Author | Lightnews

Reposted by John Wordsworth

Game Developer @gamedeveloper.bsky.social · 3d

Mediatonic founder launches new group of studios under the banner Skeleton Crew

Skeleton Crew will consist of a slate of new companies, plus the existing teams at Payload, Brightrock and Mythwright.

www.gamedeveloper.com

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Kim Acuff Steiner @emberdione.bsky.social · 10d

Things that cost nothing - but is a HUGE help for any and all indie devs:

Wishlisting - it gives games data to show publishers there is interest.

Leave a Review - ESPECIALLY if you liked the game. Reviews on steam lead to the algo serving you up to others.

Reposting - it's an attention economy.

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 12d

We’re changing game engine.

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 14d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 18d

Once again, make a hit game loved by many... and you still get hit by a truck.

The industry is pretty sick right now.

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 22d

I also cancelled the recurring subscription today. 10 days to finish Silksong then a few months gap before I probably jump on again but only for a couple of months at a time from here on in…

John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 23d

Looks like Xbox Game Pass is going the way of many of my other subscriptions “just subscribe for a few months, then take a break for a few months while the content builds up”. Will be unsubscribing when Anno 117 comes out for sure!

Tom Warren @tomwarren.co.uk · 23d

BREAKING: Microsoft is announcing big changes to Xbox Game Pass today. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is getting more features, but it's going up to $29.99 a month. PC games + cloud are also coming to new Game Pass Essential + Premium plans. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/789424/...

Microsoft revamps Xbox Game Pass plans and hikes Ultimate to $29.99 a month

All Xbox Game Pass tiers are getting big changes

www.theverge.com

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 23d

We are starting to share a first playable version of our game with a select few people over the coming days. Both exciting to see how far it’s come but also somewhat intimidating. Either way, stoked to hear how people get on with it!

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 28d

She surely has to change her name to “Devon Pritchard-Peach” or something similar if she is taking the role after someone named “Bowser”!

John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 28d

It's so good and just inherent in the core rules. I love theorizing how these games came about. I know it started with carom billiards with no pockets, but it baffles me how one day someone said "I want a table, with recessed edges, felt top, 3 ivory balls and some sticks. I'm gonna make a game!"

John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · 28d

Been playing pool with a friend every fortnight for maybe 3.5 years now and we still end nearly every night just one or two games apart (even though we play 30-40+ matches). Love that pool has a built-in catch-up mechanic and surprised that it's still so fun after all these years!

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Sep 22

Most of my groups have shifted from “endless/years long campaigns” to 3-15 session campaigns (depending on the game/group). I really like this format - it’s long enough for story and character progression, you get to experience more RPG worlds that way and you get an ending before it falls apart.

John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Sep 16

Had a really busy month, but things are starting to clear up now and I'm excited to get back to creative side-line projects such as the RPG and the solo card game I was prototyping before. Always a bit of a hurdle getting back into it though - but can't wait to get into the flow again!

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Sep 16

Not sure I like the huge Fisher Price rounded corners on my windows and much taller app menu bar eating into my screen real estate, but other than that macOS26 seems to be treating me well.

Reposted by John Wordsworth

Amal El-Mohtar @amalelmohtar.com · Sep 10

Simply the best slide I have ever seen in a powerpoint presentation care of @premeemohamed.com’s talk at @banffcentre.bsky.social re: Putting the Science in Science Fiction

Text mounted on a screen reads as follows:

WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION?

1. DOESN'T MATTER
2. WHO CARES
3. MARKETING DEPARTMENT'S PROBLEM
4. NOT YOURS

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Kenney @kenney.nl · Sep 5

Super early look at Kenney Creator, my new modeling software for indies. It'll feature many blocks and tools to create any sort of model - aiming for a Q1 2026 release! ✨

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Okami 🔜 PAX Unplugged @keichiokami.itch.io · Sep 3

I always share this every time I see it in the wild.

caramida (he/they) @caramida.bsky.social · Aug 29

Yup.

Sometimes people use "respect" to mean "treating someone like a person" and sometimes they use "respect" to mean "treating someone like an authority"
and sometimes people who are used to being treated like an authority say "if you won't respect me I won't respect you" and they mean "if you won't treat me like an authority I won't treat you like a person"
and they think they're being fair but they aren't, and it's not okay.
do-as-youre-told
This is so well put l am stunned

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 28

So many C# posts on Stack Overflow...

Question. Why can't I do X in C#?

A: Why would you want to?
B: Don't be silly, that's not possible due to the way Y works.
C: You should never do that anyway.

7 years later...

D: Feature is coming in C# 11 and looks to be really useful!

John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 28

I understand the business logic of 'this game took an age to make, let's recoup costs by selling 2 clans as day-1 DLC'...

But big companies never seem to learn - consumers don't care once you're big. We're not buying games to balance books. We're buying games based on perceived value/fun vs price.

Eurogamer @eurogamer.bsky.social · Aug 27

Good, the grubby paid clan plan for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is being "adjusted" www.eurogamer.net/good-the-gru...

A close-up of a feminine vampire face, teeth bared, blood dripping from fangs, brow furrowed. I'd run.

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Chris Airiau @chrisair.itch.io · Aug 27

Ok, since I had to turn this blasted computer on, might as well shout it out:

Digital release of Not Enough Scoundrels has hit itch!

Art by @lurnoise.bsky.social, @carlydraws.bsky.social & Tim Zygor. Dev by @unenthuser.bsky.social. Editing by @phophos.bsky.social. Couldn't've made it w/o y'all, ❤️

Not Enough Scoundrels by ChrisAir

For Mothership RPG, a guide to running space truckers, smugglers, and the spaceships they live and die by.

chrisair.itch.io

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 26

Huge thanks to @ben-dodson.bsky.social for being the first person outside of our development team to do a full test run of our game prototype. Really valuable to watch it be played by someone for the first time to check all of our assumptions vs what players actually do. You’re a legend!

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Jeff Tanton @jefftanton.bsky.social · Aug 24

It is with great regret I must inform you that I have started developing a video-game again.

A posterized image of a suited woman pointing a camera directly at the viewer. Around her, figures pass by each way - paying her no attention.

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 23

I’m looking forward to watching the video playback of the first test run through the prototype. That perfect mix of “oh god, will they break it” and “ahhh, how did we not see that in our 50 playthroughs!?”

John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 23

Super satisfying that the prototype that @jefftanton.bsky.social, @amypearson.bsky.social and I have been working on for the last few months has been shared outside of our little group for the first time. A bit of swearing at Unity along the way, but it's been a lot of fun so far!

A small part of a screenshot from a game prototype showing a piece of paper that says 'Incident Report: 001XZ' as the title. The other details have been redacted.

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 23

Oh God, while I never owned one this makes me feel so OLD!

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John Wordsworth @johnwordsworth.bsky.social · Aug 22

Is it me, or do the long text descriptions under the items in the Humble Bundles now sound like the AI Prompt you would write to produce that game if it were generated by an LLM?

A screenshot of part of a Humble Bundle page highlighting the 'Shadow of Mordor' game where the text descriptions reads like an AI prompt to generate a video game. The text starts "An action RPG set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, bridging the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings."

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