ByteAction - Issue 168
ByteAction is a newsletter for game developers and fans
Hello, and welcome to 168th edition of ByteAction newsletter!
As for what has happened in the games industry recently: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has officially dropped its case against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stating that dismissing the complaint best serves the public interest after losing its appeal earlier this month.
In other news, PlaySafe ID, a platform designed to keep cheaters, bots, and predators out of games, has raised $1.12 million in pre-seed funding to promote trust and fairness in gaming without compromising player privacy.
Lastly, gaming services provider Side has opened a new studio in São Paulo to meet growing client demand and plans to double its South American workforce, creating at least 100 jobs in QA, art, and co-development.
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The Byte
The Action
Retro Byte
Studio Byte
Shiro Games is an independent game studio based in Bordeaux, France, best known for developing Northgard, a Norse mythology-inspired strategy game that earned critical and commercial success. Founded in 2012, the studio has a reputation for creating original IPs with a strong focus on gameplay depth and artistic style. Other notable titles include the action RPG Darksburg and the narrative-driven adventure Wartales.
Legal Stuff
After a four-year legal battle, Fortnite has returned to Apple’s U.S. App Store following a court decision favoring Epic Games in its dispute over in-app payment policies.
Acquisitions/Investments
New Game Corner
Dune: Awakening - June 5th, 2025
Dune: Awakening is a survival multiplayer game from Funcom that drops players into the harsh, open-world environment of Arrakis, where they’ll need to fight, build, and adapt to survive its deadly deserts and political intrigue. Early access begins June 5, 2025, with full release on PC set for June 10.
Resource Byte
Coda.
Notion alternative.
Who’s Hiring?
Senior Game Designer - Coffee Stain Studios - Gothenburg, Sweden
Lead Producer - That’s No Moon - Los Angeles, CA
Product Director - Homa - Remote, UK
Head of Analytics - Wargaming - Seoul, South Korea
Head of Product - Zeptolab - Remote
Brand Manager - Shiro Games - Bordeaux, France
Senior Producer - Naughty Dog - Los Angeles, CA
Senior Animation Programmer - 31st Union - San Mateo, CA
Lead Developer (Unity) - Univrse - Barcelona, Spain
Art Director - Techland - Warsaw, Poland (Remote)
Sound Designer - 11 Bit Studios - Warsaw, Poland
Lead Engine Programmer - Ramen VR - San Francisco, CA
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 gotta get people to try it and start talking about it. Sunderfolk is the kind of game that lives on strong word of mouth and grows over time, and while the gaming world is slowly discovering what it’s all about, Secret Door is planning the next phase of support for the game. Right now we’re focused on spreading awareness of Sunderfolk and getting to a place where we think we can bring out the next thing and add additional content that keeps building the community.”
Chris Sigaty
Events
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona - 3-4 June, 2025
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2025 is set to take place in June 2025, bringing together professionals from across the global games industry with a strong focus on mobile, indie, Web3, and emerging technologies. The two-day B2B event will feature expert talks, panel discussions, networking opportunities, investor matchmaking, and the popular Big Indie Pitch. It's part of the well-established PG Connects series and serves as a key European hub for developers, publishers, and service providers to connect and collaborate.