ByteAction - Issue 128
ByteAction is a newsletter for game developers and fans
Hello, and welcome to 128th edition of ByteAction newsletter!
Today we released the 4th Podcast episode. I spoke to María Fernanda Díez Huerta about her journey in video games, her path, career in various production roles, as well as her take on Women in games and everything that's happening in the games industry today. You can give it a listen straight on Byteaction or head to Spotify. My aim is to record an episode every week, so let’s see how I get on :) If ever you are interested in being on one of the episodes - just drop an email on tomas@byteaction.co or reach out to me on Linkedin.
As for what happened in the games industry:
A brand new AAA studio named Muddy Robot Games was announced. Established by ex-employees of EA, Sony, Blizzard, and Disney it’s spearheaded by Chris Hood, the former president of the International Game Developers Association, who also held positions at Google from 2018 to 2023.
In other news, the rise of the indies is definitely something that’s been noted by a lot of people, but now we’re seeing some actual and brilliant results by indie devs. Balatro - a poker like card game took roughly a month to develop, it was made by a solo indiedev, and its sales have gone through the roof. So far it’s sold over a million copies. How amazing is that!
Also, BlackMark Studio - another indiedev studio, recently shared a triumph in a blog post, revealing that its pirate RPG has surpassed 15,000 copies in sales. In the post, the studio mentions having prepared for various outcomes, expressing that had Caribbean Legend sold fewer than 10,000 copies, they would have reluctantly had to shut down.
Lastly, I wanted to share a beautiful tribute article for Akira Toriyama & Dragon Ball that was written by Joshua Rivera. Definitely worth a read.
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The Byte
The Action
Retro Byte
Studio Byte
Keen Games is a German video game development studio known for creating engaging and immersive gaming experiences. Established in 2005, the studio has a reputation for crafting titles across various genres, including action, role-playing, and strategy games. Their recently released game Enshrouded has become an immediate success story, and they’re currently working on the console version of the IP.
Legal Stuff
Federal agencies are endeavoring to eliminate extremism within gaming environments
Embracer Group sells Saber Interactive to Beacon Interactive
Acquisitions/Investments
New Game Corner
Open Roads - March 28th, 2024
Ancient family mysteries. Whispers of a concealed wealth. And a journey ahead with miles to traverse before resting. Tess Devine and her mother, embarking together on a voyage into their family's history, are bound for unforgettable revelations.
Resource Byte
For all the Notion fans. This is the Notion marketplace.
Who’s Hiring?
UI/Gameplay Engineer - Super Evil Megacorp - Remote
Senior QA Tester - Keen Games - Frankfurt, Germany
Technical Animator - Liquid Swords - Stockholm, Sweden
Senior Producer - Anchor Point Studios - Barcelona, Spain (Remote)
Gameplay Programmer - Wildflower Interactive - Los Angeles, CA (Remote)
Unity Developer - Reality Games - Krakow, Poland
Senior Character Artist - Skeleton Key Studio - Austin, TX
Gameplay Engineer - Companion Group - UK, Remote
Senior Economy Designer - Neon Koi - Helsinki, Finland
Senior Backend Engineer - Wildlight Entertainment - Woodland Hills, CA (Remote)
Senior Gameplay Programmer - Tactical Adventures - Paris, France
Technical Artist - Dovetail Games - Remote, UK
Senior Environment Artist - Endnight Games - Vancouver, Canada
Senior Gameplay Programmer - Heart Machine - Culver City, CA (Remote)
Creative Lead - Jagex - Remote, UK
Network Programmer - Steel City Interactive - Remote, UK
CMO - Tacticle Games - Copenhagen, Denmark
UI Programmer - Flix Interactive - UK, Remote
Senior Systems Designer - That’s No Moon - Los Angeles, CA (Remote)
Interested in sharing your job posts here? Just click on the button below for more info and reach out to tomas@byteaction.co
Dev Talks
Interview with Local Thunk - Balatro
“They're very gamer-y terms, and I don't play games a ton. So, those things to me, they feel like they're adding so many layers of complexity. When I made my game, I wanted to make it so there's no hit points, there's no damage, you're not attacking something. It's almost like solitaire”
Local Thunk
Events
Reboot Develop - April 22nd-24th
Reboot Develop Blue is a major gaming industry conference held annually in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It's a gathering of game developers, publishers, investors, and other professionals to network, share insights, and discuss the latest trends and innovations in gaming.