Industry Insights - Celebrating the Art, Craft and Business of Animation

Epic Games Announces Layoffs of 1,000 Employees, Cites Decline in Fortnite Engagement as Primary Cause, CEO Clarifies “Layoffs Not Related to AI”

Posted on April 2, 2026 (April 2, 2026) by Awn China

Company Identifies $500 Million in Cost Savings, Affected Employees to Receive at Least Four Months of Base Pay; Cary, North Carolina Headquarters Most Impacted with Approximately 210 Positions Cut On March 24, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced on the company’s official website that the game developer will reduce its global workforce by approximately 1,000[…..] […]

Donghua Sci-Fi Benchmark “Ling Cage” Announces First Animated Feature Film, Embarking on a New Cinematic Journey

Posted on April 1, 2026 (March 31, 2026) by Awn China

On the evening of March 27, at the Yuewen IP Awards, the acclaimed original Chinese sci-fi animation series “Ling Cage” (Linglong) reached a new milestone: it not only won the “Most Anticipated Animated Film of the Year” award but also officially announced its first animated feature film project. The news quickly ignited excitement among fans,[…..] […]

Just One Year After Launch: Sony SIE Shuts Down First-Party PlayStation Studio Dark Outlaw Games

Posted on April 1, 2026 (March 27, 2026) by Awn China

Led by Former Call of Duty Zombies Architect Jason Blundell, the Studio Never Revealed Its Debut Project; Sony’s Recent Closures Include Bluepoint as Industry Pressures Mount According to a report from Bloomberg, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has shut down Dark Outlaw Games, a first-party PlayStation studio founded just one year ago under the leadership of[…..] […]

Unity Shuts Down ironSource Ad Network, Sells Supersonic Three-and-a-Half Years After $4.4 Billion Merger

Posted on March 31, 2026 (March 30, 2026) by Awn China

Recently, game engine giant Unity officially announced in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it will shut down the ironSource ad network and initiate the sales process of its mobile game publishing brand Supersonic. These moves mean that the high-profile $4.4 billion industry merger three and a half years ago[…..] […]

“Monkey King: Hero Is Back” Returns with Sequel “Monkey King: Rise”, Scheduled for July 10

Posted on March 30, 2026 (March 30, 2026) by Awn China

On March 27, the domestic animated film “Monkey King: Rise” officially announced its release date, which is set to hit theaters nationwide on July 10, 2026. Along with the announcement, the first official trailer and five character posters were released simultaneously, making it the first animated film to be scheduled for this year’s summer season.[…..] […]

Can AI Watermarking Technology Put an End to the Era of Video Game Leaks? Former Microsoft Veteran Unveils “Invisible Fingerprints”

Posted on March 30, 2026 (March 27, 2026) by Awn China

From text micro-adjustments to on-screen watermarks: EchoMark claims it can precisely trace leak sources as companies like miHoYo and Capcom face recurring leaks—legal accountability may be approaching a turning point “You probably don’t like us,” Troy Batterberry said in a measured tone to a game journalist who approached him at GDC a few weeks ago.[…..] […]

OpenAI Shuts Down Sora: The Phenomenal AI Video App Fades Out in Less Than Six Months

Posted on March 26, 2026 (March 26, 2026) by Awn China

OpenAI officially announced the shutdown of its AI video generation application, Sora, this Tuesday. The product, once hailed as a “world simulator,” was officially launched in September 2025—its operations ceased less than six months later, marking OpenAI’s strategic retreat from the video generation sector. From Meteoric Rise to Rapid Decline Sora first captured global attention[…..] […]

Newzoo’s 2026 PC & Console Gaming Report Now Live — Market Returns to Growth, But the Rules Have Changed

Posted on March 24, 2026 (March 20, 2026) by Awn China

The global PC and console games market is projected to reach $103.7 billion by 2028, signaling the end of the industry’s post-pandemic revenue plateau. However, the drivers of growth are shifting from expanding playtime towards pricing strategy, monetization depth, and the reshaping of platform economics. Newzoo, a leading games market research firm, today released its PC[…..] […]

LANDMARK GREATER MANCHESTER ANIMATION SURVEY RESULTS UNVEILED

Posted on March 24, 2026 (March 20, 2026) by Awn China

Manchester Animation Festival recently lead a major survey exploring the scale and future of Greater Manchester’s animation, VFX, motion graphics, games cinematic and immersive media industries. The research, carried out with MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub with additional funding from BBC Children’s & Education and MediaCity provides the most detailed picture yet of the region’s[…..] […]

February 2026 Global Mobile Game Market: Holiday Events Reshape Revenue Landscape, Last War Tops Charts, Game for Peace and Wuthering Waves See Strong Growth

Posted on March 20, 2026 (March 20, 2026) by Awn China

According to the latest February 2026 global mobile game market reports from mobile app data analytics firms Sensor Tower and AppMagic, global consumer spending on mobile games across the App Store and Google Play reached $6.55 billion in February, down 8% month-over-month. Global mobile game downloads hit 3.5 billion, a 16% decrease month-over-month. Despite the[…..] […]

Category: Industry Insights

Epic Games Announces Layoffs of 1,000 Employees, Cites Decline in Fortnite Engagement as Primary Cause, CEO Clarifies “Layoffs Not Related to AI”

Donghua Sci-Fi Benchmark “Ling Cage” Announces First Animated Feature Film, Embarking on a New Cinematic Journey

Just One Year After Launch: Sony SIE Shuts Down First-Party PlayStation Studio Dark Outlaw Games

Unity Shuts Down ironSource Ad Network, Sells Supersonic Three-and-a-Half Years After $4.4 Billion Merger

“Monkey King: Hero Is Back” Returns with Sequel “Monkey King: Rise”, Scheduled for July 10

Can AI Watermarking Technology Put an End to the Era of Video Game Leaks? Former Microsoft Veteran Unveils “Invisible Fingerprints”

OpenAI Shuts Down Sora: The Phenomenal AI Video App Fades Out in Less Than Six Months

Newzoo’s 2026 PC & Console Gaming Report Now Live — Market Returns to Growth, But the Rules Have Changed

LANDMARK GREATER MANCHESTER ANIMATION SURVEY RESULTS UNVEILED

February 2026 Global Mobile Game Market: Holiday Events Reshape Revenue Landscape, Last War Tops Charts, Game for Peace and Wuthering Waves See Strong Growth

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