Byte Action - Issue 108
Byte Action is a newsletter for game developers and fans
Hello, and welcome to the 108th edition of Byte Action newsletter!
Last week the whole industry had its eyes on the biggest annual event - gamescom - and it didn't disappoint! With over 300k attendees this year, there were some massive announcements: Little Nightmares 3 that’s being worked on by Supermassive Games, the upcoming Diablo 4 Season 2 dropping in October, and of course, Age of Empires 4 finally landing on the XBOX Game Pass.
In other news, Virtuos Games has opened yet another studio. Virtuos Labs - Prague will provide engineering aid to developers, regardless of whether they're immersed in ready-made game engines or proprietary technology. This studio will focus on networking, UI craftsmanship, and mobile integration.
Lastly, BioWare, the acclaimed developer behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect, has laid off 50 staff members. The rationale behind these layoffs draws attention to efficiency, mirroring similar unfortunate downsizing declarations made this year by other esteemed studios such as Firaxis and CD Projekt Red.
If you have been referred to Byte Action, you’re welcome to subscribe.
Can you help? If you like ByteAction, click on the button below and share it with your network. Who knows, perhaps it might be helpful to someone out there 👊
ByteAction is free to read, however if you’d like to contribute to our work - you are welcome to purchase a monthly or yearly subscription, and we’ll be donating 50% of all the income to help reforest the world
The Byte
The Action
Retro Byte
Studio Byte
Established in 2013, Counterplay Games is a global, fully remote indie game studio. Their latest creation is GODFALL, a third-person fantasy action RPG available exclusively on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Legal Stuff
Motorsport Games faces defeat as employees triumph in lawsuit
Epic Games offers 6-month exclusivity, 100% revenue to third-party devs
Acquisitions/Investments
New Game Corner
Ghostrunner 2 - 26/10/2023
Step into the role of the ultimate cyber ninja, bracing for intense boss battles, enhanced abilities, an engaging interactive narrative, fresh game modes, and an entrancing synthwave soundtrack.
Resource Byte
I thought this one was quite funny :) You choose to pay $5 or $8 a month as a subscription, and in return you get, well…nothing. You can also gift nothing if you like.
Who’s Hiring?
Technical Designer - Liquid Swords - Stockholm, Sweden
Senior AI Programmer - Sony Bend Studio - Remote, US
Senior Gameplay Programmer - Bright Star Studios - Copenhagen, Denmark (Remote)
Lead Engine & Tools Programmer - Bright Star Studios - Copenhagen, Denmark (Remote)
Lead Software Engineer Core Systems (C++, Go)- Bright Star Studios - Copenhagen, Denmark (Remote)
Senior Technical Animator - Remedy Entertainment - Helsinki, Finland
Principal Environment Artist - Build a Rocket Boy - Edinburgh, UK (Remote)
Head of Art - Fortis Games - Global, Remote
Producer - Tiny Build Games - NYC, Remote
Principal Game Designer - Demiurge Games - USA, Remote
Lead Gameplay Animator - Techland - Warsaw, Poland
Audio Director - Smilegate Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain
Online Programmer - Midnight Society - San Francisco, CA
Senior Technical Designer - Mountaintop Studios - USA, Remote
Lead Game Designer - Avalanche Studios - Stockholm, Sweden
Rumours
Dev Talks
Interview with Remigiusz Michalski - Harvester Games
“I wouldn’t say horror was an artistic choice — it was the only choice. As soon as I fell in love with Stephen King’s books as a teenager, I knew one day I would follow that same path. It was just a matter of time. To me, deep stories without exciting moments that make your heart beat faster, keeping you on the edge of your seat, wouldn’t be as interesting to tell. I’m not in the business of making games to preach my truths — I’m here to entertain.” Remigiusz Michalski
PG Connects Helsinki (September 12th-13th)
Pocket Gamer Connects brings together individuals from all sectors of the gaming industry, facilitating knowledge and opportunity to meet a number interesting people from the sector. It unites delegates across platforms such as mobile, PC, console, XR, web3, and AI.