Game industry business news

Valve has removed the ability for users to pay for goods on Steam using Bitcoin, blaming the decision on ‘high fees and volatility’. The company highlights the fact that Bitcoin transaction fees have now jumped as high as $20 per transaction – a far cry from the $0.20 fee that …

Esports news outlet Blitz Esports has confirmed a report that claimed League of Legends owner Riot Games has a financial interest in the site. The link was first made by Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields on YouTube. Now the company has released a statement clarifying the nature of the relationship and apologising …

The VR development studio founded by Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has undergone a rebrand. Squanchtendo was founded by Roiland and Epic Games producer Tanya Watson last year. The name was formed from ‘Squanch’, which is the name of a planet from Rock & Morty that is populated by …

Heroes and Generals developer receives cash injection to aid international growth

The makers behind the successor to 27-year-old space game Star Control have become embroiled in a very public dispute with developer Stardock. Original Star Control designers Fred Ford and Paul Reiche are currently working on a successor to their game, while Stardock – which believes it owns the rights – …

One of the first two teams to compete in the long-awaited debut of the Overwatch League has withdrawn from preseason just hours before its opening match. Philadelphia Fusion were due to compete with the Florida Mayhem in the League’s first ever official match at midnight tonight, but has now said …

Nottingham’s National Videogame Arcade has taken to Patreon to help fund its efforts to preserve video game culture. The NVA, which is located in a five-storey building in the centre of Nottingham, already attracts some 40,000 a year. It is operated by the non-profit National Videogame Foundation. “We’re launching the …

EA’s ongoing efforts to appease the Star Wars Battlefront 2 naysayers have now seen it increase the rewards received by players after completing a match. Early testing seems to suggest that the amount of credits handed out after a game has roughly doubled. The best performers in each match will …

Mega Man 11 has been announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC for 2018. It’s the first mainline Mega Man release since Mega Man 10 in 2010. The new game will be a side-scrolling 2D release but will feature 3D character models, which is a departure from the 2D …

The creators of Pokemon Go have announced that they are taking another stab at its predecessor. Ingress will be relaunched under the name Ingress Prime, featuring a new UI, new technology and a brand new story arc. The original game launched in 2012 and has been downloaded over 20m times. …