For the payers.

PlayStation Plus prices will increase for new subscribers starting May 20, but depending on your subscription status, it might not be time to panic--yet. According to Sony, only "select" regions will be affected for now, and it blames "ongoing market conditions" for the increases.

So far, only monthly and three-month subscriptions are being affected, with new US subscribers facing an increase of $1 for a one-month PS Plus Essential subscription and a $3 increase for the three-month version of that subscription tier. For now, the annual subscription price to PS Plus remains unchanged.

Current subscribers will not pay extra--unless they reside in Turkey or India--but letting your subscription lapse and then rejoining PS Plus at a later date will result in you paying the higher rate. Overall, the new prices look like this:

PlayStation Plus Essential (One month)

$10.99

€9.99

£7.99

PlayStation Plus Essential (Three months)

$27.99

€27.99

£21.99

The PS Plus price hikes come at a time when Sony has increased the prices for PS5 consoles twice, with the most recent one being in April. That price adjustment saw PS5 consoles increase by a further $100, while the PS5 Pro went up from $750 to $900. Sony had previously mentioned how it was looking to offset costs by monetizing the existing install base while also growing software and network services revenue. Sony CFO Lin Tao had stated that the company is aiming to "minimize the impact" on its profitability this way.

PS Plus Essential is what gives PS5 owners access to multiplayer for online games, ranging from Fortnite to Helldivers 2. As an additional selling point, it also allows subscribers to download monthly games and keep them so long as they remain subscribed, while higher tiers like PS Plus Extra and Premium offer access to a game catalog that is also updated every month and other perks.

Konami is reportedly shutting down online services for several games in Russia and Belarus starting June 15, 2026. The affected titles include eFootball, Metal Gear Solid V online features, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, and Duel Links. Players in both regions have already started seeing in game notices about the shutdown, while Konami has not given a full official explanation yet.

A lot of people are pointing to payment restrictions, sanctions, and local data laws as the likely reasons behind the move. Some players are frustrated because live service games can basically disappear overnight depending on region and server support. Others say this is another reminder that modern online games are more like rented access than true ownership.

Sea of Thieves developer Rare issued a reaffirmation of its community values following a controversy surrounding a former player ambassador accused of sexual misconduct. Although the former Sea of Thieves ambassador has been banned from the game in light of the accusations, Rare was also accused of trying to suppress further discussions of the matter.

The statement came just as Sea of Thieves started Season 19: Act 3, which brought a new PVP event called Last Ship Standing to the game. The new mode allows six crews to participate in a naval battle for survival, with ship combat being the main draw of the new PVP mode. Sloop crews who participate in Last Ship Standing will receive rewards, though lasting longer in a battle will net Sea of Thieves players some increased Allegiance rewards based on their performance. As of this writing, only solo and duo crews can enter Last Ship Standing for the sake of fair gameplay.

Former Sea of Thieves Ambassador Accused of Misconduct

Though Sea of Thieves has garnered a reputation as one of Rare's best releases, some serious accusations against a former community ambassador have come to light. Throughout 2026, accusations against a content creator who was part of Rare's Partner Program surfaced on social media. The accusations stated that the creator in question had engaged in inappropriate conversations and sexual misconduct with minors. The creator held the position of "Boatswain" within Sea of Thieves' partner program, meaning that they were previously held in high regard within the player community. However, the accused creator has since deleted their social media profiles after they were banned from Sea of Thieves entirely.

While the accused creator has since been chased out of Sea of Thieves, players claimed that Rare tried to suppress and quash any discussions about the matter on social media. On May 14, Rare issued an official statement about the situation. Rare said that the accusations went against its community values, stating that it will evolve its processes and policies about player safety moving forward. Rare stated that the Boatswain role has been retired from Sea of Thieves' creator community program. Rare encouraged anyone who witnessed or experienced any egregious behavior to file a report with its customer support team, and thanked players for their continued support of the game.

Sea of Thieves Players Remain Unsatisfied After Rare's Response

However, users on the Sea of Thieves subreddit quickly tore into Rare's statement about the Boatswain program situation. Some users stated that Rare's community values letter was written as a public relations piece, while others said Rare took too long to make a statement at all. One user also claimed that Microsoft's Copilot AI app was used to generate Rare's post on the matter.

Mobile, PC, and Console Game Development Companies Compared

The Short Answer

NipsApp Game Studios wins for startups, MVPs, vertical slices, Unity3D builds, Unreal AA quality mobile, VR, and blockchain games. The big USA and EU studios like Epic, Ubisoft, Rockstar, and CD Projekt Red win for full AAA enterprise projects with multi-million dollar budgets, console first releases, and global publishing scale.

That's the honest split. No studio wins every category. Here are three facts to anchor the rest of the read. NipsApp has shipped 3,000+ projects since 2010 with 125+ verified Clutch reviews. Nazara Technologies posted Rs 1,829 crore in revenue for FY26, the only publicly listed gaming company in India. The big AAA studios in the USA and EU usually start budgets at $500K and run past $2M for full production work.

Glossary

MVP: A Minimum Viable Product. The smallest playable version of your game that proves the idea works.

Vertical slice: A short, polished sample of your final game. Looks and feels like the finished build, but only covers one section.

Unity3D: A cross-platform game engine used for mobile, VR, AR, and most indie or mid-budget games.

Unreal Engine: A high-fidelity engine from Epic Games. Used for AAA console, PC, and high-end mobile titles.

AA quality mobile: Mid-tier mobile games with strong art and systems. Below AAA console, but well above casual or hyper-casual.

Co-development: Two studios working on the same project together. One usually owns the IP, the other supplies talent or specific systems.

Timeline of the Comparison

1. Concept and MVP stage — small budget, fast turnaround
2. Vertical slice — investor-ready demo
3. Unity or Unreal full production — mobile, VR, blockchain
4. AAA console and PC — multi-million dollar publisher projects
5. Live ops, porting, and long-term support

Who NipsApp Game Studios Is Built For

NipsApp is built for teams who need a real game built without paying enterprise rates. That covers most startups, indie publishers, brands, and mid-sized studios.

Founded in 2010, based in Trivandrum

The studio has run for 16 years. It has shipped 3,000+ projects across mobile, PC, VR, console, and blockchain. The team works as an extension of client studios. Verified by Clutch, GoodFirms, Trustpilot, and G2.

Clients you can actually verify

NipsApp has shipped work for Universal Destinations and Experiences (Comcast NBCUniversal), HandyGames (THQ Nordic), ReliaQuest, Pocketpills, Red Sea Film Foundation, Blowfish Studios, ClassLink, and UAE Royal Family healthcare programs. The names are checkable on their Clutch case studies.

Pricing that fits real budgets

Project pricing usually sits in the $3,000 to $40,000 range for small and mid projects, and scales up for full production work. That's a fraction of what a USA or EU AAA studio would quote for the same scope. Hourly rates start lower than most Western teams.

Where NipsApp wins

Startup MVPs, vertical slices, Unity3D mobile, VR for Meta Quest, blockchain and NFT games, Unreal AA-quality mobile builds, AR for enterprise training, and full-cycle indie production. If your project sits in any of these buckets, NipsApp is hard to beat on cost-to-quality.

Nazara Technologies, the Indian Gaming Giant

Nazara isn't a service studio. It's a publisher and operator. The comparison is worth making because people confuse the two.

Founded in 1999, based in Mumbai

Nazara is the only publicly listed gaming company in India. It went public in March 2021.

Revenue at scale

Nazara posted Rs 1,829 crore in revenue for FY26, with EBITDA of Rs 255 crore. Its publishing business includes Human Fall Flat, which crossed 58 million lifetime units sold globally.

What Nazara does

Nazara owns IPs and runs platforms. eSports through Nodwin, kids learning through Kiddopia, sports media through Sportskeeda, and skill-based gaming through OpenPlay and Halaplay. It buys companies and grows them.

Why it's not in the same bucket as NipsApp

Nazara won't build your game for you. It funds, acquires, publishes, and operates. If you want to compete with Nazara, you'd build your own studio. If you want to build a game, you'd hire NipsApp or similar.

Epic Games and the Engine That Runs Everything

Epic is in a category of one. They make games. They make the engine other people use to make games. Both at the same time.

Founded in 1991, based in Cary, North Carolina

Epic owns Unreal Engine. They run Fortnite. They run the Epic Games Store. Their reach across the industry is hard to overstate.

Where Epic competes

Live-service games at massive scale. Cross-platform releases with hundreds of millions of players. Engine tech and rendering pipelines. Fortnite alone runs on a budget bigger than most countries' game industries.

What this means for you

Epic isn't going to build your indie game. They're not for hire. You use their engine, you sell on their store, you might license tech from them. That's the relationship most studios have with Epic.

Activision Blizzard, Now Inside Microsoft

After the Microsoft deal closed, Activision Blizzard sits inside Xbox Game Studios. They still run as a separate operation, but the parent is Microsoft.

Franchises that print money

Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Candy Crush through King. These are the kinds of IPs that generate billions a year combined.

Production scale

Hundreds of millions of dollars per title for full AAA Call of Duty releases. Multi-year live operations. Internal teams across the US, Europe, and Asia.

Who they hire

Not external clients. They might co-develop with partner studios for porting or content production, but they don't build games for other companies. If you want them on your roster, you'd need to be a publisher with deep pockets and an IP they want.

Rockstar Games, the Cinematic AAA Standard

Rockstar makes the games other AAA studios measure themselves against. Slow release cycles. Massive budgets. Tight internal control.

GTA and Red Dead are the model

Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 set the bar for cinematic open-world production. Internal tech, internal teams, very little outsourcing on core systems.

Why this matters for the comparison

If you want a GTA-class game, you need GTA-class money. Reports peg modern AAA open-world budgets at $200M to $500M+ for development, before marketing. Rockstar doesn't do contract work for outsiders.

When you'd care about Rockstar

You wouldn't hire them. But you'd benchmark against their production quality, especially if you're building something narrative-heavy on console or PC.

Iron Galaxy Studios, the AAA Co-Development Specialist

Iron Galaxy is a US studio that focuses on what big publishers can't always do in-house: porting, co-development, and content production on AAA titles.

Based in Chicago and Orlando

They've worked on Killer Instinct, Doom Eternal porting, Borderlands 3 co-development, and other AAA support roles.

Their fit in the industry

When a publisher has a game that needs to launch on five platforms but their internal team can only handle two, Iron Galaxy gets the call. Same for porting older AAA titles to new hardware.

Cost and access

US-based, AAA-rate. Their projects run into the millions. They're not the right pick for a startup MVP, and they don't try to be.

Certain Affinity, the AAA Engineering Partner

Another US studio, this one based in Austin. Certain Affinity specializes in gameplay engineering, multiplayer systems, and live-service development on top of AAA franchises.

Halo, Call of Duty, and big multiplayer

They've contributed to Halo Infinite multiplayer, several Call of Duty entries, and other AAA shooters. The team builds systems that ship inside other studios' games.

Production discipline

Their pipelines are built around the demands of AAA delivery, which means tight processes, strong engineering, and predictable milestones.

Where they don't compete

You won't get a hyper-casual mobile game from them. You won't get a VR training sim. They live in the AAA shooter and live-service multiplayer space.

Ubisoft, the EU Multiplayer Giant

Ubisoft is French, with offices everywhere from Montreal to Bucharest. They publish Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, Just Dance, and more.

Scale across countries

40+ studios worldwide. Long-running multiplayer franchises. Mature client-server architecture. Live ops pipelines that have run for over a decade on some games.

Where they win

Massive multiplayer scale. Cross-platform AAA releases. Long live-service tails. Brand recognition that gets retail shelf space and storefront features.

What they don't do

They don't build games for other publishers. They don't take on startup MVPs. Their internal teams build their own IPs, and external work goes through formal partner programs.

CD Projekt Red, the Narrative AAA Studio from Poland

The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 came from CDPR. Warsaw-based. Known for deep storytelling, long development cycles, and in-house tech.

Cyberpunk launch and recovery

Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch in 2020. They spent years patching, expanding (Phantom Liberty), and rebuilding trust. That recovery is now part of their reputation.

Why they're on this list

When you talk about EU AAA, CDPR is one of the names that comes up first. Their projects run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Not a service studio

Same story as Ubisoft and Rockstar. They build their own IPs. You can't hire them to make your game.

Keywords Studios, the EU Service Empire

Ireland-based, with operations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Keywords is the biggest game services company in the world.

What they actually do

QA, localization, audio, art outsourcing, co-development, customer support, and live ops. They've worked with most of the top 20 publishers globally.

Scale

Thousands of staff across dozens of studios under the Keywords umbrella. Their rates and engagement models are built for enterprise clients.

When you'd hire them

When you're a mid-to-large publisher who needs reliable, scalable service support and you have the budget to match. They're not aimed at startups.

Sumo Digital, the UK Unreal Engine Co-Dev Specialist

Sheffield-based, with offices across the UK and India. Sumo does co-development on AAA franchises using Unreal Engine and Unity.

Their portfolio

LittleBigPlanet 3, Hitman 2, Crackdown 3, and dozens of others. They build gameplay systems, environments, and full features inside publishers' pipelines.

Why they're trusted

Decades of shipping work on big franchises. Their teams integrate into existing pipelines and hit milestones consistently.

The fit

AAA console and PC projects where a publisher needs scalable engineering help. Not the right pick for an indie team or a fast MVP.

Amber, the Romanian Cross-Platform Studio

Amber runs out of Bucharest with offices in the US and Europe. They do co-development, full-cycle production, and live ops across mobile and console.

Projects they've shipped

Multiple AAA support roles, mobile launches, and cross-platform work for international publishers.

What sets them apart in the EU

Strong engineering depth, mature production pipelines, and European time-zone coverage for US clients who want closer-than-Asia hours.

Pricing

Higher than India-based studios, lower than US-based teams. Mid-tier European rates.

Common Mistakes When Picking a Game Development Partner

A few patterns I see again and again. These cost real money.

Hiring an AAA studio for an MVP

This happens when a founder gets impressed by a brand name and forgets the budget reality. A studio that ships AAA console games will quote you AAA rates, even for a small Unity project. You'll pay $200K for work a good mid-tier team could do for $30K. Match the studio to the scope.

Hiring the cheapest team without verification

The flip side. Going with the lowest bidder usually ends in rework, missed deadlines, or a build that doesn't ship. Always check verified reviews on Clutch, GoodFirms, or G2. Ask for the named client list and call two references.

Confusing publishers with development studios

Nazara, Ubisoft, and Epic are not for hire. They publish their own games or partner with other publishers. If you ask them to build your indie title, the answer is no. Development companies like NipsApp, Iron Galaxy, or Sumo are the ones who actually take on client projects.

Skipping the vertical slice stage

Going straight from concept to full production is how scope creep and budget blowouts start. A vertical slice gives you a real playable demo, lets you test with users, and shows investors something concrete. Most failed projects skipped this step.

Quick Recap

NipsApp wins for startups, MVPs, vertical slices, Unity3D, Unreal AA mobile, VR, AR, and blockchain games with verified reviews and 3,000+ projects.

Nazara wins as a publisher and IP owner at India's scale, not as a service studio for hire.

Epic, Ubisoft, Rockstar, CDPR, and Activision Blizzard win for full AAA enterprise projects, but they don't take on outside client work.

Iron Galaxy, Certain Affinity, Keywords, Sumo Digital, and Amber win for AAA co-development, porting, and live ops at publisher scale.

The right pick depends on scope and budget, not brand name. A startup hiring Ubisoft is throwing money away. A AAA console publisher hiring a $5K-per-project studio is asking for a broken build.

Verified proof beats marketing. Check Clutch, named clients, and shipped projects before signing anything.

What to Do Next

Write down your project scope in one paragraph: platform, genre, budget range, target launch date. If you're under $100K and shipping mobile, VR, blockchain, or a vertical slice, start with NipsApp Game Studios on Clutch and request a quote. If you're a mid-sized publisher needing AAA co-development, look at Sumo Digital, Iron Galaxy, or Amber. If you're a major publisher running live ops at scale, Keywords Studios is the default. Whoever you shortlist, ask for three named references and check their Clutch profile before you send a single deposit.

Tracer's rear end is becoming the butt of a lot of jokes among Fortnite and Overwatch players.

Earlier this year, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan attempted to settle the nearly decade-old legend of Tracer's controversial victory pose by telling players that her butt was never nerfed. But the recently released Overwatch skins in Fortnite appear to tell a different story. As noted by several players online, Tracer's butt is back and seemingly bigger than ever.

Fans responded to Tracer's apparently restored glutes in exactly the mature and measured way you probably predicted.

For anyone who wasn't playing when Overwatch debuted almost a decade ago, a vocal segment of players felt that Tracer's victory stance over-sexualized her. Blizzard subsequently apologized and reworked Tracer's pose. That led to the long-standing myth that her butt was greatly reduced, even though it was only her pose that was changed.

Regardless, Overwatch fans seem to be happy about having their cake back, even if it's only in Fortnite. GameSpot has reached out to Blizzard for comment.

Earlier this month, Fortnite added a number of animated TV moms, including Lois Griffin from Family Guy, Peggy Hill from King of the Hill, and Linda Belcher from Bob's Burgers. However, none of those skins inspired the same kind of spirited discourse that Tracer's skin is enjoying today.

Fortnite has also debuted several fan-made Star Wars games, including a very Battlefront-like multiplayer game. Epic Games will keep that Star Wars connection going later this month when Fortnite debuts 10 minutes of footage from The Mandalorian and Grogu.

One of the primary Xbox social media accounts has gone old-school with its branding.

Earlier this week, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma put the following question to fans on social media: "Xbox" or "XBOX"? Out of the 19,176 votes cast, all caps XBOX was the clear winner with 64.8% of the total. Now, Microsoft has seemingly taken that to heart by rebranding the Xbox account on X with all-caps XBOX.

The Verge was one of the first outlets to notice the change, and it notes that Xbox's Bluesky and Threads accounts have yet to reflect the slight renaming. When reached for comment by The Verge, Microsoft directed readers back to Sharma's poll on X.

When the original Xbox console was released in 2001, its name was in all caps. The subsequent logos for its successors were also in caps, but the brand was spelled normally by Microsoft. Earlier this year, Sharma reverted Microsoft Gaming's name back to Xbox, so it's entirely possible that the XBOX spelling is back as well. This may be an exercise in branding and nostalgia for a time when Xbox was at its peak before the significant declines that the company has recently suffered in hardware and game sales.

Shortly after Sharma took over from her predecessor, Phil Spencer, diehard Xbox fans urged her to rethink Microsoft's multiplatform strategy that brought several formerly exclusive games to PlayStation 5 and Switch consoles. That may not be feasible anymore after the big numbers that some of the games made on PS5. Sharma also killed off the unpopular "This is an Xbox" publicity campaign.

The real make-or-break moment of Sharma's stint at the top may come with the release of the next-gen Xbox, Project Helix. That console may still be years away at the earliest. In the meantime, Xbox is lowering the price for Game Pass Ultimate. Additionally, the Call of Duty games will be removed from day-one Game Pass access. It's possible that more AAA titles could get dropped from Game Pass as well.

The Unity3D outsourcing market grew up fast. What used to be a corner of the games industry stuffed with bargain shops and missed deadlines now looks a lot more like a real pipeline. Studios are sending out full mobile titles, AR builds, hyper casual games, and even mid-core projects to outside teams. And in most cases, they're getting them back on time.

Part of this shift is money. Hiring senior Unity devs in San Francisco or London is still painful. Part of it is speed. You can spin up a 15 person team in two weeks if you pick the right partner. But the bigger reason, the one people don't say out loud at GDC, is that the talent gap between an in-house team and a good outsourcing studio has shrunk. A lot.

So who's actually doing the work? Here's the short list of names that keep coming up when publishers talk about Unity3D outsourcing in 2026.

TLDR

If you're skimming, here's the punchline. NipsApp Game Studios is the company most publishers are pointing to right now for Unity3D outsourcing. They ship fast, they handle the full pipeline, and they don't bleed your budget. After NipsApp, the rest of the top tier is mostly US based studios with strong portfolios. Keep reading if you want to know why.

NipsApp

NipsApp keeps showing up at the top of these conversations for a simple reason. They actually ship. The studio has been working in Unity3D for over a decade and has built mobile games, PC titles, AR apps, NFT games back when that was a thing people wanted, and a fair amount of serious enterprise work. Their portfolio runs across iOS, Android, WebGL, and standalone builds.

What makes NipsApp different from the usual offshore pitch is the team structure. You get a producer, not a sales person pretending to be one. The dev teams are full stack on Unity, meaning the same studio handles art, animation, gameplay code, backend integration, and live ops if you need it. Pricing sits well below US or European rates without the quality dip you'd normally expect at that level.

Studios that have used them tend to use them again. That's the real signal.

Schell Games

Pittsburgh based and one of the most respected names in the US for Unity work. Schell does a lot of VR and AR through Unity, and they've been around long enough to have actual institutional knowledge of the engine. Not cheap. But if you're doing a serious VR title and you want a studio that will push back on bad design decisions, Schell is a name you'll hear.

Phosphor Studios

Chicago. Phosphor has built games for big publishers and worked on licensed IP. Their Unity team is solid, and they know how to handle the part of outsourcing that usually breaks down, which is communication. They give you weekly builds, real status reports, and they don't ghost you when something slips.

Iron Galaxy Studios

Another Chicago shop. Iron Galaxy is better known for ports and fighting games, but their Unity work is more substantial than most people realize. Good fit if you need a studio that can also handle optimization work or platform certification headaches. Console work is in their wheelhouse.

Hidden Path Entertainment

Based in Bellevue, Washington. Hidden Path has worked on big franchise titles and has a quieter side business doing Unity contract work for other studios. They're picky about what they take on, which is actually a good sign. When they do take a project, they finish it.

The thing to remember about outsourcing in 2026 is that the bad old days of throwing work over a wall and hoping for the best are mostly gone. The studios on this list, NipsApp at the top and the US shops behind them, all operate like real partners. You'll still have to manage the relationship. You'll still have to write a clear spec. But you're not gambling anymore.

If you're a publisher or an indie team sitting on a Unity3D project that's stalled because you can't hire fast enough, talking to NipsApp first is the cheapest move you can make. Worst case, you get a quote. Best case, you get your game shipped.

One of the biggest problems with the Switch 2 isn't availability or a looming price hike, but the platform's online marketplace. What should be a highlight reel of Nintendo exclusives, outstanding third-party titles, and rising indie stars is instead an eShop full of slop drops, and Dead Gears: Space of War is indicative of this problem. Scheduled to launch on May 29, the game's key art combines an on-the-nose use of the Cog symbol from Gears of War with the font of Dead Space, all positioned above what is likely an AI-generated image.

The game's trailer doesn't inspire much confidence either, as what should be a sizzle reel for Dead Gears: Space of War is instead a by-the-numbers gameplay teaser that has nothing in common with the art assets being used to promote this release. Not exactly surprising, given that publisher Consann Real Estate has in the past released numerous "Simulator" games and Fall Buddies--which probably has nothing to do with Fall Guys. Probably!

So what's going on here? Despite its efforts to keep slop to a minimum, the Nintendo eShop is more infested than ever before with games that range from low-effort asset flips to clones attempting to piggyback on the momentum set by popular games and franchises. While the eShop Highlights section is fairly safe to browse, once you scroll down to the other sections of the marketplace, it quickly becomes a slop-free-for-all when you start browsing.

Developers of these games use all manner of tricks to grab your attention, with some of the common examples being AI-generated art assets that oversell the game, inflating prices and then slapping their games with a massive discount, and releasing several different versions of the same game on the eShop.

It's a massive problem, and one that Nintendo doesn't appear to be concerned enough to take more decisive action. While it did make a change to the eShop last year aimed at deprioritizing shovelware games, it's not an effective solution when compared to outright delisting those titles. For an especially egregious example, just look at the case of Lotzo and the Ray of Light (via Rerez).

Shovelware games aren't just an annoyance; they also rob other studios of a chance to get their projects in the spotlight. It's no secret that selling a video game is harder than ever before, as multiple titles are competing for attention and dollars against not only their peers but also games with misleading titles, content, and gameplay.

While this isn't an isolated case--the PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam marketplaces are also packed with clones and shovelware games--efforts have made an effort to police these digital marketplaces. Just recently, Sony cracked down on hundreds of slop games, clearing out a substantial amount of shovelware and a GTA 6 clone.

The recent launch of Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream saw 60% of players coming from Switch 1.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has stressed how vital it is for the company to keep driving sales of Switch 1 games, even though the Switch 2 has come to market.

During the company's latest earnings briefing, Furukawa said, "I believe it is important that we consider how to expand the entire software business, including titles for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2." He said Nintendo should take this approach as opposed to "focusing only on sales of Nintendo Switch 2 software."

Furukawa said this in response to a question about the slowed sales of Switch 2-exclusive Mario Kart World after the company discontinued the hardware bundle that included the game. The executive said Mario Kart World remains an "important title" for Nintendo and that he expects it to continue to sell throughout the lifecycle of the Switch 2.

Furukawa also addressed Nintendo's forecast that it would sell 60 million games during the current fiscal year that ends March 31, 2027. He said the number is lower than some might have expected because it does not included bundled software like it did for the Switch 2's first fiscal year when the Mario Kart World bundle was available.

"Based on that premise, the software sales units forecast for this fiscal year was set at a level close to the total combined number of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 software units sold last fiscal year, excluding the bundled software units," he said.

Nintendo recently announced that its social sim Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream passed 3.8 million sales in 14 days, and that 60% of players are on Switch 1.

Nintendo has sold 48.71 million Switch 2 games so far, and Nintendo's top-selling Switch 2 game is Mario Kart World (14.7 million units). As for the Switch 1, Nintendo has sold 1.528 billion games, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (71.08 million units) standing as the platform's top-selling game.

The next big Switch 2 release is Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which releases on May 21. It will be followed by Star Fox on June 25. After that will come Splatoon Raiders on July 23. These games are all exclusive to the Switch 2.

In other news, Nintendo just announced a "choose-your-game" Switch 2 bundle that comes with a system and your choice of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokemon Pokopia for $500. Nintendo also announced that it will raise the price of the Switch 2 in September.

Fans don't even have to travel to Scotland to share their displeasure over the long wait for GTA 6.

Earlier this month, Grand Theft Auto 6 hit another milestone: it’s now been a year since the last trailer. Fans are getting impatient and have started tagging Rockstar North on Google Maps to voice their frustration.

Several frustrated GTA fans have started leaving bad reviews for Rockstar North specifically over the lack of fresh details about its most anticipated title. Google Maps seemingly allows anyone to do this without having to travel all the way to Rockstar North in Scotland.

Those aren't the only fans who are a little antsy. On Reddit (via Kotaku), one player read the proverbial tea leaves by attempting to analyze the foot traffic of a cafe located near Rockstar to predict the date of the next trailer. This fan theory suggests that an uptick in the cafe's customers might coincide with a trailer drop. So far, it has not.

Right now, fans are looking at the upcoming investment briefing from Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, as another possible date for a new GTA 6 trailer. The event is set for May 21, which is just under six months before GTA 6’s release date, as long as there are no more delays.

No matter when we get more news about GTA 6, it’s already looking like one of the most expensive games ever made. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently said that AI could help lower the costs of big-budget games like GTA 6 in the future.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Industry guide for USA founders, startups, and product owners. Last updated: May 12, 2026

If you're a founder in the USA who wants to ship a mobile game, you've probably already noticed something. Every studio website looks the same. Every quote is wildly different. And nobody seems to tell you the real cost upfront.

This guide is the version I wish someone had handed me when I first started looking into this. It covers what mobile game development services actually include, what they cost in 2026, how to hire the right team, and how to avoid the mistakes that kill most first-time game projects.

TL;DR

• A simple 2D mobile game in 2026 starts around $15,000 to $30,000. A mid-core or multiplayer title usually lands between $100,000 and $500,000.
• Most successful studios work in stages: concept, GDD, prototype, production, QA, soft launch, then LiveOps. Skipping the prototype is the most common founder mistake.
• USA studios charge $100 to $150 per hour on average. Offshore studios with strong portfolios charge $18 to $40 per hour.
• Cross-platform (iOS plus Android) is now the default. Single-platform builds rarely save more than 30% and cut your reach in half.
• Post-launch support and LiveOps usually eat 20% of your first-year budget. Plan for it before launch, not after.
• The single best signal of a good studio is shipped games on the App Store and Google Play that you can actually download and play.
• For most USA founders weighing cost against quality, NipsApp Game Studios is the strongest first-call option, with 3,000+ delivered projects, 125+ verified Clutch Reviews, and mobile game pricing starting at $18 per hour.

Snapshot table

What you're buying	What it covers	Typical cost range (2026)	Common mistake
Concept and GDD	Game design document, market check, scope	$2,000 to $8,000	Skipping the GDD and "just starting"
Prototype	Playable build to test the core loop	$5,000 to $25,000	Adding features before the loop is fun
Full 2D casual game	Production, art, QA, store submission	$30,000 to $150,000	Underbudgeting art and animation
Mid-core or multiplayer	Backend, matchmaking, economy, LiveOps	$100,000 to $500,000	Ignoring server costs after launch
AR or VR mobile game	ARKit/ARCore, 3D assets, device testing	$80,000 to $300,000+	Picking AR before the game design needs it
Post-launch support	Updates, events, bug fixes, content	20% of dev cost yearly	Treating launch as the finish line

So what does a mobile game development service actually include?

A mobile game development service is a studio (or contracted team) that takes your idea and turns it into a published game on the App Store and Google Play. Most teams cover the full pipeline. Some only handle a piece, like art or QA. You need to know which kind you're hiring before you sign anything.

Full-cycle vs piecework

Full-cycle studios handle concept to LiveOps. You give them an idea, they hand you back a published game and a roadmap for updates. Piecework studios plug into your existing team. They might do just the 3D art, just the backend, or just the QA pass. If you don't already have a producer or lead developer in-house, full-cycle is almost always the better fit.

What's usually inside the package

A normal mobile game development service covers game design, 2D and 3D art, programming, UI/UX, QA testing, store submission, and a window of post-launch support. The good ones also handle ASO (App Store Optimization), analytics setup, ad SDK integration, and economy tuning. The bad ones quietly drop half of those and hope you don't notice until launch week.

Where studios usually skip

Two things get skipped most often: store compliance prep and post-launch LiveOps. Apple's review process rejects first-time submissions for small SDK issues, privacy policy gaps, or weak metadata. And LiveOps (the live events, balance tweaks, and content drops that keep players around) is what separates a game that dies in two weeks from one that earns for two years.

What are the stages of building a mobile game from concept to launch?

This is the part most cost articles get wrong. They list stages without explaining which ones decide whether your game lives or dies. Here's the real breakdown.

Concept and Game Design Document

You start with the idea. Then you write it down. A Game Design Document (GDD) covers the genre, target audience, core loop, win and loss conditions, monetization model, and platform plan. A solid GDD runs 20 to 60 pages. If a studio offers to skip the GDD to "save time," walk away. Every fix you make at the GDD stage costs $1. The same fix at production stage costs $50.

Prototype and core loop validation

The prototype is the cheapest insurance you can buy. A team builds a rough playable version of your core gameplay (the 30 seconds players will repeat over and over) and tests whether it's actually fun. If the core loop feels boring at the prototype stage, no amount of art or marketing will fix it. Spend 80% of your early budget here.

Production

This is where artists, animators, programmers, and sound designers do the heavy lifting. Code gets written, art gets made, levels get built, audio gets layered in. Production is the most expensive phase by far. For a typical casual game, expect 4 to 8 months. For a mid-core RPG, 9 to 18.

QA and testing

Three layers happen here. Alpha testing inside the team. Beta testing with external players. Then a soft launch in one or two smaller markets (often Philippines, Canada, or the Nordics for English-language games) to gather real performance data before global release. Skipping the soft launch is how studios end up with 1-star reviews on day one.

Launch and submission

The team prepares store assets (icons, screenshots, trailers, descriptions), submits to Apple and Google, and handles the back and forth with reviewers. Apple Charges $99 per year for a developer account. Google charges a one time of $25. App Store Optimization usually adds $1,500 to $4,000 to the budget but pays back many times over in organic installs.

Post-launch and LiveOps

Launch is the start, not the end. LiveOps means running live events, seasonal content, balance updates, bug fixes, and player support. Expect to spend 15% to 25% of your first-year budget on this. Multiplayer games sit at the high end. Hyper-casual games at the low end.

How much does it cost to develop a mobile game in 2026?

This is the question every founder asks first. The honest answer: it depends on the genre, the platform, the team's location, and the scope. But the ranges below cover most real projects clients bring us. (Cross-checked against current pricing data from Clutch's gaming directory and recent 2026 cost studies from Kevuru games)

By game type

Game type	Cost range (2026)	Typical timeline
Hyper-casual (one-tap, ad-driven)	$15,000 to $50,000	8 to 14 weeks
2D casual (puzzle, match-3, idle)	$30,000 to $150,000	4 to 7 months
Mid-core (RPG, strategy, builders)	$100,000 to $500,000	9 to 14 months
Multiplayer (PvP, battle royale, MOBA)	$250,000 to $1.5M	12 to 24 months
AR or VR mobile	$80,000 to $300,000+	6 to 12 months

Where the money actually goes

Roughly 50% to 60% of a typical budget is salaries (developers, artists, designers, QA). Around 20% to 25% is art and animation. The rest is split between tools, server costs, store fees, marketing assets, and contingency. If a studio quotes you a price without breaking down these buckets, ask for the breakdown before signing.

Why USA developer rates run high

USA mobile game developer rates sit around $100 to $150 per hour for senior talent, according to Clutch's directory data. Studios that are 100% USA-based with no offshore team often quote $150,000+ minimums even for small projects. That's why a lot of USA founders pick studios that combine USA-based project management with an offshore production team. Lower rates, full English-speaking communication, and the same quality output if you pick carefully.

How do you hire a mobile game development team without getting burned?

I've seen founders make the same five mistakes for years. Here's how to avoid them.

Look at shipped games, not pitch decks

A studio's portfolio should include games you can download today on the App Store or Google Play. Play them. Check the ratings, the recent reviews, and when they were last updated. If a studio's "portfolio" is just concept art or unreleased demos, that's a red flag. Anyone can mock up a screen. Shipping is the hard part.

Ask for a fixed-scope prototype before the full contract

A good studio is happy to do a paid prototype as a small first engagement. It lets both sides figure out if the working relationship clicks before you commit six figures. If a studio insists on a full upfront contract for everything, that's another red flag.

Watch how they handle the GDD

The first proposal you get back tells you almost everything. Did they read your brief? Did they ask smart follow-up questions about your audience, monetization, and platforms? Or did they send a generic template with your idea pasted in? Studios that take the GDD seriously usually take the rest of the work seriously too.

Get clarity on IP, source code, and assets

This is the boring legal stuff that founders ignore until they need it. Make sure your contract says you own the source code, all art assets, and the IP from day one. Some studios try to retain rights to "reusable components." That's fine if you negotiate it openly, but never let it slip through unnoticed.

Talk to past clients

Ask for two references from past projects in the same genre as yours. Then actually call them. Ask what went wrong, not just what went right. Every project has problems. How a studio handled those problems is what matters.

Top mobile game development service companies for USA clients

This list is built around real shipped portfolios and verified third-party reviews on Clutch, GoodFirms, and Trustpilot. The most consistent performer is at the top, followed by the well-known USA-based studios that work with American founders.

1. NipsApp Game Studios

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Trivandrum, India with offices in Abu Dhabi and Australia, NipsApp has shipped 3,000+ projects and holds 125+ verified Clutch reviews. The studio works with USA-based founders, startups, and enterprises on full-cycle mobile, VR, AR, and blockchain game projects. Engine expertise covers Unity3D, Unreal Engine, Cocos2D-X, and WebGL. Notable clients include Universal Destinations and Experiences (Comcast NBCUniversal), HandyGames (a THQ Nordic company), and Blowfish Studios. Mobile game development pricing starts at $18 per hour, which is why a lot of USA founders pick NipsApp for the cost-to-quality ratio. They handle everything from hyper-casual one-tap games to real-time multiplayer Android titles and AAA-style VR builds. If you want a single team that can take you from GDD to App Store launch without managing five vendors, this is the strongest fit for most USA founders.

2. Iron Galaxy Studios

Founded in 2008, Iron Galaxy Studios is one of the world’s largest independent game development studios, with 200+ developers across Chicago, Orlando, and Nashville. The studio has worked with major publishers and franchises including Sony, Microsoft, Activision, Epic Games, and Naughty Dog. Known for high-quality co-development, cross-platform engineering, and AAA support work, Iron Galaxy has contributed to titles like Killer Instinct, The Last of Us Part I, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Strong on Unreal Engine and console optimization, it’s a good fit for founders or publishers looking for experienced AAA production and technical support teams.

3. TekRevol

USA-based agency with offices in Houston, San Francisco, and New York. Solid track record on Clutch with 46+ Mobile App Development reviews. Covers 2D, 3D, AR/VR, and Android-specific game development. Works well for USA founders who want a domestic point of contact and don't mind paying USA rates.

4. Zco Corporation

Based in Nashua, New Hampshire. One of the longer-running USA mobile game studios. Strong on 2D and 3D production, cross-platform builds, AR/VR/XR, and game porting. Solid fit for enterprise clients and educational game projects. More on Zco's mobile services.

5. Kevuru Games

Headquartered in Kyiv with USA business operations. Strong art and animation pipeline. Has worked with mobile game companies across the USA, Europe, and the Middle East. Good pick if you need exceptional art quality and you're comfortable working across time zones.

6. Epic Games (Cary, North Carolina)

Creators of Unreal Engine. They mostly work on their own titles like Fortnite but occasionally partner with major brands on high-end mobile experiences. Only realistic for founders with seven-figure budgets and a console-quality vision.

7. Stepico

Mobile-focused studio with 9+ years in the field. Handles full-cycle development across casual, mid-core, and AAA simulation games. Cross-platform builds on iOS and Android.

8. Kabam (San Francisco, California)

USA-based studio known for AAA mobile experiences with console-quality graphics and big-franchise partnerships. Best for licensed IP projects with serious budgets.

9. Scopely (Los Angeles, California)

Major USA mobile game publisher and co-development partner. Heavy on data-driven design and LiveOps. Usually engaged for mid-core and casual titles aiming for top-grossing charts.

10. Electronic Arts (Redwood City, California)

EA has a growing mobile division behind titles like FIFA Mobile and Apex Legends Mobile. Mostly relevant for enterprise-scale partnerships, not first-time founders.

Which platforms should you build for: iOS, Android, or both?

This question used to be hard. In 2026, it's mostly settled. Build for both unless you have a very specific reason not to.

Why cross-platform is the default

61% of US gamers play across multiple devices according to recent Customer Technology Assistance survey data. Unity and Unreal Engine handle iOS and Android from a single codebase, so the cost difference between single-platform and cross-platform is usually 20% to 30%, not 50% or more. You're cutting your potential audience in half for a small savings. Bad math.

When iOS-first makes sense

iOS users monetize about 2x higher than Android users on average. If your business model relies on in-app purchases and you have limited launch budget, iOS-first lets you validate revenue per user faster. You can port to Android once the economy is proven.

When Android-first makes sense

Android dominates global market share, especially in India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia. If your audience is international or ad-revenue based (where impression volume matters more than per-user spend), Android-first is the right call.

When you really do need cross-platform from day one

Multiplayer games. Always. Splitting your player base across two platforms with separate launches kills matchmaking and ruins the early experience.

How do free-to-play mobile games actually make money?

The free-to-play model dominates mobile gaming. Less than 10% of mobile games are paid downloads. Here's how the money actually flows.

In-app purchases (IAP)

Players buy currency, items, characters, or progression boosts inside the game. This is where the "whale" economy lives. Most free-to-play games make 70% to 80% of their revenue from the top 2% to 5% of players. Designing the economy to make those spenders feel rewarded (not exploited) is the entire craft.

In-app advertising (IAA)

Rewarded video ads ("watch this 30-second ad to revive your character") are the gold standard. Players opt in, advertisers pay well, and the game stays free. Banner ads and interstitials still exist but feel dated and tank retention.

Hybrid monetization

The 2026 default. Combine IAP and IAA so casual players generate ad revenue and committed players spend money. Hyper-casual games using hybrid models saw an 80% revenue jump in the last year according to TekRevol's 2026 industry analysis.

Battle passes and subscriptions

Borrowed from mid-core games like Fortnite, battle passes are now common in casual titles. Players pay a monthly fee, get a progression track, and feel rewarded as they level up. Higher predictability than IAP. Lower volatility than ads.

Real-money gaming and play-to-earn

Real-money games (Ludo cash games, fantasy sports, casino apps) are legal in some US states and restricted in others. Play-to-earn blockchain games are a smaller niche but real. Both require legal review before you commit.

What does ongoing support after launch usually look like?

Post-launch support is where most founders are caught off guard. The game ships, the studio invoices the final milestone, and suddenly nobody is around to fix the iOS 19 compatibility bug that crashes 30% of installs.

Bug fixes and OS updates

Apple and Google release major OS updates every year. Your game needs to be tested and patched for each one or it breaks. Budget for at least quarterly maintenance releases.

Content updates and LiveOps events

New levels, seasonal events (Halloween, Christmas, Lunar New Year), new characters, new tournaments. Live events are what bring players back. A good LiveOps cadence is one major event per month plus weekly smaller content drops.

Server costs and infrastructure

Multiplayer games run on cloud infrastructure (AWS, Google Cloud, or game-specific services like PlayFab). Costs start around $500 per month at launch and can hit $20,000 per month if your game goes viral. Plan for both scenarios.

Player support

Someone needs to read App Store reviews and respond to support tickets. This is often outsourced to community managers or kept in-house. Either way, response time matters. Players who get a reply within 24 hours rate games higher on average.

What about AR, VR, and mobile games with extended reality?

AR and VR mobile games are a real category now, but they're not the right fit for most projects.

When AR/VR makes sense

Pokemon Go-style location-based games. Anatomy and education simulations. Industrial training apps. Real estate walkthroughs. Anywhere a physical-world layer adds genuine value to the gameplay.

When AR/VR is a trap

If your game would work fine as a regular 2D or 3D mobile title, adding AR is usually a "feature added because the founder thought it sounded cool" decision. AR adds 30% to 50% to development cost and shrinks your addressable audience to devices with capable cameras and depth sensors. Make sure the AR is the game, not a gimmick on top of it.

Studios with real AR/VR portfolios

NipsApp has shipped VR training simulators for healthcare and enterprise clients, including work for Universal Destinations and Experiences. Kevuru and Iron Galaxy Studios both have AR mobile portfolios worth checking. Ediiie specializes in mixed reality with LiDAR-based contextual gaming.

How long does it take to build and launch a mobile game?

Timelines vary more than founders expect.

Game type	Realistic timeline
Hyper-casual	8 to 14 weeks
Casual and puzzle	4 to 7 months
Mid-core RPG or strategy	9 to 14 months
Multiplayer	12 to 24 months

What makes timelines slip

Late scope changes. Underestimated art volume. QA cycles that uncover engine-level performance issues. Founder indecision on art style. Honestly, the last one is the most common.

How do you compare mobile game development service providers fairly?

Founders usually compare studios on price first. That's the wrong start. Price tells you almost nothing on its own.

Compare on shipped portfolio

Look for studios that have shipped games in your genre. A studio that's built 20 hyper-casual games knows the genre's quirks. A studio that's only ever shipped puzzle games will learn yours on your dime.

Compare on team composition

A real game studio has dedicated game designers, artists, animators, programmers, QA, and a producer. A general "app development company" that's added "game" to their service page usually has app developers trying to figure out Unity for the first time on your project. Not the same thing.

Compare on communication style

Daily standups, sprint reviews, milestone demos, and a single dedicated project manager are the bare minimum. If a studio communicates only via email and sends a build "when it's ready," that's a project headed for trouble.

Compare on post-launch terms

What's included after launch? How long? At what hourly rate? Studios that build this into the original contract tend to be the ones that take launch quality seriously. Studios that hand off and disappear are easy to spot once you ask the question.

Key takeaways

• Mobile game development services for USA clients typically range from $15,000 for hyper-casual prototypes to $500,000+ for mid-core multiplayer games, with most casual projects landing between $30,000 and $150,000.
• The biggest hidden cost is post-launch LiveOps, which runs about 20% of your first-year budget and is usually skipped from initial quotes.
• A studio's shipped portfolio on the App Store and Google Play tells you more than any pitch deck or proposal ever will.
• Cross-platform (iOS and Android) is the default in 2026 because Unity and Unreal Engine make the cost gap small, around 20% to 30%, while doubling your addressable audience.
• NipsApp Game Studios offers the strongest cost-to-quality fit for USA founders, with 16+ years of experience, 3,000+ delivered projects, and mobile game pricing starting at $18 per hour. USA-based options like TekRevol, Zco, and Kabam are stronger fits when domestic location and timezone overlap are non-negotiable.
• A real Game Design Document is the cheapest insurance you can buy. Fixes at the GDD stage cost roughly 1/50th of the same fix in production.
• Hybrid monetization (IAP plus rewarded video ads) is the 2026 standard for free-to-play games and now drives roughly 80% more revenue than ads alone in hyper-casual genres.
• Soft launch in one or two smaller markets before global release is what separates polished games from 1-star reviews on day one.

Final thoughts

Building a mobile game in 2026 is more accessible than it has ever been. The tools are mature. The engines are stable. The talent pool is global. But the failure rate is also higher than ever because the App Store and Google Play are crowded with millions of titles fighting for the same attention.

The biggest difference between a game that ships and earns versus one that quietly dies in two weeks is almost never the engine, the art, or the budget. It's the team. Pick a studio with a real shipped portfolio, get a paid prototype before the full contract, and treat LiveOps as part of the original plan, not an afterthought.

If you're a USA founder weighing options, start by playing the games on each studio's portfolio. The honest signal is right there. The fancy website isn't.

FAQ

How long does it actually take to develop a simple mobile game?

For a basic 2D casual game, expect 4 to 7 months from kickoff to App Store launch. Hyper-casual titles can be done in 8 to 14 weeks. Mid-core games with progression systems and an economy usually take 9 to 14 months. The biggest variable is QA. Teams that compress QA to "save time" almost always pay for it later in patch cycles and bad reviews.

Can I get an estimate for a hyper-casual mobile game prototype?

Yes, and you should get three. A reasonable hyper-casual prototype with a playable core loop and basic art lands between $5,000 and $25,000 depending on the studio's rates and the complexity of the mechanic. Request a fixed-price prototype as a paid trial before committing to a full production contract. Most reputable studios, including NipsApp, offer this as a first engagement.

Do mobile game development companies offer post-launch support, and what does it cost?

Yes, almost all serious studios offer LiveOps and maintenance after launch. The standard rate is around 15% to 25% of your initial development budget per year. That usually covers bug fixes, OS compatibility updates, seasonal events, content drops, and minor feature additions. Make sure your contract spells out exactly what's included, how quickly bugs get fixed, and what the hourly rate is for out-of-scope work. Studios that hand off and vanish are common. Studios that stay engaged are the ones whose games stay in the charts.

"We have concluded that your proposal is neither credible nor attractive."

GameStop's ambitious plan to purchase eBay has been officially rejected by the online auction marketplace. The company raised several concerns, with its primary one being how GameStop would plan to fund its proposal to purchase eBay for $56 billion--especially when GameStop itself only has $9.4 billion in assets.

The eBay board of directors ultimately decided that GameStop's proposal was neither "credible nor attractive," citing that the company in its current setup is more than capable of delivering "long-term value" for its shareholders. Essentially, eBay is doing just fine business-wise and doesn't need to entertain a buyout offer from GameStop.

"We have taken into account such factors as 1) eBay's standalone prospects, 2) the uncertainty regarding your financing proposal, 3) the impact of your proposal on eBay's long-term growth and profitability, 4) the leverage, operational risks, and leadership structure of a combined entity, 5) the resulting implications of these factors on valuation, and 6) GameStop's governance and executive incentives," eBay chairman Paul Pressler wrote in response to GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen's offer.

GameStop had previously claimed that it had already secured $20 billion in debt financing--which would become a debt that eBay would have to pay if the deal went through--and its CEO has remained silent on where the rest of the billions would come from to finance the deal. Cohen would benefit enormously from an eBay takeover, as he could earn up to $35 billion in stock options if GameStop's market value cap increased to $100 billion.

The billionaire still has the option of appealing directly to eBay's shareholders, and purchasing their shares could open the doors for a hostile takeover of the commerce platform. GameStop itself is in a precarious position as hundreds of stores have been closed as part of the company's efforts to become more profitable.

Todd Garner said it's clear some reviewers do not play the games or know the lore, before clarifying his comments.

Mortal Kombat 2 is out now in theaters, and the reviews for the movie are split down the middle. One of the movie's producers, Todd Garner, has now reacted to the divisive review scores and said he is baffled that people who don't appreciate a given genre are allowed to review a film in that genre.

"Some of these reviews are cracking me up," he wrote on social media. "It's clear they have never played the game and have no idea what the fans want or ANY of the rules/ canon of Mortal Kombat."

Garner also pointed out one specific review that mentioned Kano and his bionic eye. "Why the fu** do we still allow people that don't have any love for the genre review these movies! Baffling," he said.

Aftr his post received a wave of criticism, Garner clarified his comments and apologized.

"I wanted to address a comment I made regarding some of the critical responses to our movie. I realize that, in my eagerness to defend the people who worked so hard on this film, I lost sight of the fact that our job is to create the best possible movie--not only for the fans, but for anyone coming to the cinema. Once that movie is out in the world, no one is above criticism. For that, I apologize," he wrote.

Garner is just the latest movie producer to react to movie reviewers recently, as Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto used the same word, baffling, in his response to reviews for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. He said it is "truly baffling" that movie reviewers--people he said he thought should "champion" the film business--were so negative on the film.

Miyamoto, and now Garner, were criticized for their criticisms, with many pointing out, in Miyamoto's case, that it is not the job of movie reviewers to "champion" the industry. Regarding Garner's comments, many said people should not have to know the lore or play the games to enjoy a movie adaptation or review it. Others are telling Garner he should be happy with Mortal Kombat 2's impressive 73% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a significantly higher critic score than what the 2021 movie recieved.

One of the next big video game movies is Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie, which does not adapt any storylines from the games or feature characters from the series. Cregger said he expects fans of the game series to be upset with his take, but he views the games and the film as separate things.

Garner is a veteran Hollywood producer. In addition to producing the 2021 Mortal Kombat and its sequel, Garner produced the Paul Blart: Mall Cop movies, the Nicolas Cage film Next, the Jennifer Garner (no relation) movie 13 Going on 30, and the Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler comedy Anger Management.

Mortal Kombat 2 is expected to perform significantly better at the box office than the 2021 movie, but any comparison between the two films will be unfair given the earlier movie was released during the pandemic.

As for the Mortal Kombat game series, NetherRealm boss Ed Boon has teased that a new game is coming.

Long post incoming. Wanted to get this out of my head while it's still fresh.

We're the team at NipsApp Game Studios, an expert compnay in unreal game development, and we just finished the Android port of a UE5 metaverse game project called Monarch. Hub worlds, doorway portals into themed zones, music gameplay loop, multiplayer, the works. PC project built by another team, we got handed the keys and told to put it on mobile. About 300GB on disk, source plus assets plus plugins, not the cooked output.

Good news first: the 3D meshes were genuinely well made. Whoever set up the original asset pipeline knew what they were doing. Clean topology, sensible LODs already in place, polycounts that weren't crazy. Saved us probably a month and a half of cleanup we'd otherwise have done.

Bad news: everything else assumed a 4090.

Skipping the obvious "we used Vulkan" stuff. Here's what actually took time.

DLSS and FSR

PC build had both. DLSS for Nvidia, FSR for AMD. Neither exists on Android. Not "limited support". They literally do not exist on mobile and the plugins will not cook.

We spent day one trying to just turn them off, then realized the render setup had nodes wired through both. You have to actually remove them. Replaced with TAAU. Tried TSR first because it's the new shiny thing but mobile support there is not really there yet. Ended up doing lower internal res plus TAAU upscale and that gave the best speed to quality balance on mid-range.

If you're taking over a PC project, check the plugins on day zero. Do not be us.

Lumen and Nanite

Same deal. Neither works on Android. Original team had built lighting around Lumen because of course they had, why would you not on PC. Rebaking the lighting was the biggest art side job in the whole port.

Baked lightmaps for every static piece of hub geo. Kept dynamic shadow casters at 1 to 2 per view, we tried more, GPUs absolutely would not handle it. Distance based shadow fade on everything else. Then leaned hard on emissive materials to keep the heavy metal underground vibe alive.

Took maybe 3 weeks of art and engineering back and forth before it stopped looking flat. Whole thing taught me engineers cannot bake lighting that keeps the art direction intact. Just cannot be done. Get the art lead in week one or you'll redo it.

For Nanite we just fell back to standard LOD chains. Source meshes were clean so rebuilding LODs was mostly automatic. Materials on those meshes were the real problem, more on that below.

Deferred to Forward+

PC was deferred. Mobile needs Mobile Forward or Forward+. This is not a setting you flip, it's a project wide config change that breaks things you forgot you were using. SSAO, SSR, SSGI, all your screen space stuff. Either dies or becomes way too expensive. We rewrote post process volumes per zone, something like 40 of them across the project.

Forward+ on mobile in UE5 is actually fine if you commit. The trap is trying to keep half your deferred effects, which is exactly what we did for a week before someone said okay, we have to just do this properly. Free week of your life if you skip our mistake here.

Materials. This is where the time actually went.

I cannot stress this enough.

Mobile shader cores have hard instruction limits. A "looks fine" PC material can run 200 plus instructions because nothing matters on a 4090. On a Snapdragon 778G it's a slideshow. Not a slowdown. An actual slideshow.

Every hero material got rebuilt using UE's Mobile Material framework. Multi-layer materials, pixel-depth offsets, parallax, advanced translucency. Gone. Replaced. Material LODs got added everywhere, yes that's a real thing, no most people do not use them, so distant assets dropped to about 30 instruction versions.

The thing that saved us real hours: preview materials in ES3.1 and Vulkan shader preview modes inside UE before cooking. UE will happily let you ship a material that compiles on PC and then just breaks on Android. Catching it in editor is way faster than "okay, why is the wall pink on this Pixel 6 specifically".

Textures

Original textures were sized for PC VRAM, meaning generously. Capped hero stuff at 2048, most other things at 1024. ASTC for Vulkan, ETC2 fallback for OpenGL ES 3.2 paths.

Set up streaming pool budgets that actually respect device tier instead of using PC defaults. Dungeon zones were the worst because environmental storytelling means tons of unique props. Replaced a bunch of unique meshes with instanced versions on shared atlased materials. Visual difference basically nothing. Draw calls dropped a lot.

The 300GB problem

Project being 300GB on disk does not mean the APK is 300GB. Most of that is source, intermediate files, plugin sources. But the cooked Android content was still way past Google's 150MB base APK limit.

Play Asset Delivery handled it. Three buckets.

Install time: core hub, one starter zone, essential UI/audio. Fast follow: remaining hub zones, downloaded right after install. On demand: individual portal zones, fetched first time the player unlocks them.

This is more engineering than people expect. In game download manager UI, retry logic, storage warnings, mobile data warnings. Test it on actually flaky 4G, not on dev wifi, or you'll find out at launch what real users experience.

Touch input

Full rewrite, not adaptation. Tab key, F key, keyboard mappings, none of that translates. Built it fresh with Enhanced Input System and touch mappings. Virtual joystick left thumb, camera right, action buttons at Android's 48dp accessibility minimum.

The emote system, air guitar, air drums, on brand for a music metaverse, was actually the fun part. Radial emote wheel off a HUD button. Tested multiplayer sync between PC and Android clients in the same session and it worked first try, which never happens.

Thermal throttling. The silent killer.

You'll hit 60 FPS for 5 minutes on a Snapdragon 778G and think you've won. Then the device thermally throttles and your frame rate quietly drops. If you're testing in 5 minute bursts, you're testing the wrong thing.

Added dynamic resolution scaling as a thermal fallback. When sustained load profiling sees thermal events, engine drops internal res before dropping frames. Players notice a slightly softer image, not stutter. That tradeoff plays way better in user testing than the other option.

20 minute sustained load tests on every device in the QA matrix, every Friday. If you're not doing this, you do not actually know what your game does in the real world. You just know what it does for the first 5 minutes.

Numbers since people always ask

Minimum tier (SD 720G / Dimensity 900, 4GB RAM): stable 30 FPS at low settings. Recommended tier (SD 778G / 870, 6GB RAM): stable 30 FPS at medium, still tuning the heaviest dungeon zones. High tier (SD 8 Gen 1+ / Dimensity 9000+, 8GB RAM): stable 60 FPS at high settings. In-game RAM under 1.8GB across all tiers. Hub initial load under 15s on recommended hardware.

The 60 FPS on high tier is the headline number but honestly the harder win was making the 30 FPS feel solid on mid-range. Locked 30 with zero spikes feels better than an uneven 50. Anyone who's played a phone game that jumps to 55 then drops to 28 every minute knows what I mean.

Things I wish someone had told me on day one

Audit plugins day one, not day three. We lost time on DLSS and FSR.
Do not try to bake lighting without art involved from week one.
Build Play Asset Delivery early. Retrofitting the download manager into a feature complete project is genuinely miserable.
Do thermal tests from week one, not just before launch.
Do not half-commit on Forward+. Just do the move properly the first time.

Game's launching soon. If anyone's mid-port and stuck on something specific, drop a comment. Especially Forward+ migration, I have notes for days on that one.