Funcom
CompanyNorway
Documents about Funcom
The Game Business58 min
Where now for Mass Effect? Plus, Ken Kutaragi’s console fears and the rise of Poki
The gaming industry is currently navigating a period of profound structural transition, marked by the consolidation of major publishers and the emergence of alternative distribution models.
- Major publishers like Electronic Arts are pivoting toward live-service titles like EA Sports FC and Apex Legends, leading to studio closures such as BioWare and the cancellation of the Mass Effect franchise.
- Web-based gaming platform Poki has reached 100 million monthly users by utilizing an ad-supported, low-friction browser model that bypasses traditional mobile app store fatigue.
- Industry veteran Ken Kutaragi has expressed concerns regarding the long-term viability of high-end hardware, suggesting a shift toward lightweight, network-based systems that prioritize accessibility over raw processing power.
The Game BusinessOct 2026
Game Developers Conference64 min
GDC Plays Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden with The Bearded Ladies
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden represents a strategic effort to adapt a classic Swedish tabletop role-playing game into a narrative-driven, turn-based tactical experience.
- The developers of Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden utilized a modular asset workflow in Unreal Engine 4 that allowed them to bring a new map from prototype to a functional state within approximately one week.
- To manage the development of handcrafted levels with a small team, the studio relied heavily on outsourcing, hiring an outsourcing manager as one of their first key recruits.
- The game design prioritizes rewarding tactical positioning over RNG-heavy combat, specifically by ensuring that flanking maneuvers provide high hit probabilities to avoid the frustration of missing shots in advantageous positions.
Game Developers ConferenceNov 2018