Author: Mia Cooper

Take This, a non-profit dedicated to decreasing stigma and increasing support for mental health in games, will be forced to shut down unless it can secure vital funding.The organization needs to raise $80,000 by September 30, 2024. After that, it will require "substantive, ongoing support" to become sustainable in the long-term.Take This runs a variety of programs designed to increase mental health awareness within the game industry, including an AFK Program that provides support spaces at major conventions and  workshops that aim to educate studio managers and staff on mental health culture. The group has also authored a white paper on the topic of mental health in the game industry, spotlighting topics such as crunch culture and burnout.That's just the tip of the iceberg. Other initiatives include mentorship programs, free educational materials and resources, hundreds of panel and media appearances, and more.

Take This requires serious support

Yet, the group claims it will simply "disappear" if it cannot secure a fin…

Embracer Group has officially appointed Thomas Kœgler as the new CEO of Asmodee. The move was announced earlier this year when Embracer outlined plans to split into three separate businesses to search for "winning formulas" after a brutal restructuring program.Asmodee, the French board game publisher known for distributing titles like Dobble, Ticket to Ride, and Catan, is an integral part of Embracer's new-look organization. The company has been listed as a standalone entity after securing €900 million in debt financing that Embracer says will create "a strong foundation for building an optimal capital structure" across its restructured business.Kœgler will now lead Asmodee and attempt to drive "profitable growth," having previously served as deputy chief operating officer. He will also join Embracer's executive management team."Thomas' appointment as CEO of Asmodee and as a member of Embracer's executive management team is a recognition of his successful journey within the industry and Asmodee," said Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors."He is a unique leader who brings together Asmodee's legacy, as a long-time membe…

Nintendo has revealed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will go offline on November 29. The good news? A paid version of the game will go online that same day.The free-to-play mobile spinoff launched in November 2017, and Nintendo called it an honor "to see everyone's lovely, diverse campsites grow and flourish. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many users who have loved Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp."As for the paid version, players will be able to transfer save data from the free Pocket Camp version by linking their Nintendo account. Nintendo explained it will be effectively the same exact game, minus in-app purchases or subscription services.Additionally, the new Pocket Camp will not require a constant online connection, which will affect some features like gifts and visiting players. More details, such as a price point, will be revealed in October.

Nintendo's mobile efforts

Nintendo has released multiple mobile games over the years, most of which have shut down. This marks the latest closure since Dragalia Lost in late 2022.It…

TerraTech developer Payload Studios has laid off 25 percent of its workforce. Payload CEO and founder Russ Clarke confirmed the news on Linkedin and said the cuts are a result of the "struggles affecting wider games industry.""We tried very hard to avoid this, and I won't pretend that we got everything right over the last few years—but ultimately the games market has been very tough in recent times, and shows little sign of getting easier. Small independents like us have no protection from this, other than 'nailing it' every time, which is much easier said than done," said Clarke."Payload will carry on, and bounce back from this, I firmly believe; but it's a hard road and it will stay hard for a good while longer."He added that TerraTech and spin-off TerraTech Worlds will be "maintained and developed without interruption," and implored studios with vacancies to consider those impacted by the layoffs."We wish the best to those amazing co-workers with whom we have shared this incredible journey, but must now regretfully part ways," he continued.Layoffs and studio closures have become a mainstay in 2024. Thousands…

Balatro creator LocalThunk is determined to make sure his smash hit deckbuilder never falls into the wrong hands. So much so that he's put his life on it.On Twitter, the developer revealed he recently wrote into his will that the game can "never be sold or licensed to any gambling company/casino." In recent months, he had been approached with potential license deals which presumably to "reimplement the original mechanics as a gambling game itself."But despite its use of poker cards, Balatro has nothing to do with gambling. In March, it was delisted in non-US regions due to concerns that it would influence young players to gamble. LocalThunk and publisher PlayStack refuted this during the ratings process.Even so, Balatro has become one of the biggest indie successes of the year. It recently surpassed two million copies, and will get its first major update in 2025."Thank you all for helping us reach this absurd milestone," wrote
LocalThunk. "I’m so grateful that this weird game has been such a hit and allowed the Playstack team and I to do what we do!"Earlier in the summer, he revealed an early prototype of Balatro, along with some …

MiHoYo's newest action-RPG Zenless Zone Zero has garnered 50 million downloads worldwide since its launch on July 4.The game released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and mobile, and builds on the developer's ongoing success in recent years. Last year's Honkai Star Rail opened with 20 million players at launch, which itself built on the 17 million players for Genshin Impact."A city that once only existed in the hopes and dreams of the dev team has never been as buzzing with life as it is now," wrote MiHoYo.

MiHoYo's reputation as a hit maker stays intact

The developer's clout helped Zenless, as did going viral over the weekend and being free-to-play. The latter market can make almost any game explode into popularity at launch, particularly if there's been strong marketing behind it.Like Genshin and Honkai, Zenless has received fairly solid reviews, with the studio's gacha mechanics being the main point of contention. MiHoYo noted that the game has "lots of improvements to be made,&qu…