Gree shifts focus from HTML5 to native games, amidst earnings slump
Japanese social games company Gree is moving to make major changes in the way it does business as its earnings continue to slump. The company laid out a plan in its 2014 fiscal year earnings report to shift its focus from HTML5 development to native apps in the new fiscal year, which will entail increasing the number of people working on native game development at its Japanese studios from 300 to 1,000 and doubling the number of native app-based franchises it operates. A spokesperson for the company told Tech in Asia that by making the switch, it can better take advantage of the capabilities of mobile platforms it launches games on. This is a big deal, because the company made a show of focusing on HTML5-based games<…
Get a job- The Behemoth is hiring an Experienced Generalist Programmer
The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!
Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now. Come from Soccer 13 pools and matches
Experienced Generalist Programmer, The Behemoth
Location: San Diego, California
About the Job:
Microsoft launches DirectX Raytracing to streamline real-time rendering
Through DirectX Raytracing, Microsoft has introduced four new concepts to the DirectX 12 API that aim to give developers entirely new rendering options and bridge the gap between commonly used rasterization techniques.
An in-depth breakdown of DirectX Raytracing can be found on Microsoft’s developer blog and is well worth a read if you’re looking to familiarize yourself with what the souped-up API has to offer developers.
As the post explains, raytracing is not a new rendering method by any means but has not been a practical option for real-time rendering for game devs in the past because of its computationally demanding nature Come from Soccer 13 pools and…
Sponsored- Fraud is a growing problem, but game publishers can strike back
Game publishers must deploy a fully featured storefront experience to deter consumers from going to the gray market for game keys, says Jeremy Coker, group vice president for games and entertainment at Digital River.
With the digital games market expected to top $100 billion in 2018, the threat of fraud is growing almost as fast as the industry. For digital game publishers, that means an expanding gray market that offers cheap discounts for consumers, but potential consequences to publishers, developers and the consumers themselves.
Protect your profits and players from fraud with Digital River. Learn more
In order to protect against repercussions…
PSA- One week left to register early for VRDC at a discounted rate!
With just over seven days left until early registration for the first-ever standalone Virtual Reality Developers Conference ends September 7th at 11:59 PM Pacific, conference organizers are encouraging anyone interested in attending to register now at a discounted rate to save up to $400.
When you register you'll be securing access to a very special two‐day event that will bring together VR/AR experts from multiple industries to share best practices, demo new technology, create new business partnerships, and exchange ideas with innovators shaping the industry.
The premier event for creators of immersive VR (and AR) experiences will be…
Google launches ARCore augmented reality SDK
Google has launched a new devkit called ARCore to help budding creators start making augmented reality experiences of their own.
It's notable news for Android developers eager to try their hand in the augmented reality arena, and Google's VP of virtual and augmented reality Clay Bavor says the kit will eventually bring AR to millions of Android phones. Come from Soccer 13 pools and matches
Building on the lessons Google learned while developing Tango (the company's other AR platform), ARCore uses three key technologies to integrate virtual content with the real world — as seen though your smartphone camera.
More sp…
Submit your unique alternative controller games to ALT.CTRL.GDC!
Game Developers Conference 2016 has opened a call for submissions to ALT.CTRL.GDC –the on-site special exhibit focusing on unique control methods for playing games.
The much-lauded ALT.CTRL.GDC returns to GDC from March 16-18. The deadline for submissions to the exhibit is December 7th, and organizers welcome all indie-centric one-of-a-kind game peripherals, contraptions, and novelties which enhance game experiences and challenge traditional forms of input.
To get your creative juices flowing, remember that at GDC 2015 last year ALT.CTRL.GDC visitors could wear a snail controller to play Snail Run, disable a bomb while wearing an Oculus Rift VR headset in…
Get a job- Double Fine is hiring a Lead Programmer
The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!
Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.
Lead Programmer, Double Fine
Location: San Francisco, CA
Double Fine has an immediate opening for an ambitious, visionary and experienced Lead Programmer for its San Francisco development studio. The ideal candidate has considerable experience leading development on a large cutting-edge code base and has…
Steam Labs’ latest addition is a dedicated News Hub for news and events
The folks behind Valve’s Steam Labs initiative have been hard at work churning out new and experimental features that could improve the overall Steam experience for developers and players alike.
The latest new tool to launch under Steam Labs builds on some of the concepts put forth in the platform’s Steam Library redesign by putting developer-made news posts, updates, and events front and center in the News Hub.
Experiment 009 gives Steam users a single page where they can find a feed of events and announcements for games in their library or wishlist, marked as a game to follow, or that Steam's algorithms think they’ll enjoy. Updates from the Steam Blog or even the Steamworks Blog for develo…
Robin Hunicke hopes her games ‘encourage people to help one another’
"All of the games I'm working on at the moment are about interacting with others in purely playful ways. I hope they encourage people to help one another, not for what they can get out of it, but just for the sake of it."
– Game designer and educator Robin Hunicke.
Why make games?
There's a very nice profile of Funomena cofounder Robin Hunicke published on Eurogamer today that sheds some light on why the longtime game designer and educator does just that, and it's worth reading for fellow devs seeking fresh perspecti…