Stories
Anvil's hidden forks: Blacksmith, Silex and Ubisoft's engine family
Ubisoft's Anvil engine had forks: Blacksmith for Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor, Silex for Ghost Recon. What Ubisoft said at REAC 2025, and why it merged them.
lordtime
Editor of Gamenator.
Articles
StoriesFrom a Japanese film to PUBG: where battle royale came from
Where did battle royale games come from? Takami's novel, Fukasaku's film, Minecraft Hunger Games, PlayerUnknown's mods, PUBG, Fortnite and the lawsuit.
StoriesDecima: how Guerrilla gave Kojima its engine on a stick
Why does Death Stranding run on Decima? How Guerrilla handed Hideo Kojima its engine's source code before any contract, named it after Dejima, and what came next.
StoriesGamebryo to Creation Engine: the engine behind Bethesda's games
Is Bethesda still using Gamebryo? How Morrowind's engine became Skyrim's Creation Engine, then Creation Engine 2 and 3, and what Todd Howard says about it.
StoriesBattleborn, Overwatch and the name “hero shooter”
Where did the term hero shooter come from? 2K's 2014 Battleborn pitch, Overwatch three weeks later, Team Fortress 2's role, and Concord and Marvel Rivals.
StoriesRollback netcode explained, and why fighting games switched
Rollback netcode explained: why delay-based online play feels laggy, how GGPO guesses and rewinds, and how Guilty Gear Strive, SF6 and Tekken 8 switched.
StoriesWho coined “metroidvania”? A Usenet joke, a lost forum and a word nobody loved
Who coined metroidvania? A 2001 Usenet joke, 1UP's Jeremy Parish denying it, Koji Igarashi calling the word handy, and the critics who want it gone.
StoriesWhy 4X is called 4X: a joke rating in a 1993 magazine
Why is it called 4X? Alan Emrich's 1993 Master of Orion preview in Computer Gaming World rated it XXXX: explore, expand, exploit, exterminate.
- Glossary
Animation cancelling
What is animation cancelling? Interrupting an action mid-animation to start another, from fighting-game cancels on, and its opposite, animation priority.
- Glossary
Battle pass
What is a battle pass? The seasonal reward track with free and premium tiers, how Dota 2 started it in 2013 and Fortnite spread it, and the games that use one.
- Glossary
Bunny hopping
What is bunny hopping? Chaining jumps with strafing to go faster than a game's top speed, from Quake to Counter-Strike and Apex Legends.