NetEase has shared the first figures for its new free-to-play hero shooter Marvel Rivals. The game’s launch has turned out to be successful.| Game World Observer
After almost a year and a half after breaking up with NetEase, Blizzard has come to a new agreement with its Chinese partner. The deal will make the studio’s game available to local players again.| Game World Observer
The failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has negatively impacted the finances of Rocksteady Studios, according to the studio’s report for the UK regulator for 2024. The document reveals a decline in key metrics.| Game World Observer
The founder of GameDiscoverCo, Simon Carless, decided to explore which games are popular among Steam Deck owners. He approached the task from an unconventional angle.| Game World Observer
Cubic Games, part of the GDEV group, has been actively using generative AI to create videos for its hit game Pixel Gun 2. The studio’s lead motion designer Evgenii Mikhidenko has now detailed the pipeline and shared key results in an exclusive article for Game World Observer.| Game World Observer
The Chinese giant Tencent has approached the court with a request to dismiss the lawsuit from Sony, which was filed due to the similarities between the game Light of Motiram and the Horizon series projects. According to Tencent, there is actually no plagiarism involved — Light of Motiram merely incorporates established gaming ideas and concepts.| Game World Observer
Nekki has received support from Epic Games. The company announced that it received $50,000 as part of the Epic MegaGrant program.| Game World Observer
On September 16, during trading, the value of tinyBuild shares reached 11 pence ($0.15) per unit, which is 13% higher than the previous day and overall the best result for the company since the end of 2023. This was how its investors reacted to the financial report for the first half of 2025.| Game World Observer
The Ministry of Finance of Mexico has proposed introducing a special 8% tax on games with “violent” content in the country. The idea is outlined in Mexico’s 2026 budget program.| Game World Observer
On the evening of September 11th, the release of Borderlands 4 took place. According to SteamDB, shortly after its launch, the looter-shooter managed to attract 207,479 concurrent players on Steam, marking the best result in the series.| Game World Observer
A conflict has erupted between the Polish studio Byterunners and the publisher Movie Games, potentially escalating into a legal battle. The developers of the Drug Dealer Simulator duology have claimed that the publisher is violating their rights and not paying sufficient royalties.| Game World Observer
Yesterday, on September 9, 2025, marked the 30th anniversary of the release of the PlayStation 1 in the United States. To commemorate this occasion, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella named the Sony console games that have performed best in the American market in terms of revenue and units sold over the years.| Game World Observer
The analytics company Newzoo has released a forecast for the global video game market in 2025. Here are the key points:| Game World Observer
At the 2025 Roblox Developer Conference, Roblox’s Senior Vice President Nick Tornow shared information about the annual revenue of the most successful developers on the platform. He refrained from naming names but disclosed the average amounts.| Game World Observer
On the evening of September 4, 2025, the highly anticipated Metroidvania game Hollow Knight: Silksong was released on PC and consoles. The new release from Team Cherry created significant excitement.| Game World Observer
Peter Babieno, President of Bloober Team, mentioned in an interview with PAP Biznes that the production budget for Cronos: The New Dawn was not as large as some analysts assumed.| Game World Observer
The sequel to Titan Quest was released in early access on August 1, 2025—almost two decades after the original’s release. According to former THQ Vice President of Studio Operations Richard Browne, the game could have launched much earlier, but marketers got in the way.| Game World Observer
Recently, the shareholders of Thunderful Group approved the sale of 81.7% of the Swedish holding company to Atari. In an interview with GamesIndustry, Atari CEO Wade Rosen discussed why he decided to go through with this deal.| Game World Observer
Last week, 11 bit studios reported its financial outcomes for the first half of 2025, revealing that The Alters, released towards the end of this period, accounted for 35.6% of the company’s revenue.| Game World Observer
The Polish corporate group CD PROJEKT released its financial report for January-June 2025. They announced that their revenue reached 443 million zlotys (121.1 million USD), which is 4% more than the previous year. The main source of income was Cyberpunk 2077.| Game World Observer
Valve’s Business Development Manager Erik Peterson spoke at the Devcom developers conference held during Gamescom 2025. He revealed some fresh data about the Steam store.| Game World Observer
Analyst Mat Piscatella from Circana released his monthly report on the state of the U.S. gaming market. We’ve highlighted the key figures.| Game World Observer
The Google Corporation has decided to make Android safer. It announced that in the near future, all developers will be required to verify their identity, otherwise their applications will become unavailable for download.| Game World Observer
The failure of individual games is an unavoidable part of business for large corporations like Sony, whose internal studios work on dozens of projects. Hermen Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios, approaches this philosophically.| Game World Observer
Pete Parsons, the CEO of Bungie, the studio behind Destiny and Marathon, has left the company after over 20 years with the team.| Game World Observer
Traffic acquisition marketing doesn’t work well for shooters; it requires a more nuanced and complex approach. Shooter fans want full immersion in the culture and community of their games. World-renowned titles like Call of Duty and Fortnite focus more on building strong brands and actively supporting their communities rather than on attracting player traffic. Andrei Naumov, Cubic Games Studios‘ chief marketing officer, explains how the company maintains engagement and retention in Pixel ...| Game World Observer
The scandal surrounding the three dismissed executives of the studio Unknown Worlds, which is working on Subnautica 2, continues to unfold. The studio filed a lawsuit against them, presenting several allegations.| Game World Observer
Google, following Apple’s lead, has decided to update its store rules for developers distributing apps in European Union countries. The corporation announced these changes in an attempt to avoid fines for violating the Digital Markets Act.| Game World Observer
Alex Mochi is one of the creators of the economic strategy game Rise of Industry and the founder of Dapper Penguin Studios. Recently, he released a video on YouTube, where he talked about an unsuccessful partnership with Kalypso Media and the forced sale of the IP to avoid bankruptcy.| Game World Observer
The analytical company The Harris Poll reached this conclusion after conducting a study commissioned by Google. A total of 615 developers from the USA, South Korea, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, primarily working in large studios, participated in the survey.| Game World Observer
The management of AppsFlyer is planning to sell the marketing company, according to Calcalist, citing sources. The portal reports that managers are already in talks with a private investment firm, whose name has not been disclosed.| Game World Observer
For the past 20 years, AAA game prices have stayed roughly at the same level, despite a significant increase in development costs, stated former PlayStation Studios head Shawn Layden in an interview with GamesIndustry. He believes that this has been a mistake for the gaming industry.| Game World Observer
While the mobile gaming market stagnates, the market for non-gaming apps is growing. This is reported by analysts at Sensor Tower, who studied the situation in Google Play and the App Store from April to June 2025.| Game World Observer
Analysts from Newzoo and Tebex have released a report on gaming expenditures of residents in North America and Europe. Below are some key findings from the report.| Game World Observer
July was a relatively calm month for Steam in terms of new blockbuster hits, according to the founder of GameDiscoverCo, Simon Carless, who compiled the lists of the most successful new releases in July*.| Game World Observer
It is no secret that Microsoft lags behind Sony in terms of console sales. But we now have some fresh data that puts these comparisons in a more perspective.| Game World Observer
Google Corporation failed to overturn a court decision in its dispute with Epic Games. Its appeal in the case regarding its monopoly on the Android app market was rejected once again.| Game World Observer
The Microsoft Corporation has released its financial report for the fiscal year 2025, which ended on June 30. It highlights a new record set by its gaming division and the success of the Game Pass subscription.| Game World Observer
Capcom reported its quarterly results for the period ending June 30, 2025. The company boasted that its revenues significantly increased compared to last year.| Game World Observer
The Sony Corporation has filed a lawsuit against Tencent, accusing the Chinese giant of copyright infringement. Sony insists that Tencent’s subsidiary team’s survival game, Light of Motiram, is a blatant copy of the Horizon series games.| Game World Observer
Industry veteran Glen Schofield shared in a LinkedIn post that he was unable to secure funding for his next game. Now, he is considering stepping away from development entirely.| Game World Observer
There is a new addition to the KRAFTON family of subsidiary companies. The studio Eleventh Hour Games, which developed the action role-playing game Last Epoch, has joined them.| Game World Observer
The Sony Corporation has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Bandai Namco Holdings. Under this deal, it will acquire 16 million shares of the holding company, paying 68 billion yen ($464.5 million) for them.| Game World Observer
In June 2025, the American gaming market saw a sharp increase in revenue from console sales, reports Circana analyst Mat Piscatella. In that month, U.S. residents spent $978 million on gaming consoles—an increase of 249% compared to the previous year.| Game World Observer
In 2021, a group of American gamers sued Sony due to the inability to purchase digital versions of games for its consoles anywhere other than the PlayStation Store. They claimed the company created a monopoly which led to price increases. Recently, Sony attempted to reach a settlement with the plaintiffs, but the court did not approve it.| Game World Observer
Another team has left the Sumo Group. The studio The Chinese Room has announced its departure from the company.| Game World Observer
In recent years, the staff of Sloclap Studio has grown significantly, reaching over 130 people after the release of Sifu. However, developers have now decided to slow down their growth rate, despite the success of their recently released soccer action game Rematch.| Game World Observer
Details continue to emerge about the conflict between KRAFTON and the former leaders of Unknown Worlds studio. This time, the details have become known from a lawsuit filed against the company by the dismissed developers.| Game World Observer
Journalist Jason Schreier has discovered that employees of Unknown Worlds will still have a chance to receive million-dollar bonuses from KRAFTON. According to his sources, the company has extended the deadline for achieving the necessary goals to the end of 2026.| Game World Observer
The MobileGamer portal has obtained details about the layoffs at King, which are part of the major reductions at Microsoft. To gather this information, they spoke with sources close to the company.| Game World Observer
The GOG team announced that on July 17th, the games Limbo and Inside will be removed from the store. The official reason has not been stated, but it is speculated online that the removal could be related to the legal disputes between Playdead founders Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen, which have recently escalated to a lawsuit.| Game World Observer
The story involving the departure of the Subnautica creators has escalated into a full-blown scandal. KRAFTON has been sued by the dismissed executives of Unknown Worlds.| Game World Observer
Members of SAG-AFTRA ratified an updated agreement with major game developers, including Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, and Take-Two. It went into effect “immediately.”| Game World Observer
After a slight delay, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shared data on the state of the American gaming market in May.| Game World Observer
Recently, the editor-in-chief of The Game Business, Christopher Dring, mentioned that the profitability of Game Pass might be a result of skillfully juggling numbers. He suggested that Microsoft’s calculations do not include data from its internal studios. However, the corporation has since clarified that the subscription is profitable in any case.| Game World Observer
The corporation Apple has decided to appeal the €500 million fine imposed by the European Commission in April for restricting app developers in the App Store. The company has filed the corresponding appeal.| Game World Observer
The analytics company Niko Partners has published a report on the gaming market in the MENA-3 region (Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt). Here are the key figures.| Game World Observer
The year 2024 became the worst in Techland’s history from a financial standpoint, according to Puls Biznesu, citing the company’s report. Its net losses reached 135.2 million zlotys ($37.5 million).| Game World Observer
Last night, Microsoft announced a massive wave of layoffs, affecting Xbox as well. Following the announcement, information began leaking to the media regarding cuts in specific gaming teams. We’ve compiled a list of the affected studios.| Game World Observer
Microsoft has indeed started new layoffs. In a statement to the media, their representative stated that 4% of the corporation’s workforce, or 9,000 people, will lose their jobs. The gaming division will also be affected.| Game World Observer
The service GameDiscoverCo attempted to determine the real size of the Steam market (Total Addressable Market) and calculate the revenue of different game categories. They conducted an experiment by leaving only two key tags for each game that earned more than a million dollars — one for the genre and one for the subgenre.| Game World Observer
The current direction of Xbox puts an end to the future of Microsoft consoles, according to Laura Fryer — a veteran of the corporation who led the Xbox Advanced Technology Group in the early 2000s.| Game World Observer
Last year, the analytics company Newzoo published revenue forecasts for the gaming market in 2024 multiple times. None of them came true — the final figures were lower.| Game World Observer
The creators of the Godot engine have started beta testing their own asset store, a launch they have talked about for many years. In the future, it will replace the Godot Asset Library.| Game World Observer
Apple Corporation hopes to avoid a new fine in the European Union due to anti-competitive App Store policies, according to Financial Times sources. To achieve this, the company is prepared to make some concessions in its store policy.| Game World Observer
The UK authorities announced that they will continue to fund budding game developers. Over the next three years, they will allocate £10 million (equivalent to $13.44 million) annually to support British gaming startups.| Game World Observer
From June 9 to June 16, Steam hosted the Next Fest demo festival. The founder of GameDiscoverCo, Simon Carless, compiled a list of the top games that gained the most wish list additions during the event.| Game World Observer
Last fall, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that its gaming division would focus on four franchises: Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. In line with this decision, the company has now updated the structure of Warner Bros. Games.| Game World Observer
During the week from June 10 to June 17, Counter-Strike 2 continued to lead the overall top-grossing product chart on Steam. Meanwhile, in the chart exclusively for paid projects, Stellar Blade claimed the top spot, displacing Dune: Awakening.| Game World Observer
The Chinese company miHoYo has initiated another legal proceeding. It has filed a complaint in the California district court against a streamer who prematurely showcased the new character from Honkai: Star Rail.| Game World Observer
The studio behind Days Gone announced on social media that it has parted ways with some employees. Bend Studio did not specify the number of layoffs, but according to information from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, 40 people have left.| Game World Observer
Nintendo announced the first sales figures for the Nintendo Switch 2, revealing that the console sold over 3.5 million units in the first four days after its release.| Game World Observer
Valve’s Steam Next Fest is a demo festival held several times a year on Steam. While the event has its perks, Hans Haave, a producer at the publisher Oro Interactive, believes developers shouldn’t rely solely on it.| Game World Observer
Alternative app stores are becoming a hot topic in the wake of Epic’s ongoing expansion and battle against Apple and Google. In this article for Game World Observer, JoyBits founder Anton Rybakov shares the studio’s experience of launching its games on the EGS Mobile.| Game World Observer
Last year saw a series of major crypto game releases on Telegram. Writing for Game World Observer, TON Society‘s Alexey Toropov and AdsGram‘s Vadim Sterlin explain what the state of the Telegram Mini Apps platform, also sharing insights into the successful games.| Game World Observer
Today, the Xbox brand is no longer associated with a single device, and the company itself is systematically getting rid of its role as a classic platform holder. This strategy may be the only winning plan for Microsoft Gaming. However, in the pursuit of all existing screens, there is a risk of not gaining a foothold on any of them.| Game World Observer
Game Gears, part of the GDEV holding, has leveraged AI technology during the development of Aliens vs Zombies: Invasion. The studio’s CEO and AI evangelist Alexander Vaschenko explained how exactly these tools helped optimize production in his article for Game World Observer.| Game World Observer
CD Projekt has released its financial report for the full year ended December 31, 2024. Despite the lack of new releases and revenue drop, the company’s position remains strong — with The Witcher 4 in full production and an unannounced game from Scopely in plans.| Game World Observer
Last week, Sensor Tower announced its acquisition of Video Game Insights to expand into console and PC games data. The question is, what could be the consequences of consolidation in the gaming analytics sector? Here’s our deep dive into Sensor Tower’s M&A strategy and the potential risks it poses to the market.| Game World Observer
On April 10, WN Media Group will be hosting a summit for game developers and publishers focused on operating and supporting live games. Nexters, MY.GAMES, Playkot, and PLAYSTUDIOS have already joined the list of speakers.| Game World Observer
New details on Ubisoft’s possible future have emerged. The French publisher is reportedly in talks to establish a new entity that will include some of its core franchises.| Game World Observer
Valve has published a 2024 recap, focusing on Steam-related features, tools, and stats. Let’s take a closer look at the data on platform growth and new game revenue.| Game World Observer
It is no secret that Final Fantasy XVI failed to meet Square Enix’s expectations. New data on its life-to-date sales indicates that the game has a weak tail, confirming previous concerns about its commercial performance.| Game World Observer
Scopely is ready for its new megadeal by announcing the acquisition of Niantic’s entire video game business. The company will now own global hits like Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom.| Game World Observer
Last month, indie team Crackshell released a sequel to its successful roguelite Heroes of Hammerwatch. Here’s some fresh data on the game’s sales and its performance on Steam.| Game World Observer
With new releases like Split Fiction and FragPunk, as well as strong performances from older hits, it is time to take a look at the key changes on the Steam charts. Here are the top products on the platform by gross revenue over the past seven days.| Game World Observer
The timing of launching a Steam page is still a subject of eternal debate among game developers, especially indie creators. Game marketing expert Chris Zukowski has shared some valuable tips and tried to explain why there is no time for procrastination.| Game World Observer
Split Fiction has reached its first milestone in less than a week after its global launch. Here is how its figures compare to previous games from Hazelight Studios.| Game World Observer
NetEase has released another live service game as part of its strategy to reach a global audience. Here is how players have met hero shooter FragPunk, and how its launch metrics compare to the company’s previous titles.| Game World Observer
Hazelight Studios is back with its new co-op action adventure game Split Fiction. The title has been off to a strong start, with its impressive player numbers exceeding most other products published by Electronic Arts.| Game World Observer
The Hurun Research Institute has released a list of the 500 most valuable companies based in China. Let’s take a closer look at the enterprises related to the games industry and how their rankings have changed from the previous year.| Game World Observer
Ironmace Games has faced another hurdle due to its legal dispute with South Korea publisher Nexon. As a result, Dark and Darker has been removed from the Epic Games Store.| Game World Observer
Last month, AppLovin announced its decision to sell its video game studios to focus on its ad business. New details have now emerged about the deal and the buyer of the company’s assets.| Game World Observer
Rockstar has released an enhanced version of GTA V for PC, upgrading its visuals and adding various improvements to its 10-year-old megahit. However, reception from Steam users is far from overwhelmingly positive.| Game World Observer
The global launch of Monster Hunter Wilds has resulted in a triumph on the Steam charts. Aside from Capcom’s latest hit, there were plenty of other notable additions and changes on the list over the past seven days.| Game World Observer
Capcom has announced the first major milestone for Monster Hunter Wilds. Here’s how its launch sales compare to previous installments in the series and other games in the publisher’s portfolio.| Game World Observer
What were the top-grossing new games on Steam in February 2025? GameDiscoverCo has shared data on the biggest releases, including their estimated gross revenue for the period.| Game World Observer
WN Conference is back to Berlin after a three-year hiatus. It will take place in the capital of Germany this spring, expecting to bring together over 500 games industry professionals.| Game World Observer
Capcom has launched Monster Hunter Wilds, likely its biggest release of the current fiscal year. Here’re the first results for the game on Steam based on publicly available metrics.| Game World Observer
Warner Bros. Discovery has released its financial report for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024. The company’s video game division showed poor results, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in write-downs and a cost-cutting restructuring plan.| Game World Observer