Briefings

The Last of Us Part II’s $220 million development cost shows why marketing, accounting treatment and lifecycle spending change game budget comparisons.

EA, Microsoft and Take-Two show how acquisitions coexist with studio closures—and why ownership, staffing and production capacity need separate analysis.

Japan’s mobile-led games market, rising PC revenue and publisher overseas sales reveal distinct demand patterns, business models and operating risks.

Assess game publishing advances, recoupment, royalty splits and rights reversion through public contract examples, accounting tests and platform…

A framework for live-service game economics, retention, content costs and shutdown risk, using public closure cases and platform operating constraints.

Key signals UFC-Que Choisir has sued Ubisoft in Créteil over The Crew’s March 2024 server shutdown, arguing paying customers lost all access to a purchased game. The case targets revocable-license clauses and late notice of shutdowns, challenging industry-standard EULAs across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox stores. A ruling against Ubisoft could force new guarantees for offline […]

DLSS 5’s move from AI upscaling to neural rendering forces studios to weigh performance gains against artistic control, legal risks, and community…

An executive analysis of Crimson Desert’s cross-platform optimization, performance targets, and AAA economics across PC, console, and Mac.

How Unreal Engine 5 PC optimization and shader stutters are driving bad Steam day-one reviews, high refund rates, and lost revenue for new releases.