🎉 HUGE CAREER ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉 Today, I'm launching Vertical Slice, a new independent trade outlet committed to producing quality video game journalism that inspires, informs, and interrogates. That means daily news, incisive interviews, vital investigative work, and more. www.verticalslice.news

Fascinating story about how the social dynamics of people who don't think of themselves as a management class torpedoed the unionisation efforts at Double Fine, and how that meant the majority of the staff fired this summer were attempted union members.

Kotaku@kotaku.com · 3d ago

Back in May, Double Fine employees petitioned for a union. Two weeks later, that petition was withdrawn. What happened? https://kotaku.com/inside-the-failed-fight-to-unionize-one-of-gamings-most-idealized-studios-2000742755

✨The demo for The Hearth and Harbour is now LIVE!!!✨ store.steampowered.com/app/2528170/...

The Hearth and Harbour on Steam

Transform a run-down restaurant and build a new life for yourself in this management RPG. Decide what kind of restaurant you want to create and what kind of person you want to be. As a storm brews out...

store.steampowered.com

I always see this cute little factoid going round and having checked the numbers... it's just not true? Games Workshop's revenue last year was £660m while the UK fishing fleet's was £1.15bn

The idea that the UK government doesn't necessarily support creative/non-traditional manufacturing/non-flashy industries is one that absolutely needs challenging but... It is really hard to eat a space marine. There's an output there that isn't one shrewd, cash rich company staying that way.

BLUESKY!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!! The demo for The Hearth and Harbour goes live in just THREE DAYS!! @fellowtraveller.games‘ Ludonarracon is featuring a tonne of great indie games, we’re so excited to be a part of it 🧡 Spread the word, and see you there!!

Having recently found out about the Brigador dev controversy over his history of posting hate speech, opening this quote about the new game's non-didactic storytelling with "We were not interested in morality systems" is deeply stupid and funny. www.pcgamer.com/games/action...

Brigador devs: 'The '90s PC classics often taught really special things, but not because the story said, Wow, violence is bad!'

Brigador Killers wants to make you think, not tell you how to feel.

pcgamer.com

The doors of The Hearth & Harbour will be opening very soon 🍻 🥘 Get a first taste of the early demo on October 8 to kick off LudoNarraCon! Don't forget to wishlist the game below 🍽️ bit.ly/HearthHarbou...

An absolutely perfect storm of bonuses tied to metacritic scores, crunch and corporate layoffs completely unconcerned with the practice of game development.

Eurogamer@eurogamer.bsky.social · 2w ago

As Xbox swings the axe, Gears of War: E-Day developers fear they'll be laid off straight after launch - and right before they'd be due their bonuses. "It's hard to believe anything they say anymore," Coalition devs tell Eurogamer. www.eurogamer.net/the-coalitio...

I know a bunch of developers got *very* stressed about these principles being interpreted as law back in 2025, but if the CPC Network think they can go after games like Minecraft, Valorant and For Honor, they're likely very confident that they can force them through. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Consumer protection authorities ramp up action to protect gamers\' rights

Today, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network has launched EU-level coordinated actions in relation to nine video games companies, aiming to strengthen the protection of gamers\' rights.

ec.europa.eu

not sure why I made this but now you have to see it

When you go to get some red diesel, but then you get caught by a farmer, and then the counter terrorism police come for you, and then the president of the United States steps in because you were near a military base and accuses you of being state agents but you just didn't want to pay £2 a litre.

Jo Kibble (Political Animal)@politicanimal.bsky.social · 2w ago

‘We will therefore be pursuing an unexplained wealth order against these five individuals’, Gloucestershire Constabulary continued.

He imposed Shania Law

Hoodlum 🇺🇸@nothoodlum.bsky.social · 2w ago

They warned us Mamdani would impose Sharia law. Instead, he unleashed the real threat: line dancing in Bryant Park.

Most riveting thing I've seen all week

Been working on some Heresy Militia Utility Haulers. Didn't want something as tall as a Cargo-8, so have been envisioning these as cargo carriers ridden between sites, now ready to move squads around. Gonna work out a factory logo to go on the central sign, too! #WarhammerCommunity #Nerdlings

Bobby Kotick's history-rewriting press tour in the wake of leaving ABK has been something to behold between puff piece press and podcasts where he alleges the unions made everything up, so seeing this breakdown of the shadow campaign on the other side is great.

Chris Bratt@chrisbratt.bsky.social · 3w ago

In recent years, the media has quietly begun to change the way in which it writes about Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard. PMG investigates how Kotick used the threat of defamation to reshape his legacy in the games business, one article at a time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwp...

Watching what appears to be the entire nation of Turkey review-bombing Paradox's catalogue over a Discord user being temporarily banned for a custom Atatürk profile picture (rather than an approved in-game asset) is not convincing me that user reviews and moderation are a blanket good thing.

The Onion ran this amazing article and thought, I wanna play this! So I made it! 38 pps, PbtA, plus every mechanic mentioned in the article, and a bunch of Rodrigo song references. And it's free! Enjoy! #OliviaRodrigo @theonion.com #theonion #ttrpg #itch.io drgwenmarshall.itch.io/high-winter-...

High Winter Elves of Girlville by Gwen Marshall

A satirical game based on an Onion article about Olivia Rodrigo making a TTRPG!

drgwenmarshall.itch.io

The Onion@theonion.com · 3w ago

Olivia Rodrigo Releases Fantasy Tabletop Game ‘The High Winter Elves Of Girlville’ https://theonion.com/olivia-rodrigo-releases-fantasy-tabletop-game-the-high-winter-elves-of-girlville/

Huh. I don't think anyone expected that.

Wario64@wario64.bsky.social · 3w ago

Bungie: "we are not done with Destiny" - beginning the work of bringing vaulted Destiny 2 campaigns and content back to the game More: www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Ar...

I don't think anyone was expecting the reason for Necromunda Skirmish's renaming to be for distinguishing between that and a full Roleplay version

Control Resonant reviews in aggregate are painting the game with the most interesting of brushes - what if everyone said you should play a game, but no one could agree on exactly why. Which might be the most Remedy description possible.

Your Grandad Cyclops talks about his school days

A body hostile to the current government attempts to subvert UK authority over UK territory, claiming it's acting for the benefit of the people, and threatening operations of a military facility? I was not expecting Burnham's Falklands moment to come this quickly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Piddington in Oxfordshire votes to leave UK over asylum plans

Piddington residents vote over proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby.

bbc.co.uk

There's good insight here about Wardogs being a social game like Meccha Chameleon, but on an industry level the crunch talk is interesting. You hire Devs happy to crunch, tell them they will have to at some point, but then make it up to them with PTO and bonuses. Provided the game actually sells?

The Game Business@thegamebusiness.com · 4w ago

Wardogs has now sold 2m copies worldwide in one weekend. So, we caught up with Joe Brammer, CEO of developer Bulkhead, to learn more about the team behind it, and how they're dealing with the sudden, unexpected success of a shooter Tencent abandoned www.thegamebusiness.com/p/the-shoote...

This is sick; it's always felt a little odd that we've not had a meaningful platform that specifically engages with Steam despite the sheer scale and importance of it. The closest it feels like we've had is SteamDB, and that's a whole different kettle of fish.

Dominic Tarason@dominictarason.com · 4w ago

It's TIME! TO! GET! HYPE! Today, I get to proudly unveil Steam Hype, the project I've been working on with the help of @hookshot.media for the past two and a half months. A new PC gaming site which aims to demystify PC gaming, cut through the 100+ daily releases and spotlight indies as much as AAA

I collate a few reviews each week for a newsletter feature and the gradual reduction in total reviews, and especially reviews from anyone who doesn't look like me, has been very noticeable in the last year or so. Dire out there for sites.

Wallace@exalclaw.com · last mo.

Overworld is handy not just for collecting game reviews but also showing that no women are reviewing these big games, what a resource! I would like to be wrong about this so if you see a Wolverine review that's otherwise, feel free to share below

So I wonder how much of these specific mechanics (the lines especially) are accessibility features turned on by default and being used by an Audience that neither need nor want them because they think it's the intended experience. (Compared to using the options the Devs give them)

vic-or-squeak!! ᓚᘏᕐᐷ@gizmouse.bsky.social · last mo.

this bit from skill up's review of wolverine knocked me on my ass, it feels like something that wouldve come out of one of those focus m parody videos but its in a real triple A game

Most people do not play 3s and 4s unless the point is to play and record a well known disaster game. Basically the whole system is this: youtu.be/QR10t-B9nYY?...

The Simpsons - Just Red and Yellow Lights

YouTube video by Spencer Janyk

youtu.be

Somehow, this press junket gimmicky thing contains *tons* of wisdom about working in the arts. www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/paul...

William Shatner and Paul Wesley on Captain Kirk As State of Mind

For its 60th anniversary, the two actors reflect on their experiences in the Star Trek universe and making this beloved character their own.

interviewmagazine.com

The sheer *brass* to go from tariff-hiked prices to offering discounts on those same prices and thanking fans for taking advantage of new purchase opportunities. Genuinely incredible.

Wario64@wario64.bsky.social · last mo.

Nintendo of America announces Customer Appreciation Sale (Sept 12 to Sept 26) www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/... "featuring 30% off dozens of Nintendo Switch digital games and bundles, plus savings on select physical games, downloadable content, accessories, amiibo, and apparel"