PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

What started as a passion project has grown into a full-fledged god game blending city-building, resource management and player-driven storytelling. I became a solo developer initially because I wanted to make games, plain and simple, he says. I have full freedom and control over every aspect of my game.

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Simulation Dev Mechanics Development 118

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Set in a beautiful, Slavic-inspired world, Selfloss by Kazakhstan-based indie studio Goodwin Games is an adventure that explores themes of grief, healing, and resilience. Reflecting on the game’s core concept, Khoroshavin shares, “The very first idea was that I want to make a game about an old protagonist that can traverse via boat.

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Prototyping Indy Games Concepts 104

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 28, 2025

This unique ability, previously unseen in Metroidvania games, represents a significant innovation for the genre that the creators at Canadian indie game company Lucid Dreams Studio so love. Their debut game, the 2D single-player action adventure Legends of Ethernal, launched three years later.

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Studios Mechanics Fantasy Indy 104

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Narrative design has always been an important part of video game development, but its significance in modern-day games continues to grow as narrative elements play an important role in player engagement and retention. Several exploration games also incorporate similar story designs. The core gameplay in Gossip Harbor.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 262

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Dylan Tredrea is a product & publishing consultant with over 12 years of experience in mobile free to play games at studios such as Disney, Rovio, Zeptolab, & CrazyLabs. After release I was responsible for analyzing churn and sharing the results with the team: the cutscenes were driving users out of the game.

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Game Refinery

APRIL 6, 2023

With increased competition from IDFA regulation changes and new games consistently entering the market, two of the biggest challenges facing publishers and mobile game studios are acquiring new players (UA) and keeping those players in your game (player retention).

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Mechanics Mobile Mobile Puzzle 239

Game Refinery

JUNE 21, 2023

Below, we’ll go through four basic strategies for targeted IAP offers that do just that, with specific trigger timings and unique appeal, while looking at how these have been implemented in some of the top games on the market. Users who clear one of these challenging levels receive a ‘missing toy’ for an in-game toy box.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 48

Ask a Game Dev

APRIL 9, 2025

lavish vacations, theme parks, theater going) to cheaper forms of entertainment (camping, hiking, video games, local attractions, etc.). Similar trends follow in video games - instead of buying Madden or Call of Duty every year, in times of economic hardship you'll see players skipping a year and buying the game the year after.

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Entertainment Editing Dev Content 59

iXie gaming

APRIL 23, 2025

The global gaming industry is booming and yet, most Unity-based titles fail to sustain player attention or generate long-term value. For studios aiming to build not just games, but game-driven businesses, these three pillars are no longer optional. QA as a Trust Mechanism Players expect frictionless experiences.

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Art Quality Assurance Mobile Mobile 52

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 11, 2023

The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. At Geometric we put gameplay first, and we will always build our games around strong gameplay ideas”, says Carlsen. years of development.

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Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

With IDFA regulation changes and an influx of new games entering the market, publishers and mobile game studios are facing an ever-uphill battle to acquire new players (UA) and retain them. However, as we wrote last year , many top-grossing mobile games have found that minigames are the best way to boost UA and player retention.

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Development Puzzle Mobile Mobile 130

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 22, 2023

Chinese developer and publisher Nuverse is using AI for all NPC speech and animation in games. He says it helps artists to free up their time and produce content more efficiently. Currently, our system is designed to address highly repetitive and mechanical content production problems, such as matching lip movements.

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Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Competition is fierce in the mobile game market, but even more so for developers of casual and hyper-casual games. So, what can mobile game developers do to increase the chances of their games performing well? So, what can mobile game developers do to increase the chances of their games performing well?

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iXie gaming

MARCH 2, 2025

Live-service games have transformed the gaming industry, shifting from standalone releases to dynamic, continuously evolving experiences. Titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Genshin Impact have redefined player engagement through frequent content drops, seasonal events, and community-driven updates. These include: (i).

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Art Asset Texture AI 52

Big Games

MARCH 27, 2025

The mobile gaming industry has exploded recently. Developers are constantly seeking the best tools to create engaging, high-performance games that can run smoothly on a wide range of Android devices. Two of the most popular game enginesUnity and Unreal are the top choices for Android game development.

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Engine Engineering Game Developer Game Development 52

Radiator Blog

APRIL 11, 2024

Botany Manor is a 3 hour first person puzzle game about growing plants while exploring a big beautiful fancy house that smells like British Bake-Off. The Witness fully commits to hundreds of puzzles at the scope of an open world game. Which means this isn't just a puzzle game. It's random information scattered in random rooms.

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Puzzle Games Mechanics Baking 173

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Written by Ahmetcan Demirel , the maestro of product management and a podcast host ( Game Dev Diary ) from Germany! With a knack for puzzles, arcades, and simulation games. The puzzle genre is a powerhouse in mobile gaming, generating over $7 billion annually in in-app purchases (IAP). Succeed in the market.

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Puzzle Mechanics Tile Games 52

Played with Fire

MARCH 12, 2025

The gaming industry is evolving at a rapid pace, with cutting-edge technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) playing a crucial role in shaping its future. VR & AI The Future of Gaming? Will VR and AI redefine how we play games, or are they just temporary trends? But what does the future hold?

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AI Technology Games NPC 52

AWS Games

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Grabbing the attention of gamers is challenging in a crowded market, but QORPO s unique video gaming experiences stand out. Leveraging many managed services from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the game developer, publisher, and solutions provider accelerated creative game development for popular titles like Citizen Conflict.

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AI Feature Technology Cross platform 85

Game Refinery

AUGUST 22, 2024

With 95% of game makers developing or maintaining a live service game, live events have become one of the most important elements of finding and maintaining success in not just the mobile market, but PC and console too. You should start thinking of your LiveOps strategy from the moment you start developing your game.

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Build Mechanics Feature Mobile 177

iXie gaming

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

In the ever-evolving world of game development , Procedural Content Generation (PCG) has emerged as a transformative force. By utilizing algorithms to create game content dynamically, PCG offers exciting possibilities, from vast, intricate game worlds to unique, personalized player experiences.

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Content Quality Assurance Balance Games 52

Radiator Blog

JUNE 21, 2023

Against the Storm by Eremite Games ( Steam page , official site ) is a popular 2.5D town-building run-based RTS with a Warcraft 3 inspired aesthetic and a deckbuilding meta-game progression. The core game design throughline is clear: they loved the Warcraft wood chopping mechanic, and so they made an entire game around it.

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Build Mechanics Games Game Design 130

GamesIndustry.biz

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Players expect more from their games, now more than ever before. Over the past twenty years, the scope, budget and audience expectations of games have inflated, and smaller studios are left seemingly locked in a cycle of diminishing returns on increasingly ambitious productions.

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AAA Mechanics Studios Game Design 136

Grid Sage Games

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Cogmind generally has fewer such direct escape options, but teleport mechanics are out there, if an advanced tech not usually available until the late game. As a general concept teleportation technology exists in quite a few varieties throughout the world of Cogmind, though the player only has access to some of them.

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Mechanics Concepts Balance Terrain 52

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 16, 2025

Written by John Wright a Game Publishing Maestro, Iron-Pumping Aficionado, and a member of Deconstructor of Fun consulting and advisory team. When it comes to leveling up your game portfolio or your biceps, John Wright is the publishing powerhouse you want in your corner. >>

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Advertising 52

AWS Games

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

Electronic Arts (EA) engages players around the globe in immersive games across PC, console, and mobile. Known for popular game franchises including EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, Battlefield, and Apex Legends, EA regularly releases new game versions to mitigate issues, make improvements, and add new in-game content.

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Electronics Art Games Data 109

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 2, 2023

Brawl Boxes had been there since the release of the game, and were an integral part of its progression and monetization systems. And ultimately, it’s the most recent step in a direction that Brawl Stars has been moving towards in the past few years as the game has been gradually removing the impact of lootboxes in the progression.

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Content Games Mechanics Game Design 111

Logic Simplified

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Similarly, in a game development setup, various virtual reality tools have become easily accessible to both creators and consumers to create and encounter immersive experiences. 10 Popular VR Game Development Tools There are a range of tools and frameworks that are being used for VR game development projects.

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Game Developer Game Development Development Texture 51

Deconstructor of Fun

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Written by Adam Telfer , our razor-sharp Canadian co-host who doesn’t just play games—Adam both builds and dissects them. As a badass product leader, Adam cuts through the noise with no-nonsense insights into what makes games tick and why some crash and burn.

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Console Co-op Content PC 52

GamesIndustry.biz

JUNE 24, 2024

Earlier this year, UK developer Playfusion unveiled its newest game Ascendant Infinity, which aims to shake up the online multiplayer space with matches that change every time. People are happy to see we've taken the risk to innovate, to create this 'adaption shooter' and event-driven gameplay mechanic." Read more

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Mechanics Content Studios Development 112

PreMortem.Games

MAY 27, 2024

Founded in 2017 by Parth Soni and Sally Luc , the company now has five full-time employees and an additional five contractors, all working on their latest game Aikyam. We’re aiming to create content that resonates with a broader, untapped audience”, she says. Securing funds to develop this passion project has proven difficult.

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Art Studios Content Indy 166

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 29, 2024

Guest post by Alexander Devyaterikov , Producer at Belka Games In today's gaming world, it's not enough to just have a good game. We need to release regular updates: more content, more events, faster, and higher quality. As you can see, the result is pretty good for a 9-year-old game. The schedule is filled.

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Mechanics Content Puzzle Games 98

Brand Game Development

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

Last week, I posted A Crash Course in Games , where I acted as a tour guide to the board game industry, covering much of the contextual information you’ll need to make games. Let’s pick up from there and talk about what specifically goes into making a game. What is board game development all about?

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Game Developer Game Development Development Game Design 130

PreMortem.Games

APRIL 21, 2023

In addition to the series of articles about hypercasual games and the social media trends that inspire them, AppMagic talked to AZUR Games and FreePlay, both developer and publisher in the mobile- and hypercasual games market. Both studios say they regularly analyze game dynamics, including downloads and revenue.

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Prototyping Mechanics Media Games 104

Game Refinery

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Following the high-level trend of hybridization across mobile , more and more casual games have started introducing competitive elements into their live event strategies. This has become especially prevalent in the puzzle subgenre, with around 75% of casual puzzle games in the US top-grossing 200 implementing these features.

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PreMortem.Games

JUNE 28, 2024

Games for Change , in partnership with HP and Google Play, announced the winners of the second annual Diverse Voices, New Stories Challenge at the 2024 Games for Change Festival. The challenge is an initiative to improve representation and increase visibility for underrepresented game developers in the mobile gaming industry.

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Puzzle Art Mobile Gaming Games 104

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 24, 2024

Physics-based 2D platformer Bionic Bay is a collaboration between the Finnish one-man-studio Mureena and Taiwanese indie game company Psychoflow Studio. The game started as a demo shown on Reddit, but picked up momentum when Badland art director Juhana Myllys offered to mix and match his distinct artwork with the gameplay.

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