Our core belief is that play is our brain’s favorite way of learning - Emily Tierney and Anca Agapi

Hey there!

It is Wednesday, so we have the weekly Power-Up Chronicles, with interesting articles about Game Design Documents, the potential audience for PlayStation Portal and how to use gaming for learning.

Also a rumor about Nintendo Switch 2, big numbers about the US video game market and news about the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go.

Let’s hit the road!

Welcome to The Power-Up #5

Round-up of the day

🎮 Lenovo Legion Go will cost $799/€799 and will go on sale in October. The Lenovo Legion AR Glasses, €499/$499, will reportedly work with any USB-C device. Its new gaming in-ear headphones, priced at €49.99, are also poised to be released this October.

🎤 Gamescom 2023 had 320,000 in-person visitors from over 100 countries. Online, it reached 180 million views, including 20 million for the Opening Night Live. Hope nobody got virtual jetlag!

🔌 Xbox is once again pulling the plug on their $1 Game Pass deal— just before the Starfield’s launch.

🤩 And good news for Nintendo too! Nintendo Switch has now surpassed the lifetime sales of the Wii in the United States.

🤯 Now this is just a rumor, but… Nintendo Switch 2 may have been shown behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom event. It will probably launch in the next 12 months, according to insider reports, but nothing was officially announced.

👫 Remedy Entertainment’s communications director Thomas Puha revealed that Alan Wake 2 had about 130 people working on it on average throughout the dev cycle, and that production on it was completed in about four years.

📈 Developer Sabotage Studio announced the turn-based RPG, Sea of Stars, has sold over 100,000 units on day one, despite being on PlayStation Plus Game Catalog (downloads do not count toward sales). The game was released on August 29 on PS4/PS5, Xbox X/S, Switch and PC.

Biz Reel

The US video game market is expected to finish 2023 with a 3% growth, reaching $58.3 billion. This and a lot of more interesting data about the VG market, in a report published by Circana on GamesIndustry.

A report from data.ai projects mobile gaming to generate $108 billion in revenue for 2023, while the console sector is anticipated to grow 3% YOY to $43 billion. Additionally, the PC/Mac gaming market is forecasted to see a 4% annual rise, reaching $40 billion.

Here’s also a set of predictions on hypercasual games in the last part of 2023. Among other things expect fewer downloads, but, of course, better CPMs because of the Q4 ad spending.

Imagendary Studios, founded by former Blizzard artist Wei Wang in 2020 and acquired by FunPlus a year later, lays off the majority of staff. The studio was hiring developers for a third-person action-adventure game, but never announced a title.

And on the jobs side of gaming, Motorsport Games employees were awarded nearly $25,000 in unpaid wage lawsuits. I’m happy for them, I hate hearing companies not paying salaries. This is the most important thing you should focus on as the CEO of the company, especially in small studios.

Mimimi Games (Desperado 3, Blades of the Shogun) announced that the recently released Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew will be its final game, after 15 years. The studio will continue to support Shadow Gambit and has a content update planned to launch later this year.

Game Central

On September 6, Starfield standard edition ($69.99) will launch on PC and Xbox Series X/S. PC requirements are now available. The game requires 125GB, SSD and a decent processor and graphics card. Just so you know, Premium Edition ($99.99) and Constellation Edition ($299.89, sold out) have 5 days early access, available on September 1.

The Outlast Trials will come to consoles a bit later, as Red Barrels is now targeting an “early 2024” release window.

Skull Island: Rise of Kong will be released on October 17th for Xbox X/S/One, PS4/PS5, Switch and PC. The game will cost $39.99 for the standard edition and $49.99 for the digital deluxe “Colossal Edition”. A new trailer is also available:

The Power-Up Chronicles

A comprehensive guide to creating Game Design Documents (GDDs), highlighting their role as essential communication tools in game development. It outlines key sections a GDD should contain—such as the game's concept, mechanics, world-building, characters, story, user interface, audio, and prototyping—while emphasizing the fluid and project-specific nature of these documents. Industry professionals weigh in, arguing that while GDDs can be invaluable for aligning a team's vision, their format should serve the project's unique needs, be easily navigable, and adaptable to changes.

➡️ Read the full feature by Azur Games lead analyst, Alexey Platonov, on PocketGamer.

The potential audience for PlayStation Portal is huge. The growing need for flexible gaming devices that fit into busy lifestyles is evident from the success of Nintendo's Switch. Valve's Steam Deck and Xbox's cloud streaming services have also jumped on this trend, offering players the option to enjoy their favorite games on-the-go. Sony's PlayStation Portal is the latest entry in this space. While not as flexible as other options, it aims to provide a distinctly PlayStation experience without tying users to a TV. This evolution reflects not only advancements in technology but also a shift in game design, emphasizing cross-play and device-agnostic experiences.

➡️ An opinion by Cristopher Dring on GamesIndustry.biz

New game studio Tiny Comet, founded by moms Emily Tierney and Anca Agapi, is set to launch its first game on Roblox that aims to make learning history engaging and fun for school-aged children. Tierney brings tech leadership experience from Supercell and Google, while Agapi has a background in educational programs and global marketing. Their team also includes seasoned game developers and an in-house educator. The studio is focusing on history-based simulation RPGs, motivated by a mission to improve dismal U.S. history test scores among eighth graders. The company believes in the potential of play to be the most effective form of learning, backed by studies that show significant increases in learner engagement and retention through gamification.

➡️ Read the full interview with Emily and Anca here.

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

Bobby & Andrei