Valve has announced that Steam Deck devkits are ready to ship. The company started accepting applications from developers and clarified that the number of devkits is limited.

Developer Lars Doucet presented a detailed analysis of the most common game engines on Steam. To do this, together with the SteamDB website, he collected a large amount of data about the titles in the Valve store and the tools with which they were made.

At the end of June, Microsoft announced that it would add native support for Android apps to Windows 11. But it looks like they can also be launched on Xbox consoles.

Apple has decided to equalize itself with other developers. In iOS 15, it will ask users for permission to access personal data that is used for targeted advertising in the App Store and Apple News.

With the help of video games, Netflix will fight for the attention and free time of users. However, the company will inevitably face a number of challenges along the way. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball analyzed Netflix’s strategy in detail, and also talked about possible pitfalls and competition with other services. We present the key points from the material.

In India, a lawsuit has been filed against Apple, which threatens the company with a new antitrust trial. We are talking about the lack of alternative payment methods in the App Store. The plaintiffs believe that the company destroys competition by prohibiting developers from using third-party payment systems.

Sensor Tower analysts spoke about the fastest growing themes, settings and artistic styles in mobile games in the USA. For example, projects about “traitors” were included in the list of leaders — only Among Us American gamers spent almost $8 million in the first half of 2021.

CD Projekt has published a financial report for the first half of 2021 (ended June 30). Revenue grew by almost 30%, but the company still does not disclose data on sales of specific games. CD Projekt also shared information about the next generation versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, refusing to name the exact release dates.

MY.GAMES company has become a partner of the Spanish The Breach Studios, which was founded by veterans of Ubisoft, 4A Games and Take-Two Interactive. She invested €3.5 million in the studio, in return receiving a minority stake and a control option.

Wanted: a leading game designer at Playrix, an art manager at Friday’s Games and a user engagement manager at Melsoft.

Mobile publisher Playtika makes its first purchase since entering the stock exchange. He announced an agreement with the Finnish studio Reworks, which developed a simulator of the designer Redecor. The maximum amount of the transaction may approach $600 million.

In July 2018, the French publisher Gameloft released a new part of its racing franchise. She became Asphalt 9: Legends. The analytical company App Annie has estimated that to date mobile gamers have spent over $100 million in this game.

The sequel to “Blood, Sweat and Pixels” by Jason Schreier is being prepared for publication in Russia. A new book about the dark side of video game development will go on sale on September 28.

South Korea has become the first country to legislatively limit the power of Apple and Google over mobile app stores. According to analysts, this could set a precedent.

Another project of Russian developers is conquering the world. The adventure card game Black Book has surpassed the mark of 100 thousand copies sold in 20 days since its release. Four times faster than the Desolate survival at the time, but still not as fast as some other domestic titles.

Neil Druckmann and Evan Wells, presidents of Naughty Dog, shared their opinions on the problem of crunches in the gaming industry. According to them, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions — including not prohibiting “passionate” developers from voluntarily working overtime to improve the project. However, studio bosses were criticized by industry colleagues for their position.

This weekend, the VR horror Phasmophobia once again hit the top ten most popular games on Steam. Its peak online exceeded 60 thousand people. There was more only in the premiere month.

The Chinese authorities have prepared another restriction. Starting in September, local children will be able to spend no more than three hours a week in online games. Moreover, it will be possible to play only at a strictly set time.

Apple has received a warning from the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia. It is connected with the ban on informing users about alternative payment methods in iOS applications. The FAS believes that the company is abusing its position in the market and demands to eliminate the violation by September 30.