GLAAD, a nonprofit organization focused on celebrating positive LGBTQ+ representation in media, including games, is launching a new Queer Emerging Developers (QED) Program for early-career developers from the LGBTQ+ community. Sponsored by Logitech, the new program aims to work with developers who are “passionate about cultivating an industry that uplifts queer voices and champions video … Read more
Starbreeze Entertainment has cancelled Project Baxter, its Dungeons & Dragons games-as-service title. The decision was made following a strategic review, with the developer concluding “that resources are best deployed to accelerate the growth of [its] flagship Payday franchise.” Part of the game’s development team will be relocated internally on other Starbreeze projects, while roughly 44 … Read more
A man has pleaded guilty to sending death threats to Epic Games. Jayden Griffin, 19, from South Datoka, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine — or both — after admitting to sending threatening messages to Epic between October 24 and November 9, 2024. After initially pleading not guilty, Griffin changed … Read more
Out Making Games (OMG), Women in Games (WIG), and BAME in Games (BiG) have co-written an open letter to Roblox calling on the company to reconsider the recent changes it has made concerning “sensitive issues,” claiming the changes are a “step backward for both creative expression and social justice.” Roblox notified game makers in August … Read more
The announcement of a leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts by a private-equity consortium has sent shockwaves through the games industry over the past few days. The consortium includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – which is linked to the country’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman – along with Silver Lake (which previously invested $400 … Read more
Safe in Our World, the mental health charity aiming to create and foster worldwide mental health awareness throughout the video game industry, is rolling out free mental health awareness workshops for community managers or any developer supporting the wellbeing of their communities. The free, bespoke three-hour mental health awareness workshops — supported by Humble and … Read more
Silent Hill f surpasses one million copies sold, a day after release | News-in-brief
Microsoft has “ceased and disabled a set of services” to part of the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMOD) following an ongoing review. The firm’s vice chair and president Brad Smith informed employees that it reviewed a report by The Guardian that alleged a unit within the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) was “using Azure for the … Read more
Niki Head, people and development director at Stellar Entertainment Software, and Chiara Santevecchi, the founder and CEO of Teem Camp, will be taking part in a panel about AI at the upcoming GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit. In a session entitled “Culture in the age of AI”, Head and Santevecchi will examine how AI is reshaping work … Read more
A group of games industry veterans have launched a new publisher called Midnighters. The Australian firm’s leadership team consists of four co-directors: Zea Wolfe (Massive Monster, Die Gute Fabrik), Jair McBain (Land & Sea, Lune Interactive), Aaron Oak (Zero Dimension, Funselektor), and Jacob Vincent (Funselektor, Wymac Gaming Solutions). Midnighters will provide services to “better support … Read more