Rust, a popular open-world survival game, is coming to mobile. It is known for its realistic gameplay and intense clan warfare. The mobile version is expected to be released no earlier than late 2025.
Good Pizza, Great Pizza is celebrating its ten-year anniversary with a new in-game event and a real-life exhibition in Los Angeles featuring art from the game. The game has over a million players and has achieved success without any VC funding.
The author convinced his wife to try the game Palia, which she enjoys despite its performance issues on the Nintendo Switch. They experienced long loading times and frustration, leading them to set the game aside. In November, the author reinstalled Palia on the Switch and downloaded it on his Ayaneo portable PC, enhancing their gaming experience. He set up a second desk for her Steam account, allowing for shared gaming experiences. The transition from the Switch to PC improved the game's visuals and performance, making their exploration of Palia more enjoyable.
OpenAI recently achieved record investments in AI, with ongoing funding announcements for AI in gaming. The Pocket Gamer Connects and Big Screen Gaming conferences featured over 10 hours of AI-related content, indicating strong industry interest. The AI Gamechangers newsletter was launched to inform readers about AI's impact on gaming, covering various platforms and aspects of game development. It offers weekly interviews with industry innovators and curated news on AI in gaming. Notable contributors to the newsletter include professionals from Charisma.ai, Quicksave, Kinetix, and others, discussing topics like interactive narratives, AI in game studios, and legal implications for intellectual property. The consensus among industry leaders is that AI will significantly impact gaming, but its implementation should enhance human creativity. Additionally, AI technologies may transform legal processes in mergers and acquisitions by streamlining document analysis. An upcoming AI-powered cozy game, AuraVale, is also mentioned, along with future interview topics related to AI in game development.
Electronic Arts (EA) reported a net revenue of .025 billion for the quarter ending September 30th, a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent. Of this total, 35 percent came from full game sales and 65 percent from live services and other revenue streams. The Sims franchise contributed significantly, gaining 15 million new users and exceeding net bookings expectations. EA's net bookings for the quarter reached .079 billion, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. CEO Andrew Wilson noted the strong quarter and record Q2 net bookings, while CFO Stuart Canfield indicated that the company is raising its FY25 outlook due to exceeding guidance.
The Sims 4 expansion, Life and Death, introduces a new interactive career as a trainee reaper, allowing players to engage directly in gameplay. Players investigate the demise of a crash dummy, concluding it was killed by killer bunnies. The expansion features various death-themed experiences, including interactions with ghosts, customizable grieving rituals, and romantic entanglements with Death. New Create-A-Sim items and Build/Buy options enhance the game's aesthetic. The neighborhood Ravenwood offers events like Thinned Festiveil and Afterlife Anonymous, where ghosts share stories. Players can fulfill bucket list items for spirits to find closure and potentially be reborn. The expansion enriches the gameplay experience by integrating death into the narrative, allowing Sims to leave memorials or exist as spirits.
The debate over game length and its value has been a long-standing topic among gamers, developers, and journalists. This discussion gained momentum with the release of indie games like Gone Home in 2013, which challenged traditional expectations regarding price and length. Games such as The Order 1886 faced criticism for their short campaigns relative to their price, while Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart also received backlash for its runtime despite a premium cost. Players often prefer longer gameplay experiences, as seen in popular genres like immersive sims and open-world RPGs, but shorter games can still be appreciated for their artistic qualities. The value perception of games is influenced by their length, with titles like Vampire Survivors and Helldivers 2 praised for their substantial content at lower prices. Personal preferences for intricate gameplay systems over narrative-driven experiences can affect purchasing decisions. However, there are exceptions where the quality of a shorter game, such as Disco Elysium, can outweigh its length. Ultimately, gamers have diverse expectations, and disappointment can arise when a game does not meet perceived value based on its cost and duration.
The PC Gamer Top 100 is a curated list of 100 games that changes annually, reflecting the evolving gaming landscape. Apex Legends is not on the list due to player dissatisfaction related to cheating, matchmaking, and monetization issues, though it still has potential for improvement. The Sims 4 was removed from the list, and EA is working on fixing bugs and providing updates to help it regain popularity. Total War: Three Kingdoms, ranked #52, is noted for its quality but lacks future support for new DLC. Cities: Skylines, ranked #51, faces competition from newer city-building games, making it harder to maintain prominence. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, ranked #44, is recognized for its narrative and complexity, despite its absence from the list this year.
Paradox Interactive is a Swedish publisher known for its creativity and innovation in PC gaming, particularly in grand strategy. The company has faced challenges, including multiple delays for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, negative feedback leading to the refund of the first DLC for Cities: Skylines 2, and the cancellation of Life By You. Prison Architect 2 has also experienced indefinite delays. In the second quarter of 2024, Paradox reported a 90% drop in operating profit. Following a leadership transition in 2018, Fredrik Wester returned as CEO to refocus the company. Internal issues, including a culture of mistreatment towards female employees, have prompted changes for a more inclusive environment. Paradox has established Paradox Arc to explore innovative ideas while maintaining its core franchises.
