# Overview

Keep your players engaged with **News & Announcements** directly in your launcher. Push updates, events, patches, and more!

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<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2F5I4iE03Nrmm5jKhdvMr5%2FLauncher%20Screenshot.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ffefee0c-cb8c-43f8-9b47-308d6e7a18a6" alt=""><figcaption><p>Game Launcher with News</p></figcaption></figure></div>

## What is News?

News articles are rich content pieces that appear in your launcher, keeping players informed and engaged with your game.

**News can include:**

* Patch notes and updates
* Special events and promotions
* Community highlights
* Bug fixes and known issues
* Upcoming content teases
* Gameplay tips and guides

***

## News Types

### App News

**Specific to the app and environments**

* Appears only for that application in the selected environments
* Game-specific updates
* Targeted to game's players

***

## News Status

News can have two states:

<table><thead><tr><th width="374">Status</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Draft</strong></td><td>Marked as work in progress</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Published</strong></td><td>Marked as ready to use</td></tr></tbody></table>

***

## News Components

News articles are highly customizable with multiple sections:

<figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2FqByldvwKQJ3iN8EytxFl%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=e0373805-1210-4ad0-9a8a-65a40c633843" alt=""><figcaption><p>News Builder - Alerts</p></figcaption></figure>

<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2Fh4ypc6npoDHqm4s2AUts%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=80d4f12b-1a5a-4a00-b0fe-003c6dd8bb04" alt=""><figcaption><p>Launcher Desktop - Alerts</p></figcaption></figure></div>

### Alerts

Eye-catching banners at the top of the launcher.

**Alert Types:**

* **Announcement** (Blue) - General information
* **Alert** (Yellow) - Important notices
* **Critical** (Red) - Urgent warnings

**Features:**

* Custom message
* Optional date display
* Clickable link
* Show from/until date scheduling

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### 📰 Main News

The primary news article with rich content.

<figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2FlsB4b0oWGiXte1BApKGK%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a379aaa9-aef1-41ff-be42-ef99c1237266" alt=""><figcaption><p>News Builder - Main News</p></figcaption></figure>

<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2FKrs4BOBKyt3Umh8rbxvr%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a5f65296-325d-4863-a663-97d6756ec066" alt=""><figcaption><p>Launcher Desktop - Main News</p></figcaption></figure></div>

**Components:**

* **Header**: Optional category/section name
* **Title**: Main headline
* **Subtitle**: Secondary text with optional custom color
* **Date**: Publication date
* **Image**: Featured image (16:9 recommended) - **Supports animated GIFs!**
* **Video**: YouTube/Vimeo embed
* **Content**: Rich text body
* **Button**: Call-to-action with custom label and link

**Layout Options:**

* Vertical image layout (default)
* Horizontal image layout (image beside text)

***

### 📑 Sub News

Smaller news cards for quick updates.

<figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2FJbCtkJPDlJngZIfCGLah%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=34cc81e5-aba4-4c8f-93cb-2c5631e4bce9" alt=""><figcaption><p>News Builder - Sub News</p></figcaption></figure>

<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2FWJSGcPt7u3MJTqqEjy4x%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=cb8f4030-6c8f-4092-8c2a-7022284b7c01" alt=""><figcaption><p>Launcher Desktop - Sub News</p></figcaption></figure></div>

**Features:**

* Compact card design
* Title and subtitle
* Small image thumbnail - **Supports animated GIFs!**
* Optional date
* Clickable link
* Display order control

**Perfect for:**

* Quick announcements
* Related articles
* Patch history
* Event reminders
* Animated teasers and previews

***

### AI Content Assistant

Generate content with AI:

* Write patch notes from bullet points
* Expand short descriptions
* Translate to multiple languages
* Improve grammar and clarity

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## News Analytics

Track engagement with your news:

<div data-full-width="true"><figure><img src="https://4241524842-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FnNH3XbUy7pSptjMVADb2%2Fuploads%2FzWr0ryPsfZNFP5J1csXI%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6c0b63b6-d962-460a-ba00-fca1255b368d" alt=""><figcaption><p>News Analytics</p></figcaption></figure></div>

| Metric       | Description                                       |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Views**    | How many times the news was seen (click to enter) |
| **Likes**    | Player reactions                                  |
| **Comments** | Player feedback (if enabled)                      |

***

## Team Permissions

Control who can manage news:

| Role                | Can Create | Can Edit | Can Publish | Can Delete |
| ------------------- | ---------- | -------- | ----------- | ---------- |
| **Viewer**          | ❌          | ❌        | ❌           | ❌          |
| **Content Manager** | ✅          | ✅        | ✅           | ✅          |
| **Developer**       | ❌          | ❌        | ❌           | ❌          |
| **Editor**          | ✅          | ✅        | ✅           | ❌          |
| **Admin**           | ✅          | ✅        | ✅           | ✅          |
| **Owner**           | ✅          | ✅        | ✅           | ✅          |

{% hint style="info" %}
**Content Manager Role**: Specifically designed for managing news and announcements!
{% endhint %}

***

## Best Practices

{% hint style="info" %}
**Recommendations**:

* ✅ Keep titles concise and engaging
* ✅ Use high-quality images (16:9 ratio)
* ✅ Write clear, scannable content
* ✅ Include call-to-action buttons
* ✅ Use alerts sparingly for impact
* ✅ Schedule news in advance
* ✅ Archive old news regularly
* ✅ Test in Development before Production
* ✅ Monitor analytics to improve engagement
* ✅ Use animated GIFs to grab attention
* ✅ Keep GIF file sizes reasonable (< 5MB recommended)
* ✅ Ensure GIFs loop smoothly
  {% endhint %}

***

## Next Steps

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>📝 Create News</strong></td><td>Write your first news article</td><td><a href="create-news">create-news</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>🎨 Design Tips</strong></td><td>Make engaging news content</td><td><a href="https://github.com/GameLauncherCloud/GameLauncherCloud-Gitbook/blob/main/docs/news/news-design-tips.md">https://github.com/GameLauncherCloud/GameLauncherCloud-Gitbook/blob/main/docs/news/news-design-tips.md</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>📊 Analytics</strong></td><td>Track news performance</td><td><a href="https://github.com/GameLauncherCloud/GameLauncherCloud-Gitbook/blob/main/docs/news/news-analytics.md">https://github.com/GameLauncherCloud/GameLauncherCloud-Gitbook/blob/main/docs/news/news-analytics.md</a></td></tr></tbody></table>