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Atari to buy Thunderful, company undergoes another round of restructuring
AppWizard
July 31, 2025

Atari to buy Thunderful, company undergoes another round of restructuring

Atari has entered an agreement to acquire the European firm Thunderful Group through a directed share issue valued at SEK 50 million, gaining control over 82 percent of Thunderful's outstanding shares, with Thunderful's board approving the transaction. CEO Wade Rosen highlighted the acquisition as a milestone for Atari's expansion in Europe, while Thunderful has initiated a restructuring operation aimed at achieving cost savings of SEK 6 to 8 million for the latter half of the 2025 financial year and SEK 40 to 45 million during 2026, which will involve job cuts. CEO Martin Walfisz will step down as part of this transition, marking the third round of restructuring for Thunderful in recent years.
Summer Games Done Quick 2025 raised $2.4m
AppWizard
July 14, 2025

Summer Games Done Quick 2025 raised $2.4m

This year's Summer Games Done Quick charity speedrunning event raised ,436,614 for Doctors Without Borders from July 6th to 13th, attracting over 2,600 attendees at the Hilton Minneapolis in Minnesota. The event featured popular games such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Balatro, Super Mario Maker 2, Blue Prince, Mario Kart World, and Beat Saber. Although the total raised is slightly below the .5 million raised in 2024, Games Done Quick has raised over million for various charitable organizations since its inception. Founder Mike Uyama stepped down in August 2024, passing leadership to operations head Matt Merkle.
Microsoft promotes Rare vet Duncan to head up Xbox Game Studios
AppWizard
October 15, 2024

Microsoft promotes Rare vet Duncan to head up Xbox Game Studios

Craig Duncan is appointed as the head of Xbox Game Studios, succeeding Alan Hartman, who will retire from Microsoft in November. Duncan has been with Rare since 2011 and has experience from Sumo Digital and Midway. He will oversee all of Microsoft's first-party game studios and report to Matt Booty. Joe Neate and Jim Horth will lead Rare following Duncan's transition. Alan Hartman, known for founding Turn 10 and overseeing the Forza franchise, has had a long career at Microsoft since 1988, contributing to projects like Age of Empires. Under his leadership, Turn 10 and Playground Games released 13 Forza titles and advanced accessibility in gaming. Xbox Game Studios continues to thrive with recent successful titles and upcoming games like Avowed, South of Midnight, and Fable.
After ten years, the Windows Insider Program needs a reboot
Winsage
September 30, 2024

After ten years, the Windows Insider Program needs a reboot

On September 30, 2014, Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 and introduced the Windows Insider Program, allowing anyone to sign up and test early versions of Windows. The first build, the Windows 10 Technical Preview, was released on October 1, 2014. Initially, the program thrived on user anticipation, with three preview builds released in 2014 that included significant changes. However, after Gabriel Aul stepped down in June 2016 and Dona Sarkar took over, the frequency of builds increased, leading to diminished excitement and a sense of stagnation. The introduction of feature IDs and a more controlled approach to feature visibility further contributed to a mundane experience for Insiders. The launch of Windows 11 in June 2021 revitalized the program, generating enthusiasm with new features and a fresh user interface. Despite ongoing challenges, the Insider Program regained some vibrancy. As it approaches its tenth anniversary, there are calls for a reboot to restore the original excitement and engagement.
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