Wednesday, 14 August 2024

Game News Round-Up

Daily curated games-industry news digest for 14 August 2024.

General4 stories

WayForward is turning Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead into 16-bit style platformers

  • RetroRealms: Halloween and RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead are action platform games created in a 16- bit style.
  • Each game will cost $24.99 digitally, or can be purchased physically as a two-in-one release for $49.99.
  • Boss Team Games says that if players buy both games, it will give them access to new features, enabling them to play as Michael Myers or Ash in each other’s worlds.
VGC
Business5 stories

Games industry veterans have formed the Sustainable Games Alliance, a non-profit organisation dedicated to "helping the games industry become sustainable."

  • Backed by noted industry professionals such as Unity Technologies founder David Helgason and Remedy co-founder Petri Järvilehto, Sustainable Games Alliance – which is overseen by managing director and co-founder Maria Wagner – is working to make games "the most sustainable form of entertainment on the planet" by creating actionable ways to help the industry measure, understand, and reduce its footprint.
  • To achieve this, the Alliance is developing a free, open, and global industry standard for sustainability reporting. It hopes to simplify compliance with key regulations such as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
GamesIndustry.biz

Owlcat Games expands into publishing

  • "We have already created our dream game, and now we have the expertise to guide others," Owlcat says
  • Owlcat Games has signed two RPGs by Emotion Spark Studio and Another Angle Games to its new publishing division.
  • Owlcat has also assumed control of META Publishing, which published Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous on PC and console back in 2021.
  • Owlcat publishing is focused on RPGs and narrative titles. META Publishing is focused on co-op multiplayer games that focus on "gameplay-first"
GamesIndustry.biz

Marvelous USA and Xseed Games to operate as separate publishing labels

  • Japanese publisher Marvelous is "taking a more holistic view" to its offerings in the West
  • Xseed will continue to publish third-party titles including upcoming games The Big Catch and Moonlight Peaks, while Marvelous USA will focus on publishing Marvelous games such as Story of Seasons and the Rune Factor series.
  • Marvelous USA will also provide its parent company with business, operational, and marketing support to its arcade business unit which is expanding to the West with Naruto Emblem Battle.
GamesIndustry.biz

Keywords acquires Wushu Studios

  • The Liverpool-based studio was founded in 2017 by Alan McDermott and provides work-for-hire services to publishers and developers in addition to porting, remaster, and live support services.
  • Wushu has worked on games including Baldur's Gate 3, Fall Guys, Forza Horizon 5, The Ascent, and State of Decay 2.
  • The sum of the deal has not been made public
GamesIndustry.biz