UK: Absatzsprung dank "Mass Effect 3" Tim Pototzki March 20, 2012 – 1 min read Share this post © None Business What Halo Studios’ Restructuring Signals About AAA Economics and Xbox Strategy In his latest newsletter, industry expert Zoran Roso uses Halo Studios as an example to analyse how the lethal combination of technical debt, corporate vendor tenure limits, and monolithic organizational design forced one of gaming’s most iconic IPs to completely pivot its operational playbook. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read According to Circana, the best-selling game in the US in August was: NBA 2K27 (Picture: Take-Two Interactive) Business US Video Games Market Remains Below Last Year’s Levels in August At US$4.26 billion, the US market saw a 9 per cent year-on-year decline in sales volume in August. This time, the drop in turnover is primarily attributable to software. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read Business Paramount and Di Bonaventura Producing a Cyberpunk Movie Paramount Pictures is working with CD Projekt Red on a live-action adaptation of Cyberpunk 2077, according to the US magazine Deadline. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is on board as a producer. A report to this effect on Deadline was confirmed on X by CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read Ace Combat 8 & Star Wars Zero Company / © Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe / EA & Bit Reactor Products New Million-Sellers: Ace Combat 8 & Star Wars Zero Company Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has become the fastest title in the franchise to reach one million sales. Star Wars Zero Company has also surpassed this milestone, meaning that members of the Bit Reactor team can now be brought back. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read (Hamburg Messe und Congress / René Zieger) Events Fifth Polaris Reaches 55,000 Visitor Record For its fifth anniversary, Polaris Convention in Hamburg has reached 55,000 people. It is the biggest German games & pop culture fair after gamescom. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read Heroes vs. Hordes / It's Always Happy at Chubby's © Swift Games / Benjamin Lochmann New Media Funding Federal Funding Goes to Swift Games and Benjamin Lochmann New Media Two more game studios have been awarded funding by the German Federal Government's Video Game Funding Programme. Grants were given to Berlin-based Swift Games and Nürnberg-based Benjamin Lochmann New Media alias Pixel Maniacs. By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read Not nearly as raunchy as the old titles, with some clever gags and especially popular in the German speaking areas, the new Larry games are leaving storefronts (Assemble) Products Assemble Retires Leisure Suit Larry Reboots Likely for licensing reasons, Assemble Entertainment takes the two Leisure Suit Larry reimaginings by CrazyBunch off storefronts on 23 October. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry and Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dry Twice are on sale until then. The license sits with EA through Codemasters. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read Permafrost © SpaceRocket Games & Toplitz Productions Products Strong Launch for Toplitz's Permafrost Developed by SpaceRocket Games and published by Toplitz Productions, Permafrost was released on Steam Early Access on 9 October 2026. It has achieved the German-Austrian publisher's third-best launch to date. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read Tabletop Magic: The Gathering Reveals First Marvel Set With Original Story for 2027 Marvel Darkhold Destiny will not only be the first Universes Beyond (UB) set for Magic: The Gathering in 2027, it will also be the first Marvel and UB set with an original story written just for the trading card game. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Business What Halo Studios’ Restructuring Signals About AAA Economics and Xbox Strategy In his latest newsletter, industry expert Zoran Roso uses Halo Studios as an example to analyse how the lethal combination of technical debt, corporate vendor tenure limits, and monolithic organizational design forced one of gaming’s most iconic IPs to completely pivot its operational playbook. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read
According to Circana, the best-selling game in the US in August was: NBA 2K27 (Picture: Take-Two Interactive) Business US Video Games Market Remains Below Last Year’s Levels in August At US$4.26 billion, the US market saw a 9 per cent year-on-year decline in sales volume in August. This time, the drop in turnover is primarily attributable to software. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Business Paramount and Di Bonaventura Producing a Cyberpunk Movie Paramount Pictures is working with CD Projekt Red on a live-action adaptation of Cyberpunk 2077, according to the US magazine Deadline. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is on board as a producer. A report to this effect on Deadline was confirmed on X by CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Ace Combat 8 & Star Wars Zero Company / © Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe / EA & Bit Reactor Products New Million-Sellers: Ace Combat 8 & Star Wars Zero Company Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has become the fastest title in the franchise to reach one million sales. Star Wars Zero Company has also surpassed this milestone, meaning that members of the Bit Reactor team can now be brought back. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
(Hamburg Messe und Congress / René Zieger) Events Fifth Polaris Reaches 55,000 Visitor Record For its fifth anniversary, Polaris Convention in Hamburg has reached 55,000 people. It is the biggest German games & pop culture fair after gamescom. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Heroes vs. Hordes / It's Always Happy at Chubby's © Swift Games / Benjamin Lochmann New Media Funding Federal Funding Goes to Swift Games and Benjamin Lochmann New Media Two more game studios have been awarded funding by the German Federal Government's Video Game Funding Programme. Grants were given to Berlin-based Swift Games and Nürnberg-based Benjamin Lochmann New Media alias Pixel Maniacs. By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read
Not nearly as raunchy as the old titles, with some clever gags and especially popular in the German speaking areas, the new Larry games are leaving storefronts (Assemble) Products Assemble Retires Leisure Suit Larry Reboots Likely for licensing reasons, Assemble Entertainment takes the two Leisure Suit Larry reimaginings by CrazyBunch off storefronts on 23 October. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry and Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dry Twice are on sale until then. The license sits with EA through Codemasters. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Permafrost © SpaceRocket Games & Toplitz Productions Products Strong Launch for Toplitz's Permafrost Developed by SpaceRocket Games and published by Toplitz Productions, Permafrost was released on Steam Early Access on 9 October 2026. It has achieved the German-Austrian publisher's third-best launch to date. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Tabletop Magic: The Gathering Reveals First Marvel Set With Original Story for 2027 Marvel Darkhold Destiny will not only be the first Universes Beyond (UB) set for Magic: The Gathering in 2027, it will also be the first Marvel and UB set with an original story written just for the trading card game. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
