iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Had another moment of the AI summaries being really terrible and making you check the sources. Wanted to know if Granblue Fantasy Versus had performance issues on Switch 2. Turns out it was pulling from sources talking about Granblue Fantasy Relink, a different game.

Google search AI Summary for "granblue fantasy versus rising switch 2 performance"
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising on the Nintendo Switch 2 targets stable performance with a locked 30 FPS or optimized fighting fidelity, featuring exclusive motion controls and full crossplay.Performance and Visual FeaturesFrame Rate: Runs smoothly at a locked 30 FPS during matches, prioritizing stability and visual fidelity over higher frame rates.Visual Quality: Delivers high-resolution artwork and character models comparable to base home console versions, with clean image quality in both handheld and docked modes.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

After years of being told that my own game reminds people of Mega Man, I finally played one to the end. (MM11)

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Excited to be on the podcast again! I can't give any specific advice, but I'm happy to discuss general information or just whatever oddities you may have heard about.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Oh no. Don't give me false hope for Heroes of the Storm. Not right now. Please be real.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I just did a presentation where the topic was covered, and this was pretty much my conclusion. I would advise any developer against gen AI for assets, it's just not worth it. The contracts I draft for clients already call out its use, and it's becoming increasingly common to see at all sizes.

gamesradar.com

Echoing Palworld dev, video game lawyer says all her clients have anti-AI contracts because gamers hate it and it's a copyright landmine: "I think we're going to see lawsuits"

"Don't touch it. It's not worth the legal liability"

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

"Man, I have so many appointments today" I say as if those appointments aren't chatting with game developers about their projects and helping them, in the best legal job ever.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I went to PIG Con by @pigsquad.com this weekend. (My firm was even a sponsor!) I spent almost the entire time on Saturday on the show floor playing games and talking to the developers. Here's some of the highlights of what I got to check out.

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Reposted by Jacob Vela

The Wyndfinder @catlordgames.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The Wyndfinder is now Coming Soon on Steam! Would be so thankful if you would consider adding it to your Wishlist, and sharing with your friends! #indiedev #gamedev And, I mean, the art by @teammlcstudio.bsky.social . My goodness! store.steampowered.com/app/4671110/...

store.steampowered.com

The Wyndfinder on Steam

The Wyndfinder is a party-based CRPG inspired by the classics. Create your Wyndfinder, choose from nine unique characters to join your party, and answer the question: If the heroes of old become the v...

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Good points. A multiplayer game is as hard as your opponent, one game or genre is not inherently harder than any other, it just emphasizes different skills. A lot of this is very applicable to fighting games.

youtube.com

There are no hard multiplayer games

YouTube video by The fog is your friend

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Reposted by Jacob Vela

Portland Indie Game Squad @pigsquad.com · 12/05/2026

We were on KOIN 6 AM Extra this morning to talk about PIGCON! Lots of little shoutouts in here :) www.koin.com/am-extra/gam...

Will Lewis from PIGSquad sits with hosts Emily Burris & Mia Villanueva of KOIN 6 News AM Extra to talk about PIGCON, the Portland Indie Game Convention.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I have finished Expedition 33. Game is good, go play it. I say that as someone who really doesn't enjoy most RPGs, even the ones I know are very good. If you have friends who are playing it, check in on them from time to time to make sure they're okay emotionally.

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Reposted by Jacob Vela

👊 Super Salem Fighters @salemfighters.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Thanks to everyone who made it out today! #SF6 🥇 @jacobvela.bsky.social 🥈Crocoswine 🥉Oma #2XKO 🥇 @jaxas.bsky.social 🥈 @jaredtheho.bsky.social 🥉 @jacobvela.bsky.social #KOF13 🥇Bahn Yuki 🥈 @tarrakhawes.bsky.social 🥉Orochi Clark 🎥 www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... See you next time!

youtube.com

May 9th, 2026 | SSF Saturday! - YouTube

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

One of the big dangers of generative AI isn't that it's bad at tasks, it's that it pretends to not be bad at those tasks and then gaslights with so much confidence that people believe that it can in fact do those things. When you have people increasingly relying on it you run into problems.

youtube.com

ChatGPT rates the song I made

YouTube video by FatherPhi

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

My wife referred to a "diss track" as a "defamation song," and I don't know if that reflects more on her or me.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

I wish that there was more room in the current game landscape for games to be moderate successes instead of either massive games or shutting down. I am a bit disappointed to see the internet dunking/memeing on this (or any) game though, if only because I know that people worked hard on it.

gameinformer.com

Highguard Is Shutting Down For Good Next Week

The troubled siege shooter's short life is coming to an end.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I have been saying for years that Castlevania has to be one of the easiest franchises to resurrect. Literally just give it to some indie studio that's capable and let them cook. In that same thought, I've also said that Evil Empire/Motion Twin is the single most obvious pick to do it.

youtube.com

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse - Official Announcement Trailer

YouTube video by GameSpot

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

I have genuinely tried to get generative AI to help me do things for work. But it gets so much wrong and is so confident about what it gets wrong. This is in things that it should be very good at. The best way to see that LLMs really aren't that great is to ask it about something you know about.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

It's a good way of looking at it. While I do think that looking at the "video game industry" as a single thing can be useful in some places, it's not as much when you're looking at what is competing with your game for their player's time.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Support your local tournament organizers. (by inflicting unnecessary distress to the ones that are fans of Metroid like @jaxas.bsky.social)

JazzHands: Mackenzie for Smash
Jaxas: Delete This

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

So let me get this straight. OpenAI needs a license to Disney characters but not any of the other copyright-protected material in their dataset? What's the distinction here? Just those who have the resources to sue them? Got it. Really not helping the "copyright for big corps only" allegations.

deadline.com

Disney Inks Blockbuster $1B Deal With OpenAI, Handing Characters Over To Sora

Disney will make characters from 'Frozen' and 'Star Wars' available to Sora under $1B deal with OpenAI.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

This is from a Sonic game, allegedly. What excites me the most about these crossovers in games is the business deals that have to go on between companies to make them happen, and that says something about me.

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Reposted by Jacob Vela

Studio Vela- STAR RIFT SAGA is available now! @studiovela.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Star Rift Saga is part of the Metroidvania Fusion Festival on Steam! Get the game for 20% off and the soundtrack for 10% off until November 10th. You can also discover other metroidvanias of all sizes during the event. store.steampowered.com/app/2158690/...

store.steampowered.com

Star Rift Saga on Steam

Embark on a Metroidvanian journey across a mysterious alien world where every ability unlocks new secrets and every corner hides danger or discovery. Fight enemies and bosses across multiple biomes, c...

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

It was a fun bracket, my final set went to game 5, final round. Always a good time with @salemfighters.bsky.social.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

I find this fascinating for a few reasons. It shows how games can't easily cater to both players and market speculators. Their interests in the game are directly opposed to one another. Which is a big reason why I think that crypto/blockchain has no good place in games. 🧵

dexerto.com

CS2 skin update ‘rug pulls’ collectors as $1 billion wiped from market cap - Dexerto

Counter-Strike 2’s October 23 update has sent shockwaves through the skin trading community, with the market cap plummeting by over $1 billion.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

One of my biggest gripes with the way that fighting games are monetized (paid game+DLC characters each year) is that the goals of the game's balance and profitability are at odds. Is the new DLC character overpowered at launch? Maybe, but the incentive is there to make it strong so that it sells.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Group that makes cool remixes purely because they love creation and the game music that inspired them says AI is antithetical to their core values because of course it is. The problem is people who want to pretend to be artists and get the credit without actually doing the work to learn the skills.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

It might be because I played a lot of Hades so I was a lot more familiar with that game (and had more upgrades), but Hades II feels a lot harder. Which it could be, since this game is aimed at people who already played and beat the first one. Game is very good though.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

(Epilepsy warning, probably.) I think I won Maze Mice.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Price increase for Xbox consoles in the US "due to changes in the macroeconomic environment." Look, if you're going to be vague about it, you're part of the problem. Just say what it is, tariffs being imposed by the current administration are increasing the price in the form of an import tax.🧵

support.xbox.com

Xbox Support

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Mike made a pretty bold assumption here about my brain not exploding, but I do appreciate being called an indie dev daredevil. I was on Mike's podcast where I talked about the basics of what indie devs should know about the law. Give it a listen so I can do it again and talk about other topics.

A thumbnail for the podcast with Phoenix Wright pointing to the words trademark, copyright, and patents. Beneath is text.

Hello, friend!!
Okay, I know what you're thinking. "Mike, legal stuff? Really? That's about as exciting as watching paint dry on a rainy Tuesday." But hold up! This week's conversation with Jacob Vela completely changed how I think about the legal side of game development, and I'm genuinely excited to share it with you.
Jacob has somehow managed to become both a lawyer AND release his own indie game (Star Rift Saga) without his brain exploding. He's basically an indie dev version of Dare Devil, and today he is here to make all this IP and contract stuff actually make sense!

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Reposted by Jacob Vela

Studio Vela- STAR RIFT SAGA is available now! @studiovela.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Work has begun on Star Rift Saga's 1.1 content update. Here's a preview of a new robot that will appear in translocator rooms.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

I came across this trailer last night and I have rarely needed a game beamed straight into my eye holes so immediately as this one. The opening made me think Star Fox, and the gameplay confirmed everything I look for out of that. Hey @chuhailabs.com, I need a release date ASAP.

youtube.com

Wild Blue | Gameplay Trailer | PC & Xbox Series X|S

YouTube video by Chuhai Labs

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Okay yeah, Kirby Air Riders seems like it's building on that prototype. It sure is Air Ride, but again. And more. Which is what fans have wanted. I have my reservations, but game looks solid. Love how many of the visual effects were seemingly pulled straight from Smash. Efficient.

Kirby Air Riders art showing Kirby, Meta Knight, Dedede, and Bandana De riding towards the center of the screen.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Hot take: I think the original Kirby Air Ride is only alright. It's still fun, but mostly a good prototype for different ideas rather than a great game on its own merits.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I have no idea how Game Changer is going to get any wilder for their next season, but I'm excited to find out.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Rivals of Aether II is a good game. It's a platform fighter like Smash Bros but designed intentionally and has an online mode that actually works. Character designs are super cool with everyone doing some very neat tricks. It is free to try and on sale this weekend for Evo. Go try it out!

store.steampowered.com

Save 35% on Rivals of Aether II on Steam

Rivals of Aether II is the sequel to the hit indie fighting game, Rivals of Aether. Play as both new and returning elemental fighters in the next generation of platform fighters.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Calling any game that is complete and/or not receiving new updates dead or obsolete is unsustainable and dumb, but Apple codifying such a fallacy as policy is bad for the industry as a whole, but especially for small devs. Let games be complete works without the constant need for new content.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

I think that the most interesting part about this thread is that is shows how different score systems can encourage very different feels for your game. The score system here creates a tension and release rather than requiring you to play your best at all times.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

I feel like there should be more fanfare on the Steam interface when you release a game, but here we are.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

I'll be releasing Star Rift Saga TOMORROW. I've cut together a preview of the entire soundtrack created by @vincentcolavita.bsky.social.

youtube.com

Star Rift Saga Official Soundtrack Preview

YouTube video by Studio Vela

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

After some time with Mario Kart World, I think that it's a lot of fun, but flawed. However, I think that updates could be done that would make it much more fun without being huge to develop or changing the core vision for the game. Note that these changes are purely focused on offline modes.🧵

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Sometimes I think about game design quirks or challenges, or think about specific game's designs or problems and I want to post them somewhere but they're too long for a thread. Maybe after I release Star Rift Saga (next week!) I'll start writing blog posts about game development and design.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Star Rift Saga releases in just two weeks. I'm both excited, and terrified. store.steampowered.com/app/2158690/...

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

While I wish law school taught you how to be a lawyer, practice looks so different for different lawyers, even within the same practice type, to the point where it would be hard to teach much. My law firm, Argo Law, looks and functions very differently from most law firms, and that's by design.

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Reposted by Jacob Vela

Merlin @merlinthewizard.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Been getting back into digital painting a bit so I did some (unofficial) key art for Arc, the main character of Star Rift Saga!

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

I've been a proponent of RCV for a while now. It's just good game design- if the players aren't playing the way you'd like them to because the game incentivizes it, change the rules of the game to encourage the player behavior you want. The "players" here are both the candidates and the voters.

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Jacob Vela @jacobvela.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Last week I searched for information on when a game was coming to consoles. Google's AI summary was a release window as though it was fact. The source was a Reddit post that speculated on when it might be based on dev's comments. Probability says this answer is fact, because facts are written down.

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