This Week in the Games Industry: 1/28/2019 – 2/3/2019

Tencent uses model’s likeness for Ring of Elysium without permission
http://gamasutra.com/view/news/335223/Tencent_uses_models_likeness_for_Ring_of_Elysium_without_permission.php
This one is pretty blatant. If they led with the in-game 3D model maybe they’d have a counter argument, but the character portrait is a straight-up photoshop job on one of the model’s images.

Metro Exodus for PC skipping Steam for Epic Games store
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-01-28-metro-exodus-for-pc-launching-exclusively-on-epic-games-store
Epic continues to snipe exclusives from Steam. I sense more spicy rhetoric coming down the pipe.

Games investments raised $5.7 billion in 2018
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-01-29-games-investments-raised-usd5-7-billion-in-2018
The fact that I only recognized the #1 company on the top-5 list reminds me to widen my perspective on game companies.

GameStop is looking at other options after plans to sell the company fall through
http://gamasutra.com/view/news/335446/GameStop_is_looking_at_other_options_after_plans_to_sell_the_company_fall_through.php
GameStop is finding the “used company” business to be even harder than the “used game” business.

Capcom tops Metacritic publisher rankings for 2018
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-01-31-capcom-tops-metacritic-publisher-rankings-for-2018
I hope the prime takeway from this isn’t just: “if you want to be popular, focus on remakes instead of new IP”

Trading Card Bots Sent A Small Indie Game Rocketing Up The Steam Charts
https://kotaku.com/trading-card-bots-sent-a-small-indie-game-rocketing-up-1832273784
The Law of Unintended Consequences strikes hard. Is this another part of the legacy of Yanis Varoufakis?

Posted in News.