game development Archives

AppWizard

June 17, 2025

Marathon is delayed, new release date will be announced in the fall: ‘We need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion’

Bungie announced that the release of the game Marathon has been delayed due to varied feedback from playtesters. The initial release date of September 23rd has been postponed, with a new timeline to be communicated in the fall. Concerns about the game's development progress have arisen, and a document suggests that Marathon could be released in Sony's fiscal year 2025, which ends on March 31, 2026.

AppWizard

June 17, 2025

Prince of Persia social media botch forces Ubisoft to promise once again that it’s still working on The Sands of Time

Ubisoft has confirmed that it is still working on the remake of The Sands of Time, but there are no new updates available at this time. The game's release was initially scheduled for January 2021 but has faced multiple delays and a complete reboot announced in mid-2023, pushing the release to 2026. The development team is actively working on the project, and fans are currently awaiting further updates.

AppWizard

June 17, 2025

That Prince of Persia remake is “deep” in development

Ubisoft has confirmed that the remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is currently "deep" in development. The project was initially announced at E3 2020 with a planned release date of January 2021, but it has faced several delays. The game was originally developed by Ubisoft's Pune and Mumbai studios in India, with the release pushed to March and then to the 2022/23 financial year. In May 2022, Ubisoft's Montreal studio took over development, and the release is now slated for 2026. Additionally, Ubisoft is developing a spinoff titled The Rogue Prince of Persia by Evil Empire, the studio behind Dead Cells.

AppWizard

June 17, 2025

He was devastated when his favorite Facebook game shut down, but at 10 years old, what could he do? 8 years later, he’s got the rights, the original code, and is about to relaunch Dungeon Rampage on Steam

Angelos Mako began playing Dungeon Rampage at age seven with his brother. After a decade, he sought to revive the game as a Steam title with Gamebreaking Studios, led by CEO Taylor Hellam. Initial discussions faced skepticism regarding Mako's ownership of the IP. Mako later connected with the last engineer from the original development, who revealed the game's source code was on a laptop owned by his daughter. Gamebreaking Studios partnered with Mako to update the game, which faced technical challenges due to its original use of Flash, C++, and PHP. After months of work, the game successfully booted up during a video call, leading to an emotional moment for Mako. They launched a Kickstarter campaign that surpassed its ,000 goal, and the game has over 100,000 wishlists on Steam. The revived game will be a complete, one-time purchase instead of freemium.

AppWizard

June 16, 2025

Stutters and hitches in Unreal Engine 5 games should become rarer over time due to Epic’s continuous updates, but we’ll still see them for a while because of the way games are made

At Unreal Fest in Orlando, Epic Games showcased new features for Unreal Engine 5 through a tech demo of CD Projekt Red's Witcher 4 and hosted training sessions for developers. Key topics included shader compilation stutters and performance issues in Unreal Engine games, with a focus on optimization methodologies rather than the engine itself. Insights revealed persistent performance optimization challenges, particularly with shader compilation and traversal stutters. Developers were encouraged to implement PSO precaching in Unreal Engine 5.2 or newer, although neither solution is perfect. Obsidian's game Avowed began development in Unreal Engine 4 before transitioning to version 5.3.2, while aiming for specific frame rates on Xbox Series S and X. The team size for Avowed was 140, with only 15 in technical roles, which may have limited their ability to fully utilize new features. Unreal Engine 5.6 offers performance enhancements that require strategic implementation by developers. Attendance at Epic's sessions was high, indicating a growing awareness of performance issues among developers. The hope is that future titles will leverage the latest engine version to address these challenges effectively.

AppWizard

June 12, 2025

With WH40K Boltgun and Dungeons of Hinterberg, this month’s Humble Choice lineup is stacked for less than $12

The June 2025 Humble Choice bundle includes eight games available for subscribers at a price of .99. The featured titles are: 1. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun - A first-person shooter with a retail price of .99. 2. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered - A remastered classic with a retail price of .99. 3. Nobody Wants to Die - A narrative-driven adventure with a retail price of .99. 4. Dungeons of Hinterberg - An adventure game with a retail price of .99. 5. Tchia - An open-world exploration game with a retail price of .99. 6. Sker Ritual - A zombie survival FPS with a retail price of .99. 7. Biped - A co-op adventure game with a retail price of .99. 8. Havendock - A colony simulation game with a retail price of .99. Additionally, the bundle includes a month of IGN Plus valued at .99 and a one-month subscription to Boot.dev worth .00. For June, 5% of every Humble Choice membership will be donated to The Trevor Project, which supports programs aimed at preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

Hideo Kojima’s got a new game out soon, which you can tell because he keeps banging on about death and legacy: ‘I am not going to pass the baton to anyone—I will rather crush the baton’

Kojima Productions announced that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be released on PlayStation 5 on June 26, with a PC version in development but without a confirmed launch date. Hideo Kojima has shared insights about his creative process, including storing game ideas on a USB stick as a legacy for his team. At 61, he expressed a desire for more time to refine his projects, indicating a struggle with perfectionism. He noted the evolving nature of game development, highlighting the flexibility to make updates post-release. Kojima humorously stated he will not pass the baton to anyone, emphasizing the importance of individual creativity and the personal nature of the creative journey. His influence on the gaming industry is recognized by many creators who cite his work as inspiration.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

SAG-AFTRA reaches “tentative” agreement with games companies

The SAG-AFTRA performers' union has reached a tentative agreement with major video game companies, including Activision, EA, and Epic Games, regarding its interactive media contract. This agreement is set for review and approval by SAG-AFTRA's board. Video game performers have been on strike since July 2024, advocating for protections related to artificial intelligence in game development. The agreement includes important A.I. guardrails to protect performers' interests. Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, emphasized the strength and resolve of the performers and noted that the progress achieved is a result of their collective efforts. The union plans to begin preparations for future negotiations following the ratification of this agreement.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

‘My biggest fear is the direct comparison to Grounded 1’: Grounded 2 executive producer opens up about the difficulty of following up an early access game with another early access game

Grounded 2 was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, with an early access release set for July 29. Marcus Morgan from Obsidian discussed the challenges of launching a sequel in early access, noting the difficulties of meeting expectations after the success of the first game, which evolved significantly over four years. Grounded initially faced criticism for limited content but eventually became a flagship title for Obsidian with a "very positive" rating on Steam. Grounded 2 is available for wishlisting on Steam.

AppWizard

June 9, 2025

The Outer Worlds 2 is Microsoft’s first $80 game

The Outer Worlds 2 is set to be released on October 29th, 2025, and will introduce a new price point as the first title from Microsoft to implement this pricing strategy following a global price hike announced in May 2025. Microsoft acknowledged the challenges of this decision, citing current market conditions and rising game development costs. The original game was published by Take-Two's Private Division in 2019, and Obsidian, the studio behind it, was acquired by Microsoft during its development.