News

Opinion: Narrative turns creepy in Tomb Raider
Opinion: Narrative turns creepy in Tomb Raider
UK-based game designer and Gamasutra contributor Tadhg Kelly analyzes the controversy surrounding Tomb Raider, and how games inherently disconnect the player from the character.
June 19, 2012
Letter From The Chairman: Welcome back (soon!) for IGF 2013
Letter From The Chairman: Welcome back (soon!) for IGF 2013
Ahead of opening submissions for the 2013 Festival, IGF Chairman Brandon Boyer goes in-depth on the shifts in policy and rules for this year's 15th anniversary IGF experience, and the ethos and considerations behind them.
June 19, 2012
EA's Moore comes to grips with the digital transformation
EA's Moore comes to grips with the digital transformation
"We recognized that we are standing on a burning platform... You can stay or you can hold our noses and jump," EA COO Peter Moore tells Gamasutra contributor Colin Campbell of his company's progressive shift to digital.
June 19, 2012
This Week In Video Game Criticism: From Harvest Moon assumptions to meaningful games
This Week In Video Game Criticism: From Harvest Moon assumptions to meaningful games
This week, our partnership with game criticism site Critical Distance brings us picks from Kris Ligman on topics like problematic assumptions underlying Harvest Moon, why it's impossible to make a meaningful game, and more.
June 19, 2012
Judge rules in favor of Tetris Company in cloning dispute
Judge rules in favor of Tetris Company in cloning dispute
In a move that has big implications for video game clone claims, a judge has ruled in favor of the Tetris Company against Mino developer Xio Interactive, stating that Mino is substantially similar to Tetris.
June 19, 2012
Epic Games sells a part of itself to Chinese online giant Tencent
Epic Games sells a part of itself to Chinese online giant Tencent
Major Chinese internet company Tencent has acquired a minority stake in Gears Of War and Unreal Engine creator Epic Games for an undisclosed sum, as Epic looks to tap into the company's Chinese userbase.
June 19, 2012
BBC Worldwide details Labs, a start-up mentoring initiative
BBC Worldwide details Labs, a start-up mentoring initiative
The BBC has launched a programme to help a number of start-ups gain traction through free office space and working closely with experts, with gaming, web and mobile companies able to take advantage of the initiative.
June 19, 2012
Kabam acquires Realm of the Mad God developer
Kabam acquires Realm of the Mad God developer
Wild Shadow Studios, the team behind popular indie MMO Realm of the Mad God, has been acquired by social games giant Kabam, while co-creator SpryFox has sold its stake in the game.
June 19, 2012
Zynga launches second match-3 game in as many months
Zynga launches second match-3 game in as many months
Social and mobile games company Zynga will release its next title, a match-3 game called Ruby Blast, later this week via Facebook and Zynga.com, marking the first collaboration between Zynga Seattle and Zynga China.
June 19, 2012
Facebook abandons Credits, allows app developers to charge monthly fees
Facebook abandons Credits, allows app developers to charge monthly fees
Facebook recently made some significant changes to the way it approaches in-app payments, as it has killed off Facebook Credits and has enabled apps to charge recurring monthly fees.
June 19, 2012
The game medium won't evolve with 'spray-and-pray' solutions
The game medium won't evolve with 'spray-and-pray' solutions
In a new feature, designer Keith Burgun expands on his ideas of game design theory, writing that game jams and bringing new voices into the medium may not actually do much to further the science of design.
June 19, 2012
Borderlands 2: How do you know when to make a sequel?
Borderlands 2: How do you know when to make a sequel?
Borderlands has an unusually long lifespan with players, thanks to a quest-based design and robust DLC. So how do you know when your players -- and your team -- are ready for a brand new sequel?
June 19, 2012