Video Games

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Analysis: Video game spending hits record $1.5B in October, up 73% as new games drive big sales

by Thomas Wilde on November 25, 2018November 25, 2018 at 2:37 pmComment

2018 has been a rocky year for the video game industry. We’ve seen the closure of several big studios; a growing grassroots effort toward unionization; high-profile companies accused of gender… Read More

First-ever Nebula award for game writers approved by professional science fiction writers organization

by Frank Catalano on November 12, 2018November 12, 2018 at 6:22 amComment

For the first time, game writers will be able to claim one of science fiction and fantasy’s prestigious Nebula awards. Officials of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America… Read More

Video

The lucky calls and unique ideas that put startup Grunka Munka Games on a path to success

by Lisa Stiffler on November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 at 6:21 amComment

Either the team behind Grunka Munka Games is super brilliant or really lucky, or likely a combo of both. Because as co-founder and CEO Andrew Ward tells it, stuff seems… Read More

Video

Nintendo Switch tops 3M units in latest quarter, surpasses GameCube in lifetime sales

by Todd Bishop on October 30, 2018November 28, 2018 at 8:12 am 2 Comments

Nintendo sold 3.19 million Switch consoles worldwide in the September quarter, up from 2.92 million units in the same period a year ago, reaching a lifetime total of 22.86 million… Read More

Develop video games in Seattle? A panel ponders recruitment, stability, and a lack of connection

by Thomas Wilde on October 27, 2018October 27, 2018 at 8:21 amComment

While Seattle has its benefits for the games industry culture — such as relative stability and plentiful job opportunities — its quirks include a surprising lack of personal connections among… Read More

Video

Amazon creates ‘Grand Tour Game’ to bring driving fans in on the action of popular TV series

by Kurt Schlosser on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 at 10:24 amComment

If you’re a fan of Amazon’s Prime Original television series “The Grand Tour,” the stars want you to go straight from watching to actually being in on the action. “One… Read More

Video

TLDR: Microsoft partners with Indian cricket legend on smart bat

by Starla Sampaco on October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 at 4:23 pmComment

Today’s featured stories Microsoft partners with Indian cricket legend to develop a smart bat that tracks live analytics Alexa and Cortana can now control Xbox devices as new ‘skill’ for… Read More

Video

TLDR: Microsoft unveils Project xCloud game streaming service

by Starla Sampaco on October 8, 2018October 8, 2018 at 4:33 pmComment

Today’s featured stories Microsoft will launch Project xCloud game streaming service in 2019, powered by custom servers built from Xbox components Facebook debuts new video chatting device Portal amid privacy… Read More

Video

TLDR: Amazon ends warehouse worker bonuses & stock awards

by Starla Sampaco on October 4, 2018October 4, 2018 at 3:47 pmComment

Today’s featured stories Amazon criticized for ending warehouse bonuses and stock awards in shift to $15/hour wage Nintendo plans new Switch hardware for 2019 release, report says Silicon Valley VC… Read More

Well wishes for Paul Allen, video game high scores and more as party opens GeekWire Summit 2018

by Kurt Schlosser on October 1, 2018October 1, 2018 at 9:56 pmComment

GeekWire Summit attendees will spend the next two days in Seattle hearing from some of today’s leading innovators in the tech and science industries. On Monday night, they took a… Read More

Geek of the Week: Yi Yang’s love for video games taught him English, so he wrote a book about it

by Kurt Schlosser on September 21, 2018September 21, 2018 at 10:03 amComment

Students in China who wish to study in the U.S. can often find the advanced vocabulary English tests to be the biggest hurdle. Yi Yang learned how to clear his… Read More

Video

The Tim’s PAX Indie Game Awards

by Tim Ellis on September 9, 2018September 9, 2018 at 7:56 pmComment

[Editor’s Note: Tim “The Tim” Ellis is a regular GeekWire contributor and perennial PAX attendee.] Every year at the PAX video game expo in Seattle, rather than facing the growing… Read More

A tale of two Penny Arcade Expos, on my first time to the show

by Thomas Wilde on September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 at 5:27 pmComment

Why I Hate the Word “Gamer” and You Should Too I’ve been in Washington state for 11 years now, and I write about games for a living. Usually, that means… Read More

Video

First peek inside PAX West: Giant game event opens in Seattle with heightened security

by Todd Bishop & Tim Ellis on August 31, 2018August 31, 2018 at 11:27 amComment

PAX West, the video game convention that brings tens of thousands of gaming fans to Seattle every summer, opened Friday morning with subtle signs of heightened security but no less… Read More

Amazon ends 20% video game pre-order discounts for Prime members, cuts back Twitch Prime benefits

by Tim Ellis on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 at 3:14 pmComment

Amazon is changing the terms of its Prime benefits for video game pre-orders, replacing the 20 percent discount with a $10 Amazon promotional credit on “select title,” as first spotted… Read More

Video

TLDR: T-Mobile & Nokia’s $3.5B 5G alliance, Ofo shuts down in Seattle, Magic: The Gathering

by Starla Sampaco on July 30, 2018July 30, 2018 at 5:35 pmComment

Today’s featured stories With Sprint acquisition pending, T-Mobile teams up with Nokia in new $3.5B 5G alliance Ofo officially shutting down in Seattle after $250K bikeshare fee passes ‘Magic: The… Read More

Video

TLDR: New Xbox consoles, how to save money on housing, Nest doorbell cam captures unwelcome visitor

by Starla Sampaco on July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 at 6:27 pmComment

Today’s featured stories Microsoft reportedly building two new Xbox consoles, including a lower-priced streaming device Zillow analysis finds Seattle among top cities in U.S. where it pays to move away… Read More

Monkey do! Nintendo releases classic arcade version of ‘Donkey Kong’ for Switch

by Kurt Schlosser on June 15, 2018June 15, 2018 at 1:34 pmComment

Roll out the barrel, Nintendo is up for a barrel of fun with the release of the original “Donkey Kong” video game for Switch. The game is the classic version… Read More

Podcast

Geared Up Podcast: The best games from E3

by Clare McGrane on June 13, 2018June 13, 2018 at 3:52 pmComment

E3, the biggest gaming convention in the U.S., started with a bang this week. Geared Up co-host Andru Edwards is down in Los Angeles for the show and on this… Read More

Video

Review: It’s a short, but interesting, walk around an abandoned space station in Fullbright’s ‘Tacoma’

by Thomas Wilde on June 7, 2018June 6, 2018 at 3:39 pmComment

The Fullbright Company, a Portland-based independent studio, was founded by several veterans of Irrational Games who worked on the “Minerva’s Den” DLC for Bioshock 2. Fullbright tends to make well-written,… Read More

Video

TLDR: Amazon shareholders meeting, Valve removes school shooting game, new Pokemon products

by Starla Sampaco on May 30, 2018July 13, 2018 at 4:10 pmComment

[Editor’s Note: TLDR is GeekWire’s tech news rundown show, hosted by Starla Sampaco. Watch today’s update above, subscribe to GeekWire on YouTube, check back weekday afternoons for more, and sign up for… Read More

‘It’s very David and Goliath’: Inside the growing effort to unionize video game developers

by Thomas Wilde on May 9, 2018July 13, 2018 at 4:11 pmComment

Jen MacLean, the newly appointed executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), hosted a round-table discussion at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on March 21 entitled… Read More

Video

State of play: Dell-commissioned survey shows a widening, diverse audience for video games in 2018

by Thomas Wilde on April 28, 2018April 28, 2018 at 4:45 amComment

We’ve known for a hot minute that the consumer demographics in the video game industry were A) changing rapidly, and B) already didn’t match the common stereotypes from past decades.… Read More

Video

Ready to return to Mars? Bungie reveals ‘Warmind,’ the new expansion for ‘Destiny 2’

by Thomas Wilde on April 24, 2018April 24, 2018 at 3:42 pmComment

Kirkland, Wash.-based video game developer Bungie took to its official Twitch channel Tuesday to reveal details about the forthcoming expansion for “Destiny 2, Warmind.” It features a new area to… Read More

Video

How to improve the SNES Classic’s lineup of games with an easy software hack

by Thomas Wilde on April 22, 2018April 21, 2018 at 8:34 am 9 Comments

As a general rule, any new media device will, within 24 hours of its release date, be hacked. Sometimes people will just want to figure out how to make the… Read More

Video

Seattle-based 8 Circuit Studios wants to build the Metaverse with the blockchain

by Thomas Wilde on April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 at 12:20 pm 2 Comments

Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel “Snow Crash” was set, in part, in a massive multiplayer virtual reality called the Metaverse, where people could use specialized visors and gloves to meet up and… Read More

Video

Three years later, Microsoft’s bet on Xbox One backward-compatible games is still paying off

by Thomas Wilde on April 15, 2018April 16, 2018 at 9:50 am 154 Comments

It has been nearly three years since Microsoft announced plans to make older Xbox games playable on Xbox One, and if there’s one area in which the company has pulled… Read More

Video

Game Review: Fight hot dogs and wink at the camera in Massive Monster’s ‘Adventure Pals’

by Thomas Wilde on April 14, 2018April 13, 2018 at 9:10 amComment

I wasn’t expecting The Adventure Pals to be this easy. It’s an independently-made game that draws a lot of its inspiration from the platformers of the 1980s and ’90s, and… Read More

‘Myst’ turns 25: Cyan Worlds celebrates seminal game with an anniversary Kickstarter

by Thomas Wilde on April 13, 2018April 13, 2018 at 10:39 amComment

Cyan Worlds, the game developer based outside of Spokane, Wash., launched a Kickstarter this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of its groundbreaking PC adventure game, Myst. It… Read More

Video

Indie game developer tinyBuild bulks up with $3.75M backing from new Makers Fund

by Thomas Wilde on April 7, 2018April 7, 2018 at 9:55 amComment

tinyBuild, the Bothell, Wash.-based independent developer and publisher behind such truly weird games as “No Time to Explain,” “Party Hard,” and “Punch Club,” announced this week that it’s one of 11… Read More

Analysis: Video game spending hits record $1.5B in October, up 73% as new games drive big sales

First-ever Nebula award for game writers approved by professional science fiction writers organization

The lucky calls and unique ideas that put startup Grunka Munka Games on a path to success

Nintendo Switch tops 3M units in latest quarter, surpasses GameCube in lifetime sales

Develop video games in Seattle? A panel ponders recruitment, stability, and a lack of connection

Amazon creates ‘Grand Tour Game’ to bring driving fans in on the action of popular TV series

TLDR: Microsoft partners with Indian cricket legend on smart bat

TLDR: Microsoft unveils Project xCloud game streaming service

TLDR: Amazon ends warehouse worker bonuses & stock awards

Well wishes for Paul Allen, video game high scores and more as party opens GeekWire Summit 2018

Geek of the Week: Yi Yang’s love for video games taught him English, so he wrote a book about it

The Tim’s PAX Indie Game Awards

A tale of two Penny Arcade Expos, on my first time to the show

First peek inside PAX West: Giant game event opens in Seattle with heightened security

Amazon ends 20% video game pre-order discounts for Prime members, cuts back Twitch Prime benefits

TLDR: T-Mobile & Nokia’s $3.5B 5G alliance, Ofo shuts down in Seattle, Magic: The Gathering

TLDR: New Xbox consoles, how to save money on housing, Nest doorbell cam captures unwelcome visitor

Monkey do! Nintendo releases classic arcade version of ‘Donkey Kong’ for Switch

Geared Up Podcast: The best games from E3

Review: It’s a short, but interesting, walk around an abandoned space station in Fullbright’s ‘Tacoma’

TLDR: Amazon shareholders meeting, Valve removes school shooting game, new Pokemon products

‘It’s very David and Goliath’: Inside the growing effort to unionize video game developers

State of play: Dell-commissioned survey shows a widening, diverse audience for video games in 2018

Ready to return to Mars? Bungie reveals ‘Warmind,’ the new expansion for ‘Destiny 2’

How to improve the SNES Classic’s lineup of games with an easy software hack

Seattle-based 8 Circuit Studios wants to build the Metaverse with the blockchain

Three years later, Microsoft’s bet on Xbox One backward-compatible games is still paying off

Game Review: Fight hot dogs and wink at the camera in Massive Monster’s ‘Adventure Pals’

‘Myst’ turns 25: Cyan Worlds celebrates seminal game with an anniversary Kickstarter

Indie game developer tinyBuild bulks up with $3.75M backing from new Makers Fund

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