Havok intros affordable pricing for indie game development studios

Havok logo as the company introduces a new per-title pricing structure aimed at making its solutions more accessible to smaller game development studios.

Havok is introducing a new pricing structure aimed at making its solutions more accessible to smaller and indie game development studios.

Under the new pricing structure, game studios with budgets up to $20 million able to leverage technologies from Havok for a one-time fee of $50,000 per game:

This new structure marks a departure from traditional licensing models and could have a major impact on game development, particularly for smaller and indie studios who may...

25 March 2025 | Developer

Arm unleashes ASR upscaling to boost mobile gaming performance

Illustration of a rocket on a mobile device as Arm announces ASR during Game Developers Conference, an upscaling technology promising to boost mobile gaming performance without compromising fidelity and battery life.

At GDC, Arm launched ASR (Accuracy Super Resolution)—an upscaling technology promising to boost mobile gaming performance without compromising fidelity and battery life.

For years, a fundamental challenge has plagued mobile game developers: how to strike the perfect balance between visuals and performance. Thanks to ASR, that difficult choice will be less of a problem.

First announced last year, Arm ASR is now available to all mobile game developers. Plugins for both...

19 March 2025 | Android

Discord releases free Social SDK for game developers at GDC

Photo of a Discord friends list as the platform releases a free Social SDK at GDC for game developers that integrates the platform’s renowned social features directly into their games.

Discord is releasing a Social SDK, a free tool for game developers that integrates the platform’s renowned social features directly into their games. The announcement was made at the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.

"While the industry continues to face hard challenges, GDC stays strong as a place where the most passionate, creative minds from across the world come together and connect over their love of games," said Stanislav Vishnevskiy, CTO and...

17 March 2025 | Developer

GDC: NVIDIA showcases how AI is transforming gaming

Screenshot from a RTX demo game as NVIDIA showcases AI tools and technologies at GDC 2025 that show breakthroughs in neural rendering, NVIDIA RTX, and digital human technologies—all focused on enabling game developers to achieve greater immersion and realism in their titles and upgrades to even classic games.

NVIDIA is showcasing a suite of advanced AI tools and technologies at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC). The technologies showcase breakthroughs in neural rendering, NVIDIA RTX, and digital human technologies—all focused on enabling game developers to achieve greater immersion and realism.

Neural Shaders: Advancing photorealistic worlds

At the heart of NVIDIA’s efforts are RTX Neural Shaders, a technology that facilitates the training and deployment of small...

13 March 2025 | Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI launches tools to build AI agents faster

Several OpenAI logos as the company announces a suite of new APIs and tools designed to streamline the creation of AI agents, addressing the challenges faced by software developers in building production-ready applications.

OpenAI has announced a suite of new APIs and tools designed to streamline the creation of AI agents, addressing the challenges faced by software developers in building production-ready applications.

According to OpenAI, “we’re releasing the first set of building blocks that will help developers and enterprises build useful and reliable agents.” These agents are defined as “systems that independently accomplish tasks on behalf of users.”

The announcement follows...

12 March 2025 | API

Pebble smartwatch revival: It’s time for open-source contributions

Photo of Pebble watches amid calls for developers to contribute towards the open-source PebbleOS as founder Eric Migicovsky plans to release a brand new smartwatch in the beloved line of pioneering wearables.

The iconic Pebble smartwatch continues to head towards a revival as developers are called upon to contribute to the open-source PebbleOS.

Google acquired Pebble’s intellectual property through its acquisition of Fitbit in 2021, which acquired the rights from Pebble in 2016. Last week, Google released the source code for PebbleOS—sparking the revival of the once-loved platform.

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky said “This is a big deal!” and stated that work has...

7 February 2025 | Developer

Metaplay: Game development is entering a ‘Renaissance’

Depiction of people playing a game during the Renaissance illustrating a Metaplay report suggesting the gaming industry is entering a period of advancements and success following recent challenges,

Metaplay is proclaiming the beginning of a "Game Development Renaissance," heralding a new era of growth, innovation, and operational excellence driven by advances in technology, fresh approaches to creativity, and better tools and strategies.

Like the Renaissance centuries ago – which propelled leaps in art, science, and productivity – this modern iteration is creating limitless potential for game developers. Key findings from Metaplay's report bolster this vision, painting a...

17 January 2025 | Android

Android 16 Developer Preview 2: Key changes and enhancements

Android 16 logo as Google announces Developer Preview 2 of the upcoming OS that features numerous changes, features, and improvements for developers to ensure their apps are ready for the latest update to the platform.

Google has released the second developer preview of Android 16, offering an advanced look at upcoming features, improvements, and changes to give developers ample time for adaptation.

This latest release is focused on enhancing app experiences, improving battery life, boosting performance, and minimising compatibility issues.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in Android 16 Developer Preview 2 (DP2):

Performance improvements and debugging tools

System...

18 December 2024 | Android

Google urges Android developers to prep for 16 KB memory page

Android mascot with a jetpack as Google urges developers to prepare their apps for the 16 KB memory page size that promises future performance improvements for apps and games on the platform.

Android developers are being urged to prepare for a pivotal enhancement to the ecosystem: the adoption of a 16 KB memory page size. This upgrade promises significant benefits, with performance gains of 5–10% across apps and games.

While the transition represents a vital step forward in the evolution of Android, developers must take proactive measures to ensure compatibility with the new architecture.

For developers looking to test their apps on 16 KB-enabled devices,...

17 December 2024 | Android

UNIGINE 2.19.1 boosts photorealism, VR upscaling, and more

Screenshot from a scene in UNIGINE as the cross-platform 3G game engine releases its latest update with improvements to performance, animation tools, and new features such as FSR and DLSS upscaling for VR experiences.

UNIGINE 2.19.1 introduces several notable features that should appeal to developers and professionals across a range of industries.

From upgrades to photorealistic rendering, to enhanced tools for virtual reality and animation, UNIGINE has delivered enhancements designed to elevate the creative and technical potential of its platform.

Photorealism with SSRTGI

UNIGINE takes another leap towards photorealistic rendering with improvements to its Screen-Space Ray-Traced...

16 December 2024 | Developer