Steve Rechtschaffner (rekt-shaf-ner)

🌟 Big reveal time once again 🌟 It’s shaping up to be an exciting week as we unveil another lineup of amazing Mini Dapps that’ll soon be live on LINE NEXT Inc. Messenger—all exclusively powered by Kaia Chain! 💚 Exclusively powered by Kaia Labs Limited, the Dapp Portal (@dapp_portal) is your gateway to Mini Dapps, connecting millions of users across Asia through LINE Messenger. 🚀 Here’s the latest lineup to get hyped about (featuring their X (formerly Twitter) tags—follow them for updates!): 🎮 Axolt's Escape // @AxoltsEscape 📈 IX Swap // @IxSwap 🐉 Lair Finance // @LairFinance 😺 Meowtopia // @meowtopiagame 🏓 Ping Pong Parade // @PingPongParade 🎮 Retro.fun // @retrodotfun ⚔️ Sid Eternal // @ZatteraProtocol 🤳 Social.Meme // @SocialMeme2024 🌌 Televerse // @TeleverseXYZ ✨ Wonderbits // @wonderbitsio Which one are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments, and let’s gear up for an incredible wave of innovation! 🌊 #JBlaze #KaiaMiniDapps #LINEKaia #BlockchainInnovation #Games #Apps #Kaia #LineNext #ThinkGrowth

10

🎙️ New Series G podcast episode: Featuring Raphael van Lierop - CEO and Founder of Hinterland, the Vancouver-based studio behind the brilliant survival game "The Long Dark". ⭐ This discussion features topics including: - The early stages of building Hinterland as a company and studio - Managing Early Access expectations with the game community - Building a company culture that promotes studio longevity Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gabUNB-g YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gmbNJsxJ Here's a short clip from the episode where Raphael discusses how the team decided upon The Long Dark's Steam description:

23

3 Comments

🎉 The Dapps Are Coming, Powered by Kaia! 🟢 Big things are in store as we introduce the Mini Dapp Launch Day Lineup on the Dapp Portal, exclusively powered by Kaia Labs Limited on LINE NEXT Inc.'s Messenger. 🌟 Take a look at the game covers in the preview—some might feature characters you recognize! (I’ve already spotted a few of my favorites, like Crayon Shin Chan and Captain Tsubasa 😉). We’re committed to bringing you only the best of the best Mini Dapps, and I can’t wait to try them out myself 🎮 Kicking off in January 2025, we’re launching with 20 handpicked Mini Dapps featuring hyper-casual games, iconic IP experiences, and more. And this is just the beginning—by mid-year, over 150 Mini Dapps will be available, creating a vibrant ecosystem for users and developers alike (woohoo) 😁 Curious to learn more about what’s coming your way? Check out the full details here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ggjxSTm9 #JBlaze #Kaia #Web3 #MiniDapps #Innovation #GamingEcosystem #LineNext #Dapps #Games #Tools #Innovation #KaiaKaia

7

Friends, our weekly community impact update for June 7th! This week, I'm so proud that we added Hailey Rojas' #opentonetwork resource as our 16th community offering. I thank Desirée R. also for her help with that content and design leadership this week as well. Haven't signed up yet for our community badge rewards for being a member and participating in community coaching? Register here: https://lnkd.in/evQpQDfd Our Four Headline Stats First (as always), straight from amirsatvat.com: - Job Placements: We've successfully facilitated over 2,000 job placements. - Advisory Chats: Our community coaches have engaged in more than 37,000 free advisory chats - We added 808 members to our LinkedIn community (88,973 total). - We added 336 members to our Discord community (3,735 total). JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY HERE: discord.gg/amirsatvat Resource Updates: - Hiring Visibility: Our community now includes 7,501 job seekers, with 70 new candidates joining recently. - Coaching: The number of coaches has risen to 2,228, thanks to 19 new volunteers offering support across our four services. - Role Listings: There are now 13,783 job opportunities across 3,616 organizations. Providing a full update on this is my top priority. - Career Planning: Both our General Planning Resources and our Early Career Pack are now live. Please submit any additional contributions you may have! - Games Org Support Posts: We have highlighted 98 individuals affected by programmatic layoffs. - Free LinkedIn Premium Trials: This week, we provided 20 new 2-month LinkedIn Premium trials to gamers, bringing the total to 370. - Ticket To Ride: We have given out 370 free tickets to gamers across 5 events, thanks to 29 generous sponsors. - Weekly Community Spotlight Posts: We have posted 8 spotlights, allowing community members seeking work to highlight themselves. How You Can Help: We have a page (https://lnkd.in/dY9KQ5a3) detailing 14 ways to contribute, highlighting areas of elevated and highest needs marked in yellow and red. This Week’s 8 New Mentors, 6 New CV + LinkedIn Reviewers, 3 New Mock Interviewers, and 2 New Art Portfolio Reviewers are in the comments! Thanks for your support and let's continue changing gamers' lives together! Super Amiro

52

1 Comment

Small productivity hacks for employers: when planning capacity for a new project, factor in "shrink." Shrink is a common operational / call centre metric that basically allows you to account for all the expected(and unexpected) unproductive time when a service rep won't be available to take calls - think: training, lunches, breaks, headaches, random things that come up but you can't think of right now. I hope managers never assume someone will be productive 100% of the time. So you figure out what 100% output would look like and then deduct shrink from that. Doing that gives you a more accurate sense of what you can accomplish with your bandwidth without setting false expectations and burning out your team. It creates a buffer in your operations. It also creates a sense of trust with your team, which will see you as a leader who really cares about them. Because now they know: - they can take care of their sick child,  - or they can go to the vet with their pet, - or they can even study new things that help them evolve professionally or personally, and still get their things done great, on time and schedule. If you want productivity, you must first understand people. Real leaders know that goals are hit when people are happy. They prioritise people over profits. This means you need to: - create a safe work environment  - respect their personal life - build a growing context - offer flexible work - give a fair pay. In other words, you need to step up for them. And you know who will benefit the most from this? Working Parents. #whatifthingsgoright

13

Another week, another round of layoffs, another studio closure, and another blow to the Vancouver game dev scene. Game development in Vancouver has been on life support for the past few years, and what a shocking fall from grace in comparison to how things looked in the early to mid-2000s where you couldn't throw a BC roll (sushi reference) without hitting a triple-A studio! You can blame more favourable tax credits in other Canadian provinces (which doesn't help!) but that's not the real reason for the decay, is it? We're not really competing against other provinces within our country, we're competing with a global talent market and a shift to remote work that has driven game development to lower cost regions that can produce stuff that's just as good as anything we can make. It's a shock and a wake-up call, perhaps too late. Everyone is on survival mode right now and there are still rough waters ahead. Today doesn't seem to be the day for big-picture industry analysis, but when the dust settles and the pain of layoffs is not so fresh for people, it'll be time to sit down and ask ourselves some tough questions about how we got here. I'm getting tired of saying it, but my heart goes out to all those affected by the current round of layoffs and closures. 💔

376

29 Comments

Take Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick makes it painfully clear that Take Two is working with Zynga to bring GTA Online to mobile. Not GTA6 exactly but GTAOnline multiplayer. --- VideoGameChronicle: "Take-Two still wants to bring its biggest IP to mobile “WE HAVE TO TRY AND WE WILL TRY,” SAYS CEO STRAUSS ZELNICK" Two years since it completed its takeover of Zynga, Take-Two is still trying to figure out a way to bring its biggest franchises to mobile. “Perhaps most importantly we have the ability together, from both a development and a publishing point of view, to optimise the creation of new titles based on Take-Two’s core intellectual property,” Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said when the deal was announced. “We believe we have the best collection of console and PC intellectual property in the interactive entertainment business and it’s basically nearly entirely un-exploited from mobile and free-to-play around the world.” At a TD Cowen conference this week, Zelnick was asked whether Take-Two had made any progress towards fulfilling this ambition, or even whether the goal was still part of the company’s multi-year pipeline plan. “You’re kind to ask it that way,” he said. “What you’re really saying is, ‘you haven’t done that, what happened?’ And the answer is, and I said it at the time, I said, ‘listen, that is one opportunity to create revenue synergies, but arguably it’s not the best one because even mobile titles based on traditional core established IP can fail, and the biggest titles in mobile are of course native.’ “Now, what people are really saying, they didn’t say it this way, is, ‘why don’t you just do what Call of Duty Mobile did?’ But the answer is, Call of Duty is a superset, never mind a subset, a superset of one. Basically everything else has paled by comparison in our space.” Call of Duty Mobile was released in November 2019 and had been downloaded over 650 million times as May 2022, according to Activision Blizzard. “That said, I would love to be able to announce a successful mobile title based on legacy Take-Two IP, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to do it, but you’re right that it has been backburnered a bit in service of a bunch of other opportunities. Mobile accounted for over half of Take-Two’s full-year revenue and net bookings during the 12 months ended in March 2024. But Zelnick reiterated at this week’s TD Cowen conference that he still wants to make a hit mobile game based on one of the company’s own properties. “Would I like to do exactly what you said? Absolutely. Have we done it yet? We have not done it yet. Is it in our multi-year pipeline? It is in our pipeline, but that doesn’t mean it will succeed, it could fail, in which case it would be irrelevant. No, worse than irrelevant, it would actually cost us money because failures cost us money.” “But we have to try and we will try,” he added. VideoGameChronicle: https://lnkd.in/gC8Pm9jJ #gameindustry #gamepublishing #taketwo #zynga #gta #gtaonline #gta6 #mobile

3

7 Comments

GTA VI is launching in Fall 2025! (Fall 2025 = 2026? ... Sorry, I’m joking 😂) This franchise is vital to my gaming past. No game has risen like this one over years. I wish R* a smooth launch and success! Take-Two earnings call highlights: • GTA 6 confirmed for Fall 2025 release. • Rockstar confident in Fall 2025 release. • Take-Two confident in GTA 6's success. • GTA 5 has sold 200 million units total. • GTA series has sold 425 million copies. • Expect more GTA Online DLC & events. • GTA Online sales down, GTA+ revenue up. What is your all-time favorite GTA game? Choose your reaction or share your own. My top pick? GTA V. ❤️

145

105 Comments

Roblox Developers Conference 2024 just wrapped up and Roblox announced some of the largest and most meaningful features that you may have missed👀 The one that I believe will be the most impactful is the Shopify partnership! At RDC, Roblox announced that it is partnering with Shopify to allow developers, creators, and brands to sell physical items directly within their Roblox games without ever needing players to leave the Roblox platform. This is going to be massive for Lootbloc. Lootbloc uses Shopify, and already has existing partnerships with the largest games on the Roblox platform such as Catalog Avatar Creator and Flee the Facility, so unlocking the ability to sell directly within these games will make it even easier for fans to purchase their favorite games' merchandise. Lootbloc is a Roblox merchandising company that specializes in bringing IP on Roblox into the real world through plushies, apparel, and more. If you own a Roblox game or brand and you haven't capitalized on the world of physical goods feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] and we can work with you to make it happen! Beyond merchandise, the rumor is that, in the future, outside brands will be able to sell their products directly inside of games as well, turning Roblox into a brand new sales channel for any brands looking to sell to Roblox's massive audience. Only time will tell, Roblox and Shopify have said that they will be launching a beta among a select group of partners in early 2025, with the larger launch coming later. What do you think? #Roblox #Shopify

25

2 Comments

It seems like only last week that myself, Rik Alexander and Ryan Woodland hit up Develop, but we're now just 2 weeks away from External Development Summit (XDS) in Vancouver! 🙌 I'll be downloading the XDS Connect app later today, and look forward to meeting with lots of Studios to discuss how we can help put their Unreal projects on turbo charge! We've seen very common requests from Studios we met at Develop, and have spoken to since, mainly around Unreal Engine performance issues. If you have queries around; -debugging and tracing -profiling and analysis -asset loading /dependency issues then we should talk ☺ I believe our CodeDev (Unreal Engine Experts) team is World-class when it comes to Unreal Engine- we'd love the opportunity to show you we know what we're talking about... I've been very quiet away at Disney with the family (purely research purposes, of course) and catching up since, but in case you were wondering, Tron 👇 at Magic Kingdom is different level ;)

28

3 Comments

🚀 Exciting news! 🚀 The Kaia Wave has been updated, and applications are now officially live! 🎉 If you’re a Web3 builder looking to grow your project, this is your chance to join the Kaia & LINE NEXT Web3 Builder Support Program. From $95K in fee waivers, $700K+ in marketing support, and reaching 100M+ global LINE users, to VC connections and financial backing, this program is packed with opportunities to help Dapps take off. If you’re ready to push the limits and build on Kaia's Layer 1, now's the time to apply and bring your ideas to life. 🌍💡 📌 Check out the link and apply today #JBlaze #KaiaWave #Web3 #Blockchain #DappDevelopment #LINENEXT #VCOpportunities #TechInnovation #KaiaCommunity #Kaia

19

2 Comments

• Fans don’t just watch anymore—they participate. • CTV platforms are revolutionizing how we connect with audiences. • Let’s explore how to captivate today’s fans.👇 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗧𝗩/𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Nearly 8 in 10 sports viewers use a second screen during live events—checking stats, engaging on social media, or participating in interactive features. This underscores the growing need for truly immersive CTV experiences. 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: • 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Use leaderboards, polls, and challenges to reward fans in real-time and drive interaction. • 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗧𝗩: Leverage data to deliver tailored highlights, hyper-targeted ads, and curated recommendations. • 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: Stream live events paired with behind-the-scenes features to create excitement and urgency. What’s Next: • 𝗖𝗧𝗩-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Interactive ads and second-screen integrations that bring fans closer to the action. • 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: Share inspiring stories of athletes and gamers to build emotional connections. • 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: Use viewer insights to refine content, optimize ad placements, and track engagement metrics. 𝗦𝗼, 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿... CTV and FAST platforms aren’t just tools—they’re opportunities to create immersive, memorable experiences. Build connections, measure results, and keep fans coming back for more. What’s one CTV feature you think will define the future of audience engagement? Let’s discuss! 👇 #CTV #BrandPartnerships

17

3 Comments

I mean, I get it. Spend years and millions to build a major franchise installment and end up being an "also ran" behind the most anticipated release in recent memory. It's wicked risky. Almost unbearably so. That being said, if everyone is holding their breath then it feels like the stakes get too high. Rockstar can't deliver anything less than slam dunk. And anyone who's planning to publish in 2025 needs to consider a "GTA" contingency which could be wincingly-expensive-to-completely-not-feasible depending on how hard you'd have to pivot. So who's more under the gun, do we think? Rockstar/T2, or everyone whose studio needs to publish in 2025? Pressure to deliver, or pressure to respond? https://lnkd.in/gVkGNgFe

21

11 Comments

Roblox's daily active users under the age of 13 amount to 32 million. When I and my fellow 20-somethings were under 13, that same number approximately described the entire population of Canada. Roblox is now implementing new rules for those 32 million kids that use their platform. Notably, they're restricting access to chat spaces, including "accessing Social Hangouts starting on November 18. Social Hangouts are experiences like clubs and social groups where kids can text or voice-chat with other users. This change, however, doesn’t include role-playing or real-life simulation games where users play as different characters" - Kidscreen (Ryan Tuchow), https://lnkd.in/gQqc6wVS My questions: - This isn't the first time that Roblox has tried to solve its content moderation problem by shutting down social spaces and chats for its users. What's to stop users under 13 from moving to external chat spaces like Discord to continue socializing while they play, spaces where Roblox has no ability (and therefore no obligation) to moderate content? - As with all online age restrictions, it's not hard for kids to just claim that they're older to get into online spaces. I did it myself when Facebook first came on the scene. With that in mind, how is Roblox moderating their "over 13" spaces to keep them safe in general, whether for teens, kids, and adult users? As someone who grew up alongside the internet, I know that it gets more and more difficult to be safe online and, by extension, IRL. Luckily, Roblox seems to be going to the right places to get solutions: "Roblox is assembling its first Teen Council in the hopes of making its platform a more civil and respectful place for 79.5 million daily active users." - Kidscreen (Ryan Tuchow), https://lnkd.in/gPF3-S83 The article above also mentions a project from last year that I hadn't heard of, a consultation between Roblox and the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. It's my ardent belief that users, creators, and outside observers can work together to make safe spaces online. It's okay not to have all the answers yet, but we need to keep working together to find them. Super interested in what my network thinks!

8

2 Comments

Last month, Avalanche Studios group shut down its Montreal and New York studios, leaving almost 50 (9%) employees without jobs. So, this is a support post for a few individuals impacted by the Avalanche layoffs with short stories about them. The reason was simple: like many other studios, it was to ensure a “stable and sustainable future.” One of the problems was that Just Cause 4 did not meet expectations and perform well enough to cover the development costs. Avalanche is the creator of mayhem-packed games like Just Cause, Rage 2, and the 2015 Mad Max, which have mostly always performed well. Add that to their latest in-development project called “Contraband”, layoffs affecting Avalanche came in as quite a shock—that too, developers who had spent several years building Avalanche’s greatest titles. As a humble request to everyone reading this, please reshare this post and help the people mentioned here get back into the games industry stronger than before. A simple repost can help bring visibility from recruiters and game studios currently hiring. Benjamin Jaekle — The one who developed the gameplay and story of Just Cause 3 & 4. Benjamin had spent a decade plus with Avalanche Studios, dawning many hats like that of a producer, writer, narrative designer, and lead designer. His last project was the upcoming Contraband, for which he was the narrative lead. Jason Kanter, MPSE — A multi-talented sound designer who was with Avalanche for over 12 years. Jason’s last role was as the Director of Audio, leading audio teams for Just Cause 4 and Contraband. Other than that, Jason has worked for studios like 2K, Riot Games, and Electronic Arts for titles—The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, Bioshock 2, League of Legends, and Sims 2. Erick Folckemer — Another studio veteran who was with Avalanche for over six years as a gameplay programmer. For Just Cause 4, Erick worked within Apex Engine to develop gameplay systems and features. Most recently, he developed systemic gameplay features in a client/server multiplayer environment using the Apex Engine and C++ for Contraband. Jesse Bonelli-Mooney — The lead character artist for Avalanche Studios who worked with them for over a decade. Jesse entered the games industry with 38 Studios, working on Kingdoms of Amalur. After that, he went on to work on titles like Just Cause 3/4 and Rage 2. Jessica Pardue — Jessica is the perfect studio manager if you are a game studio looking for one. She was responsible for building the culture at Avalanche Studios as well as coordinating production for Contraband as a producer. *** Know someone who was impacted by the gaming industry layoffs? For everyone who lost their jobs to the gaming industry's restructuring, we are offering a chance to learn game programming from skilled game programmers, gain a programming edge on your game design, art, production, or testing skills, and turn your vision into reality. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/edHj4wJE *** #layoffsupport

173

5 Comments

Kicking off the week with a productive meeting with Soohyung (Eddie) Kim, Governance and SEA Lead at Klaytn Foundation. 🧑‍💼 Starting the week right with a solid team meeting is key. It's not just about getting on the same page—it’s about checking in with each other, syncing our plans, and making sure everything’s on track. 🗓️ Communication is the backbone of everything we do. Whether it's in business or life, keeping those lines open ensures we’re all moving in the right direction. 🔗 Did you already have your meeting this week? 💬 Visit https://www.kaia.io/ and https://klaytn.foundation/ to see how we’re shaping the future together. 🚀 #JBlaze #MondayMeetings #Kaia #KlatytnFoundation #Communication #Technology #Blockchain #Benefits #ThinkGrowth #KaiaNatinIto #KaiaKaya

12

Ubisoft Toronto confirms reports of 33 layoffs If your role is affected by this news, please make use of the support available across our three platforms. Specifically, I recommend checking out the Games Org Support Posts in Home 1. These resources are highly effective, with ample data to back their success. I won't pretend there are easy solutions but our community's only goal is to make things a little easier for as many people as possible. We have a ton of data showing that, for all candidates, your chances of finding a games role double (from 5 to 10%) over 12 months if you regularly use all our resources versus not. Additionally, recently I presented a 100% update to our Games Jobs Workbook, with 3,600 companies fully updated and nearly 14,000 roles fully updated. Of our 18 resources, this is the most powerful tool we have to help you. https://lnkd.in/d6x5NHMZ (Resource #8) I'm so sorry to hear this report and I will, as always, do my best to do something about it rather than just talking. Home 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our main hub provides 18 resources to assist you in finding work, featuring a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: Find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I’ll help edit and disseminate the final product, reaching 100,000+ people. These posts are highly effective in increasing visibility, and we've done 99 of them. Home 2 - 🔗 Discord: Join us at discord.gg/amirsatvat, our live extension of community resources. With over 4,300 members, we are currently in an open-join phase. Home 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes nearly 91,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. How the Broader Community Can Help: - Spread the Word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer Support: Utilize the 16 ways listed on AMIRSATVAT.COM under "How You Can Help" to assist, or simply lend an ear or advice on our Discord server. - Join Our Movement: Volunteer with us at AMIRSATVAT.COM to support our colleagues in the games industry. Our network has facilitated over 2,100 jobs and 39,000 coaching conversations to date, the largest impact of any games organization on earth, and has been visited by millions of gamers lifetime.

199

12 Comments

Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios Group acquired Monster Closet Games (founded by Ubisoft veterans) in October last year and integrated its developers to launch a new studio in Montreal. Yesterday, this studio was shut down 8 months after launch, along with Avalanche’s New York studio, cutting 50 jobs. In an “exceptionally difficult decision” taken by Avalanche, the shutdown was “necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable future for the company”. Avalanche even expressed regret for losing 9% of its workforce but gave no updates on how it plans to help them after this. For big studios, posting on social media is easier and a one-time thing. But what about the 50 devs who are left with tougher days to come? When AAA giant (Avalanche) entered their lives last year, they promised the devs big game projects. For eight months, they worked hard on a title with Xbox, getting excited about how they would thrill gamers from different corners of the planet. But instead of receiving due credit, they are informed that they are no longer needed on the project and that the company has to lay them off to sustain themselves. If this is sad to learn, consider the sudden mental toll on these developers and the possibility of many falling prey to self-doubt. I also tried finding the impacted folks to give them a shoutout, but I can’t see any #opentowork banners except one or two. If you know of anyone who was impacted, please mention them below, and we will do everything in our power to give them maximum visibility. If you were impacted and saw this, I am listing three resources and various other ways for you to get back into the games industry ASAP. First💎 Layoff Support Kit 2.0 - https://lnkd.in/gCCXW_Wp My team and I have dedicated countless hours to curating hundreds of online game development resources so you don't have to. This comprehensive collection includes top programming boot camps, renowned game dev educators, free game assets to help you build great games, insightful podcasts, and much more. Second💎 A 100% scholarship on our $11,000 Full Stack game dev program - https://lnkd.in/gZKqNBFh If you were impacted by the recent bloodshed of layoffs, here’s a chance to Re-skill and revise your game dev knowledge with our advanced C++, OOPs, Unity, and Data Structure modules. Additionally, you will receive exclusive one-on-one mentorship from top game programmers who will help you strengthen your already solid foundations. Third💎 Our Discord Community of over 10K game devs - https://lnkd.in/gH-wZe2G Here, we listen to everyone’s take on game development, support aspiring game developers in building stronger portfolios, and solve each other's doubts. Also requesting Kelly Bender, Alexander Rehm, Caitlin Cooke, Jordan Mazer, Ruty Rutenberg, Hailey Rojas, Kevin F., Kat Craig, Ali Farha, Matt Barney, and Ash C. to help this reach all the folks who can benefit from this. #layoffsupport

80

16 Comments

Since its 2013 release, Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) has been a massive financial success, generating around $8.6 billion in revenue, largely due to its live service component, GTA Online. This mode has kept players engaged and driven significant revenue through microtransactions. In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, the Grand Theft Auto franchise earned approximately $175 million, representing 13% of Take-Two Interactive's total net revenue of $1.338 billion. This marks an increase from the same period last year. Despite being over a decade old, GTA 5 continues to maintain a large and active player base, with regular updates to GTA Online sustaining its popularity and profitability. GTA Online receives two major updates annually, typically in summer and winter, adding new content like vehicles, missions, and gameplay features to keep the game engaging. The game is supported on multiple platforms, including PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, contributing to its widespread popularity. However, it is not available on Nintendo Switch or mobile platforms like Android and iOS. I hope one day a mobile version would be supported. It would print even more money.

29

2 Comments