Leslie Benzies’ studio promised a new world where players could make games of their own. Its first commercial release, MindsEye, became one of 2025’s worst-reviewed games. We explore what went wrong.
Cloud Imperium has raised more than $1 billion in community funding for Star Citizen and Squadron 42, but its flagship multiplayer game remains unfinished almost 14 years after its announcement. What is going wrong?
Inside the global iGaming industry: its products, major companies, revenue sources, regulatory pressures and the human cost of gambling moving online.
The multiplayer hide-and-seek game turned player creativity into an extraordinarily effective marketing system. Its declining player count also reveals the possible limits of that formula.
The latest clash over EU gaming regulation raises a bigger question: are games increasingly being treated like social media?
What makes games engaging? Welcome to our deep-dive series exploring the hidden systems that keep players returning to games over time.
In order to uncover the hidden systems behind game engagement, we analysed a large Steam dataset containing a wide range of usage metrics.
To complement our Steam data analysis, we added a qualitative layer based on player comments and professional reviews, uncovering five principal systems of player engagement.
In the first of our deep-dive articles analysing game engagement systems, we explore those titles that invite players to perfect their tactics and sharpen their performance.
In the second of our deep-dive articles analysing game engagement systems, we explore those titles that offer players shared experiences and unique moments.