Byte Action - Issue 90
Byte Action is a newsletter for game developers and fans
Hello, and welcome to the 90th edition of Byte Action newsletter!
Last week we had some unfortunate news from Amazon. As part of its company-wide job cuts, they have recently laid off almost 100 employees working in its gaming division.
In other news - Sony has unveiled several intriguing alternative controllers for the PlayStation 5, with one potential version still in the patent stage. A recently released patent filing implies that Sony may be testing haptic technology, which would enable a portion of the controller to alter its shape or temperature in response to gameplay.
Lastly, more unfortunate news… Klaus Teuber, the designer of the popular board game "The Settlers of Catan," passed away at the age of 70 on April 1st after a short and serious illness. His family announced his death in a news release on his company's website.
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The Byte
The Action
Sony has criticized the government for failing to prevent the acquisition of Activision by Microsoft
Retro Byte
Studio Byte
Avalanche Studios Group is a leading interactive entertainment company, offering a rich portfolio of games from its divisions Avalanche Studios, Expansive Worlds, and Systemic Reaction, including the Just Cause franchise, Rage 2, theHunter: Call of the Wild and Generation Zero. Avalanche Studios Group is committed to being a truly inclusive and sustainable workplace that creates innovative games through the power of our people’s creativity. All of Avalanche Studios Group games are developed using the proprietary Apex engine, enabling vast open worlds with endless creative possibilities.
Legal Stuff
Report: Mobile game and app developers exposed to $5.4B potential ad fraud during economic downturn
Take-Two has settled its legal dispute with the modders who reverse-engineered GTA 3 and Vice City
Acquisitions/Investments
On Wednesday, Savvy announced the acquisition of Scopely for $4.9 billion, marking it as the sixth largest gaming acquisition in history
New Game Corner
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ is a story-driven action adventure. Take on a perilous journey as Gollum, chasing the only thing that is precious to him. Gollum is skillful and cunning, but also torn by his split personality.
Resource Byte
This week in this section we’ve got Notion. Certainly my go to productivity tool. I’m using every day for both: work and life, and it’s just brilliant.
Who’s Hiring?
Audio Director - Liquid Swords - Stockholm, Sweden
Senior Game Designer - Lighthouse Games - Royal Leamington Spa, UK
Lead Engine & Tools Developer - Bright Star Studios - Copenhagen, Denmark (Remote)
Development Director - Build a Rocket Boy - Edinburgh, UK (Remote)
Expert Game Designer - That’s no Moon - Los Angeles, CA (Remote)
Senior Audio Engineer - Turtle Rock Studios - Lake Forest, CA
Senior Character Artist - Avalanche Studios - Stockholm, Sweden
Art Director - Lost Boys Interactive - Remote
Lead Technical Artist - Smilegate Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain
Animation Director - Crop Circle Games - Remote
Gameplay Animator - Rogue Factor - Montréal, CA (Remote)
Game Director - Techland - Warsaw, Poland (Remote)
Rumours
According to Gameshub Sony is in the process of creating a new game console designed for handheld use
Dev Talks
Interview with Tobias Sjögren - CEO at Starbreeze
“Back when I worked at DICE in Stockholm, we were talking to EA about Battlefield 2. I guess we were somewhat full of ourselves on the success we had there. A very nice gentleman, who was running in the EA Partners – or EA Distribution as it was called then – told us, 'You are never better than your next game'. That's something I've carried with me since because it is so true.." Tobias Sjögren
Events
DevGAMM Vilnius - June 20th to June 21st
The DevGAMM conference targets individuals engaged in the game industry in any capacity, such as developers, publishers, game designers, programmers, artists, business development managers, recruiters, and journalists.