Netflix eyes game development to expand its community
Netflix is expanding its service to feature video games and has on-boarded EA and Facebook executives to head up game development. Will this strengthen the belief that subscriptions are the future of the industry? Between binging an endless library of films, tacky reality shows, satirical cartoons, and high-brow TV dramas, it’s...
Current in Gaming
Gaming giant Razer is engineering a robot to clean ocean waste
Razer, renowned for building top end hardware and accessories, has lent its engineering nous to ocean clean-up efforts. This is said to be the first of many sustainable projects Razer will boost in 2021. When it comes to high end gaming hardware, Razer is one of the first companies that...
Sony announces Discord integration for PlayStation
Sony has announced plans to integrate its PlayStation Network with Discord early next year. Could this deal be a gamechanger in bringing the console giant more in-line with the values of young people? If Microsoft acquiring Bethesda was the biggest gaming coup of 2021, Sony has just secured a deal...
NASA leverages gamers to save the world’s coral reefs
As rising temperatures continue to bleach delicate coral ecosystems, NASA scientists are turning to gamers to help map out the ocean floor. If you’re willing to put your candy crushing obsession aside for a bit, NASA is offering gamers the opportunity to partake in a mission of global importance. Despite covering...
Twitch expands misconduct policy to include other platforms
Ensuring that Twitch remains a safe and inclusive space for stream buffs, the platform is expanding its off-service conduct policy to punish threatening behaviours outside of Twitch. Those who take to spreading hate online or trolling Twitter and Discord may soon find their indiscretions have landed them bans on Twitch...
The Game Devs of Color Expo to go entirely digital for 2021
In its sixth year, the Game Devs of Color Expo 2021 will celebrate the growing ethnic diversity within game development. Again, the event will be entirely digital. With most of North America’s big gaming conferences axed last year due to Covid-19, it’s good to see that the calendar year is...
Thred Daily – Why improving inclusive gaming is important
With Microsoft recently updating the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, Elliot takes a look at why improving inclusive gaming should be at the top of every developers to-do list. Recent releases such as Gears 5 and The Last of Us Part 2, along with Microsoft’s adaptive controller are great examples of improved accessibility made by the gaming industry, but there is still a lot more to be done. Microsoft’s latest testing program...
OverActive Media announces biggest Esports stadium in Toronto
The ever popular and lucrative business of Esports is about to head to the next level, sealed by a futuristic $500m stadium build in Toronto. Esports has burst onto the mainstream in recent years, blossoming from a subset of sports culture into a full blown industry in its own right. Quite frankly, parents now have no grounds to berate their kids for choosing gaming over outdoor activities. With gaming officially recognised...
Microsoft testing new program to improve gaming accessibility
Microsoft is aiming to make gaming as accessible as possible for players with disabilities. A new program recommends that first and third party developers now send in their games for inclusive evaluations. Data from the ESA Foundation suggests that there may be as many as 46 million gamers with disabilities in the US alone. It’s incredibly promising then to hear that Microsoft is launching a testing program to help developers refine...
Stadia’s internal closure bets on industry shift to Cloud gaming
14 months after Stadia’s high-profile launch, Google is closing the company’s internal game development studio. Its once exclusive Cloud technology is now open to potential suitors. It’s taken Google 14 months to realise it doesn’t want to be a game making company anymore. Grandiose ambitions first revealed at the Game Developers Conference 2019 have never come close to fruition for Google’s Stadia. It originally teased its own Cloud-based console, a controller,...
