Yep, that sound you can hear is the pounding footsteps of a certain Fallout 4 minutefellow. He’s coming to tell you that another Oblivion Remastered settlement may soon need your help, as a modder‘s figured out how to let folks build stuff using the likes of rocks and beams as they play.
It’s not quite got all the bells and whistles of a full settlement building system yet, but its creator is hoping to find someone to collab with on putting together exactly that.
Back in March this year, game industry veteran Masahiro Sakurai received a lifetime achievement award at the 30th AMD awards. In an interview by ITMedia Business Online conducted at the time (recently republished on Yahoo Japan), Sakurai revealed why he doesn’t hire people, reflected on how the games industry has changed, and touched on the potential use of generative AI in development.
Sakurai is best known as the creator behind two of Nintendo’s big franchises, Kirby and Smash Bros. After working at game dev studio Hal Laboratories from 1989 to 2003, Sakurai became a freelance game creator, founding his own company Sora Ltd. in 2005. In 2022, he created the award-winning YouTube channel “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games,” in which he shared insight and advice on all aspects of making a game.
Sakurai’s approach differs from that of many game creators who have gone on to form their own companies. “When a game creator becomes the president of a company, it is difficult for them to fully engage in creative activities,” explained Sakurai. “There was a conflict between making interesting games and making management decisions — the problem was that being overwhelmed by the duties of being a president made it hard to focus on the vital part, game creation.”
This led Sakurai to his current approach, which involves creating games without directly hiring or managing any employees. “Basically I work together with other game companies to avoid having to manage a company,” Sakurai explained. “This method has worked well so far. I am able to continue being creative and concentrate on making things without becoming extremely busy running a company.”
However, Sakurai noted that his method is not without its challenges. Working with different game devs means that Sakurai has to “build up trusting relationships and working styles from scratch every time. So, I think it is necessary to have a certain degree of flexibility.”
According to Sakurai, one of the most important elements when working with a team on a new project for the first time is to make sure everyone is on the same page and has a clear, shared vision of the game. “I make sure that many members of staff can share the same information at the same time, regardless of their job or whether they are designer or programmer.” Although this takes more time and planning, Sakurai said that in his experience, this approach “reduces the risk of information gaps” and misunderstandings. “Conversely, if I just conveyed my ideas to the producer, and then they assign work to various other people, then some kind of misunderstanding would occur, or even a 180 degree difference (in what was intended).”
However, when asked whether his approach would be the best for the game industry as a whole, Sakurai was hesitant. “It depends on the person. As for me, I had built up a track record and trust through working on Kirby and Smash Bros. titles in the past. If you don’t have this, if you don’t have any track record at all, then the work won’t come to you. This is a way of working that becomes possible through gaining more allies by continuing to make good games, and it is not a style of working that works well for everyone.”
Sakurai went on to highlight another issue in the current game industry that could make it difficult for individuals to break through as auteurs in the same way as they did in the past. “I feel like the position of game director itself is becoming rarer these days. As in, it is rather rare to find someone who, as a director, can take charge of a studio with hundreds of people,” Sakurai stated. “There are plenty of people who want to make games or who are making games, but there is a shortage of game directors who can manage projects with a large number of staff.”
In Sakurai’s opinion, the increased segmentation of game development into specialized roles is the reason for this lack of game directors with the “all-rounder” background necessary to oversee large-scale projects. “In the past, there was a trend by which people would go from being a graphics artist to a planner, and then become a director.” Sakurai explained. “However today, graphics alone, for example, are divided into models, effects, textures and so on. I feel it is very difficult to develop into an all-rounder in such an environment. I feel like this increasing specialization and segmentation has resulted in a lack of directors who can see things from a broad perspective.”
Sakurai advised that it is important for people to understand their own individuality, and develop that accordingly. “I don’t think anyone will follow the same path that I did, but I’m sure that there will be people who break through in other directions,” said Sakurai. In other words, rather than trying to match or compete with the work and achievements of creators who have come before you, it is important to hone your own strengths and focus on what you can bring to the table. “I believe each creator should carve out their own path.” Sakurai insisted.
Sakurai concluded that both AAA projects and indie games are facing difficult situations. “I think it is becoming unsustainable to continue producing large games on the scale that companies currently do, as it requires too much work.” he said, before suggesting generative AI as a potential tool for helping to solve this problem.
“(…) the only effective breakthrough I can think of at the moment is generative AI. I think we are getting to the point where (AAA studios) have to change their way of working by using gen AI to improve work efficiency. I think we are in an era where only the companies that successfully respond to these changes will be able to survive.”
Sakurai noted that indie titles have their own challenges, one being the sheer amount of competition. “Indie games are appealing for their freedom and creativity, but they also need a lot of luck, effort, polish and stand-out elements to succeed in the market.”
Sakurai is currently working on Kirby Air Riders for Nintendo Switch 2.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII has received another big update, as the rather divisive 4X strategy game wrangles with a mostly negative user review consensus on Steam.
The latest Civ 7 update adds large and huge maps, each with a default of 10 players in single player and eight (including AI) in multiplayer. Developers Firaxis are working on supporting 12 players for Huge maps, but need more time to ensure that this doesn’t scuttle game stability and performance. As it is, they caution that “bigger maps have bigger hardware demands” and that you might see “slower turn times or performance drops, especially on lower end hardware.”
Plus a new ‘PURE’ performance mode.
Shin’en Multimedia has been hard at work on the first major update for Fast Fusion on the Switch 2, and we can now exclusively reveal that it will launch this week on 26th June 2025.
But what do you get with it? Well, Shin’en has confirmed to us that the ‘Pure Update’ – which is completely free, by the way – will contain three new tracks based on classics from Fast RMX. These will be largely faithful recreations of fan favourites from the original 2017 Switch launch title, but with small tweaks to make use of the new ‘Hyperjump’ feature along with all new visuals and effects.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Hytale, the Minecraft competitor announced in 2018, is canceled and its developer is shutting down.
Hypixel Studios announced that the ambitious, Riot Games-backed Minecraft-style game had ended development, and the studio itself was in the process of winding down.
Hytale was announced in December 2018 with a trailer that has an incredible 61 million views on YouTube. Here’s the official blurb, as it was back then:
Hytale combines the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game, immersing players in a procedurally generated world where teetering towers and deep dungeons promise rich rewards throughout their adventures. Hytale supports everything from block-by-block construction to scripting and minigame creation, delivered using easy to use and powerful tools.
Excitement around Hytale was fueled by the experience of the developers themselves, who co-founded Hypixel, one of the most influential Minecraft servers in the world. Riot Games, maker of League of Legends, invested in the project and eventually bought the studio.
However, the Hytale dream is now over. “This is not the outcome any of us — at Hypixel or at Riot — wanted,” a statement attributed to co-founder Noxy published to the Hytale website reads. “But after years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every possible path, it became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.”
So, what went wrong? According to Noxy, Hytale’s technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a reboot of the game engine, the team “found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be.”
“It became clear we’d need a lot more time to get it to a place where it could support the ambitious vision for the game,” Noxy continued.
Options such as reducing scope and pushing the game back were rejected as they “would have meant compromising on what made Hytale special in the first place.” “It wouldn’t have been the game we set out to make,” Noxy explained. “And it wouldn’t have been the game you deserve.”
As for Riot, it tried to find investors to save the project, but it sounds like those efforts failed to go anywhere. The affected staff are getting “generous severance and resources to help them find what’s next.”
Confirmation of the cancelation comes just a few months after Hypixel issued a spring 2025 development update, where the studio revealed some of the progress it had made in the first few months of the year. It even finally revealed a new character that it had teased at the end of 2023. New engine progress was called out, with improvements highlighted.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Six or so years on from an announcement trailer that made it clear people had an appetite for their game’s Minecrafty building and survival shenanigans (it’s got 61 million views to date), Hypixel Studios have announced that Hytale has been cancelled. On top of that, the studio themselves are gearing up for closure.
Hytale’s development kicked off all the way back in 2015, with its devs being the folks behind the huge Hypixel Minecraft server. League of Legends publisher Riot Games bought the studio in 2020, not long after we learned that Hytale would have undead chickens, and not long before the game’s target release year started being pushed back.
Still Wakes The Deep and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 developers The Chinese Room have laid off a number of staff, seemingly as part of parent company Sumo Digital’s wider strategic decision in February 2025 to move away from original game creation and “focus exclusively on development services for partners”.
Dune: Awakening developer Funcom said it is aware that “players are reporting being cut out of the endgame due to the extremely competitive nature of the Deep Desert.”
Last week, Funcom assured players in an AMA it was already “formulating a plan” to improve PvP in the Deep Desert, which players have previously branded as “toxic” due to griefing even after patching out the ability for players to squish other people with their Ornithopter.
In a candid letter from the creative director, Joel Bylos said: “So let me start by stating this unequivocally — we want PvE players to be able to play the endgame and have access to the content of the endgame. Our goal is not to force PvE players to interact with a PvP system that they may have no interest in.
“We still believe in the core concept of the Deep Desert — an endlessly renewing location that resets every week and creates an activity loop for great rewards. The tension of heading out there, head on a swivel, eyes peeled for foes as you enter the most dangerous part of the most dangerous planet in the universe, Our wish was that players would embrace this loop, forming guilds to work together to overcome the bleakness of the Deep Desert. But as Stephen King says, ‘Wish in one hand, sh*t in the other, see which one fills up first.’ One of my hands is overflowing right now and sadly not with wishes.”
Bylos admitted that the “extremely competitive nature” of the Deep Desert was forcing players to engage when they may prefer PvP, and consequently, some areas of the Deep Desert will now be flagged as “Partial Warfare (PvE)” where players can grab rare resources without getting ambushed. The largest spice fields, shipwrecks and Landsraad control points will remain “War of Assassins (PvP)” as “high reward, high risk” areas.
That said, the whole game is balanced around guilds and groups, so if you prefer to be a lone wolf, you can expect it to be “grindy if [you] play solo.”
As for the Orni griefing? “Thopters will always be incredibly important for crossing the desert, but they shouldn’t also be the dominant force in actual battles,” Bylos said, adding that the following will be implemented “shortly”:
Finally, the Landsraad. Bylos defines it as “an umbrella for all endgame activities,” such as dungeons, contracts, and “more specialized delivery tasks.”
“As a system it is an activity driver that is designed to promote the conflict between the factions, internal politics between the guilds, while providing goal thresholds for individuals and groups to work towards getting personal rewards,” the director explained. “And the Landsraad should be doing that for everyone who wants to participate in the elder game, be they PvEer or PvPer. The Landsraad should be giving you things to do every day and every week.
“It’s nothing new, from a design perspective, we’ve seen daily/weekly quest systems in games for a long time. Our approach was to try and frame this system around the greater politics of the Dune universe, by having players engage in activities to earn the votes of the various Landsraad houses.” Consequently, Funcom will shortly be addressing “key flaws” in the Landsraad design, too, including stockpiling, which is currently rewarded but was not designed to be that way.
“Once a live game launches, it becomes a collaborative effort between the developers and the players to make it something amazing,” Bylos concluded. “We appreciate your feedback on what we hope is the beginning of a long journey together.
“Bear with us — our intention is to be clear and open in our communications and to make Dune: Awakening a game that everybody can enjoy.”
We gave Dune: Awakening a Great 8/10 in our review, writing: “Dune: Awakening is an excellent survival MMO that captures Frank Herbet’s sci-fi world incredibly well, mostly to its advantage and occasionally to its detriment. The survival climb from dehydrated peasant to powerful warlord of Arrakis is a joy almost every step of the way, and the story and worldbuilding filled this nerd with absolute joy. There’s still plenty for Awakening to work on though, as its combat never really hits its stride, the endgame is a bit of a chaotic mess not worth the effort.”
If all that’s got you interested, make sure to check out all the Dune: Awakening classes you can choose from, and keep an eye on our in-progress Dune: Awakening walkthrough for a step-by-step guide to the story. To help you survive on Arrakis, we’ve got Dune: Awakening resource guides that’ll help you find iron, steel, aluminium, and a Dune: Awakening Trainers locations guide.
Dune: Awakening has enjoyed a superb launch, with a ‘very positive’ user review rating on Steam. Within hours of going live on June 10, Funcom’s survival MMO had clocked up over 142,000 concurrent players on Valve’s platform, and hit a new high earlier this month of 189,333 players. And it’s already clocked up over 1 million players, too, making it Funcom’s fastest-selling game ever.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Carcinisation comes for us all, in time. Today, it is Total War: Warhammer 3‘s turn. The crustacean nation mod adds four legendary lords, heroes, 27 crabulous units, new spells, plus custom tech and building trees for a complete crab-paign experience. It would have been shellfish of me not to share, if not downright altruistic to avoid any and all crab puns.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds removes “unfair” and “stressful” items.
A cornerstone of the Mario Kart experience is, for better or worse, the dreaded Blue Shell.
Seen as a means of keeping the playing field (relatively) level, this item targets the player in first place, and has been the cause of much frustration over the decades—to the point where some people argue it’s actually a disadvantage to be in first position for much of each Mario Kart race.
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