Candy Crush AI drives development

At least until if we ever make another game and then we can argue about it then - Neil Druckmann

Happy Monday, gaming aficionados! As we kick off a brand new week, we're diving deep into Rockstar's intriguing new hires, a hint at The Last of Us 3 and the much-anticipated sequel of Titan Quest.

And did you see those 2023 gaming market stats? Simply mind-blowing.

Settle in and let's play.

Round-up of the Day

🤗 Rockstar hires a team of GTA 5 modders. They were banned from the game back in 2015. Now, they are welcome (​link​)

👩‍🎨 Far Cry has a new IP director – Drew Holmes, long-time writer and narrative designer of the series. (​link​)

🤯 The Last of Us 3? Neil Druckmann added “Writer/Director unannounced game” to his Instagram bio. (​link​)

Baldur's Gate 3 is now the highest-rated new video game release of 2023 on Metacritic. (​link​)

In July, Twitch's viewership remained steady, but the platform saw emerging new games and creators. (​link​)

China's video game playtime restrictions for youths appear ineffective, as research reveals no significant decrease in heavy gameplay despite the regulations. (​link​)

Biz Reel

King is using AI to "accelerate the production and testing of Candy Crush live operations and to offer more relevant game content to players". And they hit record revenues. (​link​)

You know the IKEA joke where the interview starts with the ​job aplicant assembling their own chair to sit on?​ Well, Roblox is going the same road, using itself to virtually interview future hires (​link​)

In July, Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in Japan, with 300,918 units sold. That is 11.2% more than previous year’s July. (​link​)

The US Supreme Court supports Apple, allowing it to challenge a ruling that would have altered its App Store payment practices, amidst its ongoing dispute with Epic Games. (​link​)

Illuminati Capital secures $50 million to fund early-stage blockchain ventures, including game companies. (​link​)

Gaming Central

Maybe Microsoft will finish the Activision acquisition at some point, but until then, Modern Warfare III beta will be available first on the PlayStation. (​link​)

Immortals of Aveum has gone gold, so it will be ready to launch on August 22 on Steam/Epic, PS5 and Xbox Series X. And we hope it's better than Atlas Fallen. (​link​)

After 17 years, Titan Quest will have a sequel. Titan Quest 2 will launch "soon" on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. It will run on Unreal Engine 5. (​link​)

The latest Remnant 2 patch makes the game easier, both solo and co-op. (​link​)

Stray, one of the best PlayStation games in 2022 (Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards and many other awards) is now available on Xbox Series X/S. (​link​)

Some of the games launching this week (bold for our choices):

• August 15 – Everspace 2(PS5, Xbox X/S), Moving Out 2 (PS, Xbox, Switch, PC), Hammerwatch II (PC)

• August 17 – Red Dead Redemption (PS4, Switch), Vampire Survivors (Switch)

• August 18 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (PS, Xbox, PC), Madden NFL 24 (PS, Xbox, PC)

Did you know?

According to Statista, revenue in the video games market is on track to hit an impressive $384.9 billion in 2023.

The largest market is Mobile Games, expected to reach $286.50 billion this year.

Most revenue is expected to be generated by China (more than $109 billion).