leadership team Archives

Tech Optimizer

December 3, 2025

SereneDB lands $2.1M to fuse search, analytics and Postgres into one engine

Berlin-based startup SereneDB has completed its Pre-Seed funding round, raising .1 million from venture funds Entourage and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). The company aims to improve traditional search and analytics tools, which struggle with dynamic datasets. SereneDB integrates live data and analysis within a single system, combining a search engine with OLAP execution under PostgreSQL for real-time data ingestion and updates. The platform allows for rapid retrieval of complex results and supports insightful queries from both human users and AI agents. CEO Alexander Malandin and CTO Andrey Abramov lead the company, drawing on their extensive experience in IT and database design. They aim to create a unified engine that integrates search and database functionalities, addressing the limitations of existing enterprise search technologies. The initial response from the developer community has been positive, with interest in SereneDB's capabilities, particularly among startups and existing search users. The funding will help expand the team and support open-source development.

AppWizard

November 14, 2025

Former Activision CEO says the company almost bought Minecraft

In 2014, Microsoft acquired Minecraft for .5 billion. Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick revealed that Activision was close to acquiring Minecraft but the deal fell through due to Markus 'Notch' Persson and his leadership team planning to quit, raising concerns about the company's viability post-acquisition. Shortly after, Microsoft made a more appealing offer of .5 billion, which Notch accepted.

AppWizard

November 10, 2025

Square Enix making layoffs in UK and US businesses

Square Enix has announced layoffs in its UK and US operations as part of a restructuring initiative to reorganize its overseas business. The company is shifting focus to consolidate operations within Japan and will implement a "globally integrated" approach to managing intellectual properties (IPs), with overseas studios no longer responsible for this. As part of this transition, Square Enix has sold its Western studios—Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal—to Embracer Group. Employees in the US and UK have been informed of impending redundancies, and a company representative expressed gratitude to those affected while emphasizing the difficulty of the decision, which was made after careful consideration. Square Enix is committed to supporting departing team members during this transition.

Tech Optimizer

October 23, 2025

Percona Releases Inaugural State of Open Source Database Management Report

Percona has released its first State of Open Source Database Management Report, which includes insights from industry executives and technical leaders. The report identifies four critical areas: the rise of polyglot database environments, the necessity for unified management approaches, the influence of AI and cloud-native computing, and the complexity of open source licensing. Key findings include: - 78% of technical professionals surveyed consider PostgreSQL crucial for AI/ML initiatives, with 25% labeling it as “mission critical.” - SaaS costs are rising at nearly five times the rate of standard inflation, prompting experts to recommend established open source solutions like PostgreSQL and MySQL to reduce total cost of ownership and avoid vendor lock-in. - Cloud-native database deployments using open source technologies like Kubernetes are essential for scalability, performance, and resilience. - The demand for unified, platformized architectures is critical for operational efficiency as organizations adopt diverse database management systems.

Tech Optimizer

October 4, 2025

Supabase: $100 Million Series E At $5 Billion Valuation Raised For Postgres Development Platform

Supabase has closed a 0 million Series E funding round, increasing its valuation to billion. The funding was led by Accel and Peak XV, with participation from Figma Ventures and other returning investors. This round follows a Series D round just four months prior, bringing the total funding raised to over 0 million. Supabase plans to allocate part of the funding to allow community members to co-invest alongside institutional partners. The platform currently serves over 100,000 customers, including major enterprises like PwC, McDonald's, and GitHub Next, and has a global reach of over 4 million developers. The new capital will be used to develop "Multigres," an enterprise-grade version of its platform. Sugu Sougoumarane, co-creator of Vitess, has joined Supabase to lead this initiative, alongside a team of industry experts.

AppWizard

September 18, 2025

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s DLC clans are no longer DLC clans: ‘Lasombra and Toreador belong in the base game, so that is what we are doing’

Bloodlines 2 will include the previously locked vampire clans Lasombra and Toreador in the base game, eliminating the need for additional purchases. The game is set to launch on October 21. New narratives featuring characters Brujah sheriff Benny and Toreador Primogen Ysabella will be released next year. Paradox has responded to player feedback by integrating these clans into the game, moving away from the trend of day-one downloadable content. Early gameplay impressions have been positive, and the decision to include the clans for free has increased anticipation for the game.

AppWizard

September 16, 2025

IGDA appoints Limpho Moeti as its chair

Limpho Moeti has been appointed as the chair of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), succeeding Zak Whaley. Moeti has nine years of experience in the gaming industry and is a co-founder of the indie festival Playtopia. Nazih Gares has been appointed as the new vice chair, and Mafalda Duarte as the secretary, while Tim Cullings continues as treasurer. Gares was previously the studio director of Telescope Game Studios and co-founded Game Dev Lison. Duarte has made significant contributions to the gaming landscape. Dr. Jakin Vela, the executive director of IGDA, expressed confidence in the new leadership team.

AppWizard

August 16, 2025

As the legal debate between Subnautica 2’s publisher and former studio execs rages, the original game and its spinoff quietly receive small patches and big discounts

Subnautica 2 is facing a legal dispute after the dismissal of its leadership team by publisher Krafton, with former leaders alleging that Krafton plans to delay the game's launch beyond 2025 to avoid a financial payout. Krafton claims the game is not ready for early access and accuses the former leaders of neglecting their roles. The 2025 patch for Subnautica has introduced controller support, improved gameplay mechanics, and fixed various bugs, while Below Zero's patch focuses on enhancing the Snowfox vehicle's controls and reducing damage from terrain impacts. Both games are currently discounted by 75%. Subnautica 2 is now expected to enter early access in 2026.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Steel City sets up new studio in Leamington Spa

Steel City has established a new studio in Leamington Spa, UK, to enhance its creative capabilities and talent pool. The leadership team includes Nathan Fisher (Head of Art), Alison Beasley (Head of Marketing and Communications), Sylvain Cornillon (Head of Technology), Todd Matherne (Head of Quality Assurance), and Anna Lapworth (Head of People and Culture). This studio will collaborate with the existing team in Sheffield. Tim Coupe, Vice President of Studio, stated that the expansion aims to attract senior talent and strengthen the studio network. Clive Moody, Vice President of Product Development, emphasized Leamington Spa's importance in the UK gaming industry.

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

Ubisoft reports 2.9% dip in net bookings

Ubisoft reported a 2.9 percent decline in net bookings for the quarter ending June 30th, generating €281.6 million. The decline was attributed to the poor performance of Rainbow Six: Siege and a delayed partnership. However, back catalogue sales increased by 4.4 percent, contributing €260.4 million in revenue. Ubisoft is restructuring into Creative Houses to improve operational efficiency, with the first house announced earlier this year, supported by Tencent. CEO Yves Guillemot highlighted the importance of this transformation for enhancing quality and accountability. The new subsidiary will manage major brands like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, marking a significant step in Ubisoft's restructuring efforts.