The plan to break apart Google... RIP Chrome

Claude can perform impressively complex tasks, but it will also make stupid mistakes from time to time.Read More

The company has partnered with Anthropic to bring Claude 3.5 family of models to Cortex AI, the fully-managed service for gen AI developmentRead More

Why Two Point Studios returned to the office"The magic happens when we're all in the same place" Feature by Christopher Dring Head of Games B2B Published on Nov. 20, 2024 It doesn't feel that long since we last spoke to the team at Two Point Studios.In fact, it was two years ago, on the eve of the release of its second game: Two Point Campus. The simulation title had just suffered a slight delay, and one of the reasons the studio cited for the date shift was because the game had been made almost entirely during lockdown.At the time, founders Mark Webley and Gary Carr said that it wasn't until the end of development that they noticed a few issues. The sort of issues, they suggested, that would have been picked up if the team had been operating in the same space. This is a studio that's used to looking over each other's shoulders, spotting issues with how their colleagues are playing the game, or taking a brief moment to highlight a tiny bug. For the vast majority of Two Point Campus' development, that simply didn't happen.Two years on, and Two Point Studios appears similar to the one we spoke to back then. The same leaders, the same team size (around 40 people) and they're still making management sim titles set in the fictional Two Point County. The company's next game, due in February next year, is called Two Point Museum.Yet whereas Campus was made almost entirely remotely, Museum has been made almost entirely in-office."It was a much easier development process this time," explains executive producer Jo Koehler."Last time we spoke, we talked about Covid and the effect that had on the production of Two Point Campus. We went into full production about the week of the lockdowns. We thought it would be a month at home then we'd back, but that wasn't to be. With Museum, we are back in the office four days a week for most people. And having that back and forth, face-to-face has been really fantastic."Design director Ben Huskins adds: "Those little ad-hoc chats... when we are at home, someone would message you on Slack and you might not spot that for an hour, and they only wanted a two minute chat. That sort of thing is so much easier in the office."Koehler again: "We all say the magic happens when you're all in the same place. Having all those playthroughs in the office... it's been really good." Two Point Museum isn't coming to Nintendo Switch due to more enhanced tech and a larger scaleThe ability to operate in-person has also been crucial in Two Point Studios' efforts to make its games approachable.Each of the Two Point games are standalone. 2018's Two Point Hospital, 2022's Two Point Campus and 2025's Two Point Museum feature some cross-over elements and characters (I am told there's a fan community built around in-game radio DJ Sir Nigel Bickleworth), but they are distinctly their own experiences. Two Point Campus, for example, focused on building a relationship with the students in the game, whereas the upcoming Two Point Museum is less about the characters and more about going on adventures to find exhibits to display.And each game has its own fans. There are those that move from game-to-game, but Huskins and Koehler tell us that there are plenty who come in for the specific experience of running a hospital, or setting up a school. That means, the team has to approach each game as if its audience has never played one before.And just generally, Two Point Studios is proud of the fact that its games appear welcoming. Its simplistic but characterful visual design, the chunky UI it's all part of the company's focus on making sure its games are not off-putting to more casual users."We spend a lot of time thinking about the onboarding process for the game, and ease people in," Huskins tells us."And that's not just about [existing] Two Point players vs new players, but that's also us trying to deal with hardcore management players and those who want a more relaxing experience and might feel overwhelmed loading up a management sim. That is a real pillar of our studio, which is having that depth to the game, but trying to make it as accessible and approachable as possible. We spend a lot of time thinking about how we gradually introduce these features. We have it so the game still works with the base set of features, but then we layer things on."And the key to that is testing, watching, tweaking all of which are easier to do when you can see people playing the game, whether that's in an office or even at events."We do a lot of iteration on things like that," Koehler explains. "We do a lot of playtesting as things go along. And events like Gamescom, it's great to look over people's shoulders and see how they play.""With Two Point Museum, we are back in the office four days a week for most people"Jo Koehler, Two Point StudiosTwo Point Museum continues the studio's penchant for creating management sims that are based on everyday concepts, but with an added layer of humour and fantasy on top. In the case of Museum, you might discover a caveman in a block of ice and put it on display, but if you're not careful, the ice could melt and the caveman would escape."It's the idea that it's grounded in reality to an extent, but it allows us to put our own twist on it, and our own style of humour on it as well," Huskins explains.I've always thoroughly enjoyed the Two Point games, and my playthrough with Museum left me with little doubt that the series' signature style, humour and quality remain intact. Where I was a little disappointed was to see the absence of a Nintendo Switch version (which is how I played the first two games). The Switch version of Campus was a priority for Two Point Studios due to how successful Hospital had been on the platform. So why skip it this time around?"With each game, we've pushed the tech each time," Huskins tells us. "And there's a few things that we're doing this time like the lightning effects [for the exhibits]. And we've also got quite a lot of depth to each museum, which gives you reasons to come back to them. Whereas previously, you would get three stars [on your creation] and you felt like you'd move on. Whereas, with this game you can play the museum for much longer, so you can end up with lots of things going on and lots of characters."Huskins did suggest more platforms could come up down the line a hint, perhaps, that a Switch 2 version would be on the cards. Two Point Museum takes place in the same fictional universe as Two Point Hospital and CampusFor now, the team has its hands full, not just with Museum, but it has vibrant communities still playing Hospital and Campus, too."[Expanding the universe] definitely affects our focus in terms of where we do updates," admits Huskins. "We don't have as many people focused on a particular game."Koehler cuts in: "We have to think quite carefully about making sure we're doing the right things. So doing the things the player wants. So when we do the post-release roadmaps, we listen very closely to the community."Huskin concludes: "We have a list for every game of the quality of life updates we'd like to do, here is some feedback from the community, any bugs we've not been able to fix... and then it's just a case of prioritising it in terms of what gets the focus."For now, we're managing it, and certainly being back in the office has helped us with that."

Unknown 9 developer Reflector Entertainment lays off 18% of staffUpdate: Studio says affected employees "aren't assigned to roles that our active projects require" News by James Batchelor Editor-in-chief Published on Nov. 20, 2024 Update: Reflector Entertainment has confirmed 18% of its workforce have been laid off in a post on its website.The studio attributed this decision it entering a new phase of development, and the people affected "aren't assigned to roles that our active projects require."The company has said that it is supporting those who have been laid off by "providing them with severance packages as well as access to medical, emotional, and career planning support."Original story: Reflector Entertainment has reportedly laid off an unknown number of staff, just one month after the launch of its debut title, Unknown 9: Awakening.The job cuts were first reported by Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach via BlueSky, with GameDeveloper noting that some of the affected employees have also spread news of the layoffs via LinkedIn.It's unclear how many staff have been cut, although it is believed the QA, marketing, art and narrative teams have been impacted. Narrative and game designer Anna Karina Bermudez and brand manager Manou Deneuvel are among those who are now seeking new employment.Reflector Entertainment is the developer behind Unknown 9: Awakening, the first in a series of action adventure games with a transmedia universe built around it. Other Unknown 9 outlets include a podcast audio drama, novels and a comic book series.The studio landed Bandai Namco as publisher, with the Japanese company acquiring Reflector back in 2020 ahead of Unknown 9's release.Unknown 9: Awakening was originally due for release this summer, but was delayed to October 18, 2024. It released to mixed reviews, and it unclear how well it has sold.GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Bandai Namco for confirmation and comment.

Farlight's AFK Journey just released on iOS and Android last month, and it's already been crowned Google Play's best game of 2024.In celebrating the best apps and games to grace the storefront this year, Google commended the mobile-RPG for its "expansive roster of characters and satisfying tactical battle system. [...] Its vast explorable world and beautiful art style also helps it stand apart from its peers." According to its store listing, the game has over 5 million downloads on Google Plays since its launch."AFK Journey blew us away within its opening minutes, showcasing exceptional visuals and a fantasy world packed with satisfying things to explore," Google continued. "The choice for Best Game of 2024 was obvious: We just couldnt get enough of [it].Meanwhile, Supercell's Clash of Clans took the win for best multi-device game. Earlier this year, the free-to-play title released on PCs and Chromebooks, becoming "optimized across everywhere you play, however you want to play. [It] may have been around for over a decade," said Google, "but this year, it went even bigger."Fellow games to receive "Best of" awards this year include Squad Busters ("Best Multiplayer"), Yes, Your Grace (Best Indie), Solo Leveling: Arise (Best Story), and Honkai: Star Rail (Best Ongoing). Last year, Honkai took home Google Play's Best 2023 Game, preceded by Apex Legends Mobile in 2022.Changes afoot for the Google Play StoreGoogle also used the 2024 awards to tout its changes to the Google Play Store throughout the year. Along with updating its discoverability features and "ensuring timely content delivery," it worked to "better support the developers who power the platform. We look forward to seeing how developers and publishers continue to help people discover new apps, games and bookswherever they are, on whatever device."The full list of Google Play's best games and apps for 2024 can be read here.

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorNovember 20, 20241 Min ReadImage via Xsolla.At a GlanceXsolla will work toward making Busan into a "global hub for game development and technological innovation."Xsolla has entered another "strategic agreement," this time with the government of Busan. The game commerce firm has teamed with the Busan Metropolitan City (BMC) and Busan Digital Asset Nexus (BDAN) with the aim of building an Asian-Pacific (APAC) headquarters in the South Korean city.As part of the agreement, Xsolla will work toward making Busan into a "global hub for game development and technological innovation." This marks the company's newest international partnership in 2024, as it's previously teamed with the governments of Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia to build game development academies.Busan will have a similar "cutting-edge talent development center" to provide creators with mentorship, resources, and funding opportunities. Xsolla and BDAN also intend to focus on "exploring advancements in Web3 technologies to drive regional economic and digital growth.""This partnership is a testament to Busans incredible potential as a center for games and technology," said Xsolla's global strategic partnerships VP Rytis Joseph Jan. "By collaborating with BDAN and Busan City, we aim to create opportunities for local talent and businesses while contributing to the economic and technological growth of the region."No schedule listed for BusanInterestingly, Xsolla's Busan plans do not appear to have a timetable for turning the city into a prominent game development hub. For both Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, the commerce company explicitly stated it wanted those countries' development academies to create new jobs or be a prospective location for the larger game industry by 2030.Still, this deal with Xsolla is said to "demonstrate Busans potential to become a global leader in the gaming and digital industries," according to mayor Park Hyung-Joon. "We look forward to collaborating with Xsolla and BDAN to strengthen our citys digital competitiveness and foster new economic opportunities."About the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have spelled out their plans for DOGEElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have spelled out their plans for DOGE / Their approach includes recommending executive actions that could result in massive headcount reductions across the government.By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. Hes submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium. Nov 21, 2024, 12:55 AM UTCShare this story Illustration by Laura Normand / The VergeElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were officially appointed the co-leads of President-elect Donald Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, and on Wednesday, the two men spelled out their plans for the advisory group in a long article in The Wall Street Journal.Musk and Ramaswamy say they will serve as outside volunteers making recommendations that allow the Trump administration to cut the federal government down to size. Their primary focus is on cutting down federal agencies, which they view as wasteful and antidemocratic.Most legal edicts arent laws enacted by Congress but rules and regulations promulgated by unelected bureaucrats, write the two unelected men who have been tasked with cutting trillions from the federal budget and rewriting government operations.Musk and Ramaswamy say theyll hire a lean team of small-government crusaders to work with the Trump administration and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Their primary lever for change will be executive action leaning on two recent Supreme Court rulings West Virginia v. Environmental Protection AgencyLoper Bright v. Raimondo (which overturned the Chevron doctrine) which suggest that a plethora of current federal regulations exceed the authority Congress has granted under the law.Here is how DOGE will make its recommendations for what Trump should put pause on a process that will be aided vaguely by advanced technology:DOGE will work with legal experts embedded in government agencies, aided by advanced technology, to apply these rulings to federal regulations enacted by such agencies. DOGE will present this list of regulations to President Trump, who can, by executive action, immediately pause the enforcement of those regulations and initiate the process for review and rescission. This would liberate individuals and businesses from illicit regulations never passed by Congress and stimulate the U.S. economy.As a result, Musk and Ramaswamy foresee Trump cutting thousands of federal regulations and say that these cuts will allow for mass head-count reductions of government employees. DOGE will try to determine the minimum number of employees required at an agency for it to perform its constitutionally permissible and statutorily mandated functions. This will almost certainly hobble many government agencies, which enforce everything from environmental protections to healthcare standards.Musk and Ramaswamy also suggest that Trump could impose rules like requiring federal employees to return to the office five days per week, which they say could bring voluntary terminations they would welcome. If federal employees dont want to show up, American taxpayers shouldnt pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home.In the article, Musk and Ramaswamy list a few federal expenditures that seem to be on the chopping block, including $535 million a year to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $1.5 billion for grants to international organizations to nearly $300 million to progressive groups like Planned Parenthood.Musk and Ramaswamy aim to eliminate the need for DOGEs existence by July 4th, 2026.Most PopularMost Popular

Nvidia has become the worlds most valuable company on the back of AI chips, passing Microsoft and Apple along the way, and in todays Q3 2025 earnings, the company suggested its record AI revenue and profits are only the beginning. While The Information recently reported that its new flagship Blackwell AI servers might have cooling issues, the company didnt address that on todays call instead, Nvidia assured investors that Blackwell is in full production, is full steam ahead, and that the company would continue to deliver more of the chips each quarter from here on out. Nvidia has already shipped 13,000 Blackwell samples to its customers this quarter, said CFO Colette Kress, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claimed Blackwells success can already be measured in the billions as a result. As you can see from all the systems being stood up, Blackwell is in great shape, Huang told investors.RelatedWhile Nvidia has long been known as a graphics and gaming company, pioneering the GPU, its data center fortunes have now outstripped its other businesses by an order of magnitude. Gaming is now merely a $2-3 billion business each quarter for Nvidia, but its AI-infused data centers raked in $30.7 billion this past quarter, making up the vast majority of its $35 billion in quarterly earnings. Much of that is pure profit for Nvidia, too: $14.8 billion in Q1, $16.6 billion in Q2, and now a profit of $19.3 billion in Q3. (Microsoft and Apple made $24.7 billion and $21.4 billion in profit, respectively, this past quarter, though.)Though AI is nowhere near as big a business yet for Nvidia's rival AMD, that company is seeing a similar shift, and is similarly changing its strategy to revolve around AI. Both Nvidia and AMD have accelerated their development timelines, promising to bring out new chips to meet that AI demand each year instead of every two years. Practically, that means theres substantial overlap between each new generation of chips as businesses order them and stick them into data centers. Though Blackwell is Nvidias latest and greatest, Nvidia says today that the H200 it announced last year is actually now the fastest-selling product its ever made, growing to multiple billions of dollars worth this past quarter. Nvidias H100 was its original winning AI product, though it took longer to see its current success; Huang says the company expects demand for its H-series chips to continue through most of next year.Intel, meanwhile, is far behind in terms of AI fortunes and is currently restructuring.

There is a new Humble Bundle of interest to game developers, The Ultimate Unreal Engine Sci-Fi Asset Bundle (even though it contains 20+ assets for Unity game engine as well and could easily be exported to Godot, Blender or elsewhere, guides below). The assets are redeemed on the Fab asset store. It is organized into the following tiers:1$ TierPBR DroneAssistant DogElectric TypewritersComputer Sound FX 2.0Suburbs VOL.13 Roof Antennas (Nanite and Low Poly)Modular Pipes and VentsMid TierSci-Fi Character 01 (Shadow)PBR Customized SoldierCyberprisonerSci-Fi Character 04 (Witch)Soldier Future 02Soldier Future 01SCI-FI MERCENARY 01 (MARAUDER)Female Soldier 01 (ANACONDA)Sci-Fi Character 03 (Yakuza)MutantMissile Launcher RobotJust Whoosh 2Just Whoosh 4 1st StrikeBuildings VOL.10 Air Pipes and Vents (Nanite and Low Poly)Industrial VOL.4 Electricity, Hydro, and Water TreatmentBuildings VOL.2 Electric & Air (Nanite and Low Poly)CyberHackerBuildings VOL.6 Electrical Boxes (Nanite and Low Poly)Sci-Fi Computer Station Modular High-Poly Smart Materials30$ TierCustomized Alien SoldierSci-Fi Fruit Market NaniteJust Impacts DesignedScifi Railroad Terminal Facility (Nanite)InquisitorAstronaut SoldierSCI-FI MERCENARY 03 (HEAD-HUNTER)SCI-FI MERCENARY 02 (TITAN)Female Soldier 02 (TARANTULA)Sci-Fi Character 02 (Hunter)Sci-Fi Character 06 (Necromancer)Dystopia Mech and PilotDystopia SoldierModular Sci-Fi Base Indoor Outdoor Moon ThemeModular Sci-Fi Base IndoorSci-Fi Modular WorkStation High Poly Kit Bash Smart MaterialsModular Sci-Fi Base Indoor Outdoor Mars ThemeFlame Thrower RobotRocket Launcher RobotSci-Fi Starter Pack Modular KitBash High-Poly Smart MaterialsElectro-Mechanics ToolKit 2Dark SciFi DronesQuarantine Medical TentCity Subway TunnelIf you are interested in getting these assets into other game engines, check out our various guides available here:You can learn more about The Ultimate Unreal Engine Sci-Fi Asset Bundle and see several of the assets in action in the [VIDEO TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE]. Using my link helps support GFS (and thanks so much if you do!). If you have trouble with the link opening, please simply paste it into a new browser and it should work fine.