10 great indie games you might have missed in 2023

Contrary to claims that CDs are making a comeback on the back of Gen Z interest, its long fadeout has, at best, been interrupted. Not even the kiss of life from the industry's reigning princess charming, Taylor Swift, is likely to revive the fortunes of music's most unloved format.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the U.S. House Speaker conferred on risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) amid regulatory challenges; US and Chinese AI companies hold secret talks on AI safety concerns; Pipefy launches AI-driven HR automation with customisable chatbots; Google Cloud unveils generative AI tools to transform retail experiences- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

A recently translated interview with Shigeru Miyamoto has shed some light on Nintendo's plans to make a major SNES peripheral a haven for indie devs - a full decade before indie gaming on consoles would become a proper reality.

An indie developer claims he couldn't make his 2021 indie game today in 2024 - and it all comes down to generative AI.

Microsoft is returning with an Xbox Developer Direct next week, promising updates on the much anticipated Indiana Jones game, Obsidian's upcoming fantasy RPG Awoved, and more. The presentation is scheduled to go live next Thursday, January 18 at 1:30am IST in India/ 12pm PT in the US, and will be available to watch on Xbox's official YouTube and Twitch channels. True to the name, the event will include both gameplay footage and developer interviews to best illustrate upcoming titles in the ecosystem, a lot of which will be included with Xbox Game Pass. However, it is worth noting that despite the recently completed acquisition, don't expect any Activision Blizzard games to be shown during the broadcast.

AI Roundup: Several notable developments took place in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) today, January 10. In partnership with the Government of Gujarat, Eros Investments announced the launch of the Immerso AI Park in GIFT City with the aim of becoming the foundation and the backbone of deep technology research, development, and innovation. Meanwhile, the Mahindra Formula E team drew criticism on social media after launching an AI avatar. In a separate development, Nvidia announced that its partner Yotta will set up a data center in GIFT City before the end of March.

Ironwood Studios’ Pacific Drive is a road trip game about taking a drive through a disintegrating, irradiated reality; it’s as if American Truck Simulator was set in a lonely, survivalist version of Fallout. Transported — either accidentally or on purpose, it’s not clear — into the Olympic Exclusion Zone somewhere among the wooded slopes of the Pacific Northwest, the nameless player character must pilot a dilapidated station wagon deeper into this territory, where gravity and matter obey their own rules.

Of all the predictions I could have made for 2024, a feature-length movie follow-up to 2020’s chaotic, vivid anime series Great Pretender certainly wasn’t one of them. The 23-episode heist comedy series, directed by Hiro Kaburagi (91 Days, Speed Grapher) and written by screenwriter Ryōta Kosawa, made a splash when it premiered on Netflix, earning its way onto best-of-the-year lists with its colorful characters and striking art direction. After nearly three years of silence, the series is returning with an all-new adventure playing in select American theaters only on Jan. 9 and 10, ahead of the Feb. 23 Japanese premiere.

Marvel’s new series Echo is about to debut on Disney Plus, but due to streamer’s settings, it might not automatically appear on your account.

AI drives 37% growth in tech M&A, valued at $984 billion by 2030; X Japan's Yoshiki calls for AI legislation to protect artists rights; AI researchers stunned by unprecedented pace of development, survey finds; IBM's Sriram Raghavan forecasts 40% surge in demand for AI specialists- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

Character-based historical 4X Old World will release a fourth DLC on January 11th, Wonders and Dynasties, bringing a whole, whole lot of new historical characters to the dynastic politics of your ancient empires. Something like 120 new characters, in fact, ranging from Hannibal and Caesar to Khufu and Stateira. That alongside 21 new character traits for those historicals and 100-some new events related to the politics of your imperial dynasty.

The nominees for the New York Game Awards 2024 were announced yesterday, with Baldur's Gate 3 taking six nominations.