intellectual property Archives

AppWizard

April 3, 2025

PlaySide is making layoffs

PlaySide Studios, an Australian game developer, is reducing its workforce as part of an operational restructuring due to challenges in securing new work-for-hire projects. The layoffs will primarily affect work-for-hire and non-project specific personnel, with an undisclosed number of positions being cut. The restructuring is expected to save between AUD 4 million and AUD 5 million annually, but will incur a one-time cost of AUD 1.5 million. Ongoing projects, such as Mouse: PI for Hire, will not be impacted. The company plans to provide outplacement support and counseling services to affected employees. CEO Been Skender emphasized the need for resilience in the business model while acknowledging the difficulties faced by staff.

AppWizard

April 2, 2025

Disney, Jagex, Codemasters vets found new publisher The CoLab

Three professionals from the UK gaming industry, Darren Newnham, Mark Faulkner, and John Lewis, have launched an indie publishing house called The CoLab. They have experience from companies such as United Label, Fnatic, Disney Interactive, Jagex, PlayFusion, Bossa, Codemasters, and Criterion. The CoLab has three projects in development: a cozy game called Campfire, a cyberpunk shooter named DeadWire, and a strategy game titled Counter Clash. The company has partnered with the charity Safe in Our World to support mental wellbeing in the gaming industry. The CoLab aims to support indie developers during challenging times in the sector, advocating for cooperation and collaboration while addressing issues like mass redundancies and the prioritization of shareholder value over gamers' needs. Their vision includes uniting game creators, sharing resources, and fostering a supportive environment for developers.

TrendTechie

April 1, 2025

«Пиратская бухта» локализуется в России

A working group has been formed under the Ministry of Digital Development to localize The Pirate Bay on the "GosTech" platform, involving government, industry, and copyright representatives. A vice-premier will lead the group, addressing challenges faced by Russian citizens since 2022 regarding access to foreign entertainment. The "Gosbukhata" initiative aims to provide access to international and domestic films, with local companies and channels willing to upload content. Filmmakers have concerns about user fees, and a draft of a new Presidential Decree outlines the process for acquiring rights from copyright holders in unfriendly countries. Users of torrent software will need to register with Roskomnadzor and pay an annual fee of 500 to 1000 rubles for access, with fee distribution managed by the All-Russian Copyright Holders Union. Additionally, VK plans to launch a domestic peer-to-peer multimedia content exchange platform named "RuMul" by 2025, currently in the sigma-testing phase.

AppWizard

March 26, 2025

Here’s why CD Projekt isn’t using gen AI for Witcher 4

CD Projekt has decided not to integrate generative AI into The Witcher 4 or any upcoming projects due to concerns over intellectual property rights and the complexities of the technology. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski stated that generative AI poses challenges regarding originality and trademark issues. However, the company is exploring other AI solutions for future products and has established a dedicated team for this purpose, focusing on customized AI models rather than generative AI.

TrendTechie

March 25, 2025

Яндекс

On October 14, the Moscow City Court permanently restricted access to the torrent tracker Rutor.org and twelve other websites known for hosting pirated content, following a lawsuit by LLC "Basileus Distribution." The court ordered the blocking of sites including Bobfilm.net, Dream-film.net, Kinokubik.com, Kinozal.tv, Kinobolt.ru, Seedoff.net, Torrentor.net, Tushkan.net, Tv.serial-online.net, and Wood-film.ru. This ruling marks the first permanent site block in Russia based on a copyright protection lawsuit. The legal basis for these restrictions stems from amendments to the "anti-piracy law" signed by President Vladimir Putin in November 2014, which allow for lifetime bans on sites that repeatedly infringe intellectual property rights. Additionally, a request for the permanent blocking of RuTracker.org was submitted earlier in October, but discussions between rights holders and RuTracker representatives may lead to the withdrawal of this request.

AppWizard

March 23, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows hits 2 million players, putting it on track to be the series’ most successful game yet

Assassin's Creed Shadows has gained over 2 million players just three days after its launch, surpassing the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey. It reached 1 million players within the first 24 hours, breaking the record previously held by AC Valhalla. Currently, Shadows has around 60,000 concurrent players, nearing Odyssey's record of 62,069. Ubisoft is in discussions with Tencent for a potential investment in a new intellectual property unit that includes the Assassin's Creed franchise. The game has received approximately 81.7% favorable reviews on Steam, with PC Gamer rating it at 80%.

AppWizard

March 22, 2025

Valve CMO threatened the company would walk away from games if it didn’t own the rights to Half-Life—’It wasn’t an idle threat—we weren’t going to take on all of the risk to make other people rich’

Monica Harrington, a founding member and the first chief marketing officer of Valve, shared a pivotal moment from the company's early years during her presentation at the 2025 Game Developer's Conference. She realized she had not fully understood key aspects of the agreement with publisher Sierra regarding the distribution of Half-Life, which prompted her to initiate a legal fight for the Half-Life intellectual property rights to ensure Valve's long-term success.

AppWizard

March 18, 2025

Call of Duty vet Blundell helming new PlayStation studio Dark Outlaw Games

PlayStation has established a new development studio called Dark Outlaw, led by Jason Blundell, known for his work on the Call of Duty franchise. The studio is currently working on an unannounced project and is in the process of expanding its workforce. Blundell previously worked at Treyarch, where he developed the Zombies mode for Call of Duty, and he founded Deviation Games before leaving in 2022.

AppWizard

March 17, 2025

PlayStation brings in People Can Fly for upcoming project

Polish developer People Can Fly has entered into a work-for-hire agreement with PlayStation for a project called Project Delta, which is associated with a PlayStation intellectual property. The studio is also collaborating with Microsoft and The Coalition on Gears of War: E-Day. In 2024, People Can Fly reduced its workforce by over 150 employees and discontinued its third-party publishing business, marking a transition from developing its own intellectual properties to focusing on work-for-hire development.

AppWizard

March 12, 2025

Playdead founder dispute goes legal

Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen, founders of Playdead, are in a public dispute over intellectual property issues stemming from a LinkedIn post by Patti in 2024, where he shared an image originally owned by Jensen. Jensen is demanding DKK 500,000 (approximately ,600) as compensation. Jensen's legal team claims Patti's use of Playdead's assets and disclosure of confidential information breaches confidentiality agreements. Patti has accused Jensen of bullying him, prompting him to make the situation public. Playdead has stated they have formally addressed concerns regarding Patti's alleged infringement and unauthorized use of their trademarks and copyrighted materials. Patti left Playdead in 2016 following internal discord.