Our goal has never been to make the most. It's always been to make the best – Tim Cook

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

Good news for Gollum – it might not be the worst game of the year anymore!

Lies of P sold over a million copies in its first month. Meanwhile, a new wave of layoffs is hitting the industry.

Apple is trying to find ways to cozy up to China (and gaming).

Play on:

Welcome to The Power-Up #26

Biz Reel

💰 Industry veterans from Riot Games, Wizards of the Coast, and Phoenix Labs have formed Jam & Tea Studios, raising $3.15 million to develop a multiplayer RPG using generative AI.

📱 78% of gamers play on mobile, though younger generations, like Gen Z, are less likely to consider it their primary platform compared to baby boomers.

🥵 Zeedz.io has launched its play-for-purpose mobile game, Zeedz, after securing $1M in funding from Germany’s Shark Tank equivalent, with unanimous support from all judges. The game combines immersive gameplay with education on climate change, allowing players to combat carbon emissions in-game and dedicating a portion of earnings to real-world green projects.

Industry Level-Up (or Down)

👋 Pete Hines, head of publishing at Bethesda, is retiring after 24 years, having been a key figure in the company's growth and recent game launches. Bethesda praised Hines for his integral contributions and the values he championed, while Hines affirmed his lasting affection for the company and community.

🏣 Avalanche Studios has opened a new branch in Montreal, Canada, marking its fifth global office and further expanding its development reach. The new studio aims to tap into Montreal's rich game development talent pool, following Avalanche's acquisition of Monster Closet Games.

🤝 Will Shen, former design director at Bethesda for Starfield, has joined Something Wicked Games as the lead content designer for Wyrdsong, reuniting with ex-Bethesda project lead Jeff Gardiner.

💔 Following the commercial failure of The Lamplighters League, Paradox Interactive and Harebrained Schemes will part ways in a "mutual agreement" effective 1st January 2024.

😳 Thought Pennies, an all-remote RPG studio founded by Tim Ernst, has reportedly laid off multiple employees, with news of the layoffs emerging on LinkedIn.

😔 Frontier Developments, the UK-based developer behind Elite Dangerous, F1 Manager or Planet Zoo, has announced layoffs, a hiring freeze, and spending cuts due to recent financial challenges.

Round-Up

☁️ Netflix has initiated testing for its cloud gaming service in the U.S., allowing members to play games on TVs and TV-connected devices using their mobile phones as controllers.

💾 Analogue is developing the Analogue 3D, a modern rendition of the Nintendo 64 that uses FPGA to render games in 4K on contemporary displays without emulation, supporting only original cartridges.

🚀 Lies of P achieved over one million global sales within a month of its release, as announced by publisher Neowiz and developer Round8 Studio.

🍎 Apple CEO Tim Cook made a surprise appearance at Tencent's Honor of Kings tournament amidst uncertainty regarding Apple's future in China. Amid challenges in the Chinese market and regulatory pressures, Cook's presence could signify Apple's effort to strengthen ties with Chinese consumers and comply with local regulations.

🆓 Mega Crit, creators of Slay the Spire, have released a free new game, Dancing Duelists, using the Godot Engine after moving away from Unity.

🕹️ A Newzoo's report indicates that 94% of Gen Alpha are game enthusiasts, with gaming being popular across all age groups, and mobile gaming remains the predominant platform. The study also highlights a generational shift in gaming habits, with younger generations engaging with more genres and integrating gaming content into their consumption.

💽 Shadow, a gaming cloud infrastructure provider, experienced a data breach affecting over 500,000 customers, compromising names, emails, and other non-sensitive details.

Game Central

🦔 A planning document hints at a new Sonic the Hedgehog game launching in holiday 2024 and DLC for Sonic Superstars. The document also mentions a Knuckles TV show, Sonic Prime Season 3, and a third Sonic movie releasing in 2024.

🚙 Netflix is reportedly exploring the addition of a Grand Theft Auto game to its expanding gaming library.

🚀 Spider-Man 2 is one of Insomniac’s highest rated games with a Metacritic score of 91. It shares this top rating with two of the studio's past games: Spyro: Year of the Dragon (2000) and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (2004).

🥉 Roblox ranks third in PlayStation player engagement at launch, behind only Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, according to Circana's data.

🤢 Skull Island: Rise of Kong, developed by IguanaBee, is being criticized as potentially the worst game of 2023 due to poor graphics, movement, combat, and cutscenes. Many players have called the game a "complete scam" based on its lackluster gameplay and visuals.

🤼 EA UFC 5 is set to release on October 24 for early access and October 27 officially on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The Power-Up Chronicles

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Stay powered-up until next time.

Bobby & Andrei