Scott Hartsman
@hartsman.bsky.social
Shipping talks, bullshit walks. I've worked on a ton of MMOs and other online games. Mostly helping games startups these days. Also, corgis. Specifically, one large, lazy one in particular.
I've mentioned it to three people so far and GabeCube sure does seem like it could end up the undeniable winner
Someone on the ROS Discord called it the GabeCube and that’s what I’m calling it going forward
November 12, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I've mentioned it to three people so far and GabeCube sure does seem like it could end up the undeniable winner
Don't see how this could possibly work without 3 different models of various capacities ensuring that developers can only make games for the lowest common denominator while reassuring fans that games actually use all the capabilities of the highest end most expensive version.
I mean really.
I mean really.
Valve is making a console. The Steam Machine, a sleek box with the guts of a mid-range PC that runs SteamOS, will arrive in early 2026. Prices TBD, but unlike the failed Steam Machine initiative from a decade ago, this is Valve's own device. Big news www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Valve Announces Steam Machine, a New Video-Game Console
The US gaming company behind the popular, handheld Steam Deck is making a living-room device for PC games
www.bloomberg.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Don't see how this could possibly work without 3 different models of various capacities ensuring that developers can only make games for the lowest common denominator while reassuring fans that games actually use all the capabilities of the highest end most expensive version.
I mean really.
I mean really.
Wow. It's not every day a game you worked on in high school shows up on PCGamer. Feels like a nostalgia bomb just blew up in here.
www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/th...
www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/th...
The MMO granddaddy you've never heard of is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and it still pulls in 'a few thousand active players' and needs a staff of over 40 to run: 'We want to be able to survive for another 35 years'
GemStone IV feels like a glorious artefact of the internet of old, still somehow enduring.
www.pcgamer.com
August 30, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Wow. It's not every day a game you worked on in high school shows up on PCGamer. Feels like a nostalgia bomb just blew up in here.
www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/th...
www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/th...
Nothing against the Dreamhaven folks, who are beyond legendary. And nothing against the developers, who are ridiculously talented and truly want to entertain players.
This is about where games are right now: Everyone already has access to infinite entertainment. (1/4)
This is about where games are right now: Everyone already has access to infinite entertainment. (1/4)
New: Blizzard cofounder's Dreamhaven is struggling in today's challenged games market per an internal letter. Its 2 new games sold below expectations. Dreamhaven now seeks funding
It's not alone. Some of the most promising new studios are hitting roadblocks. Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
It's not alone. Some of the most promising new studios are hitting roadblocks. Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Blizzard Co-Founder’s Game Startup Struggles Amid Industry Glut
Mike Morhaime, a co-founder of video-game giant Blizzard Entertainment, sent a letter to staff at his new company Dreamhaven this week that he wished he didn’t have to write.
www.bloomberg.com
August 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Nothing against the Dreamhaven folks, who are beyond legendary. And nothing against the developers, who are ridiculously talented and truly want to entertain players.
This is about where games are right now: Everyone already has access to infinite entertainment. (1/4)
This is about where games are right now: Everyone already has access to infinite entertainment. (1/4)
Absolutely every MMO is haunted in its own special way, and I think that's beautiful. (ff14)
August 13, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Absolutely every MMO is haunted in its own special way, and I think that's beautiful. (ff14)
I love this. I use: if everything is cozy, nothing is cozy. I like Valheim invasions or night in Minecraft as examples of how I (personally) perceive cozy: You're cozy because of the warmth and safety that's relative to the decidedly non-cozy moments.
Also, I'm done saying cozy now.
Also, I'm done saying cozy now.
pssst literally any game can be “cozy” if it feels cozy to you
every MMO is cozy if that’s the way you play it
cozy is not a game genre
cozy is not a graphical style choice
cozy is a ✨state of being ✨ you’re in while you play any type of game that evokes comfort and warmth for you specifically
every MMO is cozy if that’s the way you play it
cozy is not a game genre
cozy is not a graphical style choice
cozy is a ✨state of being ✨ you’re in while you play any type of game that evokes comfort and warmth for you specifically
July 31, 2025 at 7:01 PM
I love this. I use: if everything is cozy, nothing is cozy. I like Valheim invasions or night in Minecraft as examples of how I (personally) perceive cozy: You're cozy because of the warmth and safety that's relative to the decidedly non-cozy moments.
Also, I'm done saying cozy now.
Also, I'm done saying cozy now.
Chatted with GDC about live games the other day - Talk's up!
Live service is a tough business. Industry expert Scott Hartsman talked with GDC on where things stand for live service studios, what devs can do to stand out in the market, and which monetization models are succeeding and failing. #GDC #LiveService #GameDev
gdconf.com/article/the-...
gdconf.com/article/the-...
The Truth About Live Service Games: Insights from Industry Veteran Scott Hartsman
Discover expert insights on navigating the live service games market in 2025 and beyond. Industry veteran Scott Hartsman shares advice on monetization models, market timing, and sustainable developmen...
gdconf.com
July 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Chatted with GDC about live games the other day - Talk's up!
My favorite genre of non-games tech writeup is "describing innovation that MMOs & live games have been doing for 20+ years"
newsletter.scalablethread.com/p/how-featur... (Not to pick on this person - I've heard this same thing recommended as new at least three other times this year)
newsletter.scalablethread.com/p/how-featur... (Not to pick on this person - I've heard this same thing recommended as new at least three other times this year)
How Feature Flags Enable Safer, Faster, and Controlled Rollouts
Understanding Effective Rollouts Using Feature Flags in Distributed Systems
newsletter.scalablethread.com
June 7, 2025 at 5:51 PM
My favorite genre of non-games tech writeup is "describing innovation that MMOs & live games have been doing for 20+ years"
newsletter.scalablethread.com/p/how-featur... (Not to pick on this person - I've heard this same thing recommended as new at least three other times this year)
newsletter.scalablethread.com/p/how-featur... (Not to pick on this person - I've heard this same thing recommended as new at least three other times this year)
I know the feeling, Darth. www.gamefile.news/p/fortnite-a...
May 16, 2025 at 11:58 PM
I know the feeling, Darth. www.gamefile.news/p/fortnite-a...
❤️😆 How'd I miss this
March 19, 2025 at 9:15 PM
❤️😆 How'd I miss this
Excellent thread. tl;dr Publishers are signing games that don't need publishers, and that's about it.
It sucks, but this is the way it is for the time being.
Entire coincidentally, this is also a line in my GDC talk next monday morning @ 9:30
It sucks, but this is the way it is for the time being.
Entire coincidentally, this is also a line in my GDC talk next monday morning @ 9:30
Ok, let me be helpful here. As I've been talking to boutique publishers for the past couple of weeks thx to Siegecaster, here's what to expect at GDC. Let's start with: Are you only seeking "finishing funds"? Cool. Got 100k wishlists? Congrats! Risk is so low that's the game. Oh, you don't? Um...
A lot of game developers are about to travel incredibly far and spend a disgusting amount of money to stay in a city with infinite problems, within a country in full collapse, only to discover that the one thing they made the trip for will result in...
March 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Excellent thread. tl;dr Publishers are signing games that don't need publishers, and that's about it.
It sucks, but this is the way it is for the time being.
Entire coincidentally, this is also a line in my GDC talk next monday morning @ 9:30
It sucks, but this is the way it is for the time being.
Entire coincidentally, this is also a line in my GDC talk next monday morning @ 9:30
If you clip this thread just right, you can paste it to your friends to see who did and didn't spend time in the absolute wrongest places on the internet in their formative years
March 6, 2025 at 10:43 PM
If you clip this thread just right, you can paste it to your friends to see who did and didn't spend time in the absolute wrongest places on the internet in their formative years
This is a great callout - And so generally massively misunderstood. I wince whenever I hear "Well why didn't they just give it X more months?" Those months are the most expensive ones a game will ever see, usually by a whole lot.
Additionally - “6 years” doesn’t mean “6 years with a full team.”
It often means “3 years with a skeleton crew, 2 years at a half prod team, and 1 year borrowing people from other teams to close it out.” Team size ramps up near the end but, depending on the studio, can stay tiny for a WHILE
It often means “3 years with a skeleton crew, 2 years at a half prod team, and 1 year borrowing people from other teams to close it out.” Team size ramps up near the end but, depending on the studio, can stay tiny for a WHILE
A theme I've been hearing recently, talking to people who worked on games that took 6+ years to make, is that they always made calls thinking they had much less time. Then the game kept slipping, but they were still stuck with those old calls. So six years of development is never *really* six years
March 5, 2025 at 5:08 PM
This is a great callout - And so generally massively misunderstood. I wince whenever I hear "Well why didn't they just give it X more months?" Those months are the most expensive ones a game will ever see, usually by a whole lot.
I love when videos come out where I can slowly turn them up until I hear "okay what the HELL" from the other room.
This is 100% one of those. Maybe 300%
This is 100% one of those. Maybe 300%
March 4, 2025 at 5:22 AM
I love when videos come out where I can slowly turn them up until I hear "okay what the HELL" from the other room.
This is 100% one of those. Maybe 300%
This is 100% one of those. Maybe 300%
Help a friend out. Kick in a buck if you can!
We will be releasing more of our limited release backer rewards to ensure other time zones get a chance. We did not expect them to go this fast. For those of you who haven't backed, you can do so here. Let's get to #1. www.kickstarter.com/projects/sta...
STARS REACH: A Living Galaxy Sandbox MMORPG🌌
Explore a living galaxy in a shardless sandbox MMORPG from the visionary team led by Raph Koster, designer of Ultima Online & SWG.
www.kickstarter.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Help a friend out. Kick in a buck if you can!
100% cannot wait for this. Man, did these books ever grab me
I have been so excited since I found out this would be announced today! RIP any ability for me to concentrate: www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2...
Apple’s new sci-fi series “Murderbot” to make global debut May 16, 2025
Today, Apple TV+ unveiled a first look at “Murderbot,” created by Chris and Paul Weitz and starring Alexander Skarsgård
www.apple.com
February 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
100% cannot wait for this. Man, did these books ever grab me
"Let’s just hope that the good news starts outweighing the bad." Amen to that, @deantak.bsky.social
January 31, 2025 at 7:36 PM
"Let’s just hope that the good news starts outweighing the bad." Amen to that, @deantak.bsky.social
Having worked with Morgan on multiple games, my reaction is 50% "This is amazing, hilarious and spot on" and 50% "hey....wait"
You might be tempted to think you want maximum GBBO.
You do not.
Toxic positivity sinks ships maybe even faster than fuckboy island. Sometimes you still manage to land a jet with all the safeties turned off onto the tip of that iceberg as a coked out exec screams in your ear, out of pure spite.
You do not.
Toxic positivity sinks ships maybe even faster than fuckboy island. Sometimes you still manage to land a jet with all the safeties turned off onto the tip of that iceberg as a coked out exec screams in your ear, out of pure spite.
every game development story in existence can be placed somewhere on this scale
(when looking for the minimum cowboy/maximum cowboy tweet i realized you ALSO posted that so thanks for being a prolific game development analyst)
(when looking for the minimum cowboy/maximum cowboy tweet i realized you ALSO posted that so thanks for being a prolific game development analyst)
January 31, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Having worked with Morgan on multiple games, my reaction is 50% "This is amazing, hilarious and spot on" and 50% "hey....wait"
Sandra was one of those rare hyper-competent people who quietly worked their ass off behind the scenes to make sure we were doing our best for teams and players. She cared very deeply about everything we did and everyone who did it.
We were so fortunate she joined us. She was truly fantastic ❤️
We were so fortunate she joined us. She was truly fantastic ❤️
Obituary: Project Gorgon developer Sandra Powers has passed away | Massively Overpowered
massivelyop.com
January 29, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Sandra was one of those rare hyper-competent people who quietly worked their ass off behind the scenes to make sure we were doing our best for teams and players. She cared very deeply about everything we did and everyone who did it.
We were so fortunate she joined us. She was truly fantastic ❤️
We were so fortunate she joined us. She was truly fantastic ❤️
Also, car license place not the same as people license place. I feel like I'm missing important backstory here
Welp, just officially SURRENDERED (i've never liked that word) my license for a shiny new temporary WA one. Feels a little weird. Looks like I do live here now
January 24, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Also, car license place not the same as people license place. I feel like I'm missing important backstory here
Welp, just officially SURRENDERED (i've never liked that word) my license for a shiny new temporary WA one. Feels a little weird. Looks like I do live here now
January 24, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Welp, just officially SURRENDERED (i've never liked that word) my license for a shiny new temporary WA one. Feels a little weird. Looks like I do live here now
Something "we all know," but neat to see some work behind it.
He scraped all scrapeable steam reviews, and there's inference but:
"...half of players that leave negative reviews but then come back and update their review after a developer has directly responded to them, change to positive."
He scraped all scrapeable steam reviews, and there's inference but:
"...half of players that leave negative reviews but then come back and update their review after a developer has directly responded to them, change to positive."
You Should Respond to Negative Steam Reviews
Looking at the efficacy of Dev Responses to User Reviews on Steam
truthfultoast.substack.com
January 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Something "we all know," but neat to see some work behind it.
He scraped all scrapeable steam reviews, and there's inference but:
"...half of players that leave negative reviews but then come back and update their review after a developer has directly responded to them, change to positive."
He scraped all scrapeable steam reviews, and there's inference but:
"...half of players that leave negative reviews but then come back and update their review after a developer has directly responded to them, change to positive."
The past couple years I've talked at GDC's f2p summit opener, doing the PC & Console part, with interesting stuff from the previous year. This year it's the Live Game Summit. What do you think I should talk about?
January 16, 2025 at 1:24 AM
The past couple years I've talked at GDC's f2p summit opener, doing the PC & Console part, with interesting stuff from the previous year. This year it's the Live Game Summit. What do you think I should talk about?
New Matt Ball State of Gaming report is out and it's really solid. Dense and thoughtful as hell, and I love it for that. www.matthewball.co/all/stateofv...
PRESENTATION: The State of Video Gaming in 2025 — MatthewBall.co
A (free) 220 page presentation on the past, present and potential future of the video game industry.
www.matthewball.co
January 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
New Matt Ball State of Gaming report is out and it's really solid. Dense and thoughtful as hell, and I love it for that. www.matthewball.co/all/stateofv...
In my absolutely biased opinion, this is worth a follow on Kickstarter if you have an account there and are into those MMO kinds of things! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sta...
Coming soon: STARS REACH: A Living Galaxy Sandbox MMORPG🌌
Explore a living galaxy in a shardless sandbox MMORPG from the visionary team led by Raph Koster, designer of Ultima Online & SWG.
www.kickstarter.com
January 12, 2025 at 1:32 AM
In my absolutely biased opinion, this is worth a follow on Kickstarter if you have an account there and are into those MMO kinds of things! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sta...