ByteAction - Issue 160
ByteAction is a newsletter for game developers and fans
Hello, and welcome to 160th edition of ByteAction newsletter!
From here one we’ll be changing the publishing schedule and we’ll be releasing an issue every 2 weeks on Wednesdays at 1 pm CET.
This week I wanted to highlight the recent podcast I recorded with Gabriele Aimone. He’s the CEO and Co-Founder of TIFO, a gaming startup focused on enhancing finance engagement, as well as a strategic advisor at System 7. We dive into his journey through the gaming industry, starting from his early days at Supercell, where he witnessed the rapid growth of mobile games like Clash of Clans. We also discuss his path from finance to gaming, the challenges he faced, and how he found his calling in team operations and company culture. You can listen/watch to the episode here:
Or here:
As for what happened in the industry: Modern Times Group have just acquired Plarium for $620m. MTG is acquiring 100% of Plarium Global.
In other news, Metalstorm developer Starform raised $6 million in funding led by Bitkraft Ventures, with support from Dune Ventures.
When it comes to industry investments - Supercell just invested in a newly formed studio in Barcelona - Penguin Armada. The investment amount is not disclosed, but this will certainly help the studio grow and focus on the development of their upcoming PC-first, top-down PvP 3v3 IP.
Lastly, Chinese authorities arrested two NetEase executives and nine employees for allegedly laundering up to $139 million through contracts with nearly 30 business partners.
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The Byte
The Action
Retro Byte
Studio Byte
Founded in 1990, Team17 is an award-winning leading international games label and developer based in the UK. The studio has released over 90 games to date across multiple platforms including: the Worms franchise, The Escapists, the BAFTA award-winning Overcooked, Yooka-Laylee, Aven Colony, Sheltered, Beyond Eyes.
Legal Stuff
Ubisoft faces a class action lawsuit claiming it misled buyers by not disclosing The Crew’s servers could be shut down, making the game unplayable.
Acquisitions/Investments
Neowiz signed an $8 million deal with Warsaw-based Zakazane to publish its upcoming neo-Western RPG.
New Game Corner
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle - December 9th, 2024
The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones
Resource Byte
Just a very useful tool for planning, mind mapping, brainstorming.
Who’s Hiring?
Senior Gameplay Engineer - Bulletfarm - Remote, USA
Creative Director - Gameloft - Bucharest, Romania
Data Analyst - Wargaming - Vilnius, Lithuania
Senior Art Producer - T-Minus Zero - Remote, USA
Lead Producer - Demiurge - Remote, USA
Senior Game Designer - Coffee Stain - Gothenburg, Sweden
Art Director - Series AI - Remote, USA
Senior Level Designer - Blind Squirrel Games - Irvine, CA
Talent Acquisition Director - PlayQ - Santa Monica, CA
Environment Artist - 31st Union - Valencia, Spain
Gameplay Engineer - That’s No Moon - Los Angeles, CA
Senior AI Programmer - Climax Studios - Edinburgh, Scotland
Lead Game Designer - Teravision Games - Bogota, Colombia
Senior Games Recruiter - Genies - San Mateo, CA
Senior Producer - Starbreeze Entertainment - Stockholm, Sweden
Lead Character Artist - IOI - Barcelona, Spain
Lead Engine Programmer - Ramen VR - San Francisco, CA
Senior Technical Artist - Haven Studios - Montréal, Canada
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 Justin Scarpone - Sega
“And so what I've said is: now you're 100% Sega transmedia. Which means that we need to build out the team to scale, to handle additional IP that is under-leveraged from a transmedia standpoint. Successful game franchises like Persona, Like a Dragon, and Angry Birds, and some of what we call our legacy IP, which date back more to when we were in the hardware business. But we're now announcing films and streaming services around those IPs.”
Justin Scarpone
Events
BIG 24 - 6th/7th December 2024
Bilbao Internation Games conference is an annual industry event held in Bilbao, Spain. It’s an even aimed at games industry professionals, it offers opportunities to learn, meet likeminded professionals and checkout the growing internation indie scene.