Tencent and Sony lock horns and Balatro dev rues crunch
Plus: Day of the Devs opens submissions for The Game Awards, BAFTA dishes out almost 300,000 EU in grants, and SOUP?
Friends, I'm calling it. Soup season is officially BACK. Summer is dead and so it's time to dust off your gourds, cultivate some carrots, and find the chunkiest, hunkiest slab of bread you can muster. Oh, and if you aren't absolutely slathering that cob in butter, you aren't doing it right.
This week, I kicked off the festivities in appropriate fashion by rustling up a warming spiced carrot and lentil soup. The secret ingredients? Toasted cumin seeds, chilli flakes, and dreams. It's nirvana in a bowl, and as you can probably tell from this opening salvo, I am living for it.
There's something innately comforting about soups, stews, and other gloopy concoctions. I don't quite understand why they spark such wild delirium within my soul, but I crave those autumnal evenings that demand nothing other than pottering around my apartment while a pot of soup simmers on the stove. The aromas. The hues. The slurping.
I am mad for it, and in what might be the most seamless segue of all time, I'm also mad for video game news. That was rough. Let me try again.
Much like the soups I so feverishly adore, our headlines and happenings this week contain multitudes.
Nailed it.
Sony was perhaps the talk of the town over the past few days after the company appeared to fire an employee at Sucker Punch after they posted about the killing of Charlie Kirk. The Japanese company was then accused of attempting to monopolize widely-used genre conventions by Tencent, which retaliated against the PlayStation maker after being accused of cloning its popular Horizon franchise.
Elsewhere, Balatro developer Localthunk deftly explained why crunch remains the sworn enemy of joy and creativity, and Valve rolled out a Steam update that should make it easier for developers to make the most of promotions on the platform.
Want more? You got it.
'Sony seeks an impermissible monopoly on genre conventions:' Tencent moves to dismiss Horizon cloning lawsuit
via Game Developer // After being sued by Sony for allegedly creating a Horizon clone, Tencent has filed a rather spicy dismissal motion and accused the PlayStation maker of attempting to secure "an impermissible monopoly on genre conventions." Tencent describes the allegations made by Sony as "vague" at best. It claims Light of Motiram—the upcoming survival title accused of infringing on Horizon—is being targeted simply because it leverages a number of widely-used video game elements. As a result, Tencent claims Sony has taken legal action in a bid "to fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture." We'll be keeping tabs on this one with popcorn in hand.
Fortnite Developers Will Soon Be Able to Sell In-Game Items
via Fortnite.com // Epic Games will soon permit developers who craft Fortnite Islands (which are user-generated spaces built in Fortnite Creative mode) to sell in-game items. The company explained the move will open new revenue channels for its creator community—not least because, starting in December 2025 until the end of 2026, developers will earn 100 percent of the V-Bucks' value from item sold on their islands. Isn't the metaverse amazing (and lucrative)?
Valve just made it easier for Steam devs to assess the impact of discounts
via Game Developer // What's in a price tag? Valve has made answering that eternal quandary a little bit easier this week by integrating revenue and unit data into Steam's discount history pages. The move is designed to help developers more efficiently analyze the impact of discounts and make more informed decisions when planning future promotions. Better yet, it'll also give metric-heads even more data to pore over. What a lucky bunch.
BAFTA announces over £277,000 in grants to support 86 creatives
via BAFTA // In a rather lovely move, BAFTA has handed over hefty wads of moolah to emerging creators in the UK and North America kickstart their careers. The British independent arts charity said the grants will support the next generation of filmmakers, actors, producers, editors, and game designers by helping them overcome the practical and financial barriers that can so often prevent talented creatives from pursuing their dreams. "This support can make the difference between someone having to step back from their ambitions or moving forward with confidence," said BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip. Here's hoping.
Sony fires Ghost of Yotei artist after posts joking about Charlie Kirk killing
via Game Developer // Sony-owned Ghost of Yotei developer Sucker Punch Productions recently fired senior texture artist Drew Harrison after they joked about the killing of conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk. Sony confirmed Harrison is no longer employed by Sucker Punch in an email sent to Kotaku but didn't provide a reason for their dismissal. In a now-deleted social media post, Harrison said "if standing up against fascism is what cost me my dream job I held for 10 years, I would do it again 100x stronger." Harrison indicated Sony took action after a number of individuals from social media contacted the company in a bid to get her fired for posting about Kirk. We have much more on this story, including commentary from legal experts, in our full report.
Submissions open for Day of the Devs The Game Awards Digital Showcase (2025)
via Day of the Devs // Everybody's favorite curator of weird and wonderful video games is accepting submissions for another winter bonanza. Day of the Devs has opened submissions for its annual The Game Awards digital showcase and wants folks to submit their "most delightful, surprising, and downright cooooooool games" for consideration. Submissions will remain open until September 29, so don't be shy if you think you fit the bill.
'It's done when it's done:' Balatro developer Localthunk says crunch is never the answer
via Game Developer // If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life! What a crock of nonsense. It's a woefully misleading statement that I never get tired of debunking, and this time around I have a little help from Balatro developer Localthunk. In a candid blog post, the award-winning developer explained how, after months of debilitating crunch, he was returning to his hobbyist roots (i.e. only working on Balatro for a few hours each day) to rekindle his love of the process. It's a reminder of how important it is to preserve a work-life balance, even (or perhaps especially) when you're pursuing a great passion.