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Alexander Rehm

Alexander Rehm is a web designer, information architect and usability & accessibility auditor. He's currently working as a Director of Live Operations and has extensive experience of developing large-scale architecture and frameworks for online services, catering for millions of users concurrently. In his blog, Alex shares his musings on all things internet, usability, accessibility and gaming.

Lessons Learned: PlayStation’s Live Service Ambitions Move Forward with Bungie’s Marathon

Interesting insights from PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst regarding Sony’s live service strategy. During a recent fireside chat for investors, Hulst emphasized that the live service market remains a “great opportunity” for PlayStation, acknowledging their “patchy track record” but asserting a clear path forward.

Last year saw challenges, including the swift launch and subsequent shuttering of the hero shooter Concord, followed by the closure of developer Firewalk. Earlier this year, two more live service titles were scrapped from Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio, with recent layoffs confirmed at Bend as they transition to a new project.

However, Hulst insists that PlayStation has learned hard lessons from these experiences. Speaking specifically about Bungie’s upcoming live service shooter, Marathon, he expressed confidence in its potential for success.

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26 Essential books for Game Design, Development, Business and Leadership

Here are some of my favourite books, all about Game Dev:

Game Design:

Development:

Game Leadership:

LiveOps:

Business:

Community:

Scopely to acquire Niantic, Inc.’s Games Business, including Pokémon GO, for $3.5 Billion

Scopely, the developer behind MONOPOLY GO! and Stumble Guys, has announced its acquisition of Niantic’s games business for $3.5 billion, plus an additional $350 million cash distribution from Niantic. This deal includes popular titles like Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, along with their respective development teams.

Niantic cites Scopely’s expertise in live services, working with major IPs, and community focus as key factors in the acquisition. They assure players that the games will continue to receive long-term support and investment from Scopely, driven by the existing development teams.

Detailed information about the acquisition can be found on the Scopely blog, including messages from Scopely’s co-CEOs and the Pokémon GO team lead.

Simultaneously, Niantic will spin off its geospatial AI business into a new company, Niantic Spatial, led by John Hanke. This new venture will be funded with $250 million, including $200 million from Niantic’s existing funds and a $50 million investment from Scopely.

Source: https://www.scopely.com/en/news/scopely-to-acquire-niantic-games-business-which-includes-pokemon-go-one-of-the-most-successful-mobile-games-of-all-time

Death Stranding Announces Worldwide Concert Tour: Strands of Harmony

In addition to the Death Stranding 2 release date reveal, a worldwide concert tour, “Strands of Harmony,” has been announced.

The tour will feature live orchestral and vocal performances of music from both Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2, with synchronized HD video displays. Secret appearances have also been teased.

“Strands of Harmony” will visit 19 locations, beginning at the Sydney Opera House on November 8th, 2025. Tickets go on sale March 12th.

Fans can expect to experience the music of Ludvig Forssell, Low Roar, and other artists, reliving key moments from the games through music and visuals.

More information about the concert is available here: https://www.deathstrandingconcert.com/

Marvel Rivals’ first-month revenue estimated at $136 million

It’s been a month since the global launch of Marvel Rivals, a hero shooter made by Chinese tech giant NetEase Games. According to new estimates, the game appears to be an immense success.

GameLook did a deep dive into the revenues:
↳ Steam exceeds 400 million yuan ($54.5 million)
↳ PlayStation 5 follows with over 200 million yuan ($27.2 million)
↳ Xbox Series X|S is estimated at around 20 million yuan ($2.7 million)
↳ Marvel Rivals is also available through a dedicated client on PC (outside of Steam and EGS), so GameLook believes that its first-month revenue globally (excluding China) is close to $100 million
↳ Including the Chinese-specific client operated by NetEase, the total might be about 1 billion yuan ($136.4 million)

Marvel Rivals has been off to a strong start, having peaked at over 480k concurrent players on Steam at launch. This made it the fourth biggest release of 2024 by peak CCU. What’s even more impressive is that the game continues to retain an active audience, with its daily peaks ranging between 380k and 440k CCU.

(source: http://www.gamelook.com.cn/2025/01/562110)

SAG-AFTRA Expands Protection for Video Game Localization Performers

SAG-AFTRA has announced a new agreement to protect performers involved in video game localization.

The Independent Interactive Localization Agreement will cover projects that are originally scripted and released in a foreign language and then dubbed into English. This agreement will provide performers with stronger AI protections and expanded work opportunities compared to the previous localization agreement.

Key benefits of the new agreement include:

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Artificial Intelligence Act: MEPs adopt landmark law

GenAI news: In a groundbreaking move, the European Union has passed the world’s first comprehensive law regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI). Endorsed by a vast majority in the European Parliament, this legislation aims to safeguard human rights while fostering responsible AI innovation.

The new law categorizes AI systems based on their potential risks and impact. This ensures stricter regulations for high-risk systems used in critical sectors like infrastructure, law enforcement, and education. Developers of such systems will be required to:

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An Inside look at Matchmaking for Call of Duty

Fascinating insights have emerged from the developers of Call of Duty, shedding light on the intricacies of their matchmaking system, with particular emphasis on the contentious issue of skill-based matchmaking. The comprehensive breakdown reveals that the matchmaking process weighs eight factors in total, with player skill being just one of them. Notably, connection quality is the most heavily weighted element, closely followed by the time it takes to find a match.

This disclosure counters the prevalent belief among dedicated players and content creators that ping is no longer the dominant factor in Call of Duty matchmaking. Instead, they contend that skill level significantly influences matchmaking decisions, sometimes leading to players being placed in matches with higher ping to align with their skill level. The revelation also delves into the nuanced measurement of latency, indicating that the game utilizes Delta Ping, which measures the round-trip time difference between the nearest server and the server associated with the evaluated lobby. Although the blog assures that players typically connect to servers in close proximity, it hints that exceptions may occur, likely influenced by the time-to-match factor.

More information and the full blog post is here: https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2024/01/call-of-duty-update-an-Inside-look-at-matchmaking