Tina Merry’s Post

🚀 Sad Cat Studios reveals first gameplay of REPLACED on IGN Entertainment! We're thrilled to see Sad Cat Studios unveil an exclusive first look at REPLACED for IGN! 🎮 This in-depth glimpse showcases everything that makes REPLACED special—from its cinematic platforming and deep narrative to its fully handcrafted, animated world. 🎥 Watch the gameplay and experience why REPLACED is creating such a buzz! 👾 Plus, if you're at Gamescom, don't miss the chance to play REPLACED at the Xbox booth! 🏆 Sad Cat Studios is a proud portfolio company of GEM Capital. REPLACED was named one of the world's most anticipated games by Kotaku, IGN, and Forbes. At the Xbox event in June, the game was shown to journalists for the first time, who were blown away by its quality. Kotaku wrote, "This game is beautiful from top to bottom," while Digital Trends called it "the Hellblade 2 of pixel art games." As investors, it's incredibly rewarding to witness the journey of a studio we’ve supported, bringing to life one of the most anticipated games in the industry. #Gaming #GameDevelopment #IGN #Gamescom #Xbox #ReplacedGame #SadCatStudios #GEMCapital #PixelArt #GameDesign #VideoGames #CinematicGaming #Investment #GamingIndustry #VentureCapital #GameInvestments #TechInvesting

Check this out - Netflix Games' latest exclusive turns Rainbow Six into a twee rogue-lite: Smol soldiers. 🔴 The Next Big Wave Of Video Game Layoffs Is Here 🌊: Studios big and small are laying off game developers 🎮. To ensure your studio can keep production costs down and profits up, consider kaedim3d.com for AI that turns images into models in minutes ⏰. Use code A836A7X to get 1 month of Kaedim’s Starter Plan free (up to 10 credits) on Kaedim3d.com 🆓. If you’ve already searched for a 3D AI generator, you know that Kaedim3d.com alternatives will only leave you with unusable meshes and wasted time ⌛. The Kaedim3d.com image to 3D AI engine can be used with Unreal Engine, Unity, Omniverse, and Blender or via API for seamless integration into your workflow 🔄. The best part about 2D to 3D AI is that you now have unparalleled access to allow user-generated content like never before 👥. Used by more than 200 studios, the Kaedim3d.com 3d model AI generator adds levels of quality control to provide the best 2d sketch to 3d model option on the market 🏆. Remember to use code A836A7X on the Kaedim3d.com Starter Plan for 10 credits for new customers 🎁. You will not find a comparable AI 2D to 3d converter 🔍. #GameDev #IndieGame #BuildingBetterGames #Gamers #VideoGameIndustry #GameDesign

#KingOfMeat | Christoph Hartmann, CEO, Amazon Games "First, we're moving out of being a MMO-only publisher...King of Meat is the first step out of the MMO genre. As you know, we have Tomb Raider and others, so that's obviously happening regardless. But I think what's even more important is that we are taking bets on new ideas and new developers. Well, we are not yet established publisher, but we're still a big company." Full IGN Article | https://lnkd.in/eqMrqSxR Very few people sign up third-party deals. We just have shown it that we heavily invested Europe and we've signed up with [Maverick Games], great talented team, and same with King of Meat. It's someone who maybe would've been able without our help to take it that level, which is financially, as well as resources, technology, service structure, also creative and so on because we have some super experienced people. And it's just us taking risks to do something new in the industry and I think people will see more of that. I think it's important for the industry, it's fun for us to do and hopefully pays off, but that's what it really is... Going early into a stock and maybe one day have the next Tesla. Very few times it happens, but it happens. By the way, knowing from my time at 2K, you know took how long it took for NBA 2K to get big, that game was around forever. And we were always behind EA... At one moment in time, everything went right and we made it big. So, I don't want to be stuck with a genre because the biggest opportunity is almost when you come with a new genre. I mean, look at battle royale. Do you call it a genre? I don't know, is it a genre, is it like a shooter? I don't know what you would call it, but that's kind of the best case which can happen. You have a breakthrough which hits the zeitgeist.

Been waiting to post about Sony Interactive Entertainment / Arrowhead Game Studios' Helldivers 2 because I wanted to contextual a game that got all the press's attention vs other live service games that sit in and around the "same" vertical. So, was Helldivers 2 a success? Clearly, it was. Breaking through to reach a mindGAME Data mindshare score that puts you in the Market Leader category, even for a week, is something that over 99% of all games released never do. But, was it the most "popular" shooter of the moment? Even if you remove Fortnite, which is becoming more of a platform anyways, you can still see that Helldivers 2 did not pass Riot Games' VALORANT. Got close! But.. didn't pass it. In fact, VALORANT saw a bump in mindshare the same week as Helldivers 2 (rise tides, ships and all that I suppose). If I read Twitter.. or went on IGN I would've thought this game took over the world. Part of that is honestly our Western bias (me included!). Helldivers 2 over index in popularity across western markets (US, CA, EU) whereas VALORANT just dominates APAC and parts of LATAM (while still being "popular" in western markets). Ok, did Helldivers 2 outperform anyone else? Yes! I'll stop pouring cold water on Suicide Squad.. and just draw our attention to The FINALS. Helldivers 2's peak is over 3x larger than The FINALS, which it too sought to become the next live service shooter game. The real test for Helldivers 2 will be where its floor is. Look at Activision's Call of Duty: Warzone. Its unlikely that Helldiver's floor is that but.. if it gets anywhere close to that then its a huge win. #gamesindustry #videogameindustry #videogames #callofduty #helldivers2 #valorant

The landscape of AAA games is evolving rapidly. With rising development costs and high risks, the AAA market is facing unprecedented challenges. Yet, players still crave the immersive experiences these games offer. Interestingly, the AA game market is emerging as a potential savior for the industry. These mid-sized studios are creating innovative and affordable titles, providing a much-needed breath of fresh air and offering new job opportunities in the process. However, we must also consider the long-term implications. As the AA market grows, we risk saturating the market with an overwhelming number of AA games. This new crisis might take many years to manifest, but we can already see the trend. In 2023 alone, over 10,000 games were published on Steam, highlighting the sheer volume of content being produced. It's a fascinating time for the industry, and I'm curious to see what will come next. Will we find a balance, or will the cycle of saturation continue? Only time will tell. #GameDev #AAGames #IndustryTrends #JobOpportunities #GamingFuture

The Rise and Stumble of Episodic Video Games Remember when episodic games were predicted to revolutionize the gaming industry? In the mid-2000s, it seemed like the future, promising quicker releases and cheaper, bite-sized gaming. However, despite initial excitement around titles like Half-Life Episode 1, this model didn’t quite take off. Here’s why. Episodic gaming meant releasing a game in parts, theoretically shortening development times and lowering upfront costs for players. This model could have made game development more accessible, especially for smaller studios. However, the reality of game development—front-loaded with heavy initial investments in engine, technology, and content creation—meant that much of the cost and effort had to be committed before the first episode could even launch. Moreover, crafting a coherent narrative across multiple releases presented unique challenges that didn't always align with traditional game development processes. Despite the model’s potential, it failed to sustain momentum. Modern gaming demands—higher development costs, longer production times, and minimal risk appetite from major developers—have further dimmed the prospects of episodic gaming. Today, the landscape is dominated by blockbuster titles and live service games that continuously evolve, while the episodic format's legacy quietly informs current practices like Early Access and DLC expansions. To dive deeper into why episodic games didn’t reshape gaming as expected and what it means for future innovations in the industry, click on this link. https://lnkd.in/eHgVzsKN #VideoGames #GamingIndustry #EpisodicGames #GameDevelopment #EarlyAccess #DLCTrends

🔓 There's no gatekeeping in accessibility. We share our wins early and publicly because our wins, are everyone's wins. A first look at Star Wars Outlaws accessibility features are now live! With three months until launch on August 30, read here to see how you can play: https://lnkd.in/gduTFzRi A sneak peek of what this article has to offer: "Audio descriptions for cinematics were identified as one of the most sought-after features during an accessibility workshop we had during development. Star Wars Outlaws will be the first Ubisoft game, and among the very first titles in the industry, to support this feature." It's always an honor to work with everyone within Ubisoft who take accessibility and accessibility communications seriously (and there's so many!). They're passionate about the industry and how we can positively contribute to its integration into the fundamental structure of games and marketing. Huge shout out to Adriana Sikiric, Jessica Roache, Chastity Vicencio, Mitchell Brown, Ian Hamilton, David Tisserand; and to our developers featured in the article Simon Koudriavtsev, Fredrik Thylander, and Damien Belleville. #marketing #pr #games #videogames #accessibility #communications #starwars

Check this out - Bandai Namco Has Cancelled Five Unannounced Games: The Japanese company has attributed this to 21 billion yen impairment losses incurred due to an unnamed underperforming game, which is likely Blue Protocol. 🔴 The Next Big Wave Of Video Game Layoffs Is Here 🌊: Studios big and small are laying off game developers 🎮. To ensure your studio can keep production costs down and profits up, consider kaedim3d.com for AI that turns images into models in minutes ⏰. Use code A836A7X to get 1 month of Kaedim’s starter plan free (up to 10 credits) 🆓. If you’ve already searched for a 3D AI generator, you know that Kaedim alternatives will only leave you with unusable meshes and wasted time ⌛. Kaedim’s image to 3D AI engine can be used with Unreal Engine, Unity, Omniverse, and Blender or via API for seamless integration into your workflow 🔄. The best part about 2D to 3D AI is that you now have unparalleled access to allow user-generated content like never before 👥. Used by more than 200 studios, Kaedim’s 3d model AI generator adds levels of quality control to provide the best 2d sketch to 3d model option on the market 🏆. Remember to use code A836A7X on Kaedim’s Starter Plan for 10 credits for new customers 🎁. You will not find a comparable AI 2D to 3d converter 🔍.

What happens if Overwatch meets Battlefront via Unreal Engine on mobile? Well, its your lucky day to see that... Zynga's first Star Wars Shooter game is officially released around the world. Made by one of the best mobile studios, UK based developer, NaturalMotion Games, Mostly known with its CSR Racing game... I volunteered to test the game in 2021, Played 2-3 different versions over the years, With its official launch, I can honestly say that, ‘’WOW’’ It has improved so much over the years. I wish the best to whole team with the launch. The challenge of data driven live service starts now. I put together a quick 70:20:10 design breakdown. If you haven’t played it, here are the links: iOS: https://lnkd.in/eFN2tbrK DRD: https://lnkd.in/eGuwrTh8 Check it out and let us know in comments! May the force be with SW:Hunters... Cheers! PS: I am a bit sad that ‘’The Mandalorian’’ bounty hunter class is not available just yet, but I am sure it’s coming soon. PS: Game is multi platform including Nintendo Switch.   The Walt Disney Company Take-Two Interactive Dice Activision Blizzard Nintendo #starwarshunters #starwars #gamedesign #videogames #gameindustry #mobilegames

🚀 Why Remakes Matter for the Gaming Industry 🎮 Game remakes offer studios an incredible opportunity to revisit classic titles, making them accessible to new audiences while delighting veteran players with updated experiences. These remakes not only preserve the legacy of gaming's past but also enhance gameplay, graphics, and storytelling to meet today’s standards. At GS Studio, we understand the complexities of balancing nostalgia with innovation. Our expertise in game development outsourcing ensures that we can help studios realize their visions for remakes using cutting-edge technology and modern #gameplay techniques. As we approach 2024-2025, these remakes will be vital in shaping the gaming landscape, reminding players why these games became classics. Whether it’s the haunting depths of Silent Hill, the humor of Fable, or the intense action of Max Payne, upcoming remakes promise both nostalgia and fresh experiences. If you’re a studio looking to embark on your own game remake journey, GS Studio is here to provide the technical and creative expertise to bring your vision to life. 👉 Read the full article here! https://lnkd.in/eiKWcmhy Let’s connect and discuss how we can make your next project a success in this ever-evolving gaming industry! #GameRemakes #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #Innovation #GSStudio #GameDesign #Remake #VideoGames #GameDevelopmentOutsourcing #FutureOfGaming #GamingCommunity #GameDesigners #VideoGameRemakes