West Virginia
Video game executives open studio in West Virginia
LOGAN, WV (WOWK) — If you play “Fortnite,” chances are you’ve played on a map made in Logan County and one that has the same mountainous terrain.
PlayKigai is a fully remote global video game studio founded in Logan in January 2024.
Last month, the studio released a Fortnite map called “Dizzy Realistics,” where players can compete in a one-versus-one high-level training arena.
PlayKigai’s founders are industry veterans, including Aaron Chambers, a former employee at PlayStation and Twitch, and Simone Di Gravio, formerly of Epic Games.
Chambers is from Logan and graduated from West Virginia University. He says he moved back to Logan from California to be able to work on game development from the comfort of his home.
“A lot of people who want to be where they are, but don’t want to move to make something cool. That was the seed for something like PlayKigai. And we just ran with it,” Chambers said.
His co-founder and business partner, Simone Di Gravio, works out of Italy. He says it is his and Chambers’ dream that PlayKigai make their own video games from scratch.
“I really missed making a product that we can ship, and say I made this. I made it from start to end and I shipped it out,” said Di Gravio.
“I hope in a year or two, it won’t be just Fortnite maps,” Chambers said. “We’re starting with our strengths. In a year or two, we’ll be able to say we played lots of games made in Logan County, West Virginia.”
The studio’s next projects are also Fortnite maps, including “Backrooms Mansion” and “Ace Sniper.” The first is a horror/survival game where up to four players try to survive against waves of dark energy, and the second is a training map where players can test long-distance weapons.
By mid-to-late 2025, Chambers says they hope to be developing their own video games, in addition to their contract work.
West Virginia
West Virginia town’s entire police force fired after ex-sergeant claims evidence room was broken into
A tiny West Virginia town has been left without a police department after every officer was fired following a dispute over an apparent break-in at the department’s evidence room.
The Barrackville Police Department announced in a Facebook post Tuesday that, effective immediately, every member of the department had been relieved of duty by the Barrackville Town Council and Mayor Tom Straight.
A former sergeant, identified only as Sgt. Hunt, told 12 News he arrived at the department Tuesday morning and found the evidence room had been broken into.
Hunt said he immediately called a meeting with Straight and the town council.
According to Hunt, council members had previously said they wanted to inventory the department without any officers present.
He also claimed a council member admitted to taking a set of police keys.
After accusing members of the town government of breaking into the evidence room, Hunt said he and the department’s only other officer were immediately removed from active duty.
Hunt said the department’s police clerk also resigned, leaving the town with no police staff. He said he informed the mayor and council that he would be seeking whistleblower protection.
The mass firing came less than a week after Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn resigned. Hunt said the chief quit over what he described as repeated clashes with the town council over how much control it had over the department.
Marion County Sheriff Roger Cunningham told the station that deputies will continue responding to calls in Barrackville while the town of 1,288 people is without a police department.
Resident Isabella Pham said she hopes the turmoil comes to an end.
“I just think that the town right now is in a little bit of a mess,” Pham told the West Virginian Times.
“We’ve gone through a lot of different people, and I’m just hoping that at the end of this, we can get a little bit of stability, transparency and security, and get back to having a stronger community versus a town of pitchforks and torches.”
Governor Patrick Morrisey (Photo/MetroNews)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Governor Patrick Morrisey has appointed a new member of the state House of Delegates.
Shane Thomas Stack, of Triadelphia, was appointed Tuesday to represent District 4. Stack replaces former Delegate Bill Flanigan who resigned to join the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia following his election to the Division 2 seat.
“Shane Stack is an outstanding choice to represent the families and communities of the fourth district,” Morrisey said in a release. “With his deep roots in the local community, his background as a business owner, and his proven experience managing municipal finances, Shane understands what it takes to support economic growth and advocate for working West Virginians. He will serve his constituents well in Charleston.”
In Morrisey’s release, it said that Stack has a diverse background in small business ownership, municipal finance, and higher education administration. Stack currently is the owner, licensed auctioneer, and certified appraiser for Frio Stack & Associates, as well as the owner of Island Pawn & Gun.
Stack previously worked as the Town Treasurer for West Liberty.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in General Business from West Liberty University.
West Virginia
Sentencing for man convicted of murdering West Virginia State Trooper; other top stories
MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Sentencing is underway for Timothy Kennedy, the man convicted of murdering West Virginia State Police Trooper Cory Maynard.
Trooper Maynard was shot to death in June 2023.
The jury found Kennedy guilty on all counts: first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree disarming a law enforcement officer, and two counts of first-degree attempted murder.
Shannon Litton has has that, plus your other top stories for Tuesday, July 7th.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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