How Challenging is Online Hate Crime Prevention? Pascal Wagner May 24, 2024 – 8 min read Share this post © IMAGO / Björn Trotzki Business The Safe-Bet Crisis: Why Live-Service ”Wrappers“ Are Imploding In this week’s “Update”, Zoran Roso asks whether the industry is still designing games for pure enjoyment, and he suggests that the industry may have fallen into a dangerous corporate trap of designing for operational efficiency instead of creative taste and is facing a brutal reality check. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read John Hight, President of Wizards of the Coast, has sent out letters to unionising workers at the company. (Hasbro) Business Wizards of the Coast Not Voluntarily Recognizing Union With letters urging workers to "consider" their decision, Wizards of the Coast's President John Hight has made clear that the company will not voluntarily recognise the unionisation efforts of the Magic: The Gathering Arena team. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read Spellcasters Chronicles is going to be shut down on 19 June (Quantic Dream) Business French Union STJV Reacts to Probable Layoffs at Quantic Dream After Quantic Dream and NetEase have shuttered Spellcasters Chronicles after only four months of live service, french game workers union STJV has published demands to halt layoffs and for management to take responsibility. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read Events Schedule for Devgamm Gdansk 2026 Continues to Fill Up While Nordic Game is currently taking place, the next industry event, DevGAMM Gdańsk 2026, is already on the horizon. More speakers are also joining the line-up. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read The FIC festival brings Moldova's creative industries together - in 2026 for the seventh time (FIC) Events Festival of Creative Industries In Moldova Hosts Game Conference With five days of conference, each one for a different media industry, the 7. Festival of Creative Industries in Chișinău, Moldova also features a whole day for game industry connections, with John Goodale, Owlcat Games and Moldova's indie wonder Vadim Andreev (Troleu), among others. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read Directive 8020 © Supermassive Games Products Directive 8020 Although "The Dark Pictures Anthology" is not mentioned in the main title, Supermassive Games' Directive 8020 is an interactive narrative film with decision-making elements, this time inspired by Alien and The Thing. However, it also breaks new ground. By Marcel Kleffmann • 5 min read Campus Europe-Wide Skill-Evaluation Gamebadges Looking for Educators and Testers The EU-funded skill evaluation system GameBadges by universities and associations from Finland, Belgium, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Denmark are looking for educators and game workers to refine their Europe-wide skill badge system. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read Team Germany © esports player foundation Esports National Roster for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 Team Germany has finalised its national roster for the Esports Nations Cup 2026. Over the coming weeks, Team Germany E-Sport's members will be introduced gradually, beginning with the Rainbow Six Siege X team. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read C-Beams © Distant Light Games & Hooded Horse Products Hooded Horse Signs C-Beams From Distant Light Games Hooded Horse is expanding its portfolio of strategic and tactical games to include the space action RPG C-Beams from Distant Light Games. In this game, players can pilot one of several ship types, each with realistic handling and Newtonian physics controls. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Business The Safe-Bet Crisis: Why Live-Service ”Wrappers“ Are Imploding In this week’s “Update”, Zoran Roso asks whether the industry is still designing games for pure enjoyment, and he suggests that the industry may have fallen into a dangerous corporate trap of designing for operational efficiency instead of creative taste and is facing a brutal reality check. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read
John Hight, President of Wizards of the Coast, has sent out letters to unionising workers at the company. (Hasbro) Business Wizards of the Coast Not Voluntarily Recognizing Union With letters urging workers to "consider" their decision, Wizards of the Coast's President John Hight has made clear that the company will not voluntarily recognise the unionisation efforts of the Magic: The Gathering Arena team. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Spellcasters Chronicles is going to be shut down on 19 June (Quantic Dream) Business French Union STJV Reacts to Probable Layoffs at Quantic Dream After Quantic Dream and NetEase have shuttered Spellcasters Chronicles after only four months of live service, french game workers union STJV has published demands to halt layoffs and for management to take responsibility. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Events Schedule for Devgamm Gdansk 2026 Continues to Fill Up While Nordic Game is currently taking place, the next industry event, DevGAMM Gdańsk 2026, is already on the horizon. More speakers are also joining the line-up. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
The FIC festival brings Moldova's creative industries together - in 2026 for the seventh time (FIC) Events Festival of Creative Industries In Moldova Hosts Game Conference With five days of conference, each one for a different media industry, the 7. Festival of Creative Industries in Chișinău, Moldova also features a whole day for game industry connections, with John Goodale, Owlcat Games and Moldova's indie wonder Vadim Andreev (Troleu), among others. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Directive 8020 © Supermassive Games Products Directive 8020 Although "The Dark Pictures Anthology" is not mentioned in the main title, Supermassive Games' Directive 8020 is an interactive narrative film with decision-making elements, this time inspired by Alien and The Thing. However, it also breaks new ground. By Marcel Kleffmann • 5 min read
Campus Europe-Wide Skill-Evaluation Gamebadges Looking for Educators and Testers The EU-funded skill evaluation system GameBadges by universities and associations from Finland, Belgium, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Denmark are looking for educators and game workers to refine their Europe-wide skill badge system. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Team Germany © esports player foundation Esports National Roster for the Esports Nations Cup 2026 Team Germany has finalised its national roster for the Esports Nations Cup 2026. Over the coming weeks, Team Germany E-Sport's members will be introduced gradually, beginning with the Rainbow Six Siege X team. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
C-Beams © Distant Light Games & Hooded Horse Products Hooded Horse Signs C-Beams From Distant Light Games Hooded Horse is expanding its portfolio of strategic and tactical games to include the space action RPG C-Beams from Distant Light Games. In this game, players can pilot one of several ship types, each with realistic handling and Newtonian physics controls. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
