Gaming News | TechCrunch

Bungie employees say they were caught off-guard by 17% staff reduction

Maxwell Zeff — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:35:29 +0000

Bungie, the gaming company that created sci-fi hits such as Halo, Destiny, and Marathon, has laid off 220 employees, roughly a 17% reduction to its workforce, the company announced Wednesday. This is Bungie’s second round of layoffs since it was taken over by Sony in 2022. Two former Bungie employees affected by Wednesday’s layoffs say […]

The Asus ROG Ally X turns PC gaming into a portable console

Romain Dillet — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 05:00:00 +0000

A little more than a year after launching the ROG Ally, Asus is releasing a refined version of its portable device, the ROG Ally X. This Windows-based machine starts shipping on July 22 for $800. I’ve been playing with the portable console for a few days, and there’s already a lot to like — especially […]

Bethesda Game Studios employees form a ‘wall-to-wall’ union

Anthony Ha — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 20:32:54 +0000

Employees at Bethesda Game Studios — the Microsoft-owned game developer that produces the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises — are joining the Communications Workers of America union. Quality assurance testers at Bethesda’s parent organization ZeniMax unionized last year, becoming Microsoft’s first official union in the United States. In its announcement, the CWA calls Bethesda’s new […]

Artificial Agency raises $16M to use AI to make NPCs feel more realistic in video games

Maxwell Zeff — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

A team of former Google DeepMind researchers are betting that their unique behavior engine for NPCs will make games more fun and dynamic.

TechCrunch Minute: This startup wants to make Wordle for chess

Amanda Silberling — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

If you play Wordle every day but also happen to enjoy chess, we’ve got great news for you. Echo Chess, a game built by a company called Echo Chunk, is trying to become Wordle for Chess. No, you’re not playing Wordle and only guessing words like “QUEEN” or “CHECK.” Echo Chess is a daily puzzle […]

A company building Wordle for chess raises money from a16z Speedrun, Mark Pincus and Eric Wu

Ivan Mehta — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Echo Chunk, a company that is building Wordle-styled daily chess puzzle game Echo Chess, has raised $1.4 million in pre-seed from a16z Speedrun (Andreessen Horowitz’s early-stage games accelerator), founder of Zynga Mark Pincus, South Park Commons (SPC), Opendoor founder and CEO Eric Wu and Stef Corazza, the head of Generative AI at Roblox. Sami Ramly, […]

Sekai secures Naruto’s license to develop consumer apps for anime fans

Romain Dillet — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 09:59:32 +0000

Just like in your favorite anime, this is the story of a young group of twentysomethings who started with nothing, traveled the world and ended up with a global license to develop official Naruto consumer apps. Founded in early 2022, French startup Sekai describes itself as a studio that wants to create entertainment experiences with […]

Indian game firms want to distance themselves from fantasy sports

Manish Singh — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 03:32:36 +0000

For over a decade, real-money gaming companies and fantasy sports startups have marketed themselves as video game companies. But as these businesses face increasing regulatory scrutiny, a coalition of more than 70 video game companies in India is urging the government to create a clear distinction between their industries. In a letter to Prime Minister […]

YouTube and LinkedIn have games now, and here’s how you can play them

Lauren Forristal — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Here are the latest companies venturing into the gaming scene and details about each offering, including pricing, examples of titles and supported devices.

Epic Games CEO promises to ‘fight’ Apple over ‘absurd’ changes

Anthony Ha — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 15:23:29 +0000

It sounds like the latest dispute between Apple and Fortnite-maker Epic Games isn’t over. Epic has been fighting Apple for years over the company’s revenue-sharing requirements in the App Store. While Epic’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple was defeated last year, many of its criticisms were echoed in a different lawsuit filed against Apple in March […]

Apple approves Epic Games’ marketplace app after initial rejections

Sarah Perez — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 21:30:00 +0000

After multiple rejections, Apple has approved Fortnite maker Epic Games’ third-party app marketplace for launch in the EU. As now permitted by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Epic announced earlier this year it planned to bring both the digital storefront and its flagship game, Fortnite, back to iOS in Europe. However, on Friday, Epic […]

Meta plans to bring generative AI to metaverse games

Kyle Wiggers — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:06:21 +0000

Meta plans to bring more generative AI tech into games, specifically VR, AR and mixed reality games, as the company looks to reinvigorate its flagging metaverse strategy. According to a job listing, Meta is seeking to research and prototype “new consumer experiences” with new types of gameplay driven by generative AI, like games that “change […]

k-ID wins $45M to help game devs speedrun the child safety compliance puzzle

Kate Park — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 12:59:00 +0000

k-ID's platform makes it easy for game devs to comply with child safety and data privacy regulations.

XReal introduces a $200 device that brings Android apps to its AR glasses

Brian Heater — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The $200 Beam pro looks like an Android phone, but instead it's a mobile device designed specifically for Xreal’s glasses.

Apple’s Design Awards highlight indies and startups

Sarah Perez — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 19:29:00 +0000

Apple's annual list of what it considers the best and most innovative software available on its platform is turning its attention to the little guy.

Sonos Ace review: A high-priced contender

Brian Heater — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 18:18:09 +0000

The Ace are a contender in a crowded market, but they're still in search of that magic bullet to truly let them stand out from the pack.

Fitbit’s new kid smartwatch is a little Wiimote, a little Tamagotchi

Brian Heater — Wed, 29 May 2024 14:00:00 +0000

The watch features a variety of different 3D games, unlocking more play time the more kids move.

YouTube’s free games catalog ‘Playables’ rolls out to all users

Sarah Perez — Tue, 28 May 2024 16:56:21 +0000

YouTube's free Playables don't directly challenge the app store model or break Apple's rules. However, they do compete with the App Store's free games.

Families of Uvalde shooting victims sue Activision and Meta

Anthony Ha — Sun, 26 May 2024 16:58:25 +0000

The families of victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas are suing Activision and Meta, as well as gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. The families bringing the lawsuits are represented by attorney Josh Koskoff, who previously won a settlement from Remington for the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims. The suit against […]

TechCrunch Minute: Adobe lodges branding complaint against indie emulator app Delta

Amanda Silberling — Tue, 21 May 2024 16:00:00 +0000

It’s been a wild few months for the developers behind Delta, a retro game emulator app. Their latest hiccup came when Adobe accused the app of copying its logo, which is literally just a stylized version of the Greek letter delta. But for this indie app with a team of two, getting legal threats from […]