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Google has launched a "Preferred Sources" button, allowing readers to designate favorite publishers to receive more prominence in Search, Discover, and Google News. This initiative aims to help publishers counter traffic losses caused by AI-powered search features. Google studies show favored sources see double the click-through rates.
Meet 4Divinity, a publisher you've probably never heard of, making an unprecedented multi-million dollar splash at Gamescom. They're betting big on new, mid-tier single-player games from Chinese developers to fill a perceived void in the Western market.
Massive GTA 6 footage and map leaks have surfaced online, seemingly confirmed by Rockstar's rapid DMCA takedowns. The leaker, Cyberleek, also issued bold "commandments" to publishers regarding digital preorders, single-player DLC, and content preservation. Fans got an early, unpolished glimpse of gameplay with co-lead Jason, ahead of an official Netflix showcase on August 27th for the November 19th release on PS5/Xbox Series X|S.
The Ars Live recap delves into the "Stop Killing Games" movement, highlighting Ross Scott's impassioned arguments against publishers prematurely ending online games. It explores potential solutions, legislative avenues, and the significant challenges for preserving digital gaming history.
Netflix is set to integrate short-form video content from digital media giants like BuzzFeed and Condé Nast, starting August 3rd. This move aims to broaden its appeal, offer diverse content from 3-20 minutes in length, and potentially address recent viewer retention challenges.
Publishers are swerving to avoid GTA 6's November 2026 launch, creating an unprecedented pile-up of major titles in September. Games like Wolverine, Control Resonant, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Onimusha are set to launch within days of each other, creating intense competition for gamers' time and money. This commercial madness is unlikely to hold, setting up a high-stakes game of release-date chicken.
Holy performance hit, Batman! Just weeks before its highly anticipated launch, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has quietly thrown a batarang into the hopes of many PC players. Developer TT Games and publisher
American McGee, developer of Alice: Madness Returns, recently shared a wild story about publisher EA's marketing team wanting the 2011 game to be "more sexy." His creative and hilarious response involved dildos and a snail, effectively shutting down the bizarre request.
Major publishers are blocking the Internet Archive, citing concerns about AI scraping. This action, while intended to control content use by commercial AI, simultaneously erases the web's critical historical record, a resource relied upon by journalists, researchers, and courts for decades. The EFF argues that archiving and AI training for transformative purposes are often fair use, and sacrificing public digital history is a severe and irreversible mistake.
New data reveals a massive surge in sub-$30 game purchases on Steam, making PC gaming poised to overtake console revenue by 2028. This trend suggests traditional $70 AAA titles are becoming an increasingly risky bet for publishers as players opt for more affordable, highly-rated experiences.
The Stop Killing Games campaign is establishing NGOs in the EU and US to combat publishers discontinuing support for purchased video games. Creator Ross Scott expressed confidence in their success, aiming to codify their petition into EU law and set up systems for reporting publishers. This formalization follows the campaign's strong reaction to Ubisoft's delisting of _The Crew_ and a petition gaining over a million signatures.
Indie game publisher Finji accuses TikTok of using generative AI to create "racist, sexualized" ads for its games without permission, despite Finji disabling AI features. One ad for 'Usual June' reportedly depicted a character drastically altered from its original design. TikTok initially denied, then acknowledged the issue, citing an unselected "catalog ads format." Finji's CEO expressed disappointment over TikTok's unresolved response and potential brand harm.
