Game Developers Conference Archives

AppWizard

October 8, 2025

It’s literally impossible to pick the ‘real’ murderer in Pentiment because Obsidian never considered having one: ‘You’re not a detective, you’re a f***ing artist’

Pentiment is a game set in 16th-century Bavaria, where players assume the role of journeyman artist Andreas Maler, who becomes involved in a series of murders in the town of Tassing. The game features various suspects with distinct motives, and players must make choices without clear evidence, often leading to uncertainty about their decisions. Director Josh Sawyer emphasized that the game intentionally lacks a definitive answer to the mystery, stating that there is no right answer and that even he does not identify a specific culprit. Sawyer aimed to move away from traditional puzzle-solving mechanics in RPGs, focusing instead on the complexity of choices and their consequences. Players are not detectives but artists, with Andreas's main goal being to save his friend Piero, who is wrongfully accused of murder.

AppWizard

July 12, 2025

Minecraft Creator Says That If Buying a Game Is Not a Purchase, Then Pirating It Is Not Theft

Markus Persson, known as Notch, has been a controversial figure in the gaming community for his views on piracy. In 2012, he suggested that a Minecraft fan should pirate the game if they couldn't afford it, stating that if they liked it later, they could buy it. He argued at the 2011 Game Developers Conference that piracy should not be considered theft, as it does not remove the original copy from circulation. Recently, he commented on the Stop Killing Games initiative, which seeks to prevent game developers from permanently shutting down games, noting that if buying a game is not a purchase, then pirating it is not theft. He also reminisced about older games that allowed players to host their own servers. Earlier this year, he gauged interest in a potential return to game development, hinting at a spiritual successor to Minecraft.

AppWizard

June 20, 2025

Balatro creator gets ‘a taste of my own medicine’ as he struggles in vain to score the game’s hardest achievement

Balatro was named PC Gamer's 2024 Game of the Year. The game's creator, LocalThunk, has completed Balatro with every deck across all difficulty levels but is striving for 100% completion. He recently faced a challenge known as The Wall, sharing a meme about his defeat while being at 146/150 for completionist++. LocalThunk has achieved the completionist+ milestone, which requires winning at gold stakes with every deck. A 1.1 update for Balatro is planned, introducing new Jokers and additional content, though the release date is uncertain.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

What’s driving growth in the Chinese video game industry?

The Chinese game industry has experienced significant growth, with popular titles like Genshin Impact and Black Myth: Wukong driving global interest. Black Myth: Wukong sold 10 million copies within a week of its August 2024 launch and won Game of the Year at the 2024 Steam Awards. The single-player game market in China is becoming more sustainable, with a shift in focus due to the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong. Developers are adapting their strategies, although challenges such as high production costs, competition, and issues related to work culture persist. Local governments are actively supporting game development through licensing, tax breaks, and grants, with initiatives aimed at integrating cultural themes into games. Despite layoffs in the industry, a robust social safety net exists to support affected employees.

AppWizard

April 7, 2025

The rights to one of the greatest PC games of all time languished in the vault of a Midwestern insurance firm until a frustrated player bugged them about a re-release, ‘But they asked me if I wanted to do System Shock 3’

Stephen Kick, founder of Nightdive Studios, and Larry Kuperman, VP of business development, discussed the upcoming remaster of System Shock 2 at the Game Developers Conference. Kick revealed that the rights to System Shock were held by an insurance company for a long time, which was unsure how to proceed with them. He contacted the insurance company, which had recently lost the trademark held by EA, allowing Star Insurance to gain full ownership. Kick proposed re-releasing the original games instead of developing a new title, which was accepted. The remaster of System Shock 2 is set to launch on June 26, and Nightdive's remake of the original game won a "best remake" award in 2023.

AppWizard

March 26, 2025

Snail Games blames marketing team for Ark: Aquatica AI trailer

Lead game designer Matt Kohl clarified that the AI-generated animation in the trailer for Ark: Aquatica was created by the marketing department, not the development team, which did not use AI in the game's development. The trailer, unveiled at the Game Developers Conference, received significant criticism from fans, prompting Studio Wildcard to issue a statement distancing itself from the project.

AppWizard

March 26, 2025

Why Sensor Tower acquired VG Insights and how consolidation of data sources could hurt games market

Sensor Tower acquired Video Game Insights, marking its third M&A move following the acquisitions of Pathmatics in 2021 and data.ai in 2024. The company aims to consolidate its position in gaming analytics, expanding its services to include PC and console market intelligence. The acquisitions were partially financed by Riverwood Capital and involved credit-based financing from Bain Capital Credit. VG Insights, founded in 2020, aims to provide comprehensive analytics tools for indie PC game developers, addressing a gap in the market compared to mobile game analytics.

AppWizard

March 25, 2025

Fans Unsure Whether Sony Will Block PS5 Games on Xbox’s Rumoured PC Hardware

Microsoft is reportedly considering a new Xbox model that may function more like a personal computer, allowing access to various digital storefronts such as Steam and the Epic Games Store. A leaked user interface from the Game Developers Conference supports this idea. If true, this could enable gamers to play Sony titles like God of War Ragnarok and The Last of Us 2 on an Xbox device. However, this model would challenge Microsoft's traditional console business strategy, as it could lead to revenue sharing with companies like Epic and Valve. Opinions in the gaming community are mixed regarding whether Sony would block its games from being played on this new Xbox platform.

AppWizard

March 25, 2025

Discord revamps overlay and desktop to make PC gaming easier

Discord has released updates for its desktop application to improve the gaming experience for PC players. The new Game Overlay has been redesigned for better performance and now includes individual widgets for easier access to voice and video controls, as well as the ability to view friends' game streams. The update supports a wider range of games and includes a help section for users. Additionally, the desktop interface has been refreshed with new customization options, including four free themes and three UI Density settings. Users can now resize the channel list for better navigation, and there are improved controls for voice and video during calls, along with enhanced visual indicators for active devices. These updates aim to enhance legibility and reduce visual clutter, with ongoing improvements planned throughout the year.

AppWizard

March 25, 2025

With Nvidia Ace taking up 1 GB of VRAM in Inzoi, Team Green will need to up its memory game if AI NPCs take off in PC gaming

Nvidia unveiled its latest RTX technologies, including the Ace suite of digital human technologies, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). The game Inzoi, reminiscent of The Sims, is one of the first to utilize Nvidia Ace, enhancing character interactions through 'thought bubbles' that reveal emotions and intentions. The AI system is powered by the Mistral NeMo Minitron, a language model with 500 million parameters, using 1 GB of VRAM. This model is limited to NPCs within the player's line of sight and does not change a character's life trajectory. While smaller models can lead to inaccuracies, the potential for larger models in expansive RPGs is significant. Nvidia has maintained an 8 GB memory standard for its mainstream graphics cards, but the demand for more advanced AI may prompt a reevaluation of VRAM offerings. High-end GPUs like the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080 offer 16 GB of VRAM, which is becoming more common in affordable graphics cards.