Chay Hunter

Apple's new mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro, sets the stage for a revolution in spatial computing, presenting unique opportunities and challenges for developers preparing for a future shaped by immersive technologies.

Could we see brands massively increase their in-game advertising budgets? Despite the promising predictions, some hurdles remain, including brand-safe slots, effective ad performance tracking, and a less than stable economic climate.

While it may not excel at everything yet, AI's prowess in concepting, storyboarding, and ideation has captured the industry's attention. Join us as we delve into the realm of GenAI, exploring its ability to create stunning concept art and assets for games.

In the next five years, almost a third of people will have a headset of some description, and there’ll be about 2.5 billion players. But how do you make the shift to this incredibly lucrative new area? We asked Cloudhead Games.

One of the key times players get to make a choice is during dialogue. But how exactly do you create and plan all those branching paths?

Obsessed with making games that people will remember for a lifetime, Halfbrick decided to convert their hit title, Fruit Ninja, into a VR game. It was a natural evolution – people apparently really enjoy slicing fruit and swinging swords. After that success, they created Fruit Ninja VR 2 – adding more features and exploration to the game. “Making a game for VR is very, very different,” said Liam Potter, one of the lead gameplay programmers on Fruit Ninja VR 2. “There are a lot of things you need to take into account that you just don’t for console or mobile.” With that in mind, let’s dive into those challenges and see what Liam advises. Show players the play space early In a VR experience, it’s incredibly difficult to make sure that players are looking where you want. Gamers notoriously fail...

One of the reasons why hyper-casual games are so popular is due to how quick and easy they are to make. Simple controls, artwork, and game design make it easy for any developer to pick up. But hyper-casual isn’t the only way to go. There are other ways to build a game on a budget. One way is narrative. We’ve talked a lot about how to add new layers to your games by simply layering in a story. And we discussed how you need three Cs: character, conflict and change for your narrative. This time, we’ll look at the top games that use storytelling as a core mechanic and show you that you don’t need sparkling design and intense gameplay to create a hit. You just need an extra C: Choice. Because choice is how you can differentiate a book...

Building hyper-casual games is a great way to get into game development. With their short cycles and simple gameplay, crafting a hyper-casual title means you can learn important skills across game design and monetisation, which you’ll need for success in the mobile games industry. But how do you get started building a hyper-casual game? What exactly goes into creating a hit in this genre? What KPIs should you track and what results should you be aiming for? There’s a lot you should know before getting started. So before you get tapping away and developing your next hit, make sure to read through these resources to master everything ‘hyper’. 1. Understanding hyper-casual The hyper-casual genre is a unique one. It’s made up of short, satisfying, and simple gameplay, basic artwork, and relies heavily on ads to make money. So to kick...

In our last article, we covered the three major C’s of storytelling: character, conflict, and change. Using these rules will set the foundation of your game’s narrative. But that doesn’t mean your work is done. There’s so much more to building a strong narrative. And in part two of our storytelling series, we cover six narrative techniques you can use in your titles to help boost your storytelling and character development. Let’s get to it. 1. Consider a shared story You might not want to go into a huge amount of detail for every game you create (especially if you’re working with hyper-casual or casual titles – which have notoriously short lifespans). While it would make each game unique, it can take a lot of time. Instead, think about whether you can create a single story that all your games tie...

What comes to mind when you think about narrative design? You probably imagine Bioshock, Mass Effect or even Stanley Parable – story-driven games where the player’s choices affect the ending. How could you possibly incorporate any of that into a mobile game? But narrative design isn’t just about branching storylines and giant flowcharts. It can actually be a lot more subtle. Narrative design is about creating a consistent narrative. It’s not just about telling a story, but about showing it in your mechanics, user interface and prompts. It’s the small snippets of audio, item descriptions and visual iconography. Narrative design is about deciding what your story is and making sure that you’re staying consistent with that larger vision. In this article, we’re going to explain the basics of a good story and then talk about a few ways you can...

It’s no secret that Stumble Guys is heavily influenced by Fall Guys. When Fall Guys came out in 2020, it had many clones. But none of them stuck. And none of them even touched the amount of success that Stumble Guys achieved over the last few months. So what makes Stumble Guys different? Well, Kitka Games spent a lot of time polishing this title, layering in a range of social and meta-features to keep players engaged. Despite its rocky start (it only had a few thousand players for more than a year after it first launched), it’s now one of the top games on the app stores, with over 225 million downloads and $40 million in revenue. Not surprising then, that it’s claimed the number one spot in the charts for several weeks running. But how was Kitka Games so...

Cracking the hyper-casual market is more challenging than ever. Why? Quite simply, there’s too much competition. This simultaneously drives up the cost of getting new players and makes it easier for players to churn. And that’s particularly problematic because – with higher acquisition costs – studios need higher retention rates if they’re going to make a profit. But a new genre has emerged: Hybrid-casual. Studios have realised that if they’re going to keep retention high, they need to layer in more features and aspects of meta-game. The tact is to keep the core gameplay short, simple and satisfying, but add meta-features that encourage players to keep coming back. Features like progression systems and collectibles that add more depth to the core game. (You can read more about why the shift is happening in our other post on the topic.) In...