn't informed by pop culture; it is pop culture," said Cruz in a press release. "As video games have evolved to meet movies, television, and literature on their own ground, it's important for us to explore how everyone is experiencing gaming culture."Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner added that "expanding into gaming is a thrill that allows us to embrace a vibrant cultural fro…
Sony's reportedly making big steps toward mobile games in the form of a PlayStation platform for phones.TweakTown spotted a new job listing for a mobile platform architect. The description mentions designing the architecture and backend for a PlayStation-specific ecosystem that can be used to "develop, publish, and operate free-to-play mobile games."Other than Fate/Grand Order, PlayStation's mobile presence is basically nonexistent. But since it's making more of an effort to get in on the PC market, it only makes sense to do the same with mobile.Further duties include working with internal PlayStation teams and "ensuring that all mobile games meet PlayStation’s quality standards."Interestingly, the job description calls for connecting mobile titles to P…
Swedish corporate group Fragbite Group has declared bankruptcy for Alara Prime developer Fall Damage.While a publishing for the game is still being determined, the process has created "an unsustainable financial situation" for its creator. The apparently "not temporary" bankruptcy was further determined by an inability to pay off debts by their due date.Impact-wise, the bankruptcy is said to be valued at SEK 39.0 million (or $3.63 million) for Fragbite. Both it and subsidiaries under its umbrella are said to "continue operations without interruption."Fall Damage was formed in 2017 by DICE alums Markus Nyström, Dan Vaderlind, Mikael Kalms, Anders Gyllenberg. Fragbite acquired the studio last year as it was working toward completing its free-to-play shooter.The…
You won't find many video game industry executives defending Embracer Group or its CEO Lars Wingefors. After a massive business deal (allegedly with Saudi-owned Savvy Game Group) fell through in 2023, the company executed a brutal string of cuts and studio closures that resulted in 4,500 cut jobs and 80 cancelled projects.Whatever you think of Embracer's business moves, there's no denying the amount of pain it's inflicted on former employees, and the economic impact on the game industry as a whole. But while even many friends of Embracer keep quiet, one former chief operating officer and board member hasn't: Saber Interactive chief executive officer Matthew Karch.In April, Karch jumped on LinkedIn to defend Lars from the spree of critical comments that dominated th…
Gameloft Romania is shuttering its Cluj studio and laying off 136 employees.The company confirmed the news in a statement issued to Game Developer and explained the closure follows a review of its production capacities."As a company, we need to constantly review our production capacities. After careful consideration and in response to the ever-changing market conditions we are facing, it has become necessary to implement a reduction in workforce. Unfortunately, this leads us to close our Cluj studio and to let go the 136 employees of the office," said a Gameloft Romania spokesperson."This decision has not been taken lightly, and we understand the impact it may have on affected employees. We will be working with them, on a case-by-case basis, to find the best way to handle th…
Little Kitty, Big City has topped 100,000 sales in two days, according to developer Double Dagger Studios. The team broke the news on X and thanked players for diving into its wholesome adventure.The indie title burst out the gates after launching on Steam, Switch, and Xbox on May 9, 2024, and seemingly didn't take long to win over players. Little Kitty, Big City also debuted on Xbox Game Pass but has evidently found an audience outside of the subscription platform.Little Kitty, Big City drops players into an open-world playground in the guise of a plucky, scrappy, frequently chaotic feline and tasks them with finding a way home. It launched to critical acclaim and currently has a 'very positive' rating on Steam from almost 2,000 user reviews.Double Dagger is currently worki…
Longtime Firaxis lead designer Jake Solomon has unveiled what he's been up to since leaving the studio in February 2023. Today he and a number of former Firaxis and Maxis developers announced the formation of Midsummer Studios, a new Maryland-area game developer that is working on an unnamed "life sim" game in the vein of Electronic Arts' The Sims.The studio is launching with $6 million raised by Transcend Fund in partnership with Tirta Ventures, Betaworks Ventures, 1Up Ventures, F4 Fund, Krafton, and Day Zero Productions.Solomon is joined on the leadership team by game director Will Miller and chief operating officer Neslie Birch (who will also serve as chief financial officer). The trio and their colleagues have set up shop in Firaxis' old office in Hunt Valley, …
Hitman and Project 007 developer IO Interactive has appointed Ulas Karademir as its new chief technology officer.Karademir will report to IOI CEO Hakan Abrak and has been tasked with overseeing technical operations at the Danish studio. That includes supporting the development of IOI's proprietary in-house Glacier engine and working with the production team on current projects.IOI's new CTO is a familiar face. Karademir had a seven year stint at the studio between 2007 and 2014 and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and leadership roles, including a spell as Unity's VP of core engineering, graphics, operations, and productions.He most recently served as general manager and CPO at RealityOS, but says he's looking forward to returning to IOI to help propel the…
Medieval city-builder Manor Lords has topped 2 million sales in under three weeks.The latest figures come from publisher Hooded Horse, which praised the early access PC title for delivering a "sensational debut" across Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and The Microsoft Store.Manor Lords is developed by Slavic Magic and has stormed out of the gates. The project became a record-breaker after amassing over 3.2 million wishlists on Steam (a platform record) and topped 1 million sales within 24 hours of its early access debut.Hooded Horse co-founder and CEO Tim Bender said the title has exceeded the company's wildest expectations. "It's been wonderful to see so many players give Manor Lords a try," said Bender. "We had some pretty optimistic expectations and even…
Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios shared some fascinating news about the game's future today. In a blog post celebrating the game's debut on Xbox Game Pass and Electronic Arts' EA Play subscription service, the company announced that going forward, all revenue from sales of the fantasy-themed first-person shooter will go straight into its own pockets.It seems EA Games won't be collecting any revenue from those purchases. Ascendant Studios will obviously still owe platform fees to services like Steam and the PlayStation Store."For the foreseeable future, 100 percent of the net revenue from Immortals of Aveum purchases goes directly to our studio," the company said. "If you grab the game at full price or on sale, refer a friend to check it out,…