#Publishing

Naruto mobile game announces international server as MoreFun pushes three titles this year

The Naruto mobile game, licensed by Bandai and developed by MoreFun, announced an international server after ten years of operation in China, alongside a three-year Naruto IP global plan called PROJECT: RASENGAN revealed at a New York Naruto event. No test or launch date has been given, and the first PV ends with both Bandai and MoreFun studio logos, with the Japanese server likely published by Bandai. The article also notes MoreFun's other two titles this year: Rock Kingdom: World announced its overseas release at Gamescom in late August with its first overseas PV passing 4 million YouTube views, and The Outcast is set for December with 34 million pre-registrations.

Apple Releases China App Store Ecosystem Report, Citing miHoYo and NetEase as Web Payment Cases

Apple published a China-only report on October 8 titled "China App Store Ecosystem — 2025 Developer and User Value Study," authored by antitrust experts Ju Heng and Markus von Wartburg. The report says the China App Store ecosystem generates about 4 trillion yuan annually with over 95% exempt from commission, and names miHoYo and NetEase as examples of developers using web stores and DTC channels to bypass Apple Pay. It also states Chinese apps accounted for 98% of domestic App Store revenue in 2025, with 52% of Chinese developers' App Store revenue coming from overseas.

After Hololive Dreams settles above $100M monthly, COVER announces a mahjong game

GameLook argues that Hololive Dreams, launched on July 23, has reached Japan's top mobile revenue tier, with about $23 million in mobile revenue in August, prompting parent company COVER to raise its half-year operating profit forecast from 1.93 billion yen to 3.5 billion yen. The piece says the game mixes rhythm play, character growth, park building and multiplayer minigames, letting in-game events and streamer content feed each other. COVER and Aiming announced Hololive Mahjong -Holojan- on October 9 with 37 members, mobile and PC support and a release planned within the year, while ANYCOLOR announced a physical card game for December 26.

Epic CEO: Goal is 'to survive the AI revolution'

Goal is 'to survive the AI revolution' says Epic Games CEO, as its Star Wars shooter goes 'AI first'

Epic Games' unannounced Star Wars and Marvel crossover shooter pivots to AI-first development and is delayed indefinitely

An unannounced Star Wars and Marvel crossover shooter at Epic Games has been delayed indefinitely from its planned March 2027 release, with staff told to adopt an AI-first production model using tools such as Anthropic's Claude, according to Bloomberg. CEO Tim Sweeney said on X that Epic has a huge pivot underway to retool developers for maximum AI acceleration, and that the company's modest aim is to survive the AI revolution. He said current AI efficiency gains range from 20% in the most technical areas of Unreal Engine development to 5x in areas like web development. Epic Games laid off over 1,000 employees in March.

Report: Epic Games pivots to AI-first development as Disney shooter is delayed indefinitely

Bloomberg reports that Epic Games is moving to an AI-first development model for its collaboration with Disney, with AI models writing all code and guiding all artwork while human developers manage the generated assets. The $1.5 billion partnership announced in early 2024 had planned a Marvel- and Star Wars-themed shooter for March 2027, but the project is now delayed indefinitely. Epic said it is embracing AI-accelerated development, and CEO Tim Sweeney said the aim is to let teams build more and better content for everyone using Unreal.

Epic Games Delays Marvel and Star Wars Crossover Game Amid Generative AI Push

Epic Games has delayed an unannounced shooter crossover game featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters, which was previously slated for March 2027 and now has no new release date. According to Bloomberg, the Fortnite and Unreal Engine maker is pushing the game's developers to use generative AI tools like Anthropic's Claude to complete development.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Year 2 DLC Including FF7 Revealed, Deluxe Edition Owners Must Pay Extra

Sega revealed the year 2 DLC roadmap for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, starting November 3 and including crossovers with Godzilla, Evangelion, and a Midgar Pack, priced at $40 total. Players who bought the $100 Digital Deluxe Edition, which Sega had said included all future paid downloadable content, now have to pay extra, drawing complaints on Reddit and the PS5 subreddit. Individual packs usually cost $6, with the Godzilla pack arriving in early November, Evangelion in early 2027, and Final Fantasy VII timing still TBD.

Epic Games delays Disney collaboration shooter and tells developers to go AI first

Epic Games has delayed its Disney collaboration shooter, which had been slated for March, with no new release date confirmed. According to Bloomberg, developers were asked to build the game with AI tools including Anthropic's Claude, and a director said there would be no more hand-written code and that art would be generated with full AI workflows. Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024 for an equity stake, and this shooter was to be the first of several games in their partnership.

Epic Reportedly Pushing Devs to Use AI, Delays Secret Star Wars and Marvel Crossover Shooter

Report: Epic Games orders staff to adopt AI-first development on an unannounced title

Bloomberg reports that Epic Games has told developers to adopt AI-first development on an unannounced shooter made with Disney, with no more handwritten code and all art generated through full AI workflows using tools such as Anthropic's Claude, while humans manage and guide the work. The title is said to feature Marvel and Star Wars characters and to have progressed slower than expected, partly because Epic underestimated the staff needed, and the internal message reportedly surprised some developers last week. An Epic spokesperson said the company is embracing AI-accelerated development, and CEO Tim Sweeney said Epic has a huge pivot underway to retool developers for maximum AI acceleration, aiming to build more and better content rather than do the same work with fewer people.

SEGA Labelled 'Stupid Liars' After Failing to Fulfil 'All Future Paid DLC' Promise for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

SEGA has announced a Season 2 for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds featuring Final Fantasy 7, Evangelion, and Godzilla content, but existing owners must buy a new Season Pass priced at $29.99/£24.99. Fans discovered an old X post from 8th June, 2025 stating "all future paid DLC" would be included with the Digital Deluxe Edition, and have since branded the publisher "stupid liars."

Usual June Delayed to January 20, 2027

Finji has delayed the supernatural third-person action adventure game Usual June from its previously planned October 28 release date to January 20, 2027. It will be available for PC via Steam.

Epic reportedly pushes developers into AI-first mode for delayed Disney shooter with Marvel and Star Wars characters

Bloomberg reports that Epic Games has moved its Disney shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters to an AI-first production model, telling developers to use Anthropic's Claude models, stop hand-writing code, and generate art through full AI workflows. Epic communications director Jake Jones said the company is embracing AI-accelerated development. Many staff on the project were confused and shocked by the policy introduced last week, and the unannounced game, previously set for March 2027, has been delayed due to slow progress and understaffed teams.

Bloomberg: an unannounced Epic Games shooter is using an AI-first production model

Bloomberg reports that Epic Games is going all in on AI, with an unannounced shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters adopting an AI-first production model. A director told staff there would be no more hand-written code and said all art for the game would be generated with full AI workflows.

Dragon Quest 12's Long Wait Made Worse by Creator Yuji Horii's 'Astonishing' Praise for AI

Dragon Quest 12 was reannounced in May after being reworked, and Square Enix has admitted the project is still far from finished. Series creator Yuji Horii then praised on X a text-based crime investigation game he made in about 30 minutes using generative AI, calling it "truly astonishing." The article notes this doesn't mean AI-generated content will appear in Dragon Quest 12.

Report: Epic's Disney Shooter Delayed and Retooled as an AI-First Project

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports that Epic's collaboration with Disney, a shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters, has been delayed and retooled as an AI-first production. It was planned for March, but no new launch target has been communicated to the team. An internal message says staff must fully use Anthropic's Claude model, with art generated through full AI workflows and no more hand-written code, while Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said on social media that a huge pivot is underway to retool for maximum AI acceleration.

Beats by Dre Teases Pokémon Collaboration With an Electrified Beats Pill Speaker

Beats by Dre has teased a Pokémon collaboration in a six-second video posted to its official YouTube channel, titled "Time to catch something new." The teaser shows the shadow of the Beats Pill speaker surrounded by animated sparks and flames, ending with an electrified Beats logo beside a Poké Ball, and suggests a Pokémon-branded version of the wireless speaker. No product or release date details were given; the standard Beats Pill currently retails for $149.99.

Rumor: Epic Games delays unannounced Marvel and Star Wars shooter, pivots to AI-first development

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports that Epic Games has delayed its Disney collaboration shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters, which had been targeting a March release; a new date was shared internally but not made public. Developers were told to adopt an AI-first production model using tools such as Anthropic's Claude, with one director saying there would be no more hand-written code and art expected to come from full AI workflows. Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic in 2024 under a multi-game partnership, with this shooter as the first project.

Bloomberg: Epic delays unannounced Disney project and asks developers to use more AI

Bloomberg reports that Epic Games has delayed an unannounced Disney project, an unannounced Star Wars and Marvel shooter. In an internal message reviewed by Bloomberg, one of the game's directors told staff there would be no more hand-written code and that all art for the game would be generated with full AI workflows.

Nintendo's Latin America VP says there are no plans to ditch physical games

Nintendo Latin America VP Bill van Zyll said the company has no plans to ditch physical games, stressing that its approach to physical and digital releases is guided by consumer preference. He noted the Switch 2, which launched in June 2025, supports both digital and physical formats. The comments follow Sony's announcement that it will end production of physical discs for all new PlayStation games from January 2028.

GTA 6 marketing budget reportedly $150 million+

Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia said Rockstar is spending "at least a minimum of $150 million" on marketing for GTA 6. That figure is for the entire game, while the article mentions much lower numbers for Miami ads.

Former Game Developer Senior Editor Chris Kerr Launches Subscription-Funded Outlet Vertical Slice

Chris Kerr, former Senior Editor of Game Developer, has launched Vertical Slice, a subscription-funded games publication aimed at industry professionals. The site is free to read until November 2nd, with subscriptions starting at £7.45 per month, and includes a repository of pitch and design documents. Kerr self-funded the outlet, which carries no advertising beyond sponsorship of that document database, and his initial goal is 500 monthly or 650 annual subscribers.

Aream & Co: games M&A totals $57.8bn in Q3, including EA's $55bn leveraged buyout

Investment bank Aream & Co reports 54 games industry M&A deals worth $57.8 billion in the third quarter, including the $55 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts completed on August 5. Content-focused M&A accelerated, with 18 control deals for developers and publishers above $100 million year-to-date, concentrated in Asia, including Alibaba's sale of Lingxi Games to Trustar Capital, Netmarble founder Bang Jun-hyuk's $270 million purchase of Tencent's stake, and Sony Music Entertainment's $180 million minority stake in GungHo. Public market revenue rose 122% year-on-year to $1.3 billion across 13 deals, while console revenue fell 12% to $14.1 billion, with Nintendo down 18%, Xbox 10% and PlayStation 9%.

Nintendo Says It Has No Plans To Ditch Physical Games Yet

Nintendo says it has no plans to abandon physical games, keeping an "agnostic" approach that offers both physical and digital versions on Switch 2. Nintendo's VP and general manager for Latin America, Bill van Zyll, said the company follows consumer preference and noted the Switch 2 is barely over a year into its life with both capabilities. This contrasts with Sony, which has decided to move toward a digital-only game marketplace starting in 2028.

No Man's Sky Is Coming to iPhone and iPad on October 28

No Man's Sky will arrive on the App Store on October 28, the only one of seven titles in Apple's Indie Games Week not yet available. Hello Games' Sean Murray said the iOS port has been in development for years and was held up by the studio's ongoing free updates, which the team has now caught up with. Players can sync progress from other platforms to their App Store copy, and the game supports controllers, touch controls, or a mix of both on iPhones and iPads released as far back as 2019.

Nintendo Exec Officially Comments on Future Physical Game Support

Bill van Zyll, Nintendo's VP and general manager for Latin America, confirmed in an interview with YouTuber Coelho no Japão that the company will continue supporting physical media for the foreseeable future. The statement suggests Nintendo won't replicate Sony's controversial pivot to an all-digital future anytime soon.

Zavvi has ceased trading with immediate effect

Zavvi "has ceased trading with immediate effect"

Steam Breaks Its Player Record With Over 43 Million Concurrent Users in October

Steam hit an all-time concurrent user record of 43,505,724, the third time this year the figure has been broken and the first time it passed 43 million in the service's 23 years. Of those, 14.5 million were actually in-game, also a record. Valve is likely to make $20,000,000,000 this year.

Nintendo executive confirms company has no plans to ditch physical games

A Nintendo executive confirmed that the company has no plans to ditch physical games. Eurogamer reported the statement and linked to its full article.

Ace Combat 8 hits 1 million sales about a week after launch, fastest-selling in the series

Ace Combat 8 has sold 1 million copies roughly a week after release. It is the fastest-selling entry in the aerial combat series.

Why Games Workshop's Falling Share Price Is All of a Sudden in the News

Warhammer 40,000 maker Games Workshop has drawn news attention over its falling share price, down 13.76% over the past six months despite record profits. Two financial press reports last week, including one citing a confidential Dragoneye document that wiped £480 million off the company's value, fueled investor unease about slowing growth. Games Workshop said in a mid-September update that trading to August 30 was in line with the Board's expectations for the current financial year.

Steam Sets New Concurrent User Record of Over 43.5 Million

Steam hit a new concurrent user record of 43,505,724 on Sunday, the highest in its 23-year history, with over 14 million of those users in-game. It marks the second time this year Valve's platform has broken its own record, following over 42 million concurrent users in January. Recent launches including free-to-play MMO Aion 2 and a major Deadlock update helped drive the surge.

Paramount is developing a live-action Cyberpunk 2077 film

Eurogamer reports that a live-action Cyberpunk 2077 film is in the works at Paramount Pictures. No director, cast, or release date was disclosed.

Former Game Developer Editor Launches Vertical Slice, a 'Fearless' New Trade Publication

Chris Kerr, former senior news editor at Game Developer, has launched Vertical Slice, a trade publication focused on daily breaking news with no guides or reviews. Most of the site will be paywalled and ad-free, with some free articles each week and a free library of design documents and pitch decks from developers including OuterSloth and Kitfox Games. Kerr is funding the venture with his own savings and hopes to eventually build a newsroom of five to ten people.

Nintendo States That It Has No Plans To Ditch Physical Media

Nintendo Latin America vice president and general manager Bill van Zyll said the company currently has "no plans to ditch physical" media, adding that Nintendo has historically been agnostic and follows consumer preference. He noted the Switch 2 is barely over a year into its life and supports both digital and physical. The comment comes as Sony has confirmed it will cease production of PlayStation discs in early 2028, with Microsoft likely to follow.

BAFTA awards over £270,000 to 112 recipients in UK and US to support career growth in games, film, and TV

BAFTA has awarded over £270,000 in grants to 112 recipients in the UK and North America through its 2026 Prince William BAFTA Bursary and scholarship programmes. The bursary supported 100 recipients, a 40% increase from last year, with grants of up to £2,000 each. UK scholarship recipients receive up to £12,000, while US recipients receive up to $60,000.

Nintendo Confirms It Will Continue to Release Physical Games

Nintendo Latin America VP and general manager Bill van Zyll said Nintendo has no plans to abandon physical game releases and will not follow a full shift to digital. The stance comes after PlayStation announced it would soon drop physical versions entirely, sparking industry discussion. Nintendo's Switch 2, launched last year, supports both digital and physical formats, with physical releases split between full cartridges and game download cards.

The Division 2 China server to shut down on December 14

Tencent announced that The Division 2's mainland China server will officially shut down at 11:00 on December 14, citing a change in business strategy after talks with Ubisoft. Recharges and new user registrations stop at 11:00 on October 12, and forums and dedicated customer support close at 11:00 on December 22. Users who recharged before 11:00 on October 12 and still hold tokens in their accounts can claim gift packs for PUBG Mobile, Battle of Golden Spatula, Valorant, CrossFire and Honor of Kings during the compensation period.

Steam Week in Review: The Curious Case of Wonder Boy in Monster Land's Dubious PC Debut

Wonder Boy in Monster Land, a 1987 arcade game that never received an official PC port, appeared on Steam on September 28 under publisher Retro Maniac with the name misspelled as "Wonderboy." Original composer Shinichi Sakamoto called the port illegitimate and noted it is unavailable in Japan, while the listing is said to be a ROM running in the MAME emulator with the Sega logo removed. The page remained live as of the article.