Development News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

At the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit in September, organisational psychologist Graham McAllister presented a talk entitled 'Game vision alignment: Its role in team effectiveness,' exploring how studios can improve their games by maintaining a clear vision of what they're creating.

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

Development on Elden Ring’s first expansion is "proceeding smoothly."

The development of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is proceeding smoothly, but we still don't know exactly when we will be able to return to The Lands Between.

Development of the upcoming Elden Ring expansion is “proceeding smoothly”.

Sega has said development of its first “Super Game” is progressing steadily.

Lies of P fans should prepare themselves for a lot more puppet-smashing action, as its director, Ji Won Choi, has confirmed that not only is the development of the game’s DLC in motion, but a sequel is in the works, too.

In 1983, video game legend Yu Suzuki started his career at Sega. Now, 40 years later, his newest game, Air Twister comes to consoles and PC on November 10. The arcade-like shooter was originally released as an Apple Arcade exclusive back in June 2022.

Solana Labs has launched a beta for GameShift, a platform that makes it easier for game developers to create blockchain games.

Alan Wake Remastered has recouped its development and marketing costs around two years after it launched.

The Max Payne remakes are up next, and the Control sequel is in concept phase.

Alan Wake 2 is out now, and though it’s a bit early in its life to see how well it’s doing where sales are concerned, it seems the series as a whole is bringing in the money for developer Remedy Entertainment nonetheless.

Yesterday, New Regency Entertainment and Diversion3 Entertainment announced (via Variety) that a video game adaptation of 2022's hit horror movie Barbarian is in development for PC and consoles.

During the Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen community Q&A last night, Creative Director Chris «Joppa» Perkins was asked whether the studio would consider bringing on volunteer developers to help speed up the dev process. In answer, Perkins states that it is «something» the team is looking at.

During the Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen community Q&A last night, Creative Director Chris «Joppa» Perkins was asked whether the studio would consider bringing on volunteer developers to help speed up the dev process. In answer, Perkins states that it is «something» the team is looking at.

More than a year after Blizzard did an Old Yeller to Heroes of the Storm—«the only good MOBA» in the eyes of our weekend editor Jody Macgregor—a new patch has appeared on the public test realm, and it's got some fans hopeful for more to come.

Former Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith left Bethesda, and his updated role as senior systems designer, partway through Starfield's development, so he was as surprised as the rest of us when the massive space RPG was released in remarkably good condition. 

Broccoli will end service for smartphone rhythm game Uta no Prince-sama Shining Live on December 26, the company announced. A Switch version, titled Uta no Prince-sama Shining Live for Nintendo Switch, is currently in development and will feature various contents from the iOS and Android versions.

Despite recent rumors spreading about the potential directors and casting for the reboot movie, it seems like it might take a while longer before fans are introduce to the Daniel Craig’s successor.

With Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard finally complete, the company controls a larger than ever share of the game industry. According to CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft now plans to double down on game publishing and development.

Starfield designer Emil Pagliarulo is reflecting on his time as a veteran Bethesda developer and sharing what he thinks makes the studio's games endure the test of time.

Of the two Far Cry titles that were rumoured to be in development from a report all the way back in January, a new report indicates that one of the titles, dubbed Project Maverick, will be a Far Cry-themed multiplayer extraction shooter.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has taken less than four years to develop thanks to team chemistry.

An extraction-based multiplayer shooter spin-off game based on Far Cry is in development at Ubisoft Toronto.

Motive has confirmed that it's convened another «community council» to guide development of its new Iron Man game so that fans can «feedback on pretty much everything throughout the development process».

Earlier this week, images and clips from Skull Island: Rise of Kong started popping up on social media. Released on October 17th, the game was roundly mocked for its dated-looking graphics and gameplay. IGN reported that players were calling it the worst game of 2023.

Blizzard has updated the Dragonflight Patch 10.2: Guardians of the Dream PTR development notes with changes to Battleground Blitz and tuning for Demon Hunters, Priests, Rogue, and Warrior.

Following the tease of its upcoming "Meteor Lake" mobile processors, which incorporate dedicated silicon for local artificial intelligence (AI) processing, Intel has launched a booster initiative dubbed the AI PC Acceleration Program. In the leadup to Meteor Lake’s launch in December, this program aims to connect Intel with hardware and software makers looking to enhance their products with onboard AI technology.

Haven Studios' head Jade Raymond and Everquest2 co-director Raph Koster both think that no matter what the public opinion is on AI in game development, it'll happen regardless.

CD Projekt has officially brought the development of its Witcher card game spin-off Gwent to a close with one last update, putting all future balance changes in the hands of the community.

Pantheon's Visionary Realms has addressed the reports about a leaked letter detailing the company's intention to effectively monetize its new 247 play mode in a post on the game's official Discord.

Official development on Gwent: The Witcher Card Game has wrapped, with CD Projekt Red leaving future balance changes in the hands of its player base.

Late last year, CD Projekt Red announced it would step back from development of its free-to-play collectible card game Gwent, with new cards continuing to be added in 2023, but the card pool be considered complete after that, and further balance changes left up to the players.

Blizzard has posted this weeks Dragonflight Patch 10.2 PTR Development notes with another round of tuning and class changes for several specializations!

Systemic Reaction has announced that they have canceled further development on their multiplayer dinosaur FPS, Second Extinction, and has removed it from sale on marketplaces. Servers are set to close down for it in 2024.

Nintendo has always been fully aware of the importance and popularity of the 2D line of Mario platformers, even as the 3D games have continued to enjoy increasing success, and after New Super Mario Bros. U on the Wii U back in 2012, the Japanese company had clearly decided that whatever came next for the 2D Mario series would have to be a major shake-up, regardless of how long its development process could end up being.

Systemic Reaction’s co-op dinosaur slaying shooter Second Extinction is ending development. The developer officially announced that it will be delisted from sale, and servers will shut down in 2024. Along with not achieving the desired success, the team faced “unforeseen show-stopping issues that prevented us from leaving Early Access and Game Preview.”

The acceleration of technological change is evident everywhere, and it’s benefiting games in unseen ways. In 2016, King had only 2,000 levels for Candy Crush Saga.

After breaking several streaming records, a brand new Suits series is in the works from creator Aaron Korsh.

The PlayStation Access controller is en route to release on December 6, and Sony has shared some details about its development in a new blog post that you can check out through here. According to the blog, each aspect of the controller is designed to be highly accessible – even down to the packaging which can be opened with one hand.

An extensive climate impact report published by Saltsea Chronicles developer Die Gute Fabrik (DGF) shows how the project's near four-year production cycle affected this little blue dot we call home.

As we prepare to introduce the Access controller to the accessibility community on December 6, today we’re pleased to share a closer look at its development, including a first glimpse of its accessible packaging. Step behind the scenes as our hardware and UI designers, alongside user research leads, discuss their collaboration with accessibility organizations on a highly customizable PS5 controller kit designed to help gamers with disabilities play more comfortably and for longer periods:

Blizzard has updated the Dragonflight Patch 10.2: Guardians of the Dream PTR development notes with new tuning and design changes for most classes!

It’s no secret at this point that The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is one of the biggest disappointments of recent memory, but a new report from German gaming outlet Game Two has brought into light the rather unfavorable development conditions that Daedalic Entertainment had to endure. Check out the complete video down below.

An investigative report into the development of commercial and critical failure The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has revealed a number of struggles faced by developer Daedalic Entertainment.

This week, the Swedish group Jumpgate AB announced that it had secured licensing to develop a PC/console game based on Paramount's Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager IPs. The development will be conducted at gameXcite, a wholly-owned subsidiary based in Hamburg, Germany.

Rumours of a remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 are refusing to go away. Rumours first emerged in January of last year that a director’s cut of the acclaimed PS4 title was in the works, while as recently as this July, The Last of Us composer Gustavo Santaolalla let slip that a “new version” of the game was in development.

CD Projekt Red, the developer of Cyberpunk 2077, has announced the studio will be partnering with Anonymous Content to produce a live-action “project” set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe. Anonymous Content is most known for producing works such as True Detective and Mr. Robot, but its catalog is overflowing with series such as Saint X, Shantaram, and The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.

Earlier today, former Telltale Games cinematic artist Jonah Huang revealed on Twitter that he had been laid off from the studio in early September. In his tweet, he writes that «Telltale laid most of us off in early September,» and that the layoffs occurred weeks after the company acquired U.K.-based studio, Flavourworks, which developed Erica. 

CD Projekt studio head Adam Badowski said during an investors presentation today that the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 is officially underway, but still very, very early in the process.

The fact the costs for developing a game have become astronomically high is no secret to anyone, though specific details on a game’s development budget aren’t usually something that developers and publishers share too often, CD Projekt RED has, however, taken a different approach in the past, and has now also confirmed how much it cost to make and market the recent released Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, Phantom Liberty. 

CD Projekt Red confirmed the studio has partnered with Anonymous Content Studios to produce a live-action project set in Night City.

CD Projekt Red is partnering with Anonymous Content, known for producing films such as The Revenant and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and series such as True Detective and Mr. Robot, to develop a live-action Cyberpunk 2077 project.

The upcoming Exynos 2400 might be the last Samsung SoC that comes outfitted with an AMD GPU, with the latest rumor claiming that the Korean firm wishes to develop its own custom solution. Earlier, it was reported that both companies had renewed a licensing agreement, but the terms may only have been valid for a limited time.

We've gotten another bittersweet taste of Haunted Chocolatier. Sweet because, well, it's Haunted Chocolatier, and bitter because I still don't know when this game is coming out. But we do have some new screenshots: in a tweet earlier today, Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley dev Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone shared four tantalising new screenshots of the spooky sweet-making sim. Here they are:

In a new interview, president of Activision Rob Kostich said that the publisher is looking into AI tools, but that the jury's still out on them for now.

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

Presented by Horizon

Assassin’s Creed is a long-running video game franchise, and we’re soon about to add a new installment to the collection. This week, we’ll soon get our hands on Assassin’s Creed Mirage. While the games all span across different periods and locations, the heart of the series remains the same. It’s a battle between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order. What helps make this game series so thrilling is the different characters, cultures, and storylines. When you finally get your hands on Assassin’s Creed Mirage, you will want to note that the game development was very collaborative, especially regarding the characters.

Mojang has ended development on Minecraft Dungeons three years after launch and after hitting an impressive 25 million players.

Epic Games founder and primary stakeholder Tim Sweeney penned a lengthy blog post to explain yesterday's massive layoffs.

Blizzard Entertainment has laid off several members of the Hearthstone development team, citing «organizational changes» at the studio.

The Nintendo Switch port of Sonic Superstars is setting out to be a solid one, judging from information coming from this year's Tokyo Game Show.

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, which was released exclusively for mobile devices earlier this month, is officially in development for PC, Square Enix has confirmed.

As gamers have been reminded time and time again over the last several years, the bug testing phase of a video game’s development is arguably one of the most important things that has to be done well, or else the game will be incredibly problematic at launch. We can all think of recent titles in the last year or two that have suffered heavily because the game was rushed to release instead of spending more time in QA. With bigger titles like Starfield, the QA process is even MORE intensive because the developers have more to deal with regarding characters, worlds, vehicles, etc.

Blizzard has updated the Wrath Classic 3.4.3 with a new Patch and shared Development Notes. Additionally, Glyph of Omen of Clarity has been changed to include a -5% physical damage dealt modifier.

Blizzard has updated the Wrath Classic 3.4.3 with a new Patch, as well as set Icecrown Citadel live for the final round of raid testing. Unmentioned in the Development Notes is a new change to Glyph of Omen of Clarity, which includes a -5% physical damage dealt modifier.

In a year of critically acclaimed games, Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is certifiably a mobile title that came out. Billed as “another possibility for a remake,” Square Enix hyped up the game’s PSX Final Fantasy nostalgia while kind of hiding the fact that it was, in fact, just a gacha game. For presumably that reason, many Final Fantasy fans vocalized their wish to see Ever Crisis on PC and consoles, and it looks like they’ll get some of what they asked for.

Actor Cameron Monaghan casually confirmed that a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is in development. During the Ocala Comic Con event, the voice and motion capture artist behind the protagonist Cal Kestis said, “We're working on the third. We're in the process of doing it right now.” The news comes as a surprise, considering the series director Stig Asmussen, who rebuilt and instilled faith in single-player Star Wars games, recently left EA/ Respawn Entertainment. However, he always expressed interest in furthering and concluding Cal's arc through a trilogy, with discussions of a sequel dating back even before 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was out.

Given how big 2023 has been for gaming on numerous levels, it can be easy to forget that certain titles have been out for several months and were really incredible when they arrived. One such title was Star Wars Jedi Survivor. The sequel to Respawn Entertainment’s epic first entry into the galaxy far, far away, was highly anticipated by fans, and many were curious how the development team would handle the continued journey of Kal Kestis. Thankfully, outside of some optimization issues, the game was great, and many consider it one of the many contenders for Game of the Year. But now the question is, what’s next?

Development of Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse is «simmering», the studio has said, suggesting further details are still a ways off.

Star Wars Eclipse stunned fans with its glossy cinematic reveal trailer in late 2021. Now, almost two years on, developer Quantic Dream has nothing to show for it, as we're yet to get any more details on the game, let alone a look at how it actually plays. Now, Quantic Dream is having to reassure us that the game "still exists", it's just "simmering" for now, whatever that means.

Given the widespread critical and commercial success that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor have enjoyed, it seems safe to assume that there will be a third game in the series, and though one hasn’t been officially announced yet, actor Cameron Monaghan, who plays Star Wars Jedi protagonist Cal Kestis, has let slip that work on the series’ next instalment is underway.

Cameron Monaghan, the actor who plays Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi, has confirmed that a third game in the series is currently in development at Respawn Entertainment.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer attended Tokyo Game Show 2023 in person to meet with fans and press alike. Japanese website Game Watch published a new interview with the executive just a few hours ago, and the conversation provides several tidbits worth reporting.

The development of Star Wars Eclipse, the highly-awaited title being developed by Quantic Dream, is moving forward, albeit slowly, said the developer. Speaking to IGN at Tokyo Game Show 2023, Lisa Pendse, VP of Marketing at Quantic Dream, said on the topic:

Blizzard has updated the Wrath Classic PTR, implementing a new pet «Arfus» for completing every dungeon on Defense Protocol Gamma. Additionally, Hardmore 25 Player Ulduar loot has been added to the vendor, each piece for 60 Defiler's Scourgestone. In a previous article covering Dragonflight Patch 10.1.5 PTR, Wowhead datamined high polygon count models for dogs, as well as a ghost icon.

Blizzard has updated the Wrath Classic PTR, implementing a new pet «Arfus» for completing every dungeon on Defense Protocol Gamma. Additionally, Hardmore 25 Player Ulduar loot has been added to the vendor, each piece for 60 Defiler's Scourgestone.