Articles about Gaming

Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur Diplo invests in Seattle startup Copper

Seattle startup Copper is getting a high-profile boost from Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur Diplo, who has invested in the company as it expands its consumer rewards platform. Copper, which says it has more than 4 million members, helps users earn money through shopping, mobile games and everyday digital activities. Read More

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Xbox: ‘We have to turn this into a sustainable business’

Microsoft has spent years subsidizing Xbox rather than profiting from it, CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged this week, as he addressed… Read More

‘This cannot continue’: Microsoft Xbox CEO calls for reset amid reports of looming job cuts

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees that Microsoft’s gaming business will end the fiscal year at about a 3% profit margin, saying years of heavy spending without revenue growth “cannot continue” — as Bloomberg and The Verge reported major job cuts coming next month.
Read More

Remaster specialist Nightdive takes on classic stealth game ‘Thief: The Dark Project’

Vancouver, Wash.-based Nightdive Studios, known for remastering out-of-print PC classics, announced at the PC Gaming Show that its next project is “Thief: The Dark Project,” the influential 1998 stealth game. The remaster is set for release this winter on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and PC. Read More

Rec Room’s final day: Fans say goodbye as social gaming platform comes to an end

The Seattle social gaming platform, once valued at $3.5 billion, shuts down at noon Pacific today after a decade and 150 million players. Fans are marking the end with tribute videos, yearbook-style goodbyes, and final virtual gatherings. Read More

Microsoft’s new Xbox chief nixes Gaming Copilot for mobile and console, shakes up leadership

New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is winding down Gaming Copilot on mobile and canceling its console launch, barely a year after Microsoft debuted the AI feature. She’s also overhauling the gaming unit’s leadership, including new execs from her previous group, CoreAI. Read More

Brute-force attack linked Rec Room user phone numbers to online identities

Someone misused Rec Room’s friend-finder feature to match phone numbers to the user names of hundreds of thousands of players on the social gaming platform — assembling a database that connects their online identities directly to their real-world contact information. Read More

Seattle VR gaming studio Polyarc announces ‘significant’ layoffs

The announcement, via LinkedIn, notes that the layoffs come after “an unsuccessful team-wide effort to secure funding following the cancellation of a major project.” Read More

‘I don’t think anything will ever replace Rec Room’: Fans shocked by gaming platform shutdown

In the Rec Room community Discord server, thousands of posts illustrated the impact that the loss of the gaming app will have on players. Many questioned whether the news was a joke, what went wrong, and where they will go now for such entertainment and community. Read More

Snap acquires assets from Rec Room as social gaming platform announces shutdown

Snap has acquired select assets from Rec Room Inc., with some employees joining the Spectacles hardware subsidiary, as the Seattle-based social gaming company shuts down its platform on June 1. Read More

Rec Room shutting down: Once valued at $3.5B, social gaming platform finds profits elusive

Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down on June 1, ending a decade-long run for one of the city’s most prominent startup unicorns. Read More

Bungie scores an unexpected success with ‘Marathon’ revival

After a CEO’s departure, layoffs, an indefinite delay, and the failure of a similar Sony title, Bungie’s online shooter looked like it was headed for disaster. Instead, it’s become one of this year’s unexpected gaming successes. Read More

Who is Asha Sharma? A closer look at Microsoft’s surprise pick to lead the Xbox business

Microsoft’s new top gaming exec has the trust of Satya Nadella, a track record running platforms at Facebook, Instacart, and Microsoft’s AI division, and a goal to restore Xbox’s “renegade spirit.” What she doesn’t have is gaming industry experience — and the community is watching closely. Read More

Analysis: The best thing that the new Xbox CEO can do is … nothing

New Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma is in a unique position where she really can succeed in the video game business, despite her inexperience in the field, without really trying. Read More

Analysis: Valve’s new Steam Hardware projects are a potential challenge to Microsoft and Meta

In the wake of the success of the Steam Deck, a portable gaming PC aimed at a casual audience, it… Read More

Amazon unveils revamped Luna cloud gaming platform with new focus on party games

Amazon plans to relaunch its cloud gaming platform Luna later this year. The “all-new Luna” has been “redesigned and reimagined”… Read More

Filing: Rec Room layoffs impact 141 employees at Seattle gaming startup

A major round of layoffs at Rec Room impacted 141 employees at the Seattle-based startup according to a Worker Adjustment and… Read More

Rec Room lays off half its staff in major shakeup at Seattle startup

Seattle-based startup Rec Room, once valued at $3.5 billion, is laying off about half of its staff in a sweeping… Read More

‘Virtual creature’ startup Windup Minds raises $1.6M in seed funding

A startup founded by gaming and tech industry veterans in cities including Seattle and Los Angeles has raised $1.6 million… Read More

Nintendo announces new ‘Super Mario Bros.’ & ‘Pikmin’ games for Switch

In its latest Nintendo Direct virtual presentation on Wednesday morning, Nintendo announced a number of upcoming video games, including the… Read More

‘Amazon Anywhere’ brings shopping experience inside new AR game from makers of ‘Pokèmon Go’

The so-called “everything store” is looking to go “anywhere.” Amazon announced the launch Tuesday of “Amazon Anywhere,” an immersive shopping… Read More

Zero Latency opening a free-roam virtual reality gaming venue in Seattle area

Zero Latency VR, the Australia-based virtual reality technology company, is bringing one of its free-roam gaming spaces to the Seattle… Read More

This 12-year-old indie developer is bringing his retro-style game to Emerald City Comic Con

At 12 years old, Max Trest is already an established independent video game developer who has even created a game… Read More

GameWorks ready to power back on in Seattle as onetime execs take control of arcade/restaurant

GameWorks Seattle is getting ready to reboot this summer. The downtown arcade bar, which was a tentpole of the region’s… Read More

Razer, the gaming lifestyle brand and hardware supplier, opening new store in Seattle

Gamers looking for gear in Seattle will have a new brick-and-mortar retail destination to check out next month. The lifestyle… Read More

Valve pushes back release of Steam Deck portable gaming PC because of supply chain issues

The launch of Valve Software’s new portable gaming PC, the Steam Deck, has been pushed back two months to February… Read More

Seattle Seahawks launch ‘Sandbox’ gaming platform to engage with fans in esports and more

While the Seattle Seahawks work out some of the kinks in their on-field game play this season, the team announced… Read More

Seattle’s newest unicorn: Rec Room raises $100M as social gaming popularity fuels big growth

Seattle-based Rec Room has raised $100 million in new funding. The game development startup is now valued at $1.25 billion… Read More

Amazon releases surprise Alexa app for Microsoft Xbox, with voice controls and video features

Amazon is bringing new voice control capabilities to Microsoft’s gaming consoles with the surprise release of a new “Alexa for… Read More

Seattle Sounders among 23 teams around the world getting in on special ‘Fortnite’ celebration of soccer

The Seattle Sounders FC are getting in on a different sort of “beautiful game” as the club is one of… Read More