The video game funding gap: How investors are failing marginalized developers

A company called Game Scent has revealed its new AI-powered device that lets players smell their games in real time. With the growing popularity of VR, as well as the introduction of haptic feedback in the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, companies have been increasingly interested in stimulating all five of senses while people play video games. Horizon Forbidden West used DualSense haptics to try to emulate even the feeling of walking through grass, and the ambitions to create a fully immersive gameplay experience have only grown.

Nobuo Uematsu, the celebrated composer behind the iconic soundtracks for much of the Final Fantasy series, has said he probably won’t score a full video game again. While Uematsu didn’t rule out creating the main themes for future games, he said that his days of scoring an entire game are likely over - leaving his last complete soundtrack as the OST for mobile-exclusive RPG Fantasian.

Games are weird again!

Good news Uncharted fans, the sequel finally has a script. Mark Wahlberg, who brings treasure hunter Nathan Drake's frequently facial-haired friend Sully to life in the 2022 video game adaptation, has revealed he recently got a call from Sony telling him to "start growing [his] mustache". 

Rockstar Games is gearing up for the launch of its next big game in 2025. Grand Theft Auto 6 or GTA 6 is an upcoming open-world action-adventure video game and a sequel to 2013's GTA 5. The GTA 6 trailer premiered last year and broke the record for most views in 24 hours for a non-music video. While it gave us the first glimpse into the world of GTA 6, there's not much information about what could the game offer. That said, leaks and rumours suggest several groundbreaking features in line. Here's everything we know about GTA 6 so far.

For the best part of this generation, Sony’s been pressured by a vocal part of the gaming community to borrow Xbox Game Pass’ unproven business model with PS Plus. The platform holder eventually decided to take a half-step, merging PS Now with its existing subscription but resisting the urge to add day one first-party software to the service. It’s described this strategy as unsustainable.

Video game demos used to be a staple of gaming, from discs and floppies included with magazines to downloadable trials that could be played indefinitely. But when the digital age came along, demos seemed to fall out of fashion. Fortunately, that trend seems to be reversing.

The video game industry has never been known for its job security. Game development works in cycles, and when games are released and projects end, people are often laid off. When the next project starts, hiring begins once again only for another potential cut down the line. It was hard for video game developers to feel comfortable in their positions before the most recent period of unprecedented instability. But over the past few years, it’s become a downright crisis.

It's been a perfect storm.

Red Dead Redemption 2's lawless sandbox is home to countless weird and wild occurrences that you can't help but laugh at. One new example has a player shave main man Arthur Morgan's head, only to use an exploit to have his hair explode like an ultra-fast time-lapse video of grass growing within a second. 

It can be hard to keep up with Don’t Nod. The French studio has established itself with an eclectic oeuvre of mid-budget games featuring a strong emphasis on storytelling, from its sci-fi debut Remember Me to its beloved teen drama Life Is Strange and its latest: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

With video-game players increasingly sticking with the titles they've been hooked on for years, leaders in the $184 billion industry are cutting thousands of staffers and canceling riskier projects.