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The Game Business

@thegamebusiness.com

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The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 20h

We speak to Tencent about building hit studios in the model of Larian and FromSoftware, the advice it gives to its teams, and Hollywood. “We want to work with you if you believe you can be the category leader in this particular genre” www.thegamebusiness.com/p/tencents-b...

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Tencent’s bid to create the next FromSoftware and Larian

We speak to Yong-yi Zhu about building hit studios, the advice he gives his teams, and the Hollywood opportunity

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The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 28/09/2026

It’s Monday! So time for 'Here's The Dring' (paid subscribers only). This week, Chris reports back on his experience visiting the Nintendo Museum. And why it embodies Nintendo’s efforts to widen the audience for its games and franchises www.thegamebusiness.com/p/nintendo-i...

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Nintendo is mastering the power of the physical

Here’s The Dring: Nintendo’s Kyoto Museum showcases Nintendo’s past, and future

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 24/09/2026

Today, we dive into the "sensible" and "necessary" changes being made at Xbox. Plus, we look at the state of video game localization, and the role AI is playing there. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/is-xbox-ma...

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Is Xbox making the right decisions? Plus, how AI is (and isn’t) transforming game localization

Plus, some thoughts on our trip to Japan

Reposted by The Game Business

Christopher Dring @dringo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Xbox is merging studios underneath Activision and Bethesda. Halo is now at Activision, alongside Rare and World’s Edge. 268 job cuts across Halo Studios, other first-party teams and Xbox Game Studios management. Ninja Theory faces closure. More here: www.thegamebusiness.com/p/halo-to-ac...

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The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 22/09/2026

In today's (slightly early) edition, we speak to Rainbow Six: Siege Joshua Mills about the challenges that followed last year's major X update, the hack that took out the game over Christmas, life under Tencent, the GTA 6 launch and, erm, Moana. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/weve-been-...

thegamebusiness.com

“We’ve been baptized in fire” – the new Rainbow Six boss on losing staff, Tencent, GTA and… Moana

Why a new-look Rainbow Six team is looking to its past

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 21/09/2026

We review Tokyo Game Show 2026. Can Kojima boost Xbox in Japan? What should we make of all the remakes and returning franchises? Where was Nintendo? And China for that matter? Did I get that Game Freak magazine? All will be revealed (paid subscribers) www.thegamebusiness.com/p/tokyo-game...

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Tokyo Games Show Review: Japan’s video game industry looks backwards

Here’s The Dring: Seven things from Tokyo Game Show 2026

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 17/09/2026

This week! Valor Mortis will cost $40 as the new IP attempts to stand-out in the face of GTA 6 and 'the craziest fall in games history' Plus, we dive into the Japanese games market with @serkantoto And Nex Playground secures a massive funding boost www.thegamebusiness.com/p/five-thing...

thegamebusiness.com

Five things we’ve learned about Japan’s games industry, plus how GTA 6 influenced Valor Mortis’ $40 price point

And Nex Playground secures $150 million for global expansion

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 16/09/2026

In this bonus edition of The Game Business Show, we chat to Balatro publisher PlayStack on the impact of the hit poker game, the role of indies in the modern video game industry, and what they expect from their new owners www.thegamebusiness.com/p/beyond-bal...

thegamebusiness.com

Beyond Balatro and taking risks: Why PlayStack doesn’t want a 100% hit rate

We speak to CEO Harvey Elliott as the indie publisher enters a new era under new ownership

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 15/09/2026

“For the last six years, we have made redundancies every single year, about 20% of the company. This will be the first year we haven’t done it.” www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-shoote...

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The shooter that Tencent abandoned: Wardogs hits 2m sales in one weekend

“For six years, we’ve made redundancies every year. This will be the first time we haven’t”

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 15/09/2026

Wardogs has now sold 2m copies worldwide in one weekend. So, we caught up with Joe Brammer, CEO of developer Bulkhead, to learn more about the team behind it, and how they're dealing with the sudden, unexpected success of a shooter Tencent abandoned www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-shoote...

thegamebusiness.com

The shooter that Tencent abandoned: Wardogs hits 2m sales in one weekend

“For six years, we’ve made redundancies every year. This will be the first time we haven’t”

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 14/09/2026

"The Xbox cuts aren't purely to save money. It's about focus. It wants to invest in bigger bets. It’s not against new IP, but the new IP it wants isn’t indie-like experimental games. It wants ambitious projects. That’s what Kojima brings" www.thegamebusiness.com/p/can-hideo-...

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Can Hideo Kojima make Xbox ‘cool’ – Here’s The Dring

Plus, Nintendo announces lots of stuff,

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 10/09/2026

The Zelda Nintendo Direct attracted 2.1 million peak viewers. That's bigger than Gamescom Opening Night Live, and more than double the PlayStation State of Play. It's comfortably the second most talked about game of the year www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-legend...

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and GTA 6: The video game industry’s Barbenheimer moment

Plus we chat to Ubisoft about its new approach to player feedback, and Geoff launches a new foundation

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 09/09/2026

“We’re not so silly as to claim that we’re going to kill Forza Horizon” www.thegamebusiness.com/p/some-of-th...

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“Some of the offers were actually offensive” – How Clutch found its publisher

Maverick Games on its happy Amazon divorce, taking on Forza, and signing with Focus Entertainment

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 08/09/2026

This week, we speak to Maverick Games on its divorce from Amazon, offensive offers from other publishers, why it's not trying to 'kill' Forza and more! www.thegamebusiness.com/p/some-of-th...

thegamebusiness.com

“Some of the offers were actually offensive” – How Clutch found its publisher

Maverick Games on its happy Amazon divorce, taking on Forza, and signing with Focus Entertainment

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 07/09/2026

In today's paid-subscriber Podcast and Newsletter, @Chris_Dring takes on industry trends, and why sometimes it's best to ignore them www.thegamebusiness.com/p/southeast-...

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Southeast Asia, friendslop and $30m video games are taking over the industry. Or are they? – Here’s The Dring

This week, we tackle the thorny issue of video game industry trends

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 03/09/2026

GTA 6 reveal causes Xbox and PlayStation sales to jump by a third www.thegamebusiness.com/p/gta-6-reve...

thegamebusiness.com

GTA 6 reveal causes Xbox and PlayStation sales to jump by a third

Plus, Newzoo warns of increasing focus on established franchises

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 01/09/2026

Why The Witcher 3 is coming back. Interview with CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michał Nowakowski. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/cd-projekt...

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 01/09/2026

Today, we speak to CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michal Nowakowski. We discuss the state of consoles, returning to The Witcher 3, the risk of making multiple games at the same time, Switch 2, not rushing games, TV shows, and lots, lots more www.thegamebusiness.com/p/cd-projekt...

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CD Projekt Red: If you want a cost-driven development, you cannot make The Witcher 4

Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski on making multiple projects, the console market, and returning to The Witcher 3

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 31/08/2026

In today's 'Here's The Dring', Chris shares my thoughts on GTA 6 and Gamescom 2026. Plus, he shares a story about how legendary British comedian Bob Mortimer ended up in an indie game www.thegamebusiness.com/p/how-a-lege...

thegamebusiness.com

How a legendary UK comic ended up in a video game – Here’s The Dring

Plus, some words on GTA 6 and Gamescom, of course

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 28/08/2026

This week, it's our Gamescom special. We met with former Assassin’s Creed legend Patrice Désilets, who chats future 1666 and Ancestors games, and how he might make time to actually create them all. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/assassins-...

thegamebusiness.com

Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets: “I have two or three games left”

Plus, CD Projekt get physical and Raccoon Logic abandons the old ways

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 26/08/2026

"We will get more hit console entertainment. Costs will come down. And the industry will make games that will attract younger consumers over time.” www.thegamebusiness.com/p/unity-ceo-...

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Unity CEO: “The cost of building a game is coming down markedly”

CEO Matthew Bromberg gets optimistic about the future of video games

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 25/08/2026

The cost of making video games is going down 'markedly', says the boss of Unity, one of the industry's biggest tech companies. Watch, listen or read the full interview here. It's a nice positive one www.thegamebusiness.com/p/unity-ceo-...

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Unity CEO: “The cost of building a game is coming down markedly”

CEO Matthew Bromberg gets optimistic about the future of video games

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 24/08/2026

On today's 'Here's The Dring', Chris explains why he thinks video game consoles will bounce back. We also reveal why Maverick Games chose Focus Entertainment as its publisher for Clutch This one is for paid subscribers, and there's 25% off right now! www.thegamebusiness.com/p/video-game...

thegamebusiness.com

Video game consoles will bounce back – Here’s The Dring

Plus, the racing game Amazon abandoned has a new home

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 20/08/2026

In today's Show & Newsletter, we reveal the games and publishers that will be most impacted by PlayStation's decision to halt disc production in 2028, and how they can manage the transition. We also chat $1,000 games consoles and interview Gamescom! www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-video-...

thegamebusiness.com

The video games most at risk from PlayStation’s physical switch-off

Plus, we speak to Gamescom about next week’s European show

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 19/08/2026

Arkane Studios veterans Harvey Smith, Ricardo Bare and Ben Horne reunite at a new immersive sim studio called Black Pony. It's making a single-player game. No live-service. We chat the state of the industry, Redfall, and why immersive sims aren't 'dead' www.thegamebusiness.com/p/arkane-vet...

thegamebusiness.com

Arkane veterans Harvey Smith and Ben Horne reunite: “We’re back to the games we love”

The heads of Black Pony Immersive chat smaller budgets, optimism, the mistakes of Redfall and why the ‘immersive sim’ is not dead

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 19/08/2026

We have 25% off paid The Game Business subscription until August 31. Paid subscribers get: - An extra weekly newsletter and podcast called 'Here's The Dring' - Our monthly market report - The chance to The Game Business Live in LA at no extra cost www.thegamebusiness.com/p/summer-sal...

thegamebusiness.com

Summer Sale! Get 25% off The Game Business subscription

Get our weekly bonus podcast, monthly market report and event access for $6.25/£4.69 a month

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 18/08/2026

Where is today's episode of The Game Business Show? It's coming tomorrow because it ties with a news story, and features two legendary game makers. It's just a one-off. Back to Tuesdays from next week.

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 17/08/2026

Our newly rebranded paid subscriber podcast/newsletter, Here's The Dring, dives into 2K's decision to open a sports studio on EA's lawn. And Netflix's confusing decision to close Night School Games. We have a 25% off Summer Sale on paid subs right now! www.thegamebusiness.com/p/2k-is-the-...

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2K is the only one that could take on EA Sports FC – Here’s The Dring

Plus, Netflix closes its most interesting studio

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 13/08/2026

This week we tackle Stop Killing Games. Why is the industry so against the consumer rights movement? And is the entire initiative is destined to fail? www.thegamebusiness.com/p/is-the-sto...

thegamebusiness.com

Is the Stop Killing Games campaign destined to fail?

Why is the video game industry so against this growing consumer rights movement?

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The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 11/08/2026

"We’ve downsized a lot In the UK, but we’ve not made any redundancies in India because they’re so valuable." - the survival of Sackboy and Crackdown developer Sumo Digital www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-surviv...

thegamebusiness.com

The survival of Sackboy and Crackdown developer Sumo Digital

“We’ve not made any redundancies in India”

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 10/08/2026

This week's edition of The Game Business Micro (paid subscribers), looks at the potential of Netflix as a new destination for showcasing upcoming video games following its GTA 6 reveal www.thegamebusiness.com/p/could-no-p...

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Could no physical disc and a trade union row hurt the GTA 6 launch? Take-Two’s CEO doesn’t think so

Strauss Zelnick hopes Rockstar will showcase more marketing innovations following its Netflix partnership

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 07/08/2026

Take-Two says it is “proud of our labor relations.” “We have an extraordinary work force, And we are proud of how people are treated and compensated. We have the lowest attrition rate in the business by half, and Rockstar’s attrition rate is half that” www.thegamebusiness.com/p/could-no-p...

thegamebusiness.com

Could no physical disc and a trade union row hurt the GTA 6 launch? Take-Two’s CEO doesn’t think so

Strauss Zelnick hopes Rockstar will showcase more marketing innovations following its Netflix partnership

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 07/08/2026

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says he’s “not in the least” concerned that a row with a trade union could negatively impact the launch of GTA 6. Plus, he explains why a code-in-a-box is important, and the prospect of a declining console install base www.thegamebusiness.com/p/could-no-p...

thegamebusiness.com

Could no physical disc and a trade union row hurt the GTA 6 launch? Take-Two’s CEO doesn’t think so

Strauss Zelnick hopes Rockstar will showcase more marketing innovations following its Netflix partnership

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 31/07/2026

Our monthly report for paid subscribers is here for June! We reveal the best-selling games on PC, console and mobile. We tell you how well the consoles did in the US, Japan and UK. And we dive into the games that saw the most trailer views and articles. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-state-...

thegamebusiness.com

The State of Games: June 2026

The World Cup impacts the game charts, it was a bad month for consoles and a good month for new announcements

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 30/07/2026

This week we have some fun by talking about which video games, outside of GTA, are going to sell best over the next four months... using data, of course. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-legend...

thegamebusiness.com

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is the most anticipated game of 2026 (that isn’t called Grand Theft Auto)

Plus, we chat Call of Duty, Blood of the Dawnwalker, Marvel’s Wolverine, Star Wars, Gears of War and more

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 29/07/2026

"Warframe has always felt like a bit of an underdog story." www.thegamebusiness.com/p/destinys-b...

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Destiny’s biggest rival Warframe has had ‘two years of massive growth’

Digital Extremes believes in console growth, and discusses the ‘careful’ development of its second game

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 28/07/2026

We speak to Digital Extremes president Sheldon Carter on why Warframe is going through a period of 'massive growth', while rivals like Destiny are not. Plus, we chat about its cautious approach to its next game... and why it still believes in consoles www.thegamebusiness.com/p/destinys-b...

thegamebusiness.com

Destiny’s biggest rival Warframe has had ‘two years of massive growth’

Digital Extremes believes in console growth, and discusses the ‘careful’ development of its second game

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 27/07/2026

In today's edition of The Game Business Micro (that's our mini podcast for paid subscribers), we look at Xbox's (and Amazon's) latest efforts to get game streaming working. With console prices as they are, might it work this time? www.thegamebusiness.com/p/xbox-amazo...

thegamebusiness.com

Xbox, Amazon and Netflix try to make game streaming relevant – The Game Business Micro

This week, we dive into Xbox’s new ad experiment and chat about the role of game streaming in the current climate

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 23/07/2026

Luna games (including Indiana Jones, Hogwarts Legacy and more) can now be streamed directly via the Prime Video app. We speak with Amazon's Jeff Gattis to discuss this, plus taking on consoles (or not), 007, and reaching tens of millions of players www.thegamebusiness.com/p/amazon-lun...

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The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 21/07/2026

Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy tells us that RuneScape is ready to take on World of Warcraft. He also talks about the financial 'pain' caused by changing monetization, the 12m RuneScape fans who play on Nintendo, and how Old School RuneScape won over young people www.thegamebusiness.com/p/runescape-...

thegamebusiness.com

RuneScape CEO: We want to be bigger than World of Warcraft

We speak to Jagex boss Jon Bellamy about the company's complete focus on its three RuneScape games

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 20/07/2026

In today's edition of The Game Business Micro (paid subscribers), we discuss the retirement of Glen Schofield, his struggle to find funding, and why we wish he'd change his mind. Plus, Bethesda moves to reassure fans, employees and industry www.thegamebusiness.com/p/dead-space...

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Dead Space creator Glen Schofield is retiring. And that's a real shame – The Game Business Micro

The video game veteran has struggled to find the AAA budgets he wants

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The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 16/07/2026

This week, we dive into adverts for PC and console titles. We're joined by EA's ad boss, who talks us through the company's plans, including developing games with ads in mind www.thegamebusiness.com/p/ea-console...

thegamebusiness.com

EA: Console game makers should consider in-game ads during development

EA’s ad boss Alexander Dao joins us on today’s Show

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 14/07/2026

We speak to Netflix's head of narrative games Sean Krankel about the release of hit horror game Unhinged. We chat building games for Netflix's 700m users (some of which are non-gamers) and the future of narrative games on the streaming platform. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/interview-...

thegamebusiness.com

Interview: Netflix wants to become the ‘place to play a story’

Netflix Games' narrative boss Sean Krankel discusses how to follow-up cloud horror game hit Unhinged

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 13/07/2026

Some stats from this week's Micro: - 99.1% of all physical games sold in the UK last year came via online retailers - PS5 and PS4 represented over 45% of all physical games sold in the UK last year (Paid subscribers only)

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 10/07/2026

Every month, we produce a market report for paid subscribers of The Game Business. It covers PC, console and mobile games, press coverage, trailers, and hardware sales. This week, we're covering May, featuring Forza, Bond, Batman, Subnautica and more www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-state-...

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The State of Games: May 2026

Big month for Forza, Bond, Batman and Subnautica. Tough month for PlayStation

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 09/07/2026

In today's The Game Business, Xbox staff fear the axe, the number of video game journalists continues to plummet, Eurogamer writers launch new site, and we chat to Atari's new president about (among other things) its 'IMDB of video games' www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-number...

thegamebusiness.com

The number of video game journalists has fallen by nearly 300 in 2026

Plus, Xbox leaders despair at cuts, former Eurogamer editors launch new site, and Atari is building ‘the IMDB of games’

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 07/07/2026

In today's edition of The Game Business, we speak to Tim Willits, the Chief Creative Officer of Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive, where he shares the company's secret to making AAA games on a reasonable budget. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/saber-we-c...

thegamebusiness.com

Saber Interactive: “We can just do AAA games smarter”

Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits on building big games at a reasonable price, and why it loves licensed IP

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 06/07/2026

Xbox announces plans to cut 3,000 jobs as part of a major restructure. It has also split from four studios - Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs. It’s seeking a new home for Arkane Lyon, too. Full FAQ through here. www.thegamebusiness.com/p/xbox-plans...

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 06/07/2026

Today's The Game Business Micro looks at the latest set-back for the Stop Killing Games campaign, plus we run through the big stories of the last week (paid subscribers only) www.thegamebusiness.com/p/publishers...

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Publishers score US victory against Stop Killing Games – The Game Business Micro

Plus, Ubisoft hires a veteran leader for Creative House 2, and IO seeks a new partner for Project Fantasy

The Game Business @thegamebusiness.com · 02/07/2026

In today's The Game Business, we have news of a divided Xbox, we discuss PlayStation killing the disc (with some new market stats) and chat to Midwest's Ben Kvalo on a more sustainable future of the video game business www.thegamebusiness.com/p/xbox-divid...

thegamebusiness.com

Xbox divided over its future, and do people even buy physical PlayStation games?

Plus, we’re joined by Midwest Games CEO Ben Kvalo to discuss a flexible future for game publishing