Latest game development news from across the industry
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XBox Wire
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46 minutes ago
Gamefromscratch
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29 minutes ago
XBox Wire
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1 hour, 46 minutes ago
Babylon.js 9.26.0 is the standout for graphics/tooling teams: the new OpenUSD WebAssembly loader makes it much easier to preview and integrate USD assets directly in the browser. It also adds object ID geometry texture support, which should help with picking, selection, and editor-style workflows. For teams building web-based DCC or runtime tools, that’s a pretty meaningful pipeline win.
Unity says its new CLI streamlines CI/CD by giving build systems a single unity command for installs, tests, builds, and license handling. For teams wrestling with brittle Editor paths and runner setup, the pitch is simpler pipelines, clearer intent, and easier repros across local and automated workflows.
GameFromScratch reports that VOID is a new free, MIT-licensed .NET/C# 2D framework aimed squarely at XNA and MonoGame developers. It’s pitched as a lightweight, modular base that supplies the core systems most games need, making it a potentially easy on-ramp for teams wanting a familiar C# stack without a heavier engine.
XBox Wire says Sea of Thieves Season 21 arrives with a free play weekend from September 17 to 21, opening the pirate sandbox to everyone without Game Pass. Rare is also adding the Parley Pennant for crews looking to negotiate, plus seasonal rewards tied to Talk Like a Pirate Day and a new sweepstakes.
GamesIndustry.biz reports that 1312 Interactive has raised $1 million in seed funding to expand its publishing infrastructure. The India-based PC and console publisher plans to use the money for emerging markets, plus production, marketing, QA, localisation, and distribution support for partner studios.
Game Developer reports that Activision Blizzard is facing a lawsuit from a former employee who says she endured sexual harassment and retaliation during her 14-year tenure. The complaint accuses 10 men of misconduct, adding to the publisher’s long-running workplace culture problems. For studios, it’s another reminder that HR failures can become major business and production risks.
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GamesIndustry.biz reports that Criterion has fully pivoted into Battlefield work, with the studio now treating the shooter as its core identity. Leadership says Criterion helped shape Battlefield 6 from the start, including single-player, destruction, combat systems, and vehicle handling, while the team has grown to 164 people across two UK sites.
XBox Wire says Outright Games and Hasbro are bringing Clue Junior into Hasbro Games Junior Collection later this year. The digital version keeps the deduction loop simple for younger players, while adding stats, leveling, unlocks, and local multiplayer for up to four on one console.
Babylon.js 9.26.1 lands as a patch release with a few developer-facing upgrades that matter for asset pipelines and bundle size. The biggest additions are a new MultiTexture class, a dithered tile fade material plugin, and broader FBX loader coverage. There are also fixes for GPU particles, USD import, and tree shaking.
Bohemia Interactive has taken a minority stake in Enjoy Studio, the team behind Everwind. The move deepens a relationship that should give the studio more room to build while keeping its independence. For developers, it’s another sign that strategic investment is still a live path for funding ambitious projects.
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GamesIndustry.biz reports that Hookshot has launched Steam Hype, a new PC site built around Steam discovery and curation. The outlet will focus on notable releases, updates, and Valve hardware, aiming to stand out in a crowded market by spotlighting what’s actually worth playing now.
Godot 4.8 dev 6 lands sooner than usual after macOS startup crashes and Android Play Store upload failures were fixed. The snapshot also adds screen-space contact shadows for directional lights, a cleaned-up 3D toolbar, and a batch of editor, input, rendering, and XR fixes.
Roblox is opening the door for developers to ship experiences as standalone apps on other stores while keeping the same revenue-share economics as the Roblox app. That could give teams more reach and packaging flexibility without giving up the platform’s monetization model. The exact stores, rollout timing, and publishing workflow haven’t been detailed yet.
XBox Wire says Fallout 76 is bringing back the Slasher, giving players another chance to lean into a brutal melee-focused build. For teams watching live-service tuning, it’s a reminder that Bethesda still uses seasonal-style content to refresh playstyles and keep older systems relevant.
Bungie is reworking Marathon beyond its original extraction-shooter pitch after player feedback pushed the team to rethink both the game and its delivery. The studio says the overhaul will affect what it is building and how it ships it, signaling a broader reset for the project. Exact design changes and timing have not been disclosed.
Wardogs' lead has said the studio will not hire people who publicly criticize crunch on social media. The stance puts culture screening front and center for applicants, especially those weighing work-life balance against production intensity. It also signals a hiring filter that could narrow the candidate pool fast.
XBox Wire says Aniimo is live today, putting Pawprint Studio’s creature-collecting RPG into players’ hands on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. Launch brings 200+ Aniimo, including new Squarrel and Squashel, plus tuning across capture, training, Homeland progression, and controls. The team also added multilingual voice work and broader localization.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is adding the Airbus A380 as a Marketplace exclusive, giving third-party aircraft creators another high-profile target. For developers, it’s a reminder that premium add-ons still drive engagement in sim ecosystems. The exact release timing and feature set haven’t been disclosed yet.
Blizzard has unveiled Diablo V at BlizzCon 2026, with a 2029 launch window and a pitch built around a world where Diablo has already won. The team says the game will double down on darkness, survival, and a post-apocalyptic Sanctuary, while still serving Diablo’s many player types.
Godot has been tightening CPU-side renderer code, and one Polygon2D case showed why that matters: a scene with only about 20 animated characters was spending 15.7 ms in Polygon2D::_notification() and churning vertex arrays every frame. The fix path highlights how engine-level rendering work can unlock real headroom for games and save CPU budget on constrained devices.
The Outer Worlds 2 opens with a deliberately linear, highly curated level to establish stakes before the game loosens into broader exploration. Obsidian’s Dan Qiao used the GDC session to explain how that opening sequence was shaped as a controlled onboarding space. The goal was to teach tone, pacing, and expectations before players hit the wider world.
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