October 20, 2026

GDCA 2027 moves away from nominations-based system, publishers and devs can now submit games for consideration

Ralph 0 82 Views

Qualified games must have been released on PC or console between January 1 and December 31, 2026 Image credit: Game Developers Choice Awards The 2027 Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) will be welcoming entries from publishers and developers for the very first time. Games launched on PC or console from January 1 to December 31, 2026, are qualified. Titles must be submitted for evaluation. GDCA 2027 imposes no entry fees, and the deadline for submissions is November 1, 2026. In the past, the GDCA operated using a nomination-based voting framework via the International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), an exclusive panel consisting of over 500 creators, developers, and industry professionals. Additionally, two new award categories have been added: Best Game Launch and Best Gaming Tech. Victors will be revealed at the 2027 GDCA ceremony on Tuesday, March 2 during the GDC Festival of Gaming. Earlier this year, the GDC Festival of Gaming declared further modifications... Read More

Default

October 20, 2026

Wizards of the Coast declines to voluntarily recognize D&D and Studio X union drive

Ralph 0 70 Views

Personnel on the D&D and Studio X groups will now cast their votes in a National Labor Relations Board election Image credit: UWOTC-CWA Wizards of the Coast is denying to provide voluntary acknowledgment to a union initiative by its Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X teams. Personnel will instead participate in a confidential-ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. As reported by Wargamer, the union, United Wizards of the Coast-CWA, declared the decision via Twitter/X on Wednesday, October 14, and a company representative affirmed it. Wargamer accessed an email purportedly sent to Wizards’ US employees, in which the organization states that it is “not impartial on the issue of unionization.” It further mentions that it prefers to communicate with employees directly instead of through unions. The email indicates that eligible workers have the right to make their own choices, and that Wizards will respect the result of the election regardless of how... Read More

Default

October 20, 2026

PEGI begins moving existing digital-only games with loot boxes up to a 16 rating

Ralph 0 75 Views

Games presently rated PEGI 3, 7, or 12 are influenced, with updates being deployed throughout October. Image credit: PEGI Current digital-only games that feature paid random rewards, like loot boxes, are being re-assessed to PEGI 16 if they possess a PEGI 3, 7, or 12 rating at this moment. Connor Hinde, policy manager at the Games Rating Authority, mentioned in a LinkedIn post that the GRA, which oversees PEGI in the UK, initiated the implementation of the revised criteria for a selection of existing digital titles last week. The updated rating is designated PEGI 16 – Paid random rewards. It is applicable regardless of whether a game was originally rated via PEGI’s Classic methodology or the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) framework. The modifications will persist in being rolled out gradually through October. The GRA recognized that numerous ratings will alter in a brief period and advised publishers and developers with inquiries to reach... Read More

Xbox

October 19, 2026

Feature: I’m Playing Samson On Xbox Series X, And Here’s What I Think So Far

Ralph 0 18 Views

Update : Since this was penned, it’s been reported that Liquid Swords, the developer of Samson, is encountering insolvency. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to all individuals impacted by the situation at the Swedish studio. Original Story: Like numerous other Xbox enthusiasts, I’ve been fascinated by Samson from its initial announcement. The game garnered a rather unfavorable reception upon its PC launch, but the Xbox version released a few weeks ago appeared to generate more favorable feedback. Thus, I had to try it out. I’ve only dedicated a few hours to Samson so far on Xbox Series X, but considering it’s the weekend and we have plenty of hectic events approaching in the upcoming weeks (including GTA 6 and the Xbox 25th anniversary), I thought I’d share my early impressions with you before they fade away! In summary, the narrative centers around an individual indebted to some perilous figures, compelling... Read More

Xbox

October 19, 2026

Xbox Officially Adds Support For A ‘Modern, Powerful And Production Ready Game Engine’

Ralph 0 30 Views

“Defold is a complimentary, robust, all-in-one game engine.” by Fraser Gilbert Yesterday, 5pm Here’s an interesting little tale we stumbled upon during the week! Xbox now officially backs another game engine known as Defold, which is a completely free engine labeled as “robust”, “streamlined” and “efficient”. “Defold is an up-to-date, robust and production-ready all-in-one game engine suite designed for genuine cross-platform game creation with an extraordinarily minimal engine footprint.” The organization behind Defold states that once a developer has registered to gain approval for Xbox console development through Microsoft, they can “log in to the Xbox middleware page using an associated account, locate Defold, and request access”. Subsequently, Defold will furnish numerous tools and documentation essential for releasing games on Xbox, along with access to Xbox-specific developer assistance. “Xbox support is accessible from Defold 1.14.0, with platform-specific features and documentation offered free of charge to authorized developers.” So, what should we anticipate from developers... Read More

One Column Transparent

GDCA 2027 moves away from nominations-based system, publishers and devs can now submit games for consideration

Wizards of the Coast declines to voluntarily recognize D&D and Studio X union drive

PEGI begins moving existing digital-only games with loot boxes up to a 16 rating

Feature: I’m Playing Samson On Xbox Series X, And Here’s What I Think So Far

Xbox Officially Adds Support For A ‘Modern, Powerful And Production Ready Game Engine’

Add Videogames1st to your Homescreen!