iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Bastian Thun @Gamescom

Fine. I’ll update with a word count when I start writing again. @legalminimum.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I’ve seen enough people expressing confusion about why it would be in their interest to try to become regulated, or why they would be saying things like “we might kill the world!!”, that I’ll do an explainer. Buckle up.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Fuck, this is sad. We lost a true Electropop legend, rest in peace :(

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I’m still processing the events of the weekend. For me, #BerlinCSD was filled with moments of love, hope and community that matter more than ever. I refuse to let terror and fear define what I experienced. I won't let this #CSD be remembered only for fear. Love wins. 🏳️‍🌈

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

A #roguelike #deckbuilding game with a lovable art style from a incredibly passionate #gamedev! Spread the word, give them a follow and plz wishlist - support your indies! <3

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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 16/06/2026

Game failure? Layoffs Game success? Layoffs Game delayed? Layoffs Game delivered? Layoffs Game announced? Layoffs Game unannounced? Layoffs Game good? Layoffs Game bad? Layoffs Game AI? Layoffs Game no-AI? Layoffs Game hated? Layoffs Game beloved? Layoffs Money cares more for layoffs than games.

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Brandon Sheffield @brandon.insertcredit.com · 10/06/2026

1/3 of the game industry has lost their job in the last two years. Ubisoft closed two more studios today. Everyone is out of work. To that end I'm starting a new bundle to benefit a layoffs hardship fund. Game devs: please consider submitting your PAID games to the bundle, which will launch in July.

itch.io

Game industry hardship fund

A game jam from 2026-06-10 to 2026-06-24 hosted by Necrosoft Games. PREMISE: The game industry has a problem. Too many people are out of work (reports say 33% of the industry lost their jobs in the la...

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Game from a #gamedev veteran and very dear friend of mine. Follow @wyrm-saga.com and wishlist their first game if you like slay the spire and Inkulnati. Shares are appreciated #indiegame

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

And all of a sudden, #NipponConnection26 turned into a surprise @eeephi.bsky.social #tattoo art meetup. Was in a rush, missed to ask for their socials. -_-;

Three people showing off their arm tattoos on a derpy but very happy way.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Annual tradition and absolute highlight for everyone interested in Japanese cinema. Opening night at @nipponconnection.com was a blast, and Fujiko by director Taichi Kimura was an incredibly strong opener for the festival. #nipponconnection #cinema #japan With @rainbownerdguy.bsky.social

Picture showing a couple in front of a big wall print of the Nippon Connection Movie Festival in Frankfurt.

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Úna-Minh's ✨ Open to Work ✨ @unaminh.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

IMPORTANT: For any artists/writers/etc etc, using Linktree to point people to their work, from 5 July, they'll be feeding all imagery you use on your landing page into DALL-E by OpenAI. I deleted my account this morning.

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Reposted by Bastian Thun @Gamescom

Alex Battaglia @dachsjaeger.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Alex here has a great perspective on the looming AI issues in game dev, art work, and why the human art/programmer/playet connection is one of the most important things that this AI trash is actively seeking to replace. Read this!

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Happy Trans Day of Visibility my wonderful trans friends! 🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Stay strong, fierce and fabulous! And for all you clown comics out there:

Picture of the Twin Peaks character Gordon Cole, played by David Lynch himself, yelling the line "Fix your hearts of die"

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Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou @kanaratron.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

What a fucking mess.

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Johanna T 👻 📚 @johannamation.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

People who make comics (or other freelance art work) as their fulltime job: how do you do it? How do you make it work, esp financially? People who make comics on the side while having a fulltime day-job: how do you do it without overworking and/or burning out?

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Brandon Sheffield @brandon.insertcredit.com · 19/03/2026

Buy our video game!!!!!! So we can make more of them! And possibly a little more of this one!?

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Aim 🌸 @aimbutmiss.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

hi guys I know I haven't been very active lately, and I don't talk about where I'm from often, but the government made some really scary announcements today so I thought I'd share to let everyone know what's happening. here are some posts from twt for context

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Reposted by Bastian Thun @Gamescom

Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 10/02/2026

I was asked about Project Genie and wrote the response kind of tired so if you want to hear my unfiltered and slightly less-than-diplomatic answer about AI it's here

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

I’m done with “everything’s moving too fast” Most breakout hits came from genuine ideas + the right time and place. You conciously chose reckless growth, chasing trends and pampering shareholders. If all you can come up with is “save money and do the same but better” you’ve already lost. #gamedev

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Offline is the new cool, ignoring AI is punk, reducing consumerism is satisfying. Has anyone coined the 'RealCore' lifestyle yet? Since I killed all Social Media activity except BSky and said fuck you capitalism, my life became much more fulfilling. Try it out, it is for free.

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Reposted by Bastian Thun @Gamescom

Raj Patel @rajio.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Just updating our data now that January has come to a close. So far We've tracked almost 3K people known to have been hit by games industry layoffs this year in 23 known waves (Half of the total waves seen in 2022) January 2026 was definitely one of the worst months we've tracked to date.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Googled "drawing software with a lime logo" Gemini: there is no such thing. Don't take it personal Paint Tool Sai ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Talking about how intelligent LLMs are: if nobody talks about it, there is no data to draw from. There is not a single genuine thought coming from AI.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Around 30% of our gaming workforce in the EU and US are gone, with half of them not being able to secure a new job in #gamedev. It roughly equals the talent growth since the pandemic boom, and we still haven't reached rock bottom yet. Bite me, but the 2012/2013 culling was not even close as bad.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

About to watch a 127min long indie movie, realised by a YouTube creator, based on a 60 minute long indie game. Might be great, or not... but a pop cultural milestone nonortheless. #ironlung #indiegame

Cover of the indie game movie 'Iron Lung', a film by Markiplier. Red title font with weird bone like structures on black background.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

A striking tattoo style and a wonderful human being, Ephi has a lifetime claim on my skin.

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Wyrm Saga @wyrm-saga.com · 31/12/2025

Borb Games Team wishes you a happy new year! Look forward to Wyrm Saga updates in 2026! 🐲 Biblically accurate angel from: Rothschild canticles c. 1300 collections.library.yale.edu/catalo… #gamedev #indiegame #medieval #dragons #wyrmsaga

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Reposted by Bastian Thun @Gamescom

Karla Ortiz @kortizart.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Been thinking on the use of GenAi for mood boards. Ethics and legal risks aside, I truly believe using GenAi as references deprives one of many pivotal things. Here’s a blurb on what I mean:

Some thoughts:
When using GenAi as a mood board you don't get sources. This means you deprive yourself from knowledge.
You generated a location? You deprived yourself of knowing more about the interesting parts of the world and why things came to be.
Generate an armor or costume? You deprived yourself on real world techniques, function, form and history.
You generated art inspirations? You deprive yourself of learning about artists from history or lock out living ones from potentially being hired.
Ethical issues of using GenAi models aside, one ends up making visuals mood boards devoid of reality and history. With it one deprives themselves from learning about our world and who is living in it, inadvertently making your work weaker, because of how detached it is from our shared human reality and history.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Changes to the way I use this account. I've decided to use Bluesky as an outlet for personal takes on the #gamedev industry or anything else I want to share my thoughts about. When sharing my personal opinions, I do not want to speak for my company or be perceived as doing so. 1/3

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United Videogame Workers-CWA @videogameworkers.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

"Anyone who works in the games industry can identify that our art form is being sold for parts to make a few people a lot of money. And they don’t care about the games. They don’t care about the art. They just want their money." @alyssamerc.bsky.social

theguardian.com

‘Our industry has been strip-mined’: video game workers protest at The Game Awards

Outside the lavish event, workers called out the ‘greed’ in the industry that has left games ‘being sold for parts to make a few people a lot of money’

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Rufus Kubica @rufusblackwood.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

.@octocurio.bsky.social and I recently sat down with @lewispackwood.bsky.social (💚) to discuss the 11 bit studios publishing vision: our goals, how we pick projects, and our biggest successes (and failures!). It was a lovely chat, and now you can read the full interview right here! 📰

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

I am in Berlin for an end of the year pallet cleanser. My well maintained love-hate relationship with this city slowly turns into a friends with benefits situation. Kinky, artsy, a bit pretentious but with the world suffocating itself in hyper capitalism and other bullshit, refreshingly honest.

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Gayming Magazine @gaymingmag.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

"I code so others can dream." Gayming Icon and LGBTQ+ video game pioneer, Rebecca Heineman, has sadly passed away after a short, tough fight with aggressive cancer. Read our obituary to this true industry trailblazer: gaymingmag.com/2025/11/gaym...

gaymingmag.com

Gayming Icon and LGBTQ+ games pioneer, Rebecca Heineman, has died - Gayming Magazine

Rebecca Heineman, a trailblazing figure in the video game industry and a celebrated icon within the LGBTQ+ gaming community, has died.

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Smashley @smashley.games · 12/11/2025

AHhhh Anno 117 is HERE!!! LET'S GO!! #ThanksUbisoft for the key! As someone who has played every Anno game, I'm so EXCITED!! twitch.tv/smashley

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GamesMarket @gamesmarket.global · 11/11/2025

Anno 1995 saw the founding of Related Designs, which became part of Ubisoft over ten years ago. To date, the studio has released six Anno games. We spoke to studio manager Thomas Pottkämper about the company's impressive history. @ubide.ubisoft.com www.gamesmarket.global/ubisoft-main...

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Big week for our team, waiting for the reviews is always a very tense when releasing a game 100+ people spent years working on it. Reviews coming in hot. 🔥 #Anno117PaxRomana dropping this Thursday. 🏛️ #gamedev

Key Art of the upcoming building game Anno117:PaxRomana, showing a Roman governor overseeing a Roman harbour city to the right, displaying Celtic settlements to the left.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

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Marcel Hatam @comraven.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Time flies- believe it or not, today marks the 14th anniversary of starting my first gaming job at BioWare in Ireland. It's been a crazy whirlwind of depressing lows, intoxicating highs, and everything in between, across 6 companies, 4 countries and dozens of launches! 1/3 #gaming

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Sandpenguin - Broken Relic @sandpenguin.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

When people ask me why I don't post more WIP stuff, this is why

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But Why Tho? @butwhytho.net · 16/10/2025

The Anno 117 campaign is more expansive and in-depth than its predecessor, with two storylines and unique characters adapting history. Read our hands-on imressions:

butwhytho.net

Anno 117: Pax Romana’s Campaign Offers A Robust Historical Narrative

The Anno 117 campaign is more expansive and in-depth than its predecessor, with two storylines and unique characters adapting history. Read our hands-on imressions:

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Michael Dashow @mdashow.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Warning to anyone who has their art on Spreadshirt.com: They now have a feature where anyone can remix your art and it's impossible to opt out unless you just leave the site altogether. Spreadshirt to artists: We’re taking your designs for AI pivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/19/s...

pivot-to-ai.com

Spreadshirt to artists: We’re taking your designs for AI

Spreadshirt is an online print-on-demand store. You can sell T-shirts and mugs and so on. My wife Arkady Rose is an artist as well as a musician, and had a pile of designs on Spreadshirt and Redbub…

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Scarlett Fu @scarlettfu.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Hello new followers, thanks for joining 🦋! Think it's a good time to provide a (re)introduction. Currently a Senior UI Artist in #gamedev. Will mostly be sharing my own art / projects. Let's connect! 👋 #artist #art #drawing

Red pink and purple hues. Pink neon light from outside illuminates a diner seat inside an abandoned hong kong style café. Futuristic background in the distance with digital floating advert and signages as floating red taxi and star ferry drive by next to each other

Painting of set meal. Yellow and red hues.

Painting of a restaurant exterior in Japan. Red signage dimly lit with its white light illuminating the entrance below. Red hues

Interior and exterior concept design for a takoyaki shop. Yellow and purple hues.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

AI is a truly empowering. First, it defeats capitalism through hyper-capitalism, so we no longer have to work. Naturally, that means we get everything for free and can finally devote ourselves to creativity as our skills will thrive thanks to AI enabling us to become master of any craft. (ㆆ_ㆆ)

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Every time I see an AI generated AD on YouTube, my body reacts with strong repulsive reactions. Do most people out there seriously not see or feel that? It's like populism, where I think "who the F falls for that stupid shit" while the harsh truth is, it works like a charm on the majority of ppl.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Service Announcement: Our limited time Demo of #Anno117:PaxRomana will be out later today and run until September 16th. Perfect opportunity to check out the game before we release on November 13th, happy building! #strategygames #gaming Find our FAQ here: www.anno-union.com/everything-t... 🏛️

anno-union.com

Everything to know about the Anno 117: Pax Romana Demo

How long does the demo last and what's the content? All info are collected here.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Back from Gamescom, it was incredibly successful for us, and I met great folks from our community and industry peers. While gamers experienced an exciting event, the #gamedev talks circled around the same dire strait topics: high risk, missing money, hard to get publishing deals, funding and jobs.

A picture of the Anno 117: Pax Romana booth at Gamescom 2025, showing the Roman dresses walking act crew and the post creator in front of a big statue and Ubisoft sign.

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Gabriel @rainbownerdguy.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

I caved and bought the full display of Funism Evangelion Figurines at Gamescom. 😖 No regret. They're so well made!

A photograph of the Funism Evangelion Chibi figurine display. It's unopened and sits on my living room table. To the left, there's a special edition acrylic standee with all four pilots, Rei, Shinji, Asuka and Mari in front of a slide show print of their respective Evas.

A photograph of the unpacked figurine of Ikari Shinji and his Evangelion-01. In front of them is their holo-foil card with some info about the characters.

A photograph of the unpacked figurine of Ayanami Rei and her Evangelion-00. In front of them is their holo-foil card with some info about the characters.

The full set of pilots and Evas in Front of the display, the acrylic standee sits on top of the closet display now. Just the rare figurine of Eva-01 heavenly berserk is sadly missing. I didn't have any luck pulling it.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Welcome to Rome! #Anno117PaxRomana You do WANT to get your hands on our game, so check out our booth 6.1 C021 - it is quite a looker, you can't miss it! #gamescom

Selfie at the Anno 117 Gamescom booth, showing an impressive Roman Aquaduct in the background.

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Bastian Thun @Gamescom @bastianthun.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Hello Cologne! Easy start, skipped ONL this time for a relaxed evening. Will check out the Courage Cologne #gamedev party later. #gamescom Also Kattwinkel is a nice #queer bar close to the media harbour I can recommend if you need a break.

A photo showing some outside seating at a bar in Cologne and Cocktail. The card on the table shows the name of the bar "Kattwinkel"

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