Aaron Billups on LinkedIn: Wuthering Waves hits almost $10 million in mobile revenue in five days… (2024)

Embracing uncertainty is difficult, but necessary.Humans fear what we don't understand. That fear is really just a mental barrier between yourself and the scary "thing" you don't understand. If we can learn to approach the unknown with curiosity over fear, we can conquer those barriers.Pictured below is Beemo, our Red Tail Boa. He is one of the sweetest, most social snakes you've ever met. 0% hostility. Not a trace of malice. Possibly an angel, be not afraid. Yet, I'm honestly shocked at how often I get comments like "oooh keep them away from me!" when I tell people I've kept snakes and spiders. I guess lizards are the "socially acceptable" exotic pet?Challenge your fear responses! Be the kind of person who leads with curiosity instead. Ask questions and seek to understand. Break down those mental barriers or forever be held back by them.

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When we said we wanted AI, we meant Cortana not the death of all creative industries.Imagine the conversation: "Play our game we made with AI!""Why, I can just create my own game with the same AI? I'll make it exactly how I want. OR! Tell me about your game, I'll have my AI make me a fun version when I get home."Oof.

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Here's a sleepy Franklin, reminding you to slow down and give your body the rest it needs this weekend. Have you heard of the 42% rule? Emily and Amelia Nagoski (a behavioral scientist and their sister) wrote about this theory in their book Burnout: The Secret to Solving The Stress Cycle. The idea is that the human body needs to spend 42% of every day (or roughly 10 hours a day) dedicated to resting in many forms. Make the time for rest. It'll improve creativity and critical thinking.

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Charlie wants to know what you're playing this weekend. I dipped a toe into Honkai Star Rail last week (Mihoyo's turn based RPG) and accidentally got hooked. Hard. I will never be tired of excellently designed turn based RPGs.

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Hulu just posted one of my favorite mystery thrillers from 2005: Hide And Seek! Give me a moment to geek out about the film, then I want to talk about this move by Hulu. Yeah, I'm going to be that guy. Hide And Seek is a thriller with a self harm trigger warning, but also such a well-written story that very thoughtfully explores the complex emotions surrounding trauma and how we process grief. The movie has a cast full of acting talent that bring this story full of twists to life: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen, and Dylan Baker to name a few! So yeah, go watch Hide And Seek on Hulu if you have free time this weekend. Do you know how I noticed Hide And Seek was on the platform? It was advertised right on the splash page with a shiny NEW label. Because it was new to the platform. A 19 year old film was spotlighted on their main page and I hope that translates to finding relevance in a more modern crowd. I suppose only the data will tell, it's a shame we don't get to see those. Turning the lens to the games industry, I think that IP holders sitting on older commercial successes should strongly consider coming back to market to find relevance again in the online era. Put the work in to get your game(s) functional on Windows, release on Steam with a strong marketing campaign, then use that revenue to fund affordable transmedia projects to further expand your consumer base. Point them back to your Steam page and Bam, conversions.In our more connected modern world, great projects can find a new and consistent life. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

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Marvel's Midnight Suns is currently FREE on Epic Games Store! Definitely pick this gem up.I might be biased because a very talented colleague worked on this game, but this is my favorite title Firaxis has put out to date. I'm sure I'll get flak for that. Midnight Suns embraces one of the darkest teams in Marvel, featuring characters fan favorites such as Ghostrider and Blade. The combat is polished, the story is fantastic, and the game is difficult enough to be fun without frustrating the player.

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Is Cara for artists only? Asking as a Games Producer who feels left out haha

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My spouse and I, dressed up for the XDefiant Launch Party here in the Los Angeles area. It's surreal to stop and think about where we are now. We were both born and raised in small, Midwestern towns right outside Kansas City, Missouri. Orange County is a massive difference from the suburbs and farmland we had come to know. Lots of people talk about leaving their hometown and landing their dream career. Through years of saving, hard work, and a massive amount of growth we were able to do exactly that. But we can't stop working and growing now; we have to work just as hard to keep everything we built.

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I've said it once and I'll say it again, gaming/tech companies really have no place to demand In-Office employment right now. I'm sure someone will come for me on this, so here's my breakdown. Feel free to add more in the comments:1. The industry successfully created outstanding projects while remote since the Pandemic. There is no data to support in office work is more productive, and even that data would be skewed by the vastly different working habits of neuro-diverse employees. The issue is that the market is flooded, games are getting more costly to make, and audiences aren't growing; not that we need to "move everyone into office due to poor performing targets". It's giving "let's lecture people about using straws but not address that major corporations are 70+% of the climate problem".2. If we accept your offer of employment and relocate (which we've already established isnt necessary), the studio could be shut down in the current climate. Not even the big players are safe right now.3. If we accept your offer of employment at a large enough studio that probably won't be shut down, the position and / or project could be canceled. The company will not make upcoming cancelations public, will not reimburse you for your move, and will not really care they've uprooted you. You could argue that's always been a risk, but for the last year this issue has been unprecedented for the entire industry.You could say "take the position, it's better to have a paying job than not!". I'd argue that all of the above scenarios are much worse than straight unemployment. These scenarios cost thousands of dollars, take people away from their support systems, and still leave you unemployed.

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It's Pride Month. You are a beautiful and unique person who brings things to this world that no one else can. So is the person beside you, the stranger on the bus, and everyone you speak to here online. Love is not a choice, gender is a spectrum, science is constantly learning and discovering new things, and just because you don't understand a person doesn't mean they are dangerous or scary. Choose kindness and acceptance every day, but choose it a little harder this month.

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