Russia has reportedly legalised piracy in the face of economic sanctions
Change in laws potentially undermines the wave of major games firms that have cut off the market
Articles by James Batchelor
James Batchelor, Editor-in-Chief
James Batchelor has been a journalist in the games industry since 2006, and joined GamesIndustry in 2016, rising to Editor-in-Chief in 2021. He previously served as editor of Develop, and has written for Eurogamer, NintendoLife and MCV. He also runs the Non-Violent Game of the Day blog to showcase the full breadth of video games and their subject matter. He does still play violent games, but always on Story/Easy mode.
Recent articles by James Batchelor
Third round of Makers Fund raises $500 million to invest in games startups
Organisation readies largest fund yet, has previously invested in more than 90 companies
Gamescom returns as “climate-friendly” hybrid event this August
World's largest games show will be in Cologne from August 24 to 28
Games firms opposing Russia are cutting off a $3.4bn market
Analysts help us contextualise the impact of sales bans by Microsoft, EA, Take-Two and more
Nintendo delays Advance Wars remake indefinitely amid Ukraine invasion
Switch strategy game had already been pushed back to Advance Wars, on hold until further notice
Bohemia Interactive unaffected by sale of former sim arm to defence contractor
BAE Systems has completed $200 million acquisition of Bohemia Interactive Simulations, which separated from Arma studio in 2013
Sanctions prevent Twitch from paying Russian streamers
Streaming site is asking content creators to provide alternative payment details, will pay missed income when restrictions lift
Take-Two halts sales, marketing and more in Russia and Belarus
Company behind Grand Theft Auto 5, the third most played game in Russia, expresses support for Ukraine
Class action lawsuit over NBA 2K loot boxes accuses Take-Two of “unfair, deceptive and unlawful practices”
Plaintiff claims monetisation model “psychologically distances” players from the real impact of their purchase
Epic Games ceases commerce with Russia but keeps communication open
Fortnite firm is the latest in a growing line of publishers to take a stance against invasion of Ukraine
Russian Nintendo eshop put in maintenance mode amid wave of firms cutting all sales
Nintendo attributes halting of digital game sales to issue with payment processing
Activision Blizzard is the latest company to cut off Russian market
Call of Duty and Candy Crush firm is also doubling employee donations to relief efforts, has raised over $300,000 so far
InGameJob calls on companies to help hire games professionals fleeing Ukraine
Recruitment site also seeking firms willing to help with housing, relocation and financial aid
PlayStation seemingly cancels Gran Turismo 7 launch in Russia
Racing game was due to debut today, but is unavailable to buy through the Russian PlayStation Store
The Medium developer Bloober Team also pulls all sales from Russia, Belarus
Ban will first come into effect on Steam, but will apply to all other platforms
The return of the London Games Festival
After two years as an online-only event, festival director Michael French discusses plans to bring the ten-day games celebration back to the streets of the capital
Epic Games acquires music store Bandcamp as part of “creator marketplace ecosystem” vision
Company will continue operating as a standalone marketplace and music community
Ampere Analysis: Console market grew to record $60bn in 2021
Data and analytics firm expects further $1 billion growth as rise of subscriptions offsets boxed sales decline
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet headlines Pokémon Day presentation
Ninth generation of mainstay RPGs will follow Arceus into open world design, launches late 2022
Activision shareholder sues publisher over Microsoft acquisition
Lawsuit alleges Call of Duty publisher withheld information when asking shareholders to vote in favour of sale
How the Rainbow Billy team swapped combat for conversations
ManaVoid discusses the process of overhauling its indie RPG to make it a non-violent game about empathy
Square Enix raises forecasts thanks to increased MMO revenues
HD game sales still down year-on-year as Guardians of the Galaxy "undershot initial expectations"
Nintendo acquires long-running partner studio SRD Co Ltd
Tokyo-based firm has worked with platform holder on games dating back to Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros
THQ Nordic acquires Metricminds
German animation specialist and its core team is latest subsidiary of growing publisher
Ubisoft expands La Forge R&D network across five studios
Montreal initiative now also operating in France and China
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