team Archives

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Coatsink’s founders are leaving the company

Coatsink, an indie game development studio, is undergoing a leadership change as its founding trio—CEO Tom Beardsmore, CDO Paul Crabb, and COO Eddie Beardsmore—will step down from their roles by the end of the year after 14 years. Richard Snowdon, who has been with Coatsink since 2015 and served as head of studio since 2022, will become the new CEO. Snowdon has prior experience at Eutechnyx, Double Eleven, and Accenture.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Epic Games Store PC Weekly Free Games 14/08/2025

The Epic Games Store is offering two free games from 4 PM BST on August 14, 2025, until 4 PM BST on August 21, 2025: Hidden Folks and Totally Reliable Delivery Service. Hidden Folks is developed by Adriaan de Jongh and involves locating hidden characters in hand-drawn landscapes. Totally Reliable Delivery Service, published by Infogrames, LLC and developed by We're Five Games, is a physics-based simulation game focused on chaotic package delivery.

Winsage

August 14, 2025

Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.6276 to the Release Preview Channel

The Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.6276 (KB5063842) is now available in the Release Preview Channel. Key updates include: - Updated Mobile Operator Profiles for better connectivity. - Fixed display issues for certain characters in textboxes. - Resolved issues with mf.dll for web camera devices in Remote Desktop Services. - The Narrator now correctly identifies the “Enhance Facial Recognition Protection” checkbox. - The “Ask to Use” approval flow for blocked applications is functioning properly. - Addressed issues with the Removable Storage Access policy. - Improved the Chinese Simplified Input Method Editor to prevent empty boxes for extended characters. - Introduced a feature for blocking outbound network traffic for customers using the Windows 10 keyless Commercial ESU solution with a Windows 365 subscription. - Fixed an issue with the Windows Search pane preview display. - Windows Backup for Organizations is now generally available, facilitating device transitions with backup and restore capabilities.

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

August 14, 2025

Battlefield 6 open beta missing DLSS/DLAA, EA confirms — matchmaking issues also hamper second weekend launch

EA has acknowledged technical challenges in the second weekend of the Battlefield 6 open beta, which started on August 14. Key issues include the absence of DLSS and DLAA, as well as matchmaking difficulties. The beta features all maps from the first weekend and the new Empire State map, with modes like Rush, Squad Deathmatch, and modified Conquest and Breakthrough. EA's communications team stated they have identified the root cause of the issues and expect to resolve them, including reactivating DLSS and DLAA, later that day. Players are advised to ensure they have the latest client update and use the 'Repair' functionality in the EA app for matchmaking issues. Reports of other glitches, including audio problems, have also been noted. The open beta has seen over 600,000 pre-orders on PC and more than 2.7 million wishlists, with a peak of over 521,000 concurrent players. The official launch of Battlefield 6 is scheduled for October 10.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Avakin Life hits Steam after 200 million users on mobile

Avakin Life, a social simulation game launched in 2013 by Lockwood Publishing, has over 1.5 million monthly active users and more than 200 million registered players. It has recently debuted on Steam Early Access, allowing players to experience features such as avatar customization, apartment building, real-time events, and multiplayer social hubs. The Steam version supports cross-platform progression, enabling mobile users to link their accounts. The game is available in 14 languages and is free to download. The development team aims to gather community feedback during the Early Access phase to enhance the user experience and maintain feature parity across platforms. A full launch is expected later in the summer of 2025.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Blizzard story and franchise staff form new union

Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development team has voted to establish a new union in collaboration with the Communications Workers of America, recognized by Microsoft, resulting in approximately 3,000 Xbox employees becoming part of a unionized workforce. The union aims to preserve company culture, ensure transparency in decision-making, and apply policies equitably. This effort follows successful contract negotiations by staff at Raven Software and ZeniMax with Microsoft, indicating a trend towards collective bargaining in the gaming industry.

AppWizard

August 13, 2025

Minecraft console dev 4J opens new Edinburgh studio as work continues on its Minecraft rival Reforj

4J Studios has established a new studio in Edinburgh to develop a competitive alternative to Minecraft called Reforj. Founded in 2005 in Dundee, Scotland, 4J Studios is known for creating official Minecraft versions for various platforms. The Edinburgh location will focus on software and design roles, and the company is currently recruiting skilled developers. The studio has launched a 'Pioneer Program' that gives expert Minecraft players early access to Reforj for feedback during its development. 4J Studios employs approximately 50 individuals and aims to leverage talent from the Edinburgh area to enhance their development process.

AppWizard

August 13, 2025

Fake Minecraft Installer Spreads NjRat Spyware to Steal Data

Point Wild’s Lat61 Threat Intelligence Team has identified a new cyber threat targeting Minecraft fans, involving malware disguised as a Minecraft installer that steals personal data. This threat is associated with an unofficial browser-based Minecraft clone called Eaglercraft 1.12 Offline, commonly used in schools. The malware, a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) named NjRat, can capture keystrokes, access webcams and microphones, and establish a backdoor in the system by adding a hidden program called WindowsServices.exe to startup files. It can crash the system to avoid detection by security tools. The attack begins with a malicious file that, when executed, distracts the user with a fake game while downloading harmful files in the background. The malware connects to a remote server in India, allowing attackers to control the infected computer and extract data. Users are advised to download Minecraft only from official sources and be cautious with third-party applications.

Winsage

August 13, 2025

Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Slips Alongside a Windows 10 Lawsuit

Microsoft's stock declined by 0.38% on Wednesday following a lawsuit filed by Lawrence Klein, which challenges the company's decision to end support for Windows 10 in October 2025. The lawsuit aims to compel Microsoft to extend support for Windows 10, which still accounts for 52.94% of all Windows users as of April 2025. Klein argues that support should continue until the user base falls below 10%. He also raises concerns about the upgrade path to Windows 11 due to stringent system requirements, which he believes are aimed at enhancing Microsoft's AI initiatives. Despite the lawsuit, Microsoft stock is up 25.57% year-to-date and has increased by 26.96% over the past year. Analysts on Wall Street have a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" for Microsoft, with 24 buy ratings and one hold rating in the last three months, and an average price target suggesting an 18.26% potential upside.