portfolio Archives

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

India’s Nazara has acquired Curve Games

Nazara Technologies has acquired UK-based indie publisher Curve for ₹2.47 billion (approximately million). Curve is known for titles like Human Fall Flat and For the King and will continue operations in London with its current management team. The acquisition includes Curve's first-party studios, such as Runner Duck and IronOak Games. This move follows Nazara's acquisition of Fusebox Games in 2024. Stuart Dinsey, executive chair of Curve Games, expressed enthusiasm about joining Nazara, emphasizing the potential for growth in mobile gaming while maintaining their indie spirit. Nitish Mittersain, CEO of Nazara Technologies, highlighted the alignment of Curve’s capabilities with Nazara’s vision for premium gaming and the acquisition's role in enhancing their portfolio and supporting indie creators.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

Nazara Technologies acquires UK’s console gaming publisher Curve Games for Rs 247 crore

Nazara Technologies has acquired UK-based PC and console game publisher Curve Games for Rs 247 crore (£21.7 million), marking its largest international acquisition to date. This acquisition gives Nazara complete ownership of Curve, which has a portfolio of indie games with over 100 million downloads worldwide, including titles like Human Fall Flat and Lawn Mowing Simulator. The move aims to diversify Nazara's offerings beyond mobile gaming into the PC and console markets, valued at over 0 billion globally. Curve Games reported revenues of Rs 263.5 crore and EBITDA of Rs 114.4 crore in 2024. Nazara plans to allocate Rs 800–1,000 crore for further acquisitions targeting global gaming studios. Other notable acquisitions by Nazara include Fusebox Games, Moonshine Technology, Comic Con India, and others. As of 2:29 pm, Nazara shares were trading at Rs 1,292.8 on the BSE.

AppWizard

May 15, 2025

Ubisoft reports massive dips in revenue and bookings for 2024/25

Ubisoft reported a revenue of €1.9 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2025, a 17.5% decrease from the previous year. Net bookings fell by 20.5% to €1.84 billion, while net bookings from the back catalogue dropped 13.5% to €1.3 billion. Despite these declines, the company generated positive free cash flow and completed its initial cost savings program ahead of schedule, with plans for an additional €100 million in savings over the next two years. The launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows was highlighted as a significant event for the company.

AppWizard

May 15, 2025

Stellar Blade heads to PC on June 11

Stellar Blade will be released on PC on June 11, following its PS5 launch in April of the previous year. The PC version features enhanced graphics with support for NVIDIA DLSS 4, NVIDIA DLAA, NVIDIA Reflex, and AMD FSR 3, as well as compatibility with ultrawide resolutions. It is designed to work with the DualSense controller and offers customization options for various input methods. The minimum system requirements include 16GB of RAM, an Intel Core i5 processor, and a GeForce GTX 1060. Sony is expanding its portfolio of first-party games on PC, reflecting a trend away from exclusivity.

Winsage

May 15, 2025

‘Hey, Cortana’ becomes ‘Hey, Copilot’ in Windows 11

Mark has worked in the technology sector for ten years at PCWorld, contributing over 3,500 articles on topics such as PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows. He has also written for publications like PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science, and Electronic Buyers' News. Mark received the Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. Recently, he decided to part with several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs due to limited office space.

Tech Optimizer

May 14, 2025

Databricks adds Postgres database with $1B Neon acquisition

Databricks announced its intention to acquire Neon, a developer of a cloud-based dataset platform built on PostgreSQL, to enhance capabilities for developers and autonomous AI agents. The acquisition's estimated value is approximately billion, although financial specifics remain undisclosed. Neon, based in Menlo Park, California, raised .6 million prior to the acquisition. This move will expand Databricks' portfolio with open-source database functionalities, aiding in the development of data and AI applications. Databricks has made several acquisitions to support generative AI development, including MosaicML, Arcion, Einblick, Lilac AI, BladeBridge, and Tabular, with some valued at over billion. Neon's platform allows users to create PostgreSQL instances quickly and features a disaggregated compute and storage architecture for automatic scaling. The Neon team will join Databricks following the acquisition's completion.

AppWizard

May 14, 2025

Brightika charts $3M expansion into PC and console space

Mobile game publisher Brightika is expanding into PC and console gaming with a commitment of one million dollars to develop new titles. The funding will be allocated over the next 12 to 24 months, focusing on marketing, user acquisition, localization, and community support for indie developers. Brightika plans to offer financial backing, marketing strategies, and operational assistance, including creating demos and trailers for its partners' games. The first PC title from this initiative is Bullet Yeeters, a PvP third-person shooter set to launch in the spring. Brightika will announce the first recipients of its funding during the upcoming Steam Next Fest. Founder Alexander Rodichev highlighted the company's goal to apply its marketing expertise to support developers in the PC and console space.

Tech Optimizer

May 14, 2025

Databricks acquires Neon: serverless Postgres database for AI agents

Neon can spin up a Postgres instance in less than 500 milliseconds. Databricks has acquired Neon, rumored to be valued at over a billion, to enhance its AI capabilities. Neon focuses on developing a premier Postgres solution for cloud environments and aims to refine its offerings with Databricks' support. Neon’s serverless architecture allows for a fully isolated Postgres database deployment in under 500 milliseconds, separates compute and storage for cost efficiency, and maintains compatibility with the Postgres ecosystem. The integration of Neon’s architecture with Databricks' platform aims to improve AI agent systems, alleviate performance bottlenecks, streamline infrastructure, and reduce operational costs. The acquisition will result in the Neon team joining Databricks, pending regulatory approvals.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

Stellar Blade gets PC release date thanks to leaked PlayStation trailer

Korean developer Shift Up has confirmed the release date of their action game, Stellar Blade, for Windows PC on June 11, 2025. The PC version will feature enhancements such as ultrawide monitor support, advanced graphics technologies including DLSS 4 and FSR 3, and higher-resolution textures. Preorders are expected but not yet available. Stellar Blade was originally released as a PlayStation 5 exclusive in April 2024, selling over a million copies and featuring crossover DLC with NieR: Automata. The PC version will also be published by PlayStation.

AppWizard

May 9, 2025

US court throws out FTC appeal against Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard

The Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) did not sufficiently prove that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard would restrict the availability of the Call of Duty franchise on competing platforms. The court upheld a previous ruling that blocked the FTC's attempt to halt the merger, stating that the FTC's case lacked adequate evidentiary support and did not raise substantial questions about reduced competition. The merger, initially announced in 2022, received approval in 2023, allowing Microsoft to integrate Activision Blizzard into its portfolio.