James Batchelor
Editor-in-chief
James Batchelor is Editor-in-Chief at GamesIndustry.biz, and originally joined the team in 2016.
A journalist since 2006, he has also written for Eurogamer, Time Extension, NintendoLife, and was previously editor of Develop and deputy editor of MCV. He is the author of The Best Non-Violent Video Games, as well as urban fantasy thrillers Wandless and Blow The House Down, and creator of Non-Violent Game of the Day (@NVGOTD) - an account that explores the full breadth of video games.
Based in Essex, he does still play violent games (but always on Easy/Story Mode).
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Lego Fortnite is first step towards Epic and Lego's kid-friendly metaverse
Epic continues to grow Fortnite as a platform with Psyonix's Rocket Racing and Harmonix's Fortnite Music Festival
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Baldur's Gate 3 shadow drops on Xbox following parity issues
No split-screen on Xbox Series S, cross-save available with other formats
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Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo cancelled due to threats against staff
Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 tournaments also postponed over safety concerns
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Sony will reportedly take over Bungie if it doesn't meet financial targets
Staff speak of pressure on delayed Destiny 2: The Final Shape as they fear losing independence
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With GTA 6 not due until 2025, what will drive games in 2024?
Analysts discuss expectations for Rockstar's blockbuster, and how its launch window affects the rest of the industry
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GTA 6 reveal gains viewers faster than any game trailer in history
Update: GTA 6 trailer reaches over 100 million views, breaks record for most watched video game reveal in 24 hours
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TinyBuild lowers revenue forecasts, settles legal dispute with Versus Evil
Update: Reports claim up to 30% of staff laid off across three studios
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The African games industry in numbers
We dive into a new report that offers insight into the spending, audience, and development landscape of the continent, with analysis from the experts behind the research
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Epic explains why it hasn't sued Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft over 30% fee | Epic vs Google
Fortnite firm says platform holders' hardware losses justify the need to charge devs for game sales and microtransactions
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Jobs Roundup: November 2023 | Rockstar veterans join Dan Houser's new studio
Marc Merrill is named chief product officer at Riot Games, Michael Unsworth and Lazlow Jones now at Absurd Ventures
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Judge orders Epic, Google to hold settlement talks | Epic vs Google
Fortnite firm has also been told to file demands by the end of the week, Google must reply with 48 hours
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Frontier reduces revenue targets, refocusing on sims
Decision follows lower-than-expected sales of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - Realms of Ruin
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Genvid denies using AI to write Silent Hill: Ascension
CEO Jacob Navok says "zero [words] are authored by LLMs or AI" following allegations from players
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Unity to lay off another 265 staff, drop Weta in 'company reset'
Firm will also shut down offices in 14 locations, and no longer mandate that employees work on site for three days a week
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Gamescom Latam launching in 2024, merging with BIG Festival
Organisers tell GamesIndustry.biz they expect new partnership will significantly grow international attendance of Brazil event
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The must-see sessions of Africa Games Week 2023
Three days of talks, panels, workshops and more will be held in Cape Town, South Africa this week
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How is the UK's Video Games Tax Relief changing next year?
Following last week's Autumn Statement, the industry has a clearer idea of what the transition to Video Games Tax Expenditure means for games companies
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Ubisoft says technical error caused in-game ads in Assassin's Creed
Players reported promotions for Assassin's Creed Mirage appeared when loading the map in Odyssey and Origins
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Embracer: Human cost of restructure is "significant" but "necessary"
Phil Rogers discusses the group's goals and progress following the dismissal of more than 900 staff
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Niantic pushing for arbitration ahead of sexual bias lawsuit hearing
UPDATE: Superior Court judge blocks Nianitc's motion, enabling the class action to proceed
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AviaGames sued for use of bots in real-money skill-based games
Class action lawsuit from players follows patent infringement dispute with rival Skillz
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Tim Sweeney: We were willing to sue Sony for cross-play | Epic vs Google
Elsewhere, more details emerge over Google's plans to buy the Fortnite firm
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Unity 6 launching in 2024, featuring AI tools and more multiplayer tech
Engine provider revives numbering system as it gears up for next major launch
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Unity's push for "responsibly sourced" AI tools
Marc Whitten tells us more about the engine provider's ongoing AI efforts as the company dates new products Muse and Sentis
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Embracer debt reduced to $1.4 billion as restructure continues
Group says it has laid off 904 people since the process began