Tencent is to acquire a majority shareholding in Dying Light studio Techland

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Summit Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak  here  and learn more about sponsorship opportunities  here . 

The version 4.0 update for Genshin Impact, dubbed “As Light Rain Falls Without Reason,” will launch on August 16, developer miHoYo announced.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is witnessing an unprecedented boom as it is getting applied in all kinds of human activities. Recently, the United States Air Force conducted a three-hour sortie of an uncrewed jet aircraft where it was controlled by AI agents. On the other hand, a health tech firm has also started the pilot testing of its AI-powered visual-to-text tool for Dentistry.

Each week, we scour the internet for all things indie MMO-related, so you don’t have to. This week, Britannia suspends development over IP issues, Cinderstone misses another update release, and Wurm Online loses some staff members. On the bright side, Genfanad hints at some big changes, Ilysia has resolved its Mage Portal issues, and Ravendawn entered Open Beta. Plenty of other stuff is also going on, so let’s quit wasting time and get started with this week’s Indie MMO Spotlight.

A nearly unknown indie developer from China stole the show during the latest PlayStation Showcase with their upcoming game Phantom Blade Zero. Nearly unknown to PC and console gamers, anyway, as S-Game had previously found success with the sidescrolling action RPG for mobile Phantom Blade: Executioners (due to launch this year on PC and PlayStation, too).

Dying Light 2 developer Techland has announced Chinese firm Tencent is setting itself up to become the studio's main shareholder, effectively acquiring the Polish team. Confirmed by founder Pawel Marchewka in a website post, he says the buyout allows Techland «to move full speed ahead with the execution of the vision for our games», which includes more from the Dying Light series and an unannounced open world action RPG.

Tencent has made another acquisition, this time for Visual Arts. The two companies released a (translated)  joint statement confirming the deal, with Visual Arts stating that it will remain itself "and the staff will continue to do the things it wants to do."

Tencent has acquired Visual Arts, the parent company of AIR, Clannad, and Kanon developer Key, the companies announced.

TiGames, known for its underrated Metroidvania F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch, has announced The Winds Rising as part of Sony’s PlayStation China Hero Project. Like the recently announced Dhaba: Land of Watermarks, it’s an action RPG for PS5, though a release date wasn’t announced. Check out the first trailer below, courtesy of Gematsu.

Developer Techland is celebrating the 20th anniversary of comic series The Walking Dead with a new event in Dying Light 2 Stay Human. As part of the event, players can take on 7 daily challenges to unlock rewards, as well as comic book covers. Check out the trailer for the Dying Light 2 Stay Human – The Walking Dead event below.

CD Projekt is laying off "around 100" developers because it's "overstaffed."

The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt is laying off 100 staff members. With multiple RPG game projects in the works for both of these videogame series and even more on the way, the studio says the last of the layoffs of around 9% of the workforce will take effect by March 2024, with the Cyberpunk 2077 studio saying it wants both the “best people” and the “right teams.” It’s unclear if, or how, this will impact the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty release date.