I think "changing artistic intent" is actually a pretty spot-on way to describe it. Hardware makers are insane I guess.
4
Ubisoft names general managers of Creative Houses 3 and 5, Creative Network
(www.gamesindustry.biz)
32
Jensen Huang says gamers are 'completely wrong' about DLSS 5 — Nvidia CEO responds to DLSS 5 backlash
(www.tomshardware.com)
It gets worse. Apparently the CEO ignored his lawyers and asked ChatGPT to help him boot out the leaders of Unknown Worlds...
2
Embark "mutually parts ways" with co-founder Rob Runesson following sexual misconduct allegations
(www.gamesindustry.biz)
Can't lie. I've played several games and thought "imagine if they gave a small team all these assets and code and just let them make a cheaper new story in this world." I mean on Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian did a great job with a NEW world. I can only imagine the fun that someone could get with a n existing Warzone map or two. Or maybe actually doing single player DLC for GTA5.
GIbiz has also updated their "the story thus far" article with these events.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/krafton-inc-versus-subnautica-2-former-lead-developers
These appear to be in addition to QA cuts in January.
YouTube Premium.
I pay for this, and two other family members pay for two other services. Theirs have each blocked the other 2 of us... So what was once 3 of us buying 3 family plans has become just me doing it. And the second YouTube blocks them, I'm canceling it.
Dreamhost.
More than a decade ago they had a big fuck up where they accidentally charged tons of users multiple times when their contracts weren't when finished. So one day I woke up and they'd taken a few hundred dollars from my account. That put me in the negatives.
When I called them, they verified my identity, and let me complain a little. (I'm not much of a complainer. But their customer service person was great.) They paid me back the charged amount, and asked how much I'd had in overdraft fees, and paid me that too. And they let my hosting plan date reset at that date for the year-long renewal. So they basically have me like 9 months on top of it.
Mind you, I wasn't using much at the time. Just a few blogs and a podcast. So it's not like they're not making free money off of me. But they handled it so damn well. Didn't even ask to see a bank statement about my overdraft fees. Just "and how much was that? Got it." I'm sure it was just a case of cost and smart business... But fuck yeah, reward smart business.
3
BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations revealed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads in 12 categories
(www.gamesindustry.biz)
Trading cards have been around forever, but I gave this thought the other day, and I don't know if they understand the culture has changed.
The casual curiosity that used to exist around baseball cards isn't pervasive around monetary loot boxes and unlocks. I don't think that fun is even there for physical cards anymore. That fun has shrunk back to only a small portion of fans, the very youngest and the extremely niche enthusiasts of any game. Now even casual players and preteens, constantly having ads and full markets shoved in their faces for these things, are avidly into the financial and profiteering aspects that only the most business-minded used to fixate on.
It's like that police charge a month or two ago about the parents that let the small child go to the park alone ahead of them. It used to be accepted, but now less so. It used to be a fun casual excitement to find a rare item. Now it's investments for everyone.
I'm willing to give Valve some benefit of the doubt, that maybe they think a non-trivial portion of people are having fun with this stuff. (I'm sure most will disagree, and that's fine.) But it feels so evident that I feel they must know most are playing the lottery. Knowing or not before now, now they need to come to terms with running a gambling enterprise or remove that aspect entirely.
It's funny to say "only", but if only 38k games were added in 2025, then yeah, that actually is better than I expected. (And still very low, to your greater point.)
Really? I can see it coming out. I just don't see it getting the support it needs to be competitive, much less succeed.
If Infinity Ward's next game includes a DMZ mode and it's good, it will probably determine what I do. I'll probably need a new PC to play it. I've got a 1080 and I'm on Windows 10. I play ARC Raiders with no problem now. But if I have the money, and DMZ2 is fun, and it requires Windows, I'll probably get a new PC with the next Windows. If it doesn't, I'll probably just switch my current PC over to some flavor of Linux, and maybe put that money to a down payment of a house. It'll probably be about the same amount by that point.
A user (whom someone else now banned from LW, I guess,) reported this post for child predation. I get that, given:
a) Roblox only recently putting better communication regulations in place,
b) the multiple states suing them,
c) People Make Games' reporting (which I encourage anyone interested in Roblox to watch.)
But banned-user, you probably won't be surprised to find out that I'm going to let this post stand. Not only because I posted it, but because I do hope that if anyone here is already developing for Roblox, they're able to best take advantage of these programs available to them. And I believe there's a greater chance of that, than a young child finding these posts and considering them inherently a recommendation of Roblox over other development options.
But you be either happy or disgusted to know that I did consider this before the post. I've posted about Roblox before, and made that call.
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There's definitely some validity to it. There's the old saying credited to Ford I believe: "if you asked people what they wanted they would've said faster horses". But at the same time doing things different doesn't mean you're right. Sometimes we just want the fries in the bag.