Employment in the UK’s booming gaming sector is set to triple

The UK’s gaming sector is booming and bringing with it huge economic opportunities, according to an upcoming report.

Recruitment agency Robert Walters is set to release its report – Gaming: the perfect play for growth – next month, but has provided some early findings.

The UK’s gaming sector is currently valued at around £4 billion and ranges from innovative indie developers to renowned studios like Rare, Codemasters, Rockstar North, Criterion, and Creative...

30 September 2020 | Gaming

Developers can now peek under the hood of the Amnesia games

The developers of the legendary Amnesia horror series have made their code open source to help teach and inspire others.

Code for Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs is now available in full on GitHub.

In a blog post, developer Frictional Games wrote:

“This doesn’t mean that the game is suddenly free. It just means that people are free to use the source however they want as long as they adhere to the GPL3 licence. The game and all of...

24 September 2020 | Gaming

Switch developers are reportedly being told to prepare for 4K

A report suggests Nintendo is telling some developers to prepare their Switch games for 4K.

Rumours of a 4K-supporting "Switch Pro" have circulated almost since the original console launched.

Nintendo has always prioritised innovation over the most powerful specs like PlayStation and Xbox. However, the Switch launched notably underpowered—even for 2017 standards.

The Switch's display is just a poor quality 720p LCD when 1080p smartphones have been available...

9 September 2020 | Gaming

Microsoft launches Xbox Academy to inspire the next-gen of game developers

The next generation of gaming is coming, and the Xbox team is doing its part to inspire new talent.

Xbox Academy will help to teach participants about the basics of game design and development, in addition to using popular tools such as Unity.

Gaming was valued at $151.55 billion globally in 2019 and is expected to reach a value of $256.97 billion by 2025. Just this week, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt called gaming "the future of storytelling" (while eating an extra spicy...

7 September 2020 | Careers

Epic calls out Apple in ‘Nineteen-Eighty Fortnite’ video following App Store removal

Epic Games has released a 1984 (or "Nineteen-Eighty Fortnite")-style parody of Apple's own famous video after Fortnite was removed from the App Store.

Apple removed the hit game after Epic attempted to circumvent the App Store's built-in payment systems. Not long after, Epic started the #FreeFortnite campaign and released this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euiSHuaw6Q4

Epic is among the increasing number of companies, developers, and even lawmakers that are...

14 August 2020 | App Stores

Microsoft joins App Store backlash after xCloud game streaming blocked

Microsoft has joined the growing number of developers who are disgruntled with the App Store’s policies after its game streaming service xCloud is blocked.

Apple’s notorious “walled” platforms have become more open in recent years, but some frustrating policies remain which restrict developers and lead to a poorer experience for Cupertino’s customers.

Game streaming services are growing in popularity – especially with 5G rolling out – but there's a notable...

7 August 2020 | App Stores

Microsoft decides games can be exclusive to Xbox Series X

Microsoft has decided that developers can make games just for the Xbox Series X, including those from first-party studios.

One of Microsoft's most debated policies for the upcoming generation is that games must also run on the PC and older Xbox One consoles. In recent weeks, that policy appeared to have softened so that third-party developers could decide what hardware to support.

First-party studios, however, still appeared to have to develop games for all the Xbox One...

24 July 2020 | Devices

GDC: Game developers are working longer, delaying releases due to COVID-19

The first State of the Industry report from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has been released since COVID-19 turned all of our lives upside down.

GDC’s latest report is aptly called the ‘Work From Home Edition’ and highlights how game developers have been forced to adapt in these difficult circumstances.

As with many jobs, a lot of software development was already shifting to being done remotely – it just took a pandemic to speed up the transition. Of the...

17 July 2020 | Gaming

Opinion: PS5 and Xbox Series X audio upgrades will be as impressive as their visuals

With the upcoming consoles, audio technology will finally get a generational leap alongside visual fidelity.

One of the most intriguing parts of the PS5 technical announcement was that of the Tempest Engine. System architect Mark Cerny quite rightly said that audio hasn't received the same attention as visual upgrades over the years, despite it being an essential part of the experience.

Sony started its work on a 3D audio system out of necessity for its PlayStation VR...

13 July 2020 | Devices

Apple stops updating games without a government license in China

Apple has suspended game updates in China from developers without a license from the government.

The policy, draconian as it is, has been in place for some time – but rarely enforced.

Apple has faced increasing pressure from Beijing in recent weeks to start enforcing the rule that developers must show proof of a license issued by the government.

Google’s Play Store is not available (officially) in China, meaning Android users in the country typically use...

2 July 2020 | App Stores