The GamesIndustry.biz team discusses some of the biggest stories of the past week, where the phrase "Surely you can do better than this" applied in various ways. We start by discussing the changes promised by Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who seeks to address the many concerns about the publisher's workplace culture with investment into diversity initiatives and recruitment as well as a voluntary paycut to his salary and compensation. The plans have been declared as "a huge win" by the A...
Nov 03, 2021•55 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team discusses the biggest stories of the past week. First up, we discuss the ongoing dance between Electronic Arts and football association FIFA. While EA has claimed it's considering a rebrand for its best-selling football series, FIFA has suggested it's considering licensing out its brand to additional parties. We ponder what each side has to lose or gain, or whether ultimately these are just negotiating tactics and the world's biggest-selling game will likely remain jus...
Oct 22, 2021•36 min
This week, we're bringing you podcast versions of the best sessions for GI Live: London, which ran alongside EGX 2021. In our final episode, we speak to Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart about working with publishers. The discussion offers advice to studios on what they should look for in a publishing partner, and also explores the road to Microsoft's acquisition of Obsidian and the interested parties that came before it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 18, 2021•29 min
This week, we're bringing you podcast versions of the best sessions for GI Live: London, which ran alongside EGX 2021. Today's episode is our exclusive interview with Jade Raymond, best known for her work leading studios at Ubisoft and EA and launching franchises such as Assassin's Creed. Raymond is currently building up her new company, Haven Studios, which has already received investment from PlayStation. We speak to her about the studio's progress, forming a team of former Assassin's Creed an...
Oct 13, 2021•33 min
This week, we're bringing you podcast versions of the best sessions for GI Live: London, which ran alongside EGX 2021. Today's episode is the keynote fireside chat between our own Christopher Dring and Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan. The discussion explores Jim's career at PlayStation throughout its history, his thoughts on the future of PS5, and his hopes for the growth of the video games industry. (As this is ripped from the session on the day, Chris ends with a teas...
Oct 11, 2021•23 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics and discuss the biggest news of the past week. First up, following an article by Kotaku's Carolyn Petit and a call from OutMakingGames, we discuss how Rockstar Games should handle the transphobic elements of Grand Theft Auto 5 as it prepares to release the best-selling title on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. OutMakingGames and Petit both call for the content's removal, or a context disclaimer decrying transphobia in today's society, but whe...
Oct 06, 2021•48 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gathers around their mics and discusses the biggest stories of the past week. On this episode, we take a deeper dive into the announcements from the recent Nintendo Direct -- particularly the decision to lock N64 and Genesis/Mega Drive games to a new, more expensive tier. We discuss Nintendo's approach to online and the subscription model, the value of making retro games available on modern platforms, and the baffling price tag for those classic controllers. Elsewhere,...
Sep 27, 2021•40 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss the biggest stories of the past week. First, we're joined by indie developer Shahid Ahmad to pay tribute to Sir Clive Sinclair, the inventor of the ZX Spectrum who passed away last week. Then we reflect on the Epic vs Apple judgement and the reactions that have emerged since it was released. Finally, we discuss the launch of Arkane's acclaimed Deathloop and how, for all the praise it has garnered from critics, it's an example of cert...
Sep 21, 2021•51 min
This week, we're presenting audio versions of the panel discussions from this year's Best Places To Work Awards UK. In our final podcast of the week, we continue our tradition of interviewing last year's winner of the Best Boss award before this year's winner is revealed. During this chat with GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, Creative Assembly studio director Gareth Edmonson talks about taking over a team during a pandemic, and the lessons he's learned about being a good manager. You can f...
Sep 16, 2021•24 min
This week, we're presenting audio versions of the panel discussions from this year's Best Places To Work Awards UK. For our third session, we focus on mental health and share best practices on supporting staff. The panel features Third Kind Games' Heidi Slee, Creative Assembly's Sarah Howell and Safe In Our World's Sarah Sorrell, and is hosted by GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring. You can find the full video at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...
Sep 15, 2021•46 min
This week, we're presenting audio versions of the panel discussions from this year's Best Places To Work Awards UK. In today's session, a panel of professionals discuss the fight to address climate change and what more the games industry can do to aid these efforts. The panel featurs Playing for the Planet's Deborah Mensah-Bonsu, Ustwo Games' Jane Campbell, Games London's Michael French and Sports Interactive's Miles Jacobson. It is hosted by GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring. You can find t...
Sep 14, 2021•53 min
This week, we're presenting audio versions of the panel discussions from this year's Best Places To Work Awards UK. Today, Amiqus' Liz Prince hosts a discussion about the importance and influence of leadership on culture and diversity. Rather than focusing solely on why a diverse team is important for your business, this panel offers some actionable steps that leadership can take to accelerate their EDI journeys. You can find the full video at www.gamesindustry.biz. Learn more about your ad choi...
Sep 13, 2021•52 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss some of the biggest stories from the past week. First up, we discuss reactions to Fortnite's March Through Time, a scenario designed to explore the impact of Martin Luther King and educate a new generation about his work and iconic speech. For all its good intentions, the mode quickly attracted criticism and even had to be modified to disable the use of emotes. We share our thoughts on how Epic has handled the implementation of this ...
Sep 02, 2021•55 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss the biggest news of the past week. First up, we explore the current backlash Twitch is facing over increased hate raids targeting marginalised streamers, which has prompted content creators to plan a day-long strike from using the platform. Twitch claims it is working to improve its tools, but the site's own transparency report and our exposé on the company culture aren't in its favour. Next, we discuss the scrutiny around Roblox and...
Aug 26, 2021•43 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around their mics to discuss the biggest news from the world behind video games. This week, Chris, Brendan and James take a deeper look at the trends seen across the most recent wave of financial reports, which represents the first quarter that can be directly compared to a period where the majority of the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While most major companies saw at least one key metric decline year-on-year, there's more to the numbers t...
Aug 11, 2021•45 min
This week's episode is a little different, as we delve deeper into an issue that continues to affect people across the games industry. Splash Damage's Cinzia Musio and Limit Break founder Anisa Sanusi join us to discuss how to deal with discrimination and harassment, not just from a company point of view, but from the position of everyone in the industry. We talk about how reporting processes can be improved, how leaders and managers can better support their staff, how low-level staff can speak ...
Aug 04, 2021•59 min
Throughout this month, we've been taking a deeper dive into the world of video games recruitment and the challenges facing both applicants wanting to enter the industry and companies wanting to secure the best talent. For our fourth and final 'jobscast,' we take a look at the role recruitment plays in diversifying the industry workforce and supporting staff equally - a rather fitting topic given that we recorded on the day of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit. Our panel this week includes Creative...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 8 min
The GamesIndustry.biz editorial team gathers around their mics to discuss the biggest stories of the week. This week, the conversation returns to reports of discrimination and harassment at AAA games firms - most notably Activision Blizzard, which is facing a lawsuit from the DFEH, but also Ubisoft following the latest report of toxic elements within one of its studios. We discuss the need for more consequences for both those directly responsible for discrimination, harassment, abuse and more, b...
Jul 27, 2021•33 min
Throughout this month, we'll be taking a deeper dive into the world of video games recruitment and the challenges facing both applicants wanting to enter the industry and companies wanting to secure the best talent. For our third 'jobscast,' we take a look at the onboarding process and how studios can better prepare recruits for their new role. We discuss the challenges involved -- both before and during the pandemic -- as well as how the process differs depending on which stage of a project you...
Jul 22, 2021•57 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gathers behind their mics to discuss the biggest story of the week: the Steam Deck. With Valve's long-rumoured Switch-like handheld gaming PC finally unveiled, we discuss our reactions to the reveal and who the audience for this device might be. We also explore the possibilities for indie developers -- or indeed any developers -- and the potential for Steam Deck to introduce a new route into the PC games market in a way that has not been seen in years. In the last segm...
Jul 19, 2021•45 min
Throughout this month, we'll be taking a deeper dive into the world of video games recruitment and the challenges facing both applicants wanting to enter the industry and companies wanting to secure the best talent. For our second 'jobscast,' we take a look at the role of academia in preparing aspiring developers for a role in the industry, and how those who seek a career in games can secure the role they want. Our panel this week includes University of Southern California's Tracy Fullerton, Car...
Jul 15, 2021•52 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather to discuss the biggest news of the week: A new Nintendo Switch. Not the the Switch Pro, New Nintendo Switch or Super Switch that had been rumoured and reported on for so long, but the OLED Model with a larger screen, wider kickstand and LAN port. We discuss the root of the disappointment around its reveal, the implications of this handheld-centric update, who the new console appeals to and the consumer mentality around hardware upgrades. As always you can get mo...
Jul 12, 2021•42 min
Over the next four weeks, we'll be taking a deeper dive into the world of video games recruitment and the challenges facing both applicants wanting to enter the industry and companies wanting to secure the best talent. For our first 'jobscast,' we're joined by Square Enix Montreal recruiter Agathe Fallet, NDreams' chief people officer Tamsin O'Luanaigh and Marvelous Europe's head of production and operations Sarah Burns. This episode looks at the biggest challenges developers and publishers enco...
Jul 08, 2021•51 min
The Five Games Of is a special series of The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast that explores the evolution of the video games business through the career of prominent developers, executives and more. This time, we explore five games from the career of Warren Spector, industry veteran and one of the key figures crediting with defining the immersive sim. We explore the breadth of Spector's career, starting with his time on classic Ultima RPGs and the groundbreaking Ultima Underworld. We also exploring the...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 44 min
This week, Brendan and James are joined by Michael Varner, director of executive compensation research at CtW Investment Group, to discuss recent developments in the world of AAA publishing. Earlier this month, Activision delayed its say-on-pay vote at the request of shareholders amid an ongoing campaign by CtW and other parties to persuade shareholders to vote against compensation proposals for its biggest execs, including CEO Bobby Kotick. That vote was later passed with 54% approval -- an all...
Jun 29, 2021•34 min
The GamesIndustry.biz team gather around this mics to reflect on this year's E3 (and all the other adjacent events). Rather than go through the announcements individually - we collated all the biggest reveals and release dates on the site - we insted each choose a trend, topic or announcement we found interesting from an industry perspective. We also select the titles we are personally most looking forward to out of the hundreds tht were unveiled and showcased last week. Learn more about your ad...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 14 min
In our final GI at E3 Newscast, James and Danielle are joined by indie developer Shahid Ahmad to reflect on the full week of game announcements and reveals. During the course of the conversation, we weigh up the strategies of both Xbox and Nintendo, discuss the shortcomings of a digital-only E3, and debate the merits of Microsoft's 'everything on Game Pass' model vs PlayStation's focus on $70 blockbusters. You can find the newscasts on our YouTube channel and you can follow all our E3 2021 cover...
Jun 18, 2021•49 min
Throughout the next week, we're hosting (almost) daily video newscasts on the big news from E3, Summer Games Fest et al - with handy podcast versions for those who prefer audio discussions. Today, Chris, James and Brendan are joined by Velan Studios co-founder Guha Bala to talk about the Nintendo Direct and the end of this year's E3. We discuss the surprises of new Metroid and old Advance Wars, the ongoing wait for Breath of the Wild's sequel, the lack of Zelda anniversary celebrations, the intr...
Jun 15, 2021•51 min
Throughout the next week, we're hosting (almost) daily video newscasts on the big news from E3, Summer Games Fest et al - with handy podcast versions for those who prefer audio discussions. Today, James and Marie are joined by Cassia Curran of Wings Interactive to talk about some of the biggest news from the Xbox & Bethesda showcase and Square Enix Presents. We also spend a good amount of the episode talking about the presence of indies at E3, the difference between riskier, more creative ga...
Jun 14, 2021•38 min
Throughout the next week, we're hosting (almost) daily video newscasts on the big news from E3, Summer Games Fest et al - with handy podcast versions for those who prefer audio discussions. Today, Chris and James are joined by the first of our special industry guests: Grant Kirkhope, composer of Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye 64, Perfect Dark, Yooka-Laylee... and the newly-announced Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. Grant joins us to share a little more on his role on the upcoming strategy game, as wel...
Jun 12, 2021•55 min
