Apple Mini-Games 🍎, Supercell AI 🤖, Audio Testing in Unity 🎮
Platform & Monetization Shifts 📱
Apple Formalises Mini-Game Platforms on iOS With Lower Fees
Apple’s new Mini Apps Partner Program lets HTML5 and JavaScript mini apps run as embedded experiences inside native iOS and iPadOS games. Approved developers who meet strict safety, transparency, and age-appropriate content rules can access a reduced 15% commission on qualifying mini-app IAPs. The program requires use of Advanced Commerce, Declared Age Range, and App Store Server APIs, plus a manifest listing all mini apps. Teams apply via a request form, then submit host apps and mini-app identifiers for review.
Inside Supercell’s AI Playbook: Superpowers, Live Ops, and New Genres
Supercell’s AI lead Otto Söderlund says AI is bringing the biggest shift since the industrial revolution—and games will feel it first. At RovioCon he laid out Supercell’s three-pillar AI strategy: giving developers “superpowers”, operating games better with mass personalisation, and inventing AI-native games and entertainment built on its IP. Using a three-horizon model, Supercell aims to be a rapid second mover on tools but a first mover on disruptive AI experiences.
Community & Growth Strategies đź‘Ą
From Pop-Ups to Power Users: Building Game Communities That Last
Head of player experience Yuriy Makhanov explains how smart community management can matter more than marketing spend. He breaks down how 1–2 people can kickstart feedback loops, recruit volunteer moderators, and use in‑game messaging to reach every active player. Case studies show pop-ups turning forgotten Facebook pages into massive communities and in‑game funnels rocketing a YouTube channel from 2K to 100K subs.
Coherence 2.0 Brings Vampire Survivors-Grade Multiplayer to Every Studio
Coherence 2.0 is out, leveraging the proven infrastructure used to bring Vampire Survivors online. The platform now combines Unity tooling, multiplayer engine, and hosting in a single stack, letting generalist teams ship real-time multiplayer with less complexity. Studios can swap between managed cloud, self-hosted servers, or client hosting without rewrites. With an indie-friendly free tier and a capped 3% rev share only after $15k per quarter, it’s designed to lower the barrier to online play.
Solo Dev & Production Workflows 🎮
Inside Cultic: How a Solo Dev Builds and Optimizes a Retro FPS in Unity
The creator of Cultic opens his Unity project and walks through exactly how he builds a retro‑styled FPS—from palette LUTs and chunky brush‑based geometry to real‑time lighting and hardcore optimization. He explains why he ditched light baking, how consolidating lights and splitting terrain meshes saved huge amounts of performance, and how CSG makes iteration painless.
One-Click Audio Testing in Unity: Custom Play/Stop Buttons for AudioSource
Testing audio with in‑scene reverb in Unity shouldn’t require abusing Play on Awake and toggling components. This video walks you through adding a right‑click “Play” menu item to AudioSources and upgrading it to slick one‑click header buttons that play/stop clips directly in the inspector. Along the way you’ll learn about context menu paths, validation methods, and using InitializeOnLoad with finishedDefaultHeaderGUI. If you care about better audio workflows and editor tooling, this is a quick win.
Advanced Worlds & Real-Time Collaboration 🌌
Random Maps and Custom Monsters: The Tech Behind LEGO Dark Space
LEGO®: Dark Space is the first LEGO horror experience in Fortnite, and this Unreal Fest session breaks down exactly how it was built. Team Unite walks through audience-first design, an ARG-style “monolith” marketing campaign, and the cinematic spine that holds it together. You’ll see how they achieved randomized layouts with Verse, built a fully dynamic map and item-shop UI using cameras and teleports, and created navmesh-aware custom monsters by syncing skeletal meshes to invisible NPCs.
Drop-In Multi-User Collab for Unreal: Inside Cavrnus Spatial Connector
Cavrnus’ Unreal Fest session shows how their free Cavrnus Spatial Connector (CSC) plugin turns any Unreal project into a persistent, multi-user collaborative space in minutes. CSC adds voice/video chat, transcription with translation, data sync, and optional OpenAI integration on top of your existing levels—no Blueprint work required for basic setup. The team also unveils a “supercharged” version of Epic’s Collab Viewer Template as a drag-and-drop plugin. For UE devs, it’s a turnkey way to add multiplayer-style reviews, digital twins, and remote collaboration.