Nuclear Throne and Ridiculous Fishing developer Vlambeer is back in business after co-founder Jan Willem Nijman purchased 100 percent ownership of the studio.Nijman, who previously owned 50 percent of the studio, acquired the other half from fellow co-founder Rami Ismail after the pair decided that Vlambeer would be "better off" in the hands of a sole owner.The move means Vlambeer, which was effectively placed into stasis in 2020 after the duo parted ways to pursue other ventures, is making something of a comeback.In a thread on X, Nijman explained he will make sure Vlambeer's long-gestating project Ultrabugs finally gets released and will provide an update for Ridiculous Fishing EX."I want to preserve the classic Vlambeer games, and make sure they get the maintenance t…
Dwarf Fortress has topped 800,000 sales on Steam in just over a year.That's according to developers Tarn and Zach Adams, who shared the latest sales milestone with PC Gamer during a recent interview.Dwarf Fortress officially launched on Steam in December 2022 after spending over a decade in production and early access. Publisher Kitfox confirmed the title amassed over 160,000 sales within 24 hours of launch. As of February 6, 2023, it had topped 600,000 sales.At the time, Kitfox co-founder Tanya Short said Dwarf Fortress had delivered "good success," with the title's performance generating over $7 million in revenue for developer Bay 12.Kitfox also broke down the title's sales trajectory during the two months following its full launch and indicated it massively ove…
Sega Europe has informed employees that it plans to lay off 240 workers in the coming weeks, and that it is selling off Company of Heroes 3 developer Relic Entertainment.According to emails sent to staff reviewed by IGN, word of the layoffs was issued to staff early this morning. In a conciliatory note by Sega Europe COO and regional managing director Jurgen Post, he revealed the company would be laying off 240 employees across Sega Europe and Creative Assembly. "A small number" of employees would be laid off from mobile game developer Hardlight.Post apologized to employees for "the worry and understandable distress this news will cause, particularly for those effective," before going on to say the decisions were "necessary to secure the future of our game business…
CD Projekt posted its financials for the entire 2023-2024 fiscal year, which saw increases across the board. From January 1, 2023-December 31, 2023, the larger entity reached its second-best financials in its entire 29-year history.Consolidated revenue and net profit reached 1.230 billion ($308.17 million) and 481 million ($120.51 million) PLN, respectively. Individually, both went up by 29 percent and 39 percent from the 2022-2023 fiscal year.Much of this can be attributed to Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion and its 2.0 update. Between the two's "strong sales," the franchise has made 3 billion PLN ($751.76 million) in revenue.
Screen Australia, the country's federal agency to support its media industry, is investing in games with a pair of funds worth a total of $1.6 million.Spread across 12-15 games in both funds, the money provides "direct funding" for Australian developers. Along with original games budgeted under $500,000, the funds will go to fully new projects and give "additional opportunities" for professional studios.The Games Production Fund grants up to $100,000 towards the development of original games from Australian indies. Supported titles include Oppolyon's Ascending Inferno and Radiobush's Lightroad.Meanwhile, the Emerging Gamemakers Fund provides grants of up to $30,000 towards prototypes or micro-game creation. It went towards projects such as Deficit – The A…
Screen Australia, the country's federal agency to support its media industry, is investing in games with a pair of funds worth a total of $1.6 million.Spread across 12-15 games in both funds, the money provides "direct funding" for Australian developers. Along with original games budgeted under $500,000, the funds will go to fully new projects and give "additional opportunities" for professional studios.The Games Production Fund grants up to $100,000 towards the development of original games from Australian indies. Supported titles include Oppolyon's Ascending Inferno and Radiobush's Lightroad.Meanwhile, the Emerging Gamemakers Fund provides grants of up to $30,000 towards prototypes or micro-game creation. It went towards projects such as Deficit – The A…
There's one slide in Kitfox co-founder Tanya X Short's GDC 2024 talk on the advantages and complications of the four-day work week that packs a brutally relatable punch. It reminds onlookers that irrespective of whether you're working your dream job, it's vital to establish a "work : life balance" and not a "work : recover-from-work balance."Short has long been an advocate of the four-day week, having been living the reality at Kitfox (the indie studio she co-founded) since August 2021. During her talk, she admits to having "complex" feelings about her new reality. The best part, she says, is that "now it feels normal." That's also the worst part.Discussing the prospect of returning to the old days, she says that while two-th…
A trio of IGN workers were abruptly laid off earlier this month. Producer Francesca Rivera, video producer Jesse Gill, and senior editor Joshua Yehl were all members of the games website's recently formed IGN Creators Guild.The union alleges that on March 7, management cut those three positions without any clear reason to do so. The site is in "no economic distress," and these reductions were made without prior consultation.Management reportedly claimed these layoffs were already set in stone prior to the union's recognition. Even so, the Guild argued this was a "massive breach of trust between union employees and management.""To say I’m devastated after being laid off from my dream job at IGN after 10 years is an understatement," wrote Yehl. "…