We've decided to experiment a bit with the format. This time, it's not an interview but a conversation. Joining us at App2Top is Andrey Apanasik, the CTO of the Balancy service and a popular industry blogger.

A recent survey indicates that nearly every game studio either operates a direct-to-consumer (D2C) web store or intends to launch one

The gaming industry in Cyprus has established its own award to highlight the achievements of companies and projects that are significant to the country. It’s called the Cyprus Game Industry Awards and is held during the September WN Conference Cyprus’26.

The gaming industry in Cyprus has gained its own award, designed to highlight the achievements of companies and projects important to the country. It is called the Cyprus Game Industry Awards and is held as part of the September WN Conference Cyprus'26.

A month ago, Epic Games showcased a new version of its digital game store and launcher at Unreal Fest—faster and more personalized. It is anticipated that these changes will ultimately allow it to better compete with Steam. However, Emmanuel Rosier, Newzoo’s director of market analysis, is not so sure about this.

The Chinese giant Tencent once fully or partially acquired many gaming companies. As a result, a piece of Netmarble ended up in its portfolio—a South Korean corporation known for games like Marvel Future Fight, Lineage 2: Revolution, and The Seven Deadly Sins. Now, the lion's share of this piece has essentially returned to Netmarble itself.

Double Fine Productions has reclaimed its intellectual property and publishing rights following its departure from Xbox

A month ago, at Unreal Fest, Epic Games unveiled a new version of its digital game store and launcher, which is faster and more personalized. The intention is that, ultimately, these changes will enable it to better compete with Steam. However, Emmanuel Rosier, a market analysis director at Newzoo, is not so sure about this.

Take-Two Interactive has issued subpoenas to Microsoft, Discord, and X in relation to the ongoing leaks of Grand Theft Auto 6

The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of Belarus has prepared a draft law that provides for the introduction of additional restrictions on gambling advertising in the country. It addresses both traditional gambling and iGaming.

The company GDEV suddenly decided to get rid of one of its games, Island Hoppers. This was announced in their latest financial report.

The company GDEV, responsible for the Hero Wars game series, reported its financial results for the first half of 2026. Based on the figures, the period proved to be mixed for them.

Take-Two Interactive is seeking to legally uncover the identities of the individuals responsible for the GTA VI leaks, Double Fine Productions has completed its separation from Microsoft, and sales of How to Fish have surpassed one million copies in just two days—here's a rundown of the major events in the gaming industry from this past weekend

Jeff Kaplan shaped the look and game design of World of Warcraft for years. Tim Cain became the main architect of Fallout. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk founded BioWare. You've probably played their games but might not know the legends by name. However, you definitely know Sid Meier. Because there is no such thing as just "Civilization." There's only Sid Meier's Civilization.

IGN Entertainment is organizing a Women in Gaming networking breakfast at Gamescom. Scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, August 26th, the event is backed by GamesIndustry.biz and will be held at the Dorint Hotel am Heumarkt Köln between 8:30 and 10:30

Compulsion Games has gained independence from Xbox, as its management team has successfully acquired the studio and its employees.

The last fiscal year, ending on June 30, 2026, was one of the most successful for the Australian publisher and developer PlaySide Studios. The release of the noir cartoon shooter MOUSE: P.I. For Hire contributed to this success for the company

The game outsourcing company Enduring Games, which contributed to Borderlands 4, Avowed, the remake of Demon's Souls, and many other titles, decided to support their colleagues at the studio FarBridge. They allocated funds for the development of Job Simulator: Human Relations.

Roblox is releasing three of its AI safety models as open-source through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST)

With just two weeks left until the release of the samurai action game Onimusha: Way of the Sword, many gamers have already added it to their wish lists. As Capcom announced, the game has been added to wish lists over 2 million times in total.

The studio Unknown Worlds regularly engages in charity work. For instance, in 2018, it donated a portion of its proceeds to a whale and dolphin conservation fund, and in 2020, it allocated funds to combat COVID-19. Now, the developers have decided to assist with cleaning up plastic waste from the ocean

On October 15-16, a business event WN Yerevan’26 will take place in the capital of Armenia with the support of App2Top. The event will feature an exhibition of games from independent developers and an indie pitch. Here is what you need to do to attend.

The venture fund Makers Fund has raised a quarter of a billion dollars for new investments. The funds will be invested in startups, including those in the gaming sector.

In recent days, the hacker group CyberLeek has been actively posting gameplay videos of GTA VI online. As a result, the shares of Take-Two Interactive have started losing value

A month and a half ago, the authorities of New Zealand announced that the country's iGaming market would become licensed and began accepting applications from operators. It has now become apparent that there are significantly more applicants seeking a license than there are licenses available

The studio Evil Empire and the company Ubisoft announced this achievement on the social network X

The studio behind South of Midnight has officially separated from Microsoft's gaming division and gained independence. The completion of this separation was shared by Compulsion Games' head, Guillaume Provost, in an interview with GamesBeat.

In July, U.S. physical software sales dropped to $85 million, marking the lowest monthly figure since Circana started monitoring these sales in 1995

In the second month of summer, residents of the United States tightened their belts a little and cut back on spending for video games, consoles, and other gaming hardware. This was reported by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella.

In the second month of summer, residents of the United States tightened their belts a bit and cut back on spending on video games, consoles, and other gaming equipment, according to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella (Mat Piscatella)

China is the largest gaming market in the world in terms of revenue. Analysts from Atomik Research, commissioned by the Rokky platform, tried to determine the extent of interest in the Middle Kingdom in the West.

Makers Fund, a venture capital firm focused on games and interactive entertainment, has raised $250 million to invest in startups in this sector. This latest funding brings the firm's total assets under management to $1.5 billion

Starbreeze reported its financial results for the first half of 2026. The company announced a significant drop in revenue, yet remains optimistic.

New content in the "Investor/Publisher Wanted" section. Today, we are discussing the game THE ENTERTAINERS, which is being developed by just one person

A hacking group has been releasing daily leaks that seem to contain information and footage from a GTA 6 build. The materials distributed up to this point encompass a variety of gameplay mechanics and assets, in addition to a complete game map

The investment syndicate announced its readiness to support promising games not only directly but also through a three-way collaboration with publishers.

Young Russians are spending significant amounts of money on video games, reports Mash, citing data from the Center for Combatting Gambling Addiction.

The company has three months to improve the situation

Over the past decade, interest in online gambling has grown among US residents, according to a survey by Gallup. A total of 2,200 adult Americans participated in the survey

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has a better chance of having a strong launch compared to last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, according to Alinea Analytics. Analysts have observed that the shooter is enjoying quite good demand during the pre-order phase on Steam

Raze and Rebuild Studio calls itself a cooperative of developers that wants to "revive the gaming industry from the ashes"

Despite the fact that Disco Elysium was released over six years ago, the wave of its imitators and "spiritual successors" threatens to flood the market only now. We tried to evaluate, based on the numbers, whether there is commercial potential in this niche

The Apple Corporation has once again updated the policy of the European version of its app store, prompted by proceedings with the European Commission regarding its “gatekeeper” status in the EU.

In the gaming industry, it's not just about layoffs and team closures. There are also positive developments—news about the opening of two new game development studios has emerged

According to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, Guerrilla Games is revamping Horizon Hunters Gathering to eliminate its live-service elements after receiving critical feedback from players

At least, that's what former senior game designer at Rockstar San Diego, Kris Roberts, says.

In recent years, Bethesda Game Studios, along with other gaming teams at Microsoft, has experienced several rounds of mass layoffs. However, the atmosphere used to be much calmer, claims the studio's senior 3D artist, Alex Nguyen.

In its latest research, Bain & Company dedicated a separate section to the situation with direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales in gaming. Below are some of the findings

This conclusion was reached by the consulting firm Bain & Company, which surveyed 5,300 people worldwide

Konami has revealed plans to discontinue Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls in the upcoming month.