For Unity, lowering the barriers on mobile is good business 4
by Mike Rose [05.24.13]
There's a chance you missed the news that Unity's basic mobile licenses went free earlier this week. Unity CEO David Helgason explains how his company can afford to make this move.
Smartphone/Tablet, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Indies on Xbone: Where's the beef? 31
by Mike Rose [05.22.13]
No matter what you've read about the newly-unveiled Xbox One, I'll wager you haven't seen much mention of the role of indie developers on the new console.
Console/PC, Indie, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Opinion: Xbox One is a desperate prayer to stop time 148
by Leigh Alexander [05.21.13]
Microsoft used words like "groundbreaking," "innovative" and "immersive" countless times as it unveiled the Xbox One, but Leigh Alexander argues that all we saw a disconnected prayer to stop time.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Programming, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Game devs ask: What will Xbox One do for indies? 7
by Staff [05.21.13]
Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One today at its company headquarters in Redmond, Wash. We took to Twitter before, during and after the big unveiling.
Console/PC, Indie, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Market's ready for new consoles, but old-gen surprisingly viable 8
by Matt Matthews [05.20.13]
Sales of aging game console hardware in the U.S. are healthier than you might think, while at the same time, we're seeing signals that the market is ready for new consoles.
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Steam Trading Cards: The next-gen of achievements? 13
by Leigh Alexander [05.17.13]
With Valve's Steam Trading Cards, we glimpse a theory of next generation in-game achievement systems that are meant to motivate play, not just to reward it.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Indie, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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5 tips for first-person face-punching 3
by Mike Rose [05.17.13]
If there's one studio that knows how to punch people in the face with style and finesse, it's Santiago, Chile-based ACE Team. Here, the team provides tips for designing first-person hand-to-hand combat.
Console/PC, Design, Exclusive

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Sid Meier's still making stuff, and he'll probably never stop 9
by Kris Graft [05.16.13]
Even as so many veterans eventually find themselves as hands-off managers, Civilization creator Sid Meier makes sure he's on the front lines, making video games.
Smartphone/Tablet, Programming, Design, Exclusive

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Opinion: Let's retire the word 'gamer' 102
by Brandon Sheffield [05.15.13]
"The word 'gamer' is regressive. It accepts the portrait of us painted by the mainstream news media, and every time I hear it or read it it actually makes me feel a little sick."
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Art, Audio, Design, Exclusive

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Sony tells us what's going on with the PlayStation Vita 38
by Mike Rose [05.14.13]
Sony's counting on a wide breadth of developers to save the slow-selling PlayStation Vita. We talk to Sony biz dev manager Shahid Kamal Ahmad about the future of the platform.
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Leaving AAA: Why Naughty Dog's star designer became a teacher 14
by Kris Ligman [05.10.13]
"Game developers should not walk but run towards their nearest academic institution," says Richard Lemarchand, design lead on Uncharted 3 who in 2012 left AAA to teach game design.
Console/PC, Indie, Design, Exclusive, Student/Education

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As Vita languishes, why is Sony still gunning for indies? 26
by Mike Rose [05.09.13]
OPINION With Sony predicting sales of 5 million for the Vita this year, you have to wonder whether the publisher's indie push is working. But Sony has a longer-term plan for indies.
Console/PC, Indie, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Why Candy Box became more social than 'social games' 14
by Leigh Alexander [05.07.13]
The recent fervor for browser-based Candy Box yields fascinating lessons about social games -- maybe it hasn't been the mechanics or the virality players hated, but the presentation.
Social/Online, Indie, Design, Exclusive

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A view of the industry from a guy who's been all over the place 1
by Kris Graft [05.03.13]
From EA to Zynga to startups, game industry stalwart Mike Verdu has been a designer, a software engineer and a high-level exec. Here he explains how he keeps up with an industry that's in constant flux.
Smartphone/Tablet, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Jagex thinks it has cracked HTML5 with RuneScape 3 5
by Mike Rose [05.03.13]
This summer, UK-based developer Jagex will release RuneScape 3, an HTML5 update of its classic MMORPG. Why does the company believe it can succeed where others are dropping out?
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Programming, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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How Jagex plans to entice new players into its 12-year-old MMO 3
by Mike Rose [05.03.13]
RuneScape first launched 12 years ago, and is now one of the most content-filled MMOs available. With the upcoming RuneScape 3, Jagex has a plan to reel in those players still daunted by the scale.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Return of a revolution: Sissyfight is back 1
by Leigh Alexander [05.03.13]
Pioneering late '90s cult online game Sissyfight is aiming to relaunch, and creators Eric Zimmerman & Naomi Clark tell us about how the game changed a paradigm -- and helped launch a scene.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Indie, Programming, Art, Design, Production, Exclusive

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Here's what makes Ludum Dare so special 3
by Mike Rose [05.01.13]
Sometimes the hardest part about developing a game is actually getting started. The Ludum Dare online game jam had its biggest turnout over the weekend, and moved hundreds to turn their ideas into reality.
Console/PC, Indie, Design, Exclusive

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Gree's looking into monetizing fun instead of friction 6
by Kris Graft [04.30.13]
Charging players to circumvent the "grind" in free-to-play games is one way to make money. But now Gree's wondering if it can make money without the grind, and focus on selling the fun instead.
Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Four perspectives on personal games 1
by Leigh Alexander [04.29.13]
Progressive game creators are making video games that are more expressive than ever. Here are four unique understandings of the design of personal games.
Indie, Programming, Design, Exclusive, Video

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