ByteAction - Issue 163
ByteAction is a newsletter for game developers and fans
Hello, and welcome to 163rd edition of ByteAction newsletter!
I’ve got to say - it’s been a while. Feeling refreshed though, and caught on a number of life/work tasks. I’m looking forward to continuing with ByteAction and consistently providing you with interesting articles/news from gamedev as well as new podcast episodes and behind scenes photos from events.
Last week a decade after its 2015 release, Pocket Monster: Remake—a Pokémon clone—has led to a settlement. The Chinese developers have now publicly apologized to The Pokémon Company.
In other news, Unity revenue fell by 25% year-over-year to $457 million in Q4 2024 with the company blaming its “portfolio reset” for the decline.
Lastly, Liquid Swords, the studio founded by ex-Avalanche COO Christofer Sundberg, is laying off staff to scale back operations while continuing development on its first game.
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The Byte
The Action
NetEase has cut jobs, closed studios, and scaled back international investments—including its Marvel Rivals team—amid broader industry uncertainty, with reports suggesting further divestment from overseas studios.
Retro Byte
Studio Byte
Seattle-based Ironwood Studios is a team of seasoned game developers dedicated to crafting immersive adventures with surreal settings and storytelling-driven gameplay. They’re currently working on a successful survival IP - Pacific Drive. It is a first-person driving survival game where your car is your only companion, set in a surreal, supernatural take on the Pacific Northwest.
Legal Stuff
Sony fights back in Bungie’s lawsuit against ex-Marathon director Christopher Barrett, releasing disturbing messages he allegedly sent to female employees.
Voice actor Marin M. Miller accused Supergiant Games of recasting roles in Hades to avoid signing a SAG-AFTRA interim contract, which allows union work during the ongoing strike for AI protections.
Acquisitions/Investments
New Game Corner
Monster Hunter Wilds - February 28th, 2025
Monster Hunter Wilds (2025) is the next major entry in Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, featuring an expansive open world with dynamic ecosystems, seamless exploration, and large-scale hunts. Players will face powerful new monsters in ever-changing environments, using updated weapons, traversal mechanics, and co-op multiplayer. It aims to push the series forward with deeper immersion and storytelling while retaining the core hunting experience fans love.
Resource Byte
Linear is a modern software development platform that simplifies managing issues, projects, and product roadmaps.
Who’s Hiring?
Data Analyst - Wargaming - Vilnius, Lithuania
VFX Artist - Limit Break - Tokyo, Japan
Senior Game Designer - Coffee Stain Studios - Gothenburg, Sweden
Level Designer - That’s No Moon - Los Angeles, CA
Senior Graphic Designer - Genies - San Mateo, CA
QA Director - Supermassive Games - Guildford, UK
Audio Director - Fantastic Pixel Castle - Remote, USA
Senior Gameplay Engineer - Sony Playstation Studios - Los Angeles, CA
Lead Developer (Unity) - Univrse - Barcelona, Spain
Backend Engineer - Xsolla - Montréal, Canada
Technical Director - IOI - Barcelona, Spain
Client Developer - Snowprint Studios - Berlin, Germany
Lead Engine Programmer - Ramen VR - San Francisco, CA
Senior Environment Artist - Cold Symmetry Games - Remote, USA
Senior Network Programmer - 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
“We need to adapt to it. If it’s part of the industry we should see how to implement it to see how we get better games. I can understand the fact that some people could lose their jobs but that goes for every new technology.”
Josef Fares
Events
Reboot Develop Blue - 14th-16th of April
Reboot Develop Blue is a high-profile game developers' conference held annually in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It brings together industry professionals, indie developers, and renowned speakers from major gaming studios worldwide. The event features keynote speeches, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and showcases of upcoming games and technologies. It’s known for its intimate, high-end setting and attracts top talent from the gaming industry.