gaming-industry10.975 min read
2025's Most Disappointing and Flop Games
21 days ago•Source: Kotaku
Gaming Industry News
The latest gaming industry stories, summarized by AI
Featured Gaming Industry Stories
View original source
14.885 min•7 months ago
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Success and Future Insights
Clair Obscur's success by a small team highlights the potential for indie and mid-sized games in a saturated market, emphasizing innovation, quality, and sustainable practices, with Kepler Interactive supporting a diverse portfolio of bold, original titles and advocating for smaller, focused teams to maintain creativity and efficiency.
More Top Stories
2
"Valve's Small Team and High Salaries Revealed in Court Documents"
The Verge•1 year ago
3
Take-Two to Shut Down Indie Label Private Division Amid Troubles
Kotaku•1 year ago
More Gaming Industry Stories
Kerbal Space Program 2 Team Faces June Layoffs Amid Conflicting Reports
Take-Two Interactive is reportedly shutting down its indie label, Private Division, and its associated studios, including Intercept Games and Roll7. Despite initial denials, sources confirm the closures are imminent, with efforts to sell off the label and its assets facing mixed success. Employees express frustration over mismanagement and unreasonable sales targets, lamenting the loss of a passionate and talented team.
"Private Division Ends Partnership with Bloober Team"
Take-Two's indie label Private Division has reportedly ended its publishing deal with Polish developer Bloober Team for an unannounced survival horror game known as Project C. This move is part of Take-Two's broader cost reduction efforts, which have included layoffs and studio closures. Bloober Team is now seeking another publisher for the project.
Arrowhead Games Aims to Become the Next FromSoftware or Blizzard
Arrowhead Games, the developer behind the unexpectedly successful Helldivers 2, aims to become as influential as From Software or Blizzard. Helldivers 2, a co-op third-person shooter, has sold 12 million copies in three months, making it PlayStation's fastest-selling game. The studio's chief creative officer, Johan Pilestedt, attributes the success to the game's unique mechanics and the team's decision to deviate from industry norms. With Shams Jorjani now CEO, Arrowhead plans to focus on creating more innovative games while maintaining its independence and avoiding rapid expansion or acquisition.
Take-Two Interactive's Layoffs and Project Cancellations: What's Behind the Decision?
Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of GTA 6, is laying off around 600 employees, constituting 5% of its workforce, and canceling several projects as part of a cost-cutting strategy. This move is part of a broader trend of layoffs in the gaming industry, despite the company's previous statement that there were no current plans for layoffs. The company estimates substantial charges for these measures but continues to invest in its portfolio, including the acquisition of Gearbox and the highly anticipated release of GTA 6.
"Game Studio Blames Internal Leaks for Abrupt Shutdown"
Game studio Possibility Space, founded by Jeff Strain, has shut down before shipping a game, attributing the closure to internal leaks to the press, specifically naming Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach. The decision to cancel their major project, Project Vonnegut, was made after leaks of non-public information, leading to low confidence from their publishing partner and mutual agreement to cancel the game. Employees were informed of the closure and termination details, with Strain announcing his departure from the game industry to focus on family.
"Indie Game Studio Possibility Space Shuts Down Due to Internal Leaks and Media Pressure"
Indie game studio Possibility Space, founded in 2021 with the aim of creating a AAA title, has been abruptly shut down by CEO Jeff Strain, who blamed the closure on employees leaking information to the press. The closure follows the shutdown of another studio owned by Strain's Prytania Media. Strain's email to staff cited leaks about the studio's major title, leading to low confidence from a publisher and the mutual agreement to cancel the project, ultimately resulting in the studio's closure.
Prytania Media Shuts Down 'Distributed' Studio Possibility Space
Prytania Media has abruptly shut down its studio Possibility Space, with all employees being laid off without notice. The closure comes after a report from Kotaku's Ethan Gach prompted co-founder Jeff Strain to cancel a project named Project Vonnegut and step away from the games industry to focus on family. This marks the second studio closure by Prytania Media in as many months, following the shutdown of Crop Circle Games in March.
"2023 Report: Majority of Gamers Favor Older Titles, Newzoo Data Reveals"
A new industry report from Newzoo suggests that a small number of older video games are dominating consumers' playtime, making it harder for new games to find an audience. In 2023, just 66 titles accounted for 80% of all playtime, with 60% spent on games six years old or older. Games like Fortnite, GTA V, League of Legends, Minecraft, and Roblox made up 27% of all playtime, while annualized sequels and live service games contributed significantly to the playtime. The report highlights the challenge of growing a game's playerbase in a landscape dominated by established franchises and robust content pipelines.
"2023 Gaming Report: Older Titles Dominate Playtime Despite Slower Growth"
Research firm Newzoo predicts that personal computing and console gaming revenue growth will remain below pre-pandemic levels through 2026, with a projected 2.7% growth rate compared to the 7.2% growth rate from 2015 to 2021. Gamers are playing fewer hours, with average quarterly playtime dropping 26% from 2021 to 2023, and this trend is expected to continue due to weaker gaming release schedules. Industry giants like Sony, Tencent Holdings' Riot Games, and Electronic Arts have laid off employees and scaled back operations, while gaming industry consolidation is on the rise, with fewer publishers and a small group of games capturing a large share of player engagement.
"Phil Spencer Critiques Capitalism and Explores New Frontiers in Gaming Industry"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer blames capitalism for the gaming industry's lack of growth, leading to layoffs and cost-cutting measures at Microsoft and across the industry. He emphasizes the pressure for constant growth to satisfy investors, despite the industry's projected decline in players and revenue. Spencer's candid remarks shed light on the challenges of sustaining a profitable business within the gaming industry, while also hinting at potential shifts in business models, such as exploring partnerships with other digital storefronts like the Epic Games Store and Itch.io.