Southeast Asia’s Playlab invests $1M in Brazilian gaming startup Cupcake Entertainment

 Thailand-based casual game studio Playlab has turned investor after it invested $1 million into Cupcake Entertainment, a Brazil-based game maker. Read More

The importance of streaming to e-sports

 There are three key ingredients for a game or pastime to become a sport: playing, competing and viewing. The ability to play and compete are necessary steps in the transformation from game to sport. However, broadcasting and viewing are the crucial components to enable widespread adoption and popularity. Just as with offline sports, e-sports require these elements. Read More

The new Pokémon just went live in Pokémon GO and the servers are melting again

 The good news: the 80+ new Pokémon that were supposed to hit Pokémon GO “later this week”? They just went live. I caught a Chikorita! The bad news: If you were a player in the early days, things might look pretty familiar right now… in that you might just be looking at an error screen. The server seems to be having a hard time at the moment, with players reporting issues… Read More

Xbox Project Scorpio will finally get some face time at Microsoft’s E3 Event

 This year’s E3 promises to be a big show – if only thanks to the fact that the gaming convention’s organizers are opening it up to the masses. As expected, Microsoft is going to add considerable fuel to that fire as well, making the mysterious Xbox Project Scorpio a centerpiece to its own big event. Carve out some time on Sunday, June 11th, because that’s when the… Read More

The next big gold rush

 As we look to the next evolution of our digital ecosystem, it seems certain that virtual goods will play a much larger role. From vanquishing new breeds of digital monsters to defining a modern asset class, virtual goods will enable new experiences and redefine traditional ones. Indeed, this new gold rush will create opportunities for the enterprising prospector and shovel-seller alike. Read More

Game developers show political solidarity with Humble Freedom Bundle

 The Humble Bundle is a reliable source of good deals on games, usually organized around some theme or another. This week’s bundle, however, is not only one of the best gaming deals of all time, but all proceeds are going to support charities that work with immigrants and refugees. Read More

The NBA is creating its own eSports league for the basketball game NBA 2K

 The rise in popularity of eSports has mainly been focused around leagues that play games like League of Legends, Dota and Counter-Strike – all games that aren’t actually sports-related. But eSports games that are modeled after actual sports are also extremely popular – for example the Madden NFL and FIFA soccer franchises are some of the most popular games made for Xbox… Read More

The Analogue Nt Mini is the perfect NES console for video game lovers

 The Analogue Nt Mini is the NES console you’d create in your imagination if you were dreaming one up today, without concern for cost and with a focus on most perfectly recreating the Nintendo experience, but with support for modern TV hardware. I’m lucky enough to have scored an NES Classic, despite the general lack of supply and continued sellouts, and yet during my time testing… Read More

Twitch launches Communities to help gamers organize around their shared interests

 Twitch’s push to broaden the scope of its video game streaming site to include more types of content continues today with the launch of a new section on its site called “Communities.” Designed to cater to users’ unique interests, this section initially contains hundreds of categories, some of which build on top of gamers’ interests as well as those that don’t. Read More

Zuckerberg shows off Oculus gloves for typing in VR

 Oculus wants to one day let you fingerpaint, act like a super hero, and even type in virtual reality. Oculus already has its Touch controllers that are great for wielding virtual guns or picking up digital objects, but today Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed a new prototype for VR gloves in photos from his tour of the Redmond, Washington Oculus Research. Zuckerberg writes,… Read More

Watch how Portal would work in the real world thanks to Microsoft HoloLens

 Valve’s Portal series is one of the more beloved in PC gaming, thanks to its debut of unique puzzle mechanics to inject some fresh life in the tired first-person action genre. The game looks even more interesting when you’re using its unique mechanics overlaid on the real world, with virtual objects interacting seamlessly with concrete things like tables, walls and floors.… Read More

Rock Band VR arrives on Oculus Rift March 23, pre-orders now open

 Harmonix has finally revealed when you can get your hands on Rock Band VR (virtually and physically, as it were): The game is set to debut on Oculus Rift on March 23, and fans can pre-order today if they’re interested in making sure they get in early. The Rock Band VR pre-order ships with a controller for $69.99, and the controller can also either work with your Xbox One or PlayStation… Read More

DraftKings has received a Malta gaming license, paving the way for European expansion

 DraftKings was just approved for a Controlled Skill Games License from the Malta Gaming Authority, which is the entity that runs gaming in Malta – a small island nation south of Italy. While this may not sound like a big deal, (especially considering Malta has a population of under 500,000 people) the nation is part of the European Union, meaning DraftKings can now expand into some other… Read More

Razer acquires Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone

 Three months after acquiring iconic audio tech company THX, Razer is making another move to expand its business beyond hardware and software for the gaming community. The company has acquired Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone, founded by Android veterans who had set out with high hopes (and some decent funding) to rethink how to build a mobile phone that leaned on cloud… Read More

Around 5 percent of ‘Super Mario Run’ downloaders end up buying the game

 Some additional insight out of today’s Nintendo earnings. The gaming giant offered some key contextual information about Mario’s recent mobile debut. The title has racked up more than 78 million downloads globally, according to the company, pulling in a respectable $53 million or so since it hit iOS in December. The company puts Super Mario Run’s conversation rate at… Read More

Club Penguin is shutting down

 Club Penguin, the Disney-owned social network for kids, announced this morning it’s shutting down. In its place, the company will launch a new product for mobile, Club Penguin Island, which has been in development over the past several years. Club Penguin Island will launch in March, while the Club Penguin game on the desktop and mobile devices will shut down on March 29, 2017. The… Read More

Nintendo Switch’s online service will cost under $30 per year

 Nintendo worried many a gamer two weeks ago with its announcement that online play on its new console, the Switch, would be a paid service. But at least the damage is reasonable: Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima told the Nikkei that it would have an annual fee of ¥2,000-3,000 — around $17-26 at today’s exchange rates. Read More