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I Tried Making a Pen Plotter to Draw Maps of the Moon
Sebastian Lague
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2 hours, 41 minutes ago
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Jobs roundup: October | Code Wizards Group appoints Catherine Bygrave as head of commercial
PC and console revenue charts led by new releases in August | Newzoo charts
Babylon.js 9.29.0 Released
Upcoming Changes to the Discounts & Events Section on Steam
Tech Updates: Week of Sep 28
Graphics and tools teams get the most from these drops: Babylon.js 9.28.0 improves render correctness and adds root-motion support for animation groups, while also smoothing OBJ AssetContainer and Gaussian Splatting behavior. Aseprite’s patch fixes a tilemap paste crash and layer/sprite copy issues, which matters for pixel-art workflows. Stride’s CLI and samples updates mainly reduce setup friction and keep starter content/versioning aligned for teams on newer .NET paths.
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Babylon.js 9.28.0 Released Babylon.js (GitHub Releases) · 1 week ago
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Aseprite v1.3.18.6 Released Aseprite (GitHub Releases) · 1 week, 1 day ago
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Stride cli/1.0.3 Released Stride (GitHub Releases) · 1 week, 2 days ago
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Stride samples/4.4.1 Released Stride (GitHub Releases) · 1 week, 2 days ago
🔥 The PS5 hacking scene just took a big leap forward
Ars Technica reports that the PS5 hacking scene has crossed a major threshold: the new Relapse exploit works on consoles up to firmware 13.6, not just years-old builds. For developers, the practical takeaway is that jailbreak access is now viable on far more retail units, and the exploit is dramatically faster than earlier attempts.
🔥🔥🔥 I Tried Making a Pen Plotter to Draw Maps of the Moon
Sebastian Lague shows a DIY pen plotter that can draw contour maps of the Moon, then pushes it further with spiral cats and planetary plots. The build covers the mechanics, stepper control, pen holder, and path optimization needed to get clean lines. For tools-minded developers, it’s a neat look at turning geometry into physical output.
🔥🔥🔥 Jobs roundup: October | Code Wizards Group appoints Catherine Bygrave as head of commercial
GamesIndustry.biz says Code Wizards Group has named Catherine Bygrave head of commercial, bringing in a veteran with experience at Activision, Sumo, Gfinity, and Humble Games. The October jobs roundup also tracks senior moves at CD Projekt Red, Playground Games, 2K/Hangar 13, Bloober Team, Roblox, and Zynga. For studios, it’s another sign that leadership hiring remains active across publishing, live ops, and production.
🔥🔥 PC and console revenue charts led by new releases in August | Newzoo charts
GamesIndustry.biz says August’s PC and console revenue charts were driven by a wave of new releases, with EA Sports Madden NFL 27, Big Walk and Star Wars Zero Company all landing high. Pokémon Pokopia also surged after DLC, while Fortnite and Helldivers 2 showed how live-service and subscription boosts can still move the needle.
🔥🔥 Babylon.js 9.29.0 Released
Babylon.js 9.29.0 lands with a mix of performance work, WebGPU fixes, and editor/runtime polish. The release trims CPU particle allocations, fixes 3D texture mipmap generation, and adds frame-graph and loader improvements that should matter to engine users shipping on modern pipelines.
🔥 Skyboxes Space
Kenney.nl has released Skyboxes Space, a free CC0 texture pack aimed at teams that need quick space backdrops without licensing friction. The bundle ships as five skyboxes, making it a handy drop-in for prototypes, menus, and in-game vistas.
Excellence on Display: Recognizing the SIGGRAPH 2026 Award Winners
SIGGRAPH announced its 2026 award winners, spotlighting standout work across art, animation, emerging tech, immersive experiences, real-time graphics, and research. For developers, the list is a useful snapshot of where the field is pushing next, from production craft to interactive rendering. The honorees also hint at the techniques and pipelines likely to influence future tools and projects.
🔥 Grasshopper Manufacture becomes independent as it splits from NetEase Games
GamesIndustry.biz reports that Grasshopper Manufacture is splitting from NetEase Games and becoming independent again. CEO Goichi Suda says Romeo is a Dead Man helped sharpen the studio’s direction, and Grasshopper now plans to lean on its self-publishing experience. The move keeps the door open for future collaboration with NetEase.
🔥 Ubisoft renames Creative House 2, home of The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, as Massive Entertainment
GamesIndustry.biz reports Ubisoft has renamed Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment, putting The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell and March of Giants under the Swedish studio’s brand. The move is meant to unify teams across Montréal, Paris, Sweden and Toronto, with Christoph Hartmann steering the house. It also signals Ubisoft’s broader Creative Houses reset is still being locked in.
🔥 Alleged hacker arrested over leak that exposed GTA Online's daily revenue
GamesIndustry.biz reports that Dutch police have arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man tied to ShinyHunters, the group blamed for a Rockstar breach that exposed GTA Online revenue. The leak showed the game earns more than $1m a day, adding another security headache for Rockstar after the GTA 6 footage theft.
🔥🔥 Ubisoft Montreal employees launch collective action to preserve hybrid work schedule
Game Developer reports that Ubisoft Montreal employees have launched collective action to protect their hybrid work schedule. The first step is a petition, signaling staff pushback against any move away from the current arrangement. For teams balancing collaboration and retention, it’s another reminder that workplace policy is now a live production issue.
Microsoft boss Nadella says Xbox has to invent "sustainable business model"
GamesIndustry.biz says Microsoft wants Xbox to find a “sustainable business model” as it pushes to reach more players across PC and console. Satya Nadella tied that goal to recent “streamlining,” which has already meant thousands of layoffs and studio closures. He also said Xbox is expected to return to growth in fiscal 2027/28.
🔥 The Witcher 3 hits its highest-ever Steam concurrent player count following Remastered launch
GamesIndustry.biz reports that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt just set a new Steam concurrent-player record after CD Projekt Red rolled out its free Remastered edition. The spike passed 120,000 players on Steam alone, helped by visual and gameplay upgrades plus bundled expansions. It’s a strong reminder that meaningful rework can revive a mature hit.
🔥 The Elder Scrolls Online: Seek Sunken Treasures During the High Seas of Tamriel Event
XBox Wire says The Elder Scrolls Online is kicking off the High Seas of Tamriel event, sending players after sunken treasure across the game’s waters. For developers, it’s another reminder that live events can refresh an MMO’s economy, exploration loop, and social play without a full expansion. The exact rewards and event structure are the main draw here.
MonoGame v3.8.6-preview.1 Released
MonoGame (GitHub Releases) has shipped v3.8.6-preview.1, a pre-release update for the cross-platform game framework. The changelog text provided is minimal, so the main takeaway is simply that a new preview build is available for teams tracking the next maintenance line. Developers should treat it as an early look rather than a stable upgrade target.
🔥 Microsoft Jewel Comes to Mobile with XBOX Achievements and Game Pass Benefits
XBox Wire says Microsoft Casual Games has launched Microsoft Jewel on iOS and Android, its first new mobile release in seven years. The match-3 game adds Xbox Achievements on mobile, cross-progression with PC, and Game Pass perks for subscribers. It’s a small but useful reminder that platform features can still be a meaningful retention hook.
🔥 End of Abyss: Explore and Fight Through the Abyss’ Horror
XBox Wire says End of Abyss launches October 1 on Xbox Series X|S, bringing a sci-fi action-adventure from Section 9 Interactive, a three-person studio formed by former Tarsier devs. The game has shifted from a top-down shooter into a slower, more atmospheric horror-metroidvania built around exploration, tension, and gear upgrades.
🔥 htn_planner – AAA Inspired Game AI Framework
GameFromScratch reports that former Guerrilla Games and Crytek AI developer Jose Escribano has released htn_planner, an HTN-based planning framework inspired by AAA work on Horizon. It pairs hierarchical task network AI with domain editing tools, compilers, and dynamic bindings, giving teams a more structured way to author game behavior.
How indie studios can survive industry volatility | Opinion
GamesIndustry.biz argues indie studios need to build for volatility, not just a hit. The piece points to layoffs, rising costs, and tougher funding as reasons to keep 12–18 months of runway, validate ideas early, and avoid betting everything on a single project.