Ivy Road, the indie studio behind the acclaimed cosy game Wanderstop, is closing on March 31. The shutdown reveals a harsh truth: critical success and positive reviews don't translate into the financial stability needed to fund a second project in 2026's brutal funding climate.
Jake Nguyen 
One in three Australians seeing a financial counsellor has BNPL debt. Many are cutting groceries and fuel to meet payments. New rules from June 2025 now require responsible lending checks, but for trapped households, it may be too late.
Jake Nguyen 
Whoop has dominated the high-performance athlete market for a decade. Now founder Will Ahmed is racing to bring the wearable to mainstream consumers while battling tighter FDA scrutiny and new rivals.
Jake Nguyen Anathan Pham became the greatest Australian esports player ever by playing for overseas teams. Meanwhile, content creators dominate the globe from home. Australia's gaming scene has a talent problem.
Jake Nguyen 
A Los Angeles jury has ruled that Meta and YouTube designed their platforms to be addictive and failed to warn users of the risks, awarding $6 million in damages and setting a precedent for thousands of similar cases.
Jake Nguyen 54% of Gen Z have cancelled a streaming service in the past three months. With Netflix premiums hitting $28.99 and gaming subscriptions soaring, household bills have become unsustainable.
Jake Nguyen Australia's games industry is thriving with record government funding, but rising console prices, streaming costs, and the cost-of-living crisis are squeezing the budgets of the players who will actually buy these games.
Jake Nguyen While 89% of young Australians use gaming to improve mental health, the competitive gaming industry simultaneously creates burnout affecting up to 38% of professional players. The disconnect reveals an uncomfortable truth.
Jake Nguyen 
Kyle Sandilands appeared in Federal Court on Friday to challenge ARN's termination of his $100 million contract, claiming the broadcaster had no valid grounds to end the deal.
Jake Nguyen Gaming companies use dark patterns—hidden fees, fake urgency, and matchmaking tricks—to push players toward spending more. The ACCC's new enforcement priorities show the regulator is ready to make developers pay.
Jake Nguyen Australian Easter chocolate has jumped 26.6% in price over the past year. Worse, you're getting less chocolate for your money as manufacturers double down on shrinkflation despite falling ingredient costs.
Jake Nguyen 
Netflix has raised prices across all three subscription tiers, marking the second increase in less than 18 months. The move comes as streaming costs spiral industry-wide.
Jake Nguyen 
Lost Lake Games announces Vaunted, a tactical RPG that lets players reshape the story when characters die. Coming to PC and Game Pass in 2026.
Jake Nguyen GPU prices in Australia have surged beyond reach of most gamers. RTX 5090s cost $5,566, RAM is up 38%, and production cuts threaten gaming's future.
Jake Nguyen 
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek has called out Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney for tone-deaf comments following the studio's massive layoffs, questioning why any developer should work hard at a company burning through billions.
Jake Nguyen 
Australian small business owners are grappling with soaring ingredient and wage costs, just as a new federal superannuation rule threatens to disrupt their cashflow further.
Jake Nguyen After Kotaku Australia shuttered its 16-year archive, Mark Serrels and Jackson Ryan launched CONTINUE on Kickstarter. It raised $70,000 in seven days.
Jake Nguyen 
Australia's mental health system is unprepared for gaming disorder. While Meta and Google face liability for addictive design, gaming platforms escape scrutiny despite similar engagement mechanics and escalating adolescent mental health impacts.
Jake Nguyen Screen Australia has backed 26 new game projects with $1.4 million, signalling growth in a sector that now employs 2,443 full-time developers and plans over 400 new hires. The funding shows Australian game-making is moving beyond traditional studios.
Jake Nguyen 
Fashion designer Jenny Kee narrowly escaped the Granville train disaster on a summer morning in 1977 because she was running late to visit fellow artist Linda Jackson, clutching her young daughter through the wreckage.
Jake Nguyen