game studio Archives

AppWizard

November 15, 2025

Xbox Game Studios & Activision Are Finally Teaming Up With ‘Minecraft Blast’

Microsoft's Xbox Game Studio Mojang is collaborating with Activision's King team to develop a mobile game called Minecraft Blast. This marks the first direct partnership between the two studios under Microsoft. The game will feature free-to-play modern match puzzle gameplay and allow players to unlock and build Minecraft-style spaces. Initial testing will begin on the Apple App Store, with plans to expand to more mobile platforms in the future.

AppWizard

November 5, 2025

A Majority of Game Developers Believe Steam Has A Monopoly on PC Game Distribution

A whitepaper from Rokky, based on a survey of 306 game studio executives, reveals that 72% believe Steam has a monopoly on PC game distribution. Among the respondents, 48% have distributed games on the Epic Games Store and Xbox PC Store, while only 10% have used GOG and 8% have used itch.io. Nearly 25% view marketplaces and e-stores as part of the gray market, which they associate with a loss of control and revenue. Concerns exist about keys falling into gray market hands leading to regional pricing manipulation, but Rokky argues these fears may be unfounded. The report suggests that exploring alternative distribution strategies could help developers reduce reliance on Steam, despite challenges like discoverability and market saturation.

AppWizard

October 31, 2025

Game Pass Horror Picks: 17 Excellent Games To Play This Halloween

Gamers with Game Pass on Xbox or PC can access a selection of horror games for Halloween, including: - Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Co-op sci-fi shooter) - Good for those wanting to battle Xenomorphs; not ideal for players who dislike loadouts or glitches. - A Plague Tale: Requiem (Cinematic stealth adventure) - Great for fans of intricate narratives; not suitable for those who prefer direct confrontations. - CARRION (2D pixel art adventure) - Appeals to Metroidvania enthusiasts; not for players who dislike backtracking. - Costume Quest (Turn-based comedy RPG) - Nostalgic for trick-or-treating; not for those seeking complex mechanics. - Dead By Daylight (Online survival horror co-op) - Perfect for horror movie scenario fans; not for those who dislike being hunted. - Diablo IV (Loot-based action-RPG) - Great for demon-slaying fans; not for players who disengage during button-mashing. - Doom 2016 (First-person shooter) - Ideal for chaos lovers; not for cautious players. - Inscryption (Deck-building horror adventure) - Appeals to strategy and chance lovers; not for those averse to plot twists. - Inside (Cinematic platforming adventure) - Great for emotional storytelling fans; not for those who prefer dialogue-heavy narratives. - Little Nightmares II (Dark fantasy puzzle adventure) - Perfect for atmosphere lovers; not for players frustrated by intricate controls. - Pacific Drive (Haunted car sim) - Good for scavengers; not for those who prefer smooth rides. - Redfall (Co-op demon hunter) - Appeals to vampire hunting fans; not for those seeking loot shooters. - Resident Evil 2 (Survival horror shooter) - Great for survival fantasy enthusiasts; not for those afraid of monsters. - State of Decay 2 (Open-world base-building zombie survival) - Ideal for resource gatherers; not for those who find repetition daunting. - Still Wakes the Deep (Lovecraftian walking sim) - Appeals to fans of eerie atmospheres; not for those lacking patience. - The Evil Within (Psychological survival horror) - Great for boundary-pushing horror fans; not for those struggling with jarring mechanics. - The Walking Dead (Point-and-click zombie adventure) - Ideal for fans of the comic or show; not for those easily moved to tears.

BetaBeacon

October 14, 2025

Android Port Challenge backs African developers in bringing PC and console games to mobile

The Android Port Challenge supports African game developers in bringing PC and console titles that have earned at least ,000 in revenue or show strong user traction to mobile.

AppWizard

October 11, 2025

How To Make A PS4 Or PS5 Controller Work With PC Games

Players can use Steam Input to map PlayStation controllers to games that do not natively support them. Custom Steam Input mapping for PlayStation controllers is typically enabled by default for many popular games. If players encounter Xbox icons instead of PlayStation icons, they can switch to PlayStation icons by going to Steam Settings, selecting the Controller section, and enabling PlayStation Controller Support. For games without Steam Input enabled, players can activate it by right-clicking the game in their library, selecting Properties, navigating to the Controller option, and enabling Steam Input. Once enabled, players can customize their controller emulation and access various alternative layouts created by the community.

AppWizard

October 10, 2025

NetEase divests Fantastic Pixel Castle

Chinese gaming company NetEase has withdrawn support from the foreign game studio Fantastic Pixel, potentially leading to its closure. Greg Street, the head of Fantastic Pixel, announced this on LinkedIn, expressing concerns about the studio's future if it cannot secure a new publisher or investor. He emphasized the importance of supporting his team during this uncertain time and acknowledged that without a publisher soon, the studio would likely close, affecting the entire team. Fantastic Pixel Castle was announced in November 2023, and the studio is currently seeking alternative backing while navigating financial challenges.

AppWizard

October 8, 2025

Multi-sport arcade game Sportia announced for consoles, PC

Brazilian developer Hermit Crab Game Studio, in collaboration with Ubisoft, is developing a multi-sport arcade game titled Sportia for various consoles and PC via Steam. The game features a diverse cast of characters with unique skills, allowing players to assemble teams for competition. Key features include multiple sports such as football, rugby, tennis, parkour, and rock climbing; unique athletes with special powers; competitive online leagues; dynamic events; and fast-paced arcade-style gameplay. The release date has not yet been announced.

AppWizard

October 7, 2025

Elon Musk’s AI-fuelled fever dream gets even hotter as he promises his AI game studio is going to release a ‘great’ game before the end of 2026

Elon Musk is establishing an "AI game studio" aimed at revitalizing the gaming industry, with plans to release its first game by 2026. He announced that the studio will release an AI-generated game before the end of next year and shared an animation created by his AI, Grok. Additionally, Musk is developing Grokipedia, an AI-driven alternative to Wikipedia, which is set to launch its early beta version soon.

AppWizard

October 4, 2025

Helldivers 2 Dev Explains Why The Game Takes Up So Much Space On PC

Helldivers 2 has a storage requirement of 150GB on PC, which is about three times larger than on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The large install size is designed to accommodate PC users with mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) by duplicating data to improve loading times, although this is unnecessary for users with solid state drives (SSDs). Current estimates suggest that around 12% of PC gamers still use HDDs, but reliable data on this is lacking. Arrowhead Game Studio plans to reduce the game's file size in an upcoming update and bundle common assets to minimize duplication, though this may slightly increase load times for HDD users. The studio aims to keep load times under 30 seconds and is also working on improving its engine and compression techniques. Additionally, Arrowhead's CEO expressed a commitment to the game's longevity rather than developing a sequel, and the studio is addressing various technical issues with planned updates.

AppWizard

August 7, 2025

I cannot believe one of the best indie games of all time just got new DLC 17 years later

The indie game studio The Behemoth announced new downloadable content (DLC) for Castle Crashers, originally released in August 2008. The Painter Boss Paradise DLC, launched in June 2024, includes access to the Steam Workshop with approximately 8,000 new files uploaded in the last 24 hours. Trending character mods include ISAAC CLARKE from Dead Space, DOOM FELLA, and a Bottle of Ranch.