1）据venturebeat报道，众筹网站Kickstarter至今所筹资金已突破10亿美元大关，其中电子游戏是主要贡献力量。

电子游戏在这10亿美元中占比将近22%，这类项目在Kickstarter的13种融资项目中所筹资金最多，比排名第二的影视项目还多1830万美元。

Kickstarter(from crowdfundinsider.com)

成立于2009年的Kickstarter是目前最为成功的众筹网站，其捐赠者遍布224个国家，其中有6.63亿美元来自美国地区（占比66%）。

2）据Kotaku报道，Square Enix日前宣布裁减Eidos Montreal工作室（代表作为《Thief》）的27名员工，仅表示这是公司为目前和将来项目考虑而采取的人事调整，并未透露本次裁员的具体原因。

Thief(from gameranx.com)

3）据venturebeat报道，微软最近在开发的Project Spark游戏项目，将支持玩家设计自己的游戏角色、世界和虚拟物品，并在今天进行公开beta测试。

Microsoft-Project-Spark-Beta-Launch(from hardwarepal)

观察者认为，如果该项目成功了，微软游戏玩家就可以创建一个共享社区，自己创造比Project Spark开发者更丰富的内容，并成为微软版本的《Minecraft》。

4）据venturebeat报道，来自Valve公司的Gabe Newell在Reddit网站最近的问答环节中说明了公司为何与《星际迷航》导演J.J. Abrams联手制作基于Valve游戏的电影项目。他称这并不是因为Valve喜欢该导演的电影，而是因为他们喜欢对方的表达方式。

gabe-newell(from gamebreaker.tv)

他称Valve成员与J.J. Abrams交流的过程就好像与Valve同事在交谈一样毫无障碍，这对于来自电影行业的人来说并不寻常。这两者曾在2013年2月于拉斯维加斯的DICE游戏峰会上宣布共同合作开发游戏和电影项目，将把Valve引进好莱坞，并让Abrams进军游戏领域。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Video games push crowdfunding site Kickstarter past the $1B mark

Jared Mosley

The Kickstarter crowdfunding phenomenon just passed the $1 billion milestone today — and it’s got video games to thank for it.

Video games account for nearly 22 percent of the entire $1 billion. They’ve raised the most of Kickstarter’s 13 categories by a large margin: $18.3 million more than the closest competitor, film and video. Crowdfunding has revolutionized indie development, making it easier for small teams with great ideas to find support without a traditional publisher. It hasn’t only helped the software — it was also instrumental in making the Ouya, a video game console, a reality.

Found in 2009, Kickstarter is by far the most successful crowdfunding website. Game developers have flocked to it as an alternative to funding from a publisher.

It is globally active as well, with contributors in 224 countries. Still, a disproportionate amount of total funds has come from the U.S., a whopping $663 million, or 66 percent. No other nation is anywhere close to that amount, but the U.K., Germany, and Australia have all made a significant impact with tens of millions of dollars raised.（source：venturebeat）

2）Thief developer Eidos Montreal lays off 27 workers

By Alex Wawro

Newsbrief: 27 Eidos Montreal employees were laid off today, according to a statement provided to Kotaku from a representative of parent company Square Enix.

No reason was given for the staff reduction other than that it was part of the company’s efforts to “have the right setup for current and future projects.”

Square Enix claims it is trying to organize a career day for those affected and will attempt to relocate as many as possible to other studios, or even different roles within the same studio.

Eidos Montreal’s most recent project, Thief, shipped last month to a lukewarm critical reception. （source：gamasutra）

3）Will Project Spark be Microsoft’s Minecraft?

Dean Takahashi

With its Project Spark creation game, Microsoft has a big opportunity to capture the imagination of gamers and bottle it. If it succeeds, Spark could build for Microsoft a user-generated community akin to the phenomenally popular block-building title Minecraft — if it strikes the right balance.

Players will be able to use Project Spark to design their own game characters, worlds, and virtual objects. It has to be easy to use so that anybody can create, but it also has to be deep and flexible enough so it doesn’t limit creativity. Microsoft will soon find out what happens when it turns over the keys to the car to its gamers. The open beta test is live today.（source：venturebeat）

4）Chief executive Gabe Newell says ‘Star Wars’ director J.J. Abrams is like ‘someone who works at Valve’

Jeffrey Grubb

Valve boss Gabe Newell has likely just paid the highest compliment he can to someone.

During a question-and-answer session on the online-aggregation site Reddit, Newell explained why Valve is partnering with Star Trek director J.J. Abrams for film projects based on the developer’s properties. It’s not just because they like his movies or because they wanted to have him tell them secrets about his upcoming Star Wars film. Instead, it’s because they like the way he talks.

“The main thing is that, when we talk with him, it’s like talking with someone who works at Valve,” wrote Newell. “That’s not usually the case with people from the film industry.”

In February 2013, Newell and Abrams took the stage together at the annual DICE gaming summit in Las Vegas. They revealed that they are partnering up to work on game and movie projects. This would bring Valve into Hollywood and Abrams into game development.

They also talked about how movies and games can learn from one another. Abrams showed clips from films like Jaws and Die Hard, and explained how they have a consistency in their storytelling.

Newell, on the other hand, showed scenes from Portal 2 where players control how the pace at which they learn about the story of a world.

“The more you play, the more you learn, the more you feel,” Abrams said in response to Newell’s presentation.

Neither Valve nor Abrams have spoken or elaborated on the partnership since then, and Newell’s response suggests that their initial plans are still in the works.（source：venturebeat）