World of Warcraft has reportedly reached 7.25 million active players, almost two years after its recent expansion, Dragonflight.Windows Central noted the MMO saw bigger numbers with the release of WoW Classic (8.27 million) and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (12 million). What makes this interesting is how the game has kept steady (and grown) since Dragonflight's late 2022 launch.As spotted by BellularGaming, Blizzard shared a chart on player growth at this weekend's PAX East. Typically, the MMO gains players days (or weeks) before an expansion releases, and it declines over time.That isn't the case with Dragonflight. Windows Central acknowledged it's had a positive reception and is further boosted by Classic versions of WoW and its in-game "Season of Discovery."…
The FTC denied a proposal to use facial recognition technology to verify the age of anyone buying mature-rated games.Last year, it was reported the ESRB was teaming with SuperAwesome and Yoti on the Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation. The technology would've required adults to let their faces get scanned to confirm they're adults, in place of physical IDs.Per the FTC, the denial vote was 4-0 "without prejudice." Its reasoning was that due to the COPPA rule, online services have "acceptable methods" to gain parental consent for anyone 13 and under.350 comments were submitted following the proposal, with concerns raised about privacy, accuracy, and deepfakes. Last year, the ESRB acknowledged those risks but also argued parents would still have control over…
Unity is sunsetting its suite of Ziva products less than two years after acquiring creator Ziva Dynamics.The company broke the news in a blog post and explained it's no longer selling or supporting Ziva VFX, Ziva Real-Time, Ziva Face Trainer, and related Ziva products.Unity explained the move is part of its ongoing company reset and said it remains focused on its core offerings in Unity Editor and Runtime, Unity Cloud, and its Monetization Solutions.It added that active Ziva subscribers will have the option to convert their existing license to a five-year term in the Ziva customer portal so they can continue using the product site beyind the expiration date of their existing license.Notably, Unity has also entered into an agreement with technology-enabled visual effects and animation …
EA is bringing the strategy-RPG Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes over from mobile to the PC space.Originally released in 2015 for phones and iPad, the PC port will stay free-to-play like its mobile equivalent. Along with cross-save, EA Capital Games further told Game Informer it'll be made "in lockstep and release updates" simultaneously with the mobile version.Bringing Galaxy of Heroes reaffirms its relationship with the franchise. With its 10-year anniversary in 2025, this also gives some extra life to the free-to-play game, particularly on the revenue end.Galaxy of Heroes has been incredibly popular in the near-decade since its release. While EA didn't mention its perfomance during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, it logged 100 million players in late 2021.The game was one of t…
Layoffs have hit Nintendo of America, according to Kotaku. Sources told the outlet the US arm of Nintendo is undergoing a "massive downsizing" that will see over 100 contractor layoffs.Along with those cuts, a Nintendo spokesperson told Kotaku a "significant number" of full-time positions will be created. However, these new jobs will reportedly move those affected out of software testing."[NOA] has reorganized its Product Testing functions to drive greater global integration in game development efforts," the email reads. "The changes will also better align NOA with interregional testing procedures and operations."Thus far, layoffs have managed to hit nearly every developer in the industry, big and small. Nintendo marks the last of the Big Three to ha…
Mobile developer Scopely has snatched up Bobby Loya to serve as its senior VP and head of studio business development.Loya first started at Vivendi Games as a business development director in 2006. Following the company's merger with Activision, he stayed on as a senior director of developer acquisitions, then VP of studios and external development.In recent years, Scopely has bought up developers who've worked on its mobile games, or the games themselves. With Loya on board, he may be able to help scout out third-party talent that could later become Scopely subsidiaries.
Loya's successes and Scopely's future
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Gamescom 2024, held from August 20th to 24th, once again affirmed its status as the world's premier gaming event. The event attracted a staggering 335,000 visitors from around 120 countries to Cologne, reflecting the increasingly globalized nature of the games industry. As well as the vast consumer show, Gamescom also welcomed over 32,000 trade visitors this year and featured close to 1,500 exhibitors from 64 countries, with 48 national pavilions showcasing the international diversity of the gaming ecosystem.Devcom, Gamescom's sister event focused on the developer community, also hit new heights, with 5,000 visitors, representing over 1,600 companies from 83 countries. This was a 45% increase compared to 2023. Meanwhile, Gamescom boasted a record-breaking online engagement, parti…
Remedy posted its financials for the full 2023-2024 fiscal year. Decreases were across the board, but the Finnish studio had a bright spot in locking down two franchises under its belt.Speaking to revenue from October 1, 2023-December 31, 2023, Remedy made €10.3 million ($11.19 million) during the period. In 2022-2023, it made €13.6 million, marking a 24.4 percent decrease between the two quarters.For the whole 2023 year, revenue decreased €33.9 million, down 22.2 percent from 2022's €43.6 million.Despite that, CEO Tero Virtala noted 2023's final quarter was "special and memorable" for Remedy. That's largely owed to Alan Wake II, which released in October to strong reviews and numerous award wins and nominations.He acknowledged the studio's profitabili…
Developer Xalavier Nelson Jr. believes the industry has failed Black game developers. At the recent Black in Gaming Awards held during GDC, the Strange Scaffold founder won an award for Best Indie Developer.In his speech, Nelson revealed his 2023 game El Paso, Elsewhere had "precious little" publisher support, and many rejected it. It went on to become a hit, but he said a lack of support isn't uncommon for Black developers pitching new projects.It's made even more egregious because of how the industry often co-opts Black culture. Nelson was frank in calling out the industry's tendency to have Black characters and music, but then take a "sudden silence" when it comes to projects made by Black developers like himself.Such issues are emblematic of the enter…