Sponsored By

Design

the Unreal Engine and Unity logos

Why (and how) you should leave Unity and Unreal to make your own engine Why (and how) you should leave Unity and Unreal to make your own engine

Longtime developer Rez Graham shares the advantages (and disadvantages) of building your own tech for indie game development.

byMichael Higham

Mar 20, 2024

|

5 Min Read

A green figure has its hand raised in front of an open door, as if welcoming people inside.

Xbox rolls out new framework to help devs design better for inclusivity Xbox rolls out new framework to help devs design better for inclusivity

byBryant Francis

Mar 20, 2024

3 Min Read

The key to future employment in games dev is diversifying your skill set The key to future employment in games dev is diversifying your skill set

Mar 20, 2024

3 Min Read

Developer and professor Christopher Totten at the GDC podium

Avoiding the 'compliment sandwich:' Techniques for mentoring others in the art of level design Avoiding the 'compliment sandwich:' Techniques for mentoring others in the art of level design

Mar 20, 2024

4 Min Read

90s pixel art creepy mansion of Alone in the Dark

Shining a flashlight on Alone in the Dark, on the eve of its reinvention Shining a flashlight on Alone in the Dark, on the eve of its reinvention

Mar 20, 2024

A huge armor-clad skeleton clad from Baldur's Gate 3.

Building Baldur's Gate 3's memorable characters was all about forming trust in performance capture Building Baldur's Gate 3's memorable characters was all about forming trust in performance capture

byAlessandro Fillari

Mar 20, 2024

5 Min Read

A person walks across a narrow rope as a parade of machines walks by below

Hand crafting a dystopian world out of cardboard in Phonopolis

Hand crafting a dystopian world out of cardboard in Phonopolis

A jester and a person poorly dressed as a dragon are having a sword fight on a stage

Capturing the spontaneity and creativity of improvisational theater with Once Upon a Jester

Capturing the spontaneity and creativity of improvisational theater with Once Upon a Jester

A shootout in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Hidden choices, small ripples: How CDPR merged cinematics and interactivity in Cyberpunk 2077

Hidden choices, small ripples: How CDPR merged cinematics and interactivity in Cyberpunk 2077

NEO NPC character Bloom and their welcome message

How do Ubisoft's AI-driven NPCs handle dynamic player interactions?

How do Ubisoft's AI-driven NPCs handle dynamic player interactions?

byMichael Higham

A pair of young women look out over a sunswept valley

Weaving the vibrant fantasy world (and horrifying nighttime land) of Little Goody Two Shoes

Weaving the vibrant fantasy world (and horrifying nighttime land) of Little Goody Two Shoes

A terrifying creature descends in Saturnalia

The enduring horror of monster encounters in Saturnalia

The enduring horror of monster encounters in Saturnalia

Three topless male-presenting people stand together, hands on shoulders. Images of scissors surround them.

Exploring broken identities with a steamy post-pandemic vacation in Mediterranea Inferno

Exploring broken identities with a steamy post-pandemic vacation in Mediterranea Inferno

Several warriors getting ready to fight some skeletal enemies

How a theme of 'a road trip from hell' would shape Darkest Dungeon II

How a theme of 'a road trip from hell' would shape Darkest Dungeon II

Several symbols from a visual language and the word "Kevin"

Exploring human understanding through deciphering Kevin(1997-2077)'s invented language

Exploring human understanding through deciphering Kevin(1997-2077)'s invented language

A massive enemy starship covered in guns bears down on the player's small ship

How Cobalt Core makes movement as exciting as fighting in its roguelike deckbuilder combat

How Cobalt Core makes movement as exciting as fighting in its roguelike deckbuilder combat

Tchia screenshot featuring a beach sunset and a character climbing a tree

Road to the IGF 2024 with Joel Couture: Game Developer Podcast ep. 41

Road to the IGF 2024 with Joel Couture: Game Developer Podcast ep. 41

byDanielle Riendeau

The skeletal Cryptmaster looks at a wooden treasure chest. The word SNIFF is written above the chest

How dungeon crawler Cryptmaster responds to anything you type into its word-based systems

How dungeon crawler Cryptmaster responds to anything you type into its word-based systems

How to build a narrative in a PvP game: without a narrative designer on the team

How to build a narrative in a PvP game: without a narrative designer on the team

bySofya Solomonova

A description of stale water in a stagnant puddle. A small clutch of green squares - a digital life form - flits around

Exploring connections with digital pets through death and dying in goodbye.monster

Exploring connections with digital pets through death and dying in goodbye.monster

Hunting for Narrative gold: Designing the treasure hunting world of HAWKED

Hunting for Narrative gold: Designing the treasure hunting world of HAWKED

byVladimir Semykin

A gray-faced man in a trench coat tells a character not to worry - they're a murderer

How General Hospital and Junji Ito lead to the hilarious horrors of Anthology of the Killer

How General Hospital and Junji Ito lead to the hilarious horrors of Anthology of the Killer

The Upside of Using Culture and Personal Stories as Game Pillars

The Upside of Using Culture and Personal Stories as Game Pillars

byDeborah Chantson

A vaporware portrait of Jeff Minter.

How the iconic Jeff Minter stays inspired after 43 llama-filled years of game development

How the iconic Jeff Minter stays inspired after 43 llama-filled years of game development

bySam Machkovech

Several robots in a shootout on a platform floating in water

RAM: Random Access Mayhem's body-swapping mechanic was born from playing roguelikes

RAM: Random Access Mayhem's body-swapping mechanic was born from playing roguelikes

A gnome wields a fantasy scepter as pretty colors fly all around him.

Hearthstone celebrates its 10th anniversary by balancing novelty with nostalgia

Hearthstone celebrates its 10th anniversary by balancing novelty with nostalgia

byDiego Arguello

A witch sitting at a table in a house that is floating in space. A humanoid snake creature is coiled around the building.

How The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood uses player-crafted tarot cards to better connect them to the story

How The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood uses player-crafted tarot cards to better connect them to the story

The Lessons Learned From Palworld's Success

Featured Blog | The Lessons Learned From Palworld's Success

A female presenting person walking to a car in a parking lot

The Wreck explores how examining past traumas can reshape life in the present

The Wreck explores how examining past traumas can reshape life in the present

A paladin rides a horse and holds a magical proclomation.

Two pillars devs need to know to pitch a Dungeons & Dragons game

Two pillars devs need to know to pitch a Dungeons & Dragons game

byBryant Francis

You have to hit the rock: How (the) Gnorp Apologue uses minimal design to maximum effect

You have to hit the rock: How (the) Gnorp Apologue uses minimal design to maximum effect

A rather aggressive Baldur's Gate 3 party member

Baldur's Gate 3 dominates BAFTA Games Awards 2024 nominations

Baldur's Gate 3 dominates BAFTA Games Awards 2024 nominations

A planet covered in humans trying to mine it

Countering colonizing efforts through caring for a planet in Planetka

Countering colonizing efforts through caring for a planet in Planetka

A floating statue looks serenely out from a mountaintop

Isles of Sea and Sky uses limitations and theme to inspire creativity in puzzle crafting

Isles of Sea and Sky uses limitations and theme to inspire creativity in puzzle crafting

A player character fights monsters in Dragon's Dogma 2.

The 'Pawns' of Dragon's Dogma 2 are the tip of an emergent iceberg

The 'Pawns' of Dragon's Dogma 2 are the tip of an emergent iceberg

byAlessandro Fillari

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox