Gaming

Event Calendar

NerdFaire Con 2020

by Todd Bishop on November 6, 2019November 6, 2019 at 4:33 pmComment

Join us for our 2nd annual NerdFaire Con! We’re taking over the Lynnwood Convention Center! Your addmission gets you into NerdFaire to enjoy gaming, gaming demos, panels, workshops, story times,… Read More

Rainway debuts game streaming for Xbox One, allowing users to play PC games on a console

by Thomas Wilde on January 30, 2020January 31, 2020 at 5:50 pmComment

Update, 1/31/2020: Due to “unexpected circumstances,” Rainway has been removed from the Microsoft Store for the time being. Seattle-based startup Rainway made a surprise announcement Tuesday, rolling out its game… Read More

Washington state considers legislation that would protect gaming apps from gambling lawsuits

by Monica Nickelsburg on January 28, 2020January 29, 2020 at 10:47 amComment

Washington lawmakers are debating legislation that would shield many of the state’s smartphone game companies from class-action gambling lawsuits. Several Washington companies that develop so-called social games are fielding lawsuits… Read More

Seattle game studio led by ArenaNet co-founder and ex-Undead Labs engineer raises $5.7M

by Nat Levy on December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 at 6:25 amComment

Seattle’s already robust gaming scene is getting even stronger. One More Games, a studio started earlier this year by a pair of veterans of the gaming industry who also spent… Read More

Gaming industry launches lobbying effort to shield smartphone games from Washington gambling laws

by Monica Nickelsburg on December 4, 2019December 5, 2019 at 10:50 amComment

Gaming industry and civic leaders in Washington state are launching a new lobbying organization today, part of a broader effort to exempt smartphone games from local gambling laws. Game On… Read More

Video

How this college student and e-sports pro caught the attention of Shopify’s CEO — and got a job offer

by Kurt Schlosser on November 8, 2019November 8, 2019 at 6:55 amComment

Look, mom, a life of video games really does provide a resume boost. Certainly there are countless numbers of people making a living around games, with even more these days… Read More

Geek of the Week: Ryan Hogan’s Hunt A Killer doesn’t need screens to deliver immersive gaming

by Kurt Schlosser on November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 at 1:18 pmComment

For Ryan Hogan and the team behind the immersive entertainment company Hunt A Killer, the future of gaming is not coming at us through a screen. It’s coming right to… Read More

Seattle gaming mainstays raise cash for new mobile studio Starform

by Nat Levy on September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 at 8:53 amComment

The co-founders of the Seattle mobile gaming company Z2, which was acquired by Candy Crush-maker King four years ago, have raised cash for their new startup. Starform raised a $1.25… Read More

Game streaming startup Rainway raises cash, adds Gaikai founder and Xbox pioneer as advisors

by Taylor Soper on September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 at 8:41 amComment

Video game streaming startup Rainway is raising more cash and bolstering its advisory board. The Seattle company just reeled in another $3.5 million, adding to its seed round from last… Read More

Nintendo dominates game sales on Amazon as Switch popularity continues

by Nat Levy on September 4, 2019September 4, 2019 at 7:14 amComment

Six of the top 10 best-selling games on Amazon in August were Nintendo Switch titles, according to a new report, an indication that the popularity of the smash hit console… Read More

Stop-and-‘Pokemon Go’ traffic: Washington trooper finds driver playing popular game on 8 phones

by Kurt Schlosser on August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 at 11:08 am 2 Comments

It’s probably safe to say that the Washington State Patrol would like to “catch ’em all” when it comes to dangerous drivers on roadways. One trooper managed to make that… Read More

Streaming star Ninja hits 1 million subscribers on Microsoft’s Mixer just days after Twitch switch

by Kurt Schlosser on August 7, 2019August 11, 2019 at 6:25 pmComment

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins said he wanted to “get back to his streaming roots” when he announced he was jumping from Amazon’s Twitch to Microsoft’s Mixer last week. Those roots are… Read More

How tech is sneaking into the cardboard world of tabletop gaming at Gen Con

by Tim Ellis on August 5, 2019August 5, 2019 at 10:11 amComment

Gen Con — the largest gaming convention in the country — bills itself as “The Home of Tabletop Gaming™” and as such, is primarily focused on tabletop gaming such as… Read More

Photos

The spectacle of Gen Con, the country’s largest (and possibly friendliest) tabletop game convention

by Tim Ellis on August 4, 2019August 8, 2019 at 1:38 pmComment

Your intrepid Seattle-based gaming correspondent Tim Ellis (that’s me) hit the road this weekend to visit Indianapolis, home of Gen Con, the nation’s largest and oldest tabletop gaming convention. The… Read More

Who’da thunk? Smartphone ‘failure’ Microsoft now has the top free app and paid game on Apple’s iOS

by Nat Levy on August 2, 2019August 2, 2019 at 10:13 am1 Comment

It wasn’t long ago that Microsoft was spending billions of dollars to write off the major acquisition of Nokia, and retreat from the smartphone business. Since then, the tech giant… Read More

Microsoft’s gaming division stalls as countdown to the next generation of consoles begins

by Nat Levy on July 18, 2019July 18, 2019 at 4:18 pmComment

The clock is ticking on the current generation of gaming consoles, and as Microsoft gets ready to release its next entry a little over a year from now, the tech… Read More

Q&A: One year into the job, Big Fish president Jeff Karp aims to transform company with ‘fewer, bigger, better’ games

by Nat Levy on June 26, 2019June 28, 2019 at 12:08 pm1 Comment

Jeff Karp came on board as leader of Big Fish Games during one of the most uncertain times in the history of the 16-year-old company, an icon of Seattle robust… Read More

Amazon’s Twitch snaps up former social media darling Bebo to grow esports presence

by James Thorne on June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 at 9:37 amComment

Amazon-owned Twitch has purchased esports company and early social media contender Bebo to grow its presence in the gaming world. The size of the deal is not known, but sources… Read More

Amazon Game Studios confirms reorganization, reportedly cutting ‘dozens’ of developer jobs

by James Thorne on June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 at 1:39 pmComment

Amazon’s internal game development studio is letting go of dozens of game developers, according to a report from Kotaku on Friday. The news comes just a day after the conclusion… Read More

Up your hygiene game: Microsoft creating an Xbox line of body wash and deodorant

by Kurt Schlosser on June 4, 2019June 4, 2019 at 3:54 pm 2 Comments

My son and his buddies may battle all sorts of enemies when they pile into a room to play a few hours of video games. I’ve battled the smell of… Read More

Microsoft and Sony vow to “explore” ways to collaborate on cloud gaming and AI in new partnership

by Tom Krazit on May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 at 1:33 pmComment

Microsoft and Sony are going exploring. The two longtime gaming console rivals announced Thursday that they have struck a multiyear partnership that involves plans to think about doing stuff together,… Read More

3 trends that will reshape how consumers interact with video games

by Derrick Morton on April 29, 2019April 28, 2019 at 10:00 pmComment

The worldwide video game industry has hit a growth spurt in recent years, with revenues coming in higher and at a faster rate than predicted. Alongside this growth, significant changes… Read More

Wizards of the Coast hires games industry vet James Ohlen to open new studio in Austin

by Kurt Schlosser on April 24, 2019April 24, 2019 at 9:46 amComment

Gaming veteran James Ohlen has been lured back to the industry he took a break from last year with an opportunity that was too good to refuse — he’ll be… Read More

‘More than just playing a game’: State-of-the-art esports arena powers up at Univ. of Washington

by Kurt Schlosser on April 18, 2019April 19, 2019 at 10:31 amComment

Game on at the University of Washington. A state-of-the-art Esports Arena & Gaming Lounge at the UW’s Husky Union Building is up and running after an official ribbon cutting on… Read More

Commentary: Sony’s next-generation PlayStation console feels like a victory lap

by Thomas Wilde on April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 at 12:03 pmComment

Sony lifted the hood on its next PlayStation console in a Wired story today featuring an interview with Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PlayStation 4. To summarize briefly,… Read More

Paul Allen’s immersive Holodome gets interactive with new zombie-hunting game that founder tested

by Kurt Schlosser on March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 at 10:26 am1 Comment

In the months since Vulcan, Inc., placed its Holodome inside Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, 38,000 people have stepped into the 360-degree immersive reality experience. Now, almost a year later,… Read More

Microsoft to extend Xbox Live to Android and iOS, but company stays mum on Switch and PS4 compatibility

by Nat Levy on March 14, 2019March 13, 2019 at 10:52 pmComment

Microsoft plans to drastically expand the reach of Xbox Live, bringing the online community to iOS and Android devices. Hints of this move, which will let Xbox Live players take… Read More

Nintendo jumps into virtual reality with latest Labo cardboard kits

by Nat Levy on March 7, 2019March 7, 2019 at 10:23 amComment

Nintendo is adding new virtual reality kits to its lineup of cardboard Labo accessories for the Switch, doubling down on the surprising initiative first announced last year. The foundation of… Read More

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé to retire, hand leadership reins to Doug Bowser

by James Thorne on February 21, 2019February 22, 2019 at 10:34 amComment

Nintendo of America’s longtime president and COO Reggie Fils-Aimé is retiring and will be replaced by Doug Bowser. Fils-Aimé, who has spent 15 years with the company, will step down… Read More