News

Fastest-growing Facebook games: From Zynga Slingo to King.com's Sagas
Fastest-growing Facebook games: From Zynga Slingo to King.com's Sagas
Gamasutra's bi-weekly look at the fastest-growing Facebook titles examines recently popular games like Zynga Slingo, Draw Something, and King.com's Saga series of social games.
April 17, 2012
Wii, PC retail declines drove Modern Warfare 3 drop, says analyst
Wii, PC retail declines drove Modern Warfare 3 drop, says analyst
Analyst group Cowen and Company says that the decline in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales is down to significantly reduced sales in the PC, Wii and handheld versions.
April 17, 2012
Sega, Halfbrick veteran Tony Takoushi founds new indie studio
Sega, Halfbrick veteran Tony Takoushi founds new indie studio
Tony Takoushi, a games industry veteran with over 30 years of experience under his belt, has founded a new mobile and PC gaming studio in Australia.
April 17, 2012
Amazon Appstore removes price restrictions on in-app purchases
Amazon Appstore removes price restrictions on in-app purchases
Amazon Appstore developers can now charge more than $20 for in-app purchases, given that parental control over the functionality is now in place.
April 17, 2012
Prototype 2 will 'struggle to reach 500K' U.S. sales in first year - analyst
Prototype 2 will 'struggle to reach 500K' U.S. sales in first year - analyst
A new report from analyst group Cowen and Company suggests that Activision's open-world action game Prototype 2, due for release next week, will "struggle" to reach 500,000 units sold in the U.S. in its first year.
April 17, 2012
Former Sega design head Simon Woodroffe joins Rare
Former Sega design head Simon Woodroffe joins Rare
Kinect Sports developer Rare has appointed a new creative director, as a means of pushing for "the best possible games experiences."
April 17, 2012
Report: Zynga expects to make more high-dollar Omgpop-size acquisitions
Report: Zynga expects to make more high-dollar Omgpop-size acquisitions
Zynga recently purchased Draw Something developer Omgpop for an eyebrow-raising $180 million, and Zynga CEO Mark Pincus says that's not the end of high-dollar acquisitions for his company.
April 17, 2012
The Splatters developer breaks out of the tech-driven Israeli game scene
The Splatters developer breaks out of the tech-driven Israeli game scene
Israel's SpikySnail had a hard time getting noticed by Microsoft, until an IGF nomination got the company's attention and a publishing deal for Xbox Live Arcade title The Splatters.
April 17, 2012
Wasteland 2 Kickstarter ends with $2.9M pledged
Wasteland 2 Kickstarter ends with $2.9M pledged
The Kickstarter campaign started last month by InXile CEO and Interplay founder Brian Fargo to fund Wasteland 2 has now ended, bringing in over $2.9 million in pledges.
April 17, 2012
Opinion: The role of technical sound designers
Opinion: The role of technical sound designers
In this reprinted #altdevblogaday interview, Volition's Ariel Gross talks with veteran audio contractor Damian Kastbauer about the important role technical sound designers play in game studios.
April 17, 2012
Latest NPD results paint grim picture of current U.S. retail game landscape
Latest NPD results paint grim picture of current U.S. retail game landscape
U.S. video game retail continued its decline last month. Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews' extensive breakdown of hardware and software fails to find a silver lining of any kind.
April 17, 2012
EA's Segerstrale: Developers might need to switch focus from retailers to players
EA's Segerstrale: Developers might need to switch focus from retailers to players
At a recent keynote presentation at the Game Marketing Summit, EA's EVP of digital Kristian Segerstrale said that traditional developers will need to make some major changes to survive in the industry's digital future.
April 17, 2012