Bryant Francis

Batuu

Senior Editor at Game Developer

Senior Editor: @gamedevdotcom. Game Writer: Zephon, Endless Space 2. Tips & pitches: [email protected]. He/Him! 💖💜💙

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Articles

GOG lays out the business case for robust game preservation

4 days ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

Are video game preservation and the video game business at odds? According to groups like the Entertainment Software Association, the answer is "yes." Its lawyers argue that making older games publicly available through digital libraries would harm the commercial interests of IP holders, who it says are the true arbiters of preservation.
Is generative AI really 'just a tool'?

1 week ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

"AI is inevitable."That's a phrase that's rattled around my head for a month. Not willingly mind you. It's taken up lodging in my grey matter after hearing it in meetings, reading it in emails, and seeing it buffeted back and forth across Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Discord. It's not a convincing phrase. If you hear it from AI boosters it's easy to brush off as raw hype, and if you hear it from doomsayers it can lull you into a sense of fatalism.
ZeniMax QA union signs tentative bargaining agreement with Microsoft

1 week ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

'We’re the ones who make these games, and we’ll be the ones to set new standards for fair treatment.'At a GlanceZeniMax Workers Untied-CWA has signed a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft after two years of negotiating. Unionized QA workers at ZeniMax celebrated a huge win today with the news that their union, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA, and ZeniMax parent company Microsoft finally reached a tentative contract agreement two years after unionizing in 2023.
EA obliterates Black Panther developer Cliffhanger Games

1 week ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

At a GlanceEA is shutting down Cliffhanger Games and cancelling its Black Panther game just two years after the studio's founding. Electronic Arts has once again decided to leave money on the table and lay off developers by cancelling a game based on a wildly popular licensed character.
Game Preservation & Video Game History

1 week ago | gamedeveloper.com | Diego Nicolás Arguello |Diego Nicolás Arguello |Bryant Francis |Chris Kerr |Justin Carter

PAX East felt like a warning: explosively successful games by solo devs and small teams are great, but it could lead to a dearth of vital specialists.
Cult Flash game revived after programmer rescues source code from kid's laptop

1 week ago | gamedeveloper.com | Diego Nicolás Arguello |Diego Nicolás Arguello |Bryant Francis

How far would someone go to preserve and resurrect a cult Flash game—especially when you have no experience in game development? That's the question Greek highschooler Angelos Mako faced last year when he set out on a journey to rescue his favorite Flash game Dungeon Rampage, made by Rebel Entertainment.
Discord's rumored IPO has us digging into its revenue strategy

1 week ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

At a GlanceFor months rumors have flown back and forth about Discord preparing to become a public company. The free communications app is a centerpiece of many player social communities. In a post-Facebook IPO-world, can developers expect the platform to stay stable while appeasing investors? All eyes in the video game business world have been hovering over Discord for the last few months.
Trump administration cuts funding for the Strong Museum of Play

2 weeks ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

At a GlanceThe AIAS has asked donors for their support of the Strong Museum of Play after funds were cut by the Trump Administration. The Trump administration's questionably legal cuts to federal programs have created a half-million dollar shortfall for the Strong National Museum of Play.
Bungie confirms the use of stolen art assets in Marathon alpha

3 weeks ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

At a GlancePlayStation-owned Bungie has apologized for the use of a graphic designer's work in the alpha for Marathon. The company blamed a "former Bungie artist" for including the images in a texture sheet. Bungie has apologized for the uncredited, uncompensated use of another artist's work in the texture sheets for the Marathon alpha test.
Take-Two projects annual growth despite GTA VI delay

3 weeks ago | gamedeveloper.com | Bryant Francis

At a GlanceTake-Two reported 6 percent growth in revenue and 5 percent growth in net bookings for fiscal year 2025It says that growth will continue in 2026, even without Grand Theft Auto VI. The delay of Grand Theft Auto VI into 2026 left a gaping hole in Take-Two's release slate for the fiscal year—one so large you'd be forgiven for worrying if a torrent of money flowed out of it in the wrong direction. But if you're an investor nursing that concern—worry not, at least according to Take-Two.