Negative reviews on Steam can be very painful for the developer, but you should not ignore them. So says Joe Henson, one of the creators of the indie shooter Hypercharge: Unboxed. In an article for Game Developer, he explained why it is important to respond to such comments and how best to do it.

Several indie developers shared with the BBC their concerns about the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard deal. They stated that a lot of AAA projects are already included in the Game Pass subscription, and after the purchase of the Call of Duty publisher, there will be even more of them. Because of this, small games can simply go unnoticed by gamers.

Bandai Namco has announced its own metaverse. The Japanese company is going to build a project based on all its IP addresses and hopes that this will help it strengthen its connection with their fans. Bandai Namco has allocated ¥15 billion ($130 million) to realize its ambitions.

After the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, there were predictions that Microsoft’s next step could be the purchase of a conditional Capcom or SEGA. However, analyst Serkan Toto dispelled these myths and explained why the chances of absorbing a Japanese company tend to zero.Yakuza: Like a Dragon

The other day, a scandal broke out in China after the death of a Bilibili employee. He died, presumably as a result of overtime work during the weekend. Despite the fact that the company itself denies the existence of overwork, this incident once again forced us to talk about the problems of Chinese labor legislation.According to TechNode with reference to an internal Bilibili letter, the 25-year-old employee died last Friday.

Meta is dissatisfied with the European rules for storing user data. She warned about the possible closure of a number of services in the region if these rules are not revised. Instagram Facebook, among other things, may come under attack.

The situation around the bans of accounts of iOS developers from Belarus has normalized. Apple started activating them back, and at the same time sent out a letter in which it apologizes and calls what happened a mistake.

Mobile developers from Belarus have started receiving messages about deactivation of accounts in the App Store. The official reason is US sanctions against the subject. UPDATED: The next morning Apple started to unlock everything back, writes that error.

As part of the Bungie purchase, Sony Interactive Entertainment management has already noted that the studio hopes for expert assistance from the Bellevue game studio. However, it has only now become known how ambitious these plans are.

The day before yesterday we wrote that in Russia they are going to issue grants for the development of patriotic video games. The Internet Development Institute (IRI) will distribute them. Is this so and how much is such a grant news at all?

Jim Ryan, head of Sony Interactive Entertainment, spoke about the significance of the Bungie acquisition deal for the future of the PlayStation. We are talking about further investments in the multiplatform, the creation of game services and development beyond one console. At the same time, other major purchases should be expected from Sony in the future.Destiny 2

Today it became known about the launch of an accelerator in Kaliningrad for game developers based in Russia. It’s called PlayPort and is aimed at novice gaming teams. Money is not promised to all participants, only training and expertise.

The Russian state plans to stimulate the domestic development of patriotic video games. It is going to do this with the help of grants.

There was a discussion among developers about the dominance of indie games, which are released on Steam by the thousands every year. Two polar points of view collided. First, most of these titles are not needed by the market, because they have zero value. The second is that people should not be forbidden to express themselves through creativity and consider games only as a business.

The Russian government is considering new ways to regulate the gaming industry. First of all, we are talking about controlling the market of in-game items and skins, which they want to bring out of the gray zone. The authorities do not like that such purchases are not taxed and can be used for money laundering.CS:GO

The official blog of Epic Games Store has information about the store’s business results for the past year. The user base has reached 194 million people. The total spending of users for twelve months amounted to $840 million.

Increasingly, mobile companies are announcing the transfer of their libraries to the PC. The next step is the American developer and publisher of Tilting Point. He released the Tilting Point Launcher, with which you can play the company’s mobile titles on a PC.

The Chinese authorities may be planning to take up the regulation of esports. The other day, People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, proposed putting an end to the “chaos” in this segment of the gaming industry and starting to closely monitor the organizers of the competitions.

The meeting of Bobby Kotick with employees, the official position on the future of the Call of Duty series on PlayStation, the fear of mass layoffs and the chances of the revival of old franchises. We tell you the main thing about all the latest news related to the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard deal.