Electronic Arts has spent the past year trying to reinvent how games are made through generative AI. According to multiple insiders, the company’s internal rollout isn’t saving time - it’s causing chaos. From broken code to frustrated staff, EA’s “AI-first” approach has sparked internal backlash, exposing a deeper problem across the industry: when creativity is replaced by automation, the results often feel less like innovation - and more like erosion...
The next big gaming company to hit the stock market won’t be another corporate giant chasing billion-dollar IPs. It’ll be a scrappy Swedish collective built on chaos, creativity, and community - the Coffee Stain Group, creators of Goat Simulator, Satisfactory, and publisher of Valheim. As the group prepares to spin off from Embracer (soon to be renamed Fellowship Entertainment) and apply for listing on Nasdaq First North, it’s not just a business move - it’s a philosophical statement. Coffee Stain represents a counterpoint to the bloated AAA model, proving that smaller-scale, community-driven development can still thrive in the public market...
Owlcat Games, the studio behind Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, has launched a powerful new initiative for aspiring and professional developers alike: GameDev Learning Drop, a free online database offering over 350 curated game development resources...
Heart Machine - the studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash - has announced layoffs and the end of development on Hyper Light Breaker, less than a year after its early access launch. The studio cited “broader forces beyond our control,” pointing to shifts in funding, corporate consolidation, and an increasingly unstable environment for small developers...
Electronic Arts (EA), one of the most recognisable names in global gaming, has officially confirmed its $55 billion acquisition by a private consortium. While private equity firms are no strangers to high-profile deals, the inclusion of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has raised eyebrows across the games industry, sparking both economic curiosity and ethical debate...
Since 1988, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has been a cornerstone of the global gaming industry. What began in the living room of Atari designer Chris Crawford has grown into a 30,000-person event at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, with the GDC Vault serving as an invaluable archive of talks and insights. But despite its storied legacy, GDC is facing an identity crisis - and its rebrand to the “Festival of Gaming” may not be enough to save it...
AAI is moving deeper into the core of game development. At the 2025 Tencent Global Digital Ecosystem Summit, Tencent Cloud announced a major upgrade to its HunYuan 3D 3.0 model and a new HunYuan 3D Studio - an all-in-one tool designed to automate and optimise the full lifecycle of game production. From concept art to motion systems, Tencent is positioning AI as not just an assistive tool, but a standardised part of the pipeline...
Australia’s next generation of game developers has just been revealed through the Smart Program 2025 - a 90-day accelerator designed to sharpen skills, build networks, and prepare emerging creators for careers in one of the country’s fastest-growing creative industries. Backed by the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip, the program has become a cornerstone of Victoria’s games ecosystem, producing graduates who have gone on to shape the local and international scene...
The gaming media landscape has been turbulent in 2025, with mass layoffs, AI-driven content strategies, and ownership changes reshaping trusted outlets. But from the ashes of Polygon’s restructuring emerges Rogue - a new independent video game publication created by seven former Polygon staffers. Their mission? To humanise developers, spotlight both indie and AAA titles, and deliver writing “by humans, for humans” - without being bound by algorithms or corporate interests...
GameDev Market just drew a hard line: a blanket, platform-wide ban on generative-AI assets. From now on, every sprite, texture, 3D model, and sound effect listed must be 100% human-made, with sellers certifying zero AI use. The marketplace will enforce the policy via stricter vetting, random audits, and community reporting. Whether you see this as a bold stand for craft or a risky bet against the tide, it’s a pivotal moment for asset marketplaces and the teams that rely on them...
