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AAA Games Don't Always Take Years to Develop. Former Bioware Employee Explains Why We Wait So Long for Big Hits

Jacob Blazewicz, 27 June 2024, 01:40

Mark Darrah (formerly of the BioWare studio) listed the reasons for the long development of high-budget games, but also pointed out that they are often not as many years in development as one would think.

Total War Are „Unplayable” for Most of Their Development Time. Hated Developer Reveals Behind-The-Scenes of Rome 2's Disastrous Release

Jacob Blazewicz, 26 June 2024, 07:30

Julian McKinlay slammed the clunky AI in Total War: Rome 2. Even though, he says after more than 10 years, he wasn't responsible for the condition, but the „gross mismanagement” of the project by Creative Assembly heads.

Tim Bender From Hooded Horse Gave Another Piece of Advice to Independent Devs Looking for Publisher

Jacob Blazewicz, 28 May 2024, 02:50

Manor Lords' publisher warns developers not to be guided by the companies' conduct toward their big hits when choosing a partner, but by how they treat less successful projects.

Manor Lords Publisher Criticized Publishing Methods Hitting Devs. 'This Is a Silly Way to Do Business'

Jacob Blazewicz, 15 May 2024, 02:31

Tim Bender from Hooded Horse criticized the industry's „ingrained” habit of including cash-flow clauses by publishers. In his opinion, this is bad for both developers and players.

Helmets in Helldivers 2 Were to Be Far More Important, but Devs Had to 'Ship the Game'

Martin Bukowski, 10 May 2024, 03:27

Helmets in Helldivers 2 were originally intended to be more than just a cosmetic element. The developers were forced to cut this element due to lack of time, but are considering returning to it in the future.

'Games Are Always Going to Be Unfinished.' Trick Is to Draw Line Between 'Good Enough and Not Good Enough' Game, Says Falcon 4.0 and Geforce Now Dev

Jacob Blazewicz, 15 April 2024, 04:43

Gamers are complaining about incomplete games, but one of the developers of Falcon 4.0 and GeForce Now points out that it is impossible to fully complete game development.

„When I Initially Decided to Create This Game, Many People Felt We Were Out of Our Mind.” Stellar Blade Action RPG Dev Promises Remarkable Story

Michal Harat, 13 April 2024, 08:02

The developers of the action RPG Stellar Blade gave a closer look at the details of the game's development. When they began work on it, many people accused them of being crazy. The reason was said to be the market situation in South Korea.

Skyrim Posed Greater Threat to ESO Than WoW and Other MMORPGs. Devs had to Embrace „Elder Scrolls Way”

Martin Bukowski, 09 April 2024, 02:17

The Elder Scrolls Online initially looked very different, and the release of Skyrim forced the developers to make many changes.

For Huge Open-World Action RPG, Dragon’s Dogma 2 Was Developed by Surprisingly Small Team

Krzysztof Kaluzinski, 08 April 2024, 01:21

Dragon's Dogma II achieved an outstanding start in terms of sales. It turns out that four times as many people worked on this expansive game as on other major titles from the Capcom stable.

No Bonus for Overwatch 2 Devs from Blizzard Due to Game Criticism and Company Policy

Maciej Gaffke, 25 March 2024, 01:38

Following a change in Blizzard's bonus assignment rules, the developers of Overwatch 2 couldn't count on additional compensation. This is blamed on the poor results recorded by the hero shooter.

Starfield's Ending Was Developed at the Last Moment. Level Designer Tossed the Idea

Martin Bukowski, 21 March 2024, 06:42

Bethesda, in developing the Starfield ending, acted in haste. At fault is an overly large development team. WARNING: spoilers.

Moon Studios' Thomas Mahler Shares How Studio Was Saved by Success of Ori and Blind Forest

Jacob Blazewicz, 13 March 2024, 02:53

Without Ori and the Blind Forest, there would be not only the highly promising action RPG No Rest for the Wicked, but most likely Moon Studios itself.

Tekken Dev Comments on Criticism of Microtransactions. “If We Simply Do Nothing, the Game Will Simply Stop Running in a Few Months.”

Jacob Blazewicz, 29 February 2024, 06:31

The announcement of the addition of microtransactions to Tekken 8 infuriated players, but in turn these complaints annoyed Katsuhiro Harada. The father of the series hinted at how much game production costs have risen.

Forza Motorsport Co-Creator's Confessions Indicate That Microsoft is to Blame for State of Game

Christopher Mysiak, 22 February 2024, 03:26

Adrian Campos, one of the co-developers of Forza Motorsport, shared his story of working with Turn 10 Studios. And his tale indicates that the poor state of the game at its release day may have largely due to the fact that Microsoft hires devs on short-term contracts, forcing staff turnover.

Game Dev Too Risky. Developers Comment Mass Layoffs

Jacob Blazewicz, 14 February 2024, 00:22

Massive layoffs in the industry are only partially the result of an overextended market in times of pandemic. According to devs, game development has become expensive and risky.

Yakuza Devs Explain What Allows Them to Create Games Much Faster Than Rockstar

Adrian Werner, 06 February 2024, 01:19

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has given us ten games in the past 10 years. The brand's director in an interview told how this was achieved.

Free TLoU 2 Doc Available. Neil Druckmann Concept for The Last of Us 3

Marcin Przala, 05 February 2024, 06:59

Naughty Dog studio has released a heralded documentary, in which we learn about the behind-the-scenes development of The Last of Us: Part 2, the 2020 blockbuster „exclusive.” At the end of the footage, the production's director and writer, Neil Druckmann, revealed that he has a concept for The Last of Us: Part 3.

Blizzard's Binned Survival Game Was Stuck in Dev Hell; In the Making for Six Years

Michal Harat, 26 January 2024, 04:30

Blizzard's survival game, which the studio had been working on for six years, has been canceled. Blame for this is attributed on problems with the engine. Numerous layoffs and restructuring at the company are in the background.

Rifles in Palworld Result of Boss' Persistence and Support of 20-year-old Hobby Animator

Adam Adamczyk, 26 January 2024, 04:29

The ability to use firearms in Palworld is the result of the persistence of Pocketpair's studio president and the talent of a 20-year-old, who learned animation from videos on YouTube.

Palworld Development Cost Revealed -- It Supposed to Last Only a Year

Maciej Gaffke, 23 January 2024, 04:20

Takuro Mizobe, one of the developers of Palworld and CEO of Pocket Pair studio, revealed how much money has been spent so far on the game's production. He also conveyed that the title is „far from complete.”.

World-building in Action RPG Accodring to Enshrouded

Kamil Kleszyk, 13 December 2023, 05:28

Ever wondered what the behind-the-scenes of game development looks like? An insight into this painstaking yet fascinating process has been provided by the developers of the upcoming action RPG Enshrouded.

'We Got Dialogue System Unlike Any Other Game,' Cyberpunk 2077 Writer on Choices and World

Kamil Kleszyk, 30 November 2023, 04:34

Magdalena Zych from CD Projekt RED addressed the topic of dialogues and endings in Cyberpunk 2077. According to the screenwriter, the game's genre forces a grim finale to the stories presented in the universe. WARNING: possible spoilers.

Valve Accidentally Reveals Left 4 Dead Prototype in New Problematic CS 1.6 Update

Jacob Blazewicz, 24 November 2023, 07:15

Counter-Strike 1.6 has received news in Half-Life's anniversary update. The patch annoys players with bugs, but also includes a secret gift: a Left 4 Dead prototype.

Former Rockstar North Dev Upset Colleagues; Had to Wipe Blog Where he Revealed Old Secrets

Maciej Gaffke, 23 November 2023, 03:34

After saying a few words too many, Obbe Vermeij - a former employee at Rockstar North - had to stop writing about older projects of the GTA developers. However, we can still learn some interesting things from his past blog posts.

Harsh Reviews of COD: Modern Warfare 3 are No Mistake, Jason Schreier's Sources Claim

Adrian Werner, 10 November 2023, 04:27

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III's campaign is getting terrible reviews. It turns out that Activision Blizzard executives are to blame, having given the devs less than a year and a half to complete the project.

Sony Shows Bloopers From From God of War Ragnarok to Celebrate Anniversary

Zuzanna Domeradzka, 09 November 2023, 16:09

Deformed faces, flying heroes and dancing Kratos. Sony, on the occasion of the anniversary of the release of God of War: Ragnarok, showed the funny mistakes that occurred during the game's development.

'This Could've Been the End of Bethesda,' Daggerfall Creator Recalls Hard Times

Jacob Blazewicz, 31 October 2023, 02:25

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall was created in pains, and its failure could end the history not only of the entire iconic RPG series, but also of its creators.

Black Clouds Gather Over Total War Devs; Profit-hungry Managers to Blame

Jacob Blazewicz, 26 October 2023, 06:28

The problems of the Total War series and its developers by no means began this year or last year. The latest leaks indicate that studio executives gambled on increasing player spending at the expense of IPs development.

'We Convinced Ourselves Infallible;' Ex-Bethesda Designer Reveals Reasons for Fallout 76 Condition

Kamil Kleszyk, 25 October 2023, 02:21

Former Bethesda employee Bruce Nesmith claims that the developers' hubris was the cause of Fallout 76's abysmal quality at launch.

Criticized King Kong Game Said to be Have Been Made in a Year; It's Publisher's Fault

Adrian Werner, 22 October 2023, 13:42

Credible reports have appeared online explaining the reason for the abysmal quality of Skull Island: Rise of Kong.

Lord of the Rings: Gollum Devs Got Burned Like Icarus but Keep Defending the Game

Hubert Sledziewski, 11 October 2023, 13:26

The developers of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum have denied rumors that an apology for the game's condition was written by ChatGPT. They also referred to various allegations supposed to explain the failure.

Apology for Gollum's Failure Written by ChatGPT; Devs Had No Idea (Rumor)

Hubert Sledziewski, 09 October 2023, 13:58

The apology from The Lord of the Rings: Gollum devs for the game's condition was allegedly written by ChatGPT - in addition, without their knowledge or consent. Former employees of Daedalic Entertainment explain why this project was doomed from the start.

Starfield Players Expose Rain Trick; Devs Respond With Irony

Kamil Kleszyk, 01 October 2023, 22:37

Starfield helped players discover the secrets of rendering rain in video games. Reveal of the „big secret” became a source of jokes for the developers.

Planets in Starfield Have Been Nerfed; Todd Howard Explains Why

Kamil Kleszyk, 27 September 2023, 13:17

According to the initial vision of Starfield's developers, planetary exploration in the game was to be much more challenging. Todd Howard revealed why this concept was abandoned.

Todd Howard Explains Earth's Untapped Potential in Starfield

Jacob Blazewicz, 11 September 2023, 23:40

Starfield could have been richer with „hundreds of ideas” (including the landscape from Fallout 3) that ultimately didn't make it into the game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things.

Baldur's Gate 3 Devs Hired Intimate Scene Coordinators

Adam Adamczyk, 26 July 2023, 14:55

Larian has hired intimate scene coordinators to work on Baldur's Gate 3, one of the first situations of its kind in the game industry.

Star Wars: Eclipse Release Later Than Expected

Jacob Blazewicz, 29 June 2023, 16:00

Star Wars: Eclipse will not be released any time soon. Recent leaks suggest that Quantic Dream is still struggling with the Star Wars game.

CD Projekt Representative on Difficult Behind-the-scenes of Cyberpunk 2077's Development

Adam Celarek, 27 June 2023, 19:05

A representative of CD Projekt RED recently gave an interview to GamesIndustry.biz. In it, the developer mentions the difficult process of rebuilding trust of gamers and shares general plans for the future.

PC Games Don't Work as Expected; Devs Pinpoint Causes of Bad Ports

Adrian Werner, 20 June 2023, 15:54

An interesting article appeared online, in which developers explained the reasons for the poor quality of many PC ports released this year and the methods that can be used to avoid such situations.

'He Got Death Threats From Fans' - Heroes 3 Dev on Story Behind Co-worker's Departure

Hubert Sledziewski, 18 June 2023, 13:47

David Mullich, director of Heroes of Might and Magic 3, told us about how the game's lead designer, Greg Fulton left the development team. 'I think that he received some death threats from some of the fans [...],' he said.

'Arkane Hoped Microsoft Would Cancel Redfall' - Unpleasant Story of a Great Failure

Maciej Gaffke, 01 June 2023, 16:36

Jason Schreier decided to look for the reasons for Redfall's poor quality. The journalist talked to people who were involved in the development of the game.

Battlefield 2042 'Didn't Stand a Chance' of Becoming a Great Game, Says Former DICE Dev

Jakub Tarchala, 31 May 2023, 13:25

Battlefield 2042 was written off, but it brings hope for a better future, according to Joakim Bodin, a former senior engineer at DICE, who knows the Battlefield series inside out.

The Witcher 4 Increasingly Important for CDP, Adam Kicinski Comments on Sony Rumors

Jakub Tarchala, 30 May 2023, 13:11

The Witcher 4 is a unique undertaking - almost as many people are already working on the game as on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In addition, Adam Kicinski comments on rumors that CD Projekt would be acquired by Sony.

'BioWare Stopped Being Fair'; Dragon Age Dev on Role of Scriptwriters in Games

Kamil Kleszyk, 07 May 2023, 22:35

The screenwriters' strike currently underway in the United States is gaining momentum. It turns out that also in the video game industry, narrative writers do not have an easy life. The co-author of the Dragon Age series talked about the behind-the-scenes of the difficult work at BioWare.

God of War Shows How Cost of Gamedev Increased Over the Years

Jakub Tarchala, 25 April 2023, 13:30

Former president of SIE Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, has commented on the increase in the cost of game development over the past 12 years. It costs almost 5 times as much today to create a AAA game as it did in 2010.

Here's How 'Creativity and Chaos' Spawned One of the Strangest Games in Recent Years

Hubert Sledziewski, 13 February 2023, 12:58

Psychonauts 2 is creative, chaotic and fun. The development process of the game was similar - except without the fun part. Check out the incredibly long video by Tim Schafer and his team.

GTA Almost Wasn't Made; Even the Devs Didn't Believe in It [UPDATE]

Sonia Selerska, 01 December 2022, 16:02

Colin Macdonald has admitted that the first GTA was considered by the developers themselves to be an unsuccessful game. The iconic series was said to have been remade from a failed game about dinosaurs.

Gamedevs Confess Their Sins Before Twitter Expires

Jakub Tarchala, 21 November 2022, 13:33

The 'fall' of Twitter has encouraged game developers and players to share tricks implemented in various games. The 'sins' of the developers of The Witcher 3, Far Cry 6, Outer Wilds and a couple of other titles were described.

New Shadow Falls on Atomic Heart; New Rumors of Chaos in Studio

Adrian Werner, 06 November 2022, 20:10

Reports have surfaced online about the problems of the studio working on Atomic Heart. Developers are said to be complaining about crunch, unpaid bonuses and a lot of chaos in production.

Blizzard Didn't Want Diablo Immortal But Activision Forced It, Claims Diablo 3 Director

Jacob Blazewicz, 25 October 2022, 11:50

Blizzard Entertainment's veterans were said to be reluctant to create a F2P Diablo, which Activision requested shortly after acquiring the studio.