Look at Gaming #338 | 11.22.2023
GM! Happy Early Thanksgivin' to all! Just a short one today.
Video games are larger than ever now. They keep getting larger still. But is there a limit?
GTA 6, Call of Duty, Zelda, Mario Bros., are just a selective few banner titles. Although 2023 has been the year with the highest number of games above the 90 metacritic score, the industry is shakey. Aside from the layoffs which could be a natural retraction of the gross expansion due to COVID, the games sector is unsustainable.
Triple AAA games are more complicated and more expensive than ever. Court documents revealed that it costs hundreds of millions for titles like Horizon Forbidden West. The Verge released the last episode of their miniseries on gaming. They talk about possible futures for four AAA games (Assassin's Creed, Madden, CoD, and GTA).
All eyes are on GTA as its a title that has changed the games industry many times before.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are indie games. I'd check out this piece by GamesIndustry.biz covering the indie scene at Xbox. For those that don't know ID@Xbox is an initiative focused on publishing/supporting indie games.
Then a last piece of reading is Deconstructor of Fun's Console Gaming's Triple Threat. I've mentioned before how I believe that handheld consoles is going to change the landscape yet again. So studying what consoles got right and how it'll be implemented on handhelds is an astute action to take.
That's all for today. Happy Turkey day and catch y'all soon.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto VI, and the fate of AAA games | The Verge
🌊 MARKET 📞
Games VC funding down 68% YoY per PitchBook Q3 report | GamesBeat
China's game market to grow 5.2% this year | GamesIndustry.biz
Xsolla releases first ever State Of Play report, offering insight into the future of mobile games | PGBiz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Are Embracer's struggles a sign of wider issues to come? | GamesIndustry.biz
Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto VI, and the fate of AAA games | The Verge
Console Gaming’s Triple Threat | Deconstructor of Fun
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Why Supercell rebooted its creator program | Mobilegamer.biz
The indie scene "is not going anywhere" on Xbox – as long as it can thrive | GamesIndustry.biz
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ubisoft's 'Champions Tactics' NFT Game Is Coming to Animoca's 'Mocaverse' | Decrypt.gg
State of Web3 With Game7 | Naavik
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
15 years later, Chet Faliszek dishes on the making of Left 4 Dead | GameDeveloper
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Saga raises $5M more in seed funding for Web3 protocol development | GamesBeat
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Happy Early Thanksgivin' to all! Just a short one today.
Video games are larger than ever now. They keep getting larger still. But is there a limit?
GTA 6, Call of Duty, Zelda, Mario Bros., are just a selective few banner titles. Although 2023 has been the year with the highest number of games above the 90 metacritic score, the industry is shakey. Aside from the layoffs which could be a natural retraction of the gross expansion due to COVID, the games sector is unsustainable.
Triple AAA games are more complicated and more expensive than ever. Court documents revealed that it costs hundreds of millions for titles like Horizon Forbidden West. The Verge released the last episode of their miniseries on gaming. They talk about possible futures for four AAA games (Assassin's Creed, Madden, CoD, and GTA).
All eyes are on GTA as its a title that has changed the games industry many times before.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are indie games. I'd check out this piece by GamesIndustry.biz covering the indie scene at Xbox. For those that don't know ID@Xbox is an initiative focused on publishing/supporting indie games.
Then a last piece of reading is Deconstructor of Fun's Console Gaming's Triple Threat. I've mentioned before how I believe that handheld consoles is going to change the landscape yet again. So studying what consoles got right and how it'll be implemented on handhelds is an astute action to take.
That's all for today. Happy Turkey day and catch y'all soon.
-----
Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto VI, and the fate of AAA games | The Verge
Games VC funding down 68% YoY per PitchBook Q3 report | GamesBeat
China's game market to grow 5.2% this year | GamesIndustry.biz
Xsolla releases first ever State Of Play report, offering insight into the future of mobile games | PGBiz
Are Embracer's struggles a sign of wider issues to come? | GamesIndustry.biz
Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto VI, and the fate of AAA games | The Verge
Console Gaming’s Triple Threat | Deconstructor of Fun
Why Supercell rebooted its creator program | Mobilegamer.biz
The indie scene "is not going anywhere" on Xbox – as long as it can thrive | GamesIndustry.biz
Ubisoft's 'Champions Tactics' NFT Game Is Coming to Animoca's 'Mocaverse' | Decrypt.gg
State of Web3 With Game7 | Naavik
15 years later, Chet Faliszek dishes on the making of Left 4 Dead | GameDeveloper
Saga raises $5M more in seed funding for Web3 protocol development | GamesBeat
-----
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The Verge
Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto VI, and the fate of AAA games
Can Call of Duty run the world forever? We tried to find out.
❤3👍1🙏1
Look at Gaming #339 | 11.23.2023
GM! Happy Turkey Day!
We appreciate you and thank you for rocking with us.
So today I want to cover a research piece from SuperScale (mobile growth platform) that claims 83% of mobile games fail within 3 years and nearly half are cancelled during production. They interviewed 500 game devs in the UK and US to acquire these insights.
Only 4% of games hit peak revenue during their second year. This means that even though a game has a good initial roll out, continued success in year 2 is still extremely hard to achieve.
Despite these 80% of developers prefer working on new titles but a third of them feels like its too difficult to succeed.
In a blog post by SuperJoost (NYU professor and founder of NPD, a renowned data provider) said the layoff environment in games right now will lead us to mediocrity.
Platform fees are tough to renegotiate. Marketing is the lifeblood of the company. So headcount is usually the first line item that gets cut. So even if developers wanted to build new innovative titles, they won't have the capital to fund it nor the people to build it.
2023 has been a banner year for game releases — though it's a lot of the same. It's definitely things we like but it's also things we're used to liking.
I hope to see web3 gaming challenge some norms and push some boundaries on this front. Web3 founders have already chosen to play on hard mode so they're already furthest out on the risk curve. So let's go for gold.
Happy Holidays! Will catch y'all on Monday.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Report: 83% of mobile games fail in the three years after launch | GamesIndustry.biz
🌊 MARKET 📞
What's the gaming M&A market like in 2023? | GamesIndustry.biz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Report: 83% of mobile games fail in the three years after launch | GamesIndustry.biz
A path to self-publishing | Brutally Honest
Best layoffs of the year | SuperJoost Playlist
The three conversion funnels of a digital product | MobileDevMemo
Podcast: Exploring the CTV advertising opportunity (with Peter Hamilton) | MobileDevMemo
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
GAM3 reveals shortlist for Web3 gaming awards with $2M prize pool | GamesBeat
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
A case for building your own tech | GamesIndustry.biz
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Game Studio Behind Matr1x Fire Raises $10 Million for NFT Mobile Shooter | Decrypt.gg
Layer AI raises $1.8m in funding | GamesIndustry.biz
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Happy Turkey Day!
We appreciate you and thank you for rocking with us.
So today I want to cover a research piece from SuperScale (mobile growth platform) that claims 83% of mobile games fail within 3 years and nearly half are cancelled during production. They interviewed 500 game devs in the UK and US to acquire these insights.
Only 4% of games hit peak revenue during their second year. This means that even though a game has a good initial roll out, continued success in year 2 is still extremely hard to achieve.
Despite these 80% of developers prefer working on new titles but a third of them feels like its too difficult to succeed.
In a blog post by SuperJoost (NYU professor and founder of NPD, a renowned data provider) said the layoff environment in games right now will lead us to mediocrity.
Platform fees are tough to renegotiate. Marketing is the lifeblood of the company. So headcount is usually the first line item that gets cut. So even if developers wanted to build new innovative titles, they won't have the capital to fund it nor the people to build it.
2023 has been a banner year for game releases — though it's a lot of the same. It's definitely things we like but it's also things we're used to liking.
I hope to see web3 gaming challenge some norms and push some boundaries on this front. Web3 founders have already chosen to play on hard mode so they're already furthest out on the risk curve. So let's go for gold.
Happy Holidays! Will catch y'all on Monday.
-----
Report: 83% of mobile games fail in the three years after launch | GamesIndustry.biz
What's the gaming M&A market like in 2023? | GamesIndustry.biz
Report: 83% of mobile games fail in the three years after launch | GamesIndustry.biz
A path to self-publishing | Brutally Honest
Best layoffs of the year | SuperJoost Playlist
The three conversion funnels of a digital product | MobileDevMemo
Podcast: Exploring the CTV advertising opportunity (with Peter Hamilton) | MobileDevMemo
GAM3 reveals shortlist for Web3 gaming awards with $2M prize pool | GamesBeat
A case for building your own tech | GamesIndustry.biz
Game Studio Behind Matr1x Fire Raises $10 Million for NFT Mobile Shooter | Decrypt.gg
Layer AI raises $1.8m in funding | GamesIndustry.biz
-----
Drop a gg!
Please open Telegram to view this post
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GamesIndustry.biz
Report: 83% of mobile games fail in the three years after launch
New research from mobile revenue growth engine SuperScale has found that 83% of launched mobile games fail within three…
❤1
Look at Gaming #340 | 11.27.2023
GM! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. There were a ton of gaming sales all over so make sure to fill up those holiday bags.
Now back to your regular programming.
Today I want to talk about Pokemon. Typically, IPs have a hard time landing the transmedia leap. We've seen a lot of game films flops and films-turned-to-game losers. So that alone shows us how Amazing Pokemon is.
Pokemon was founded in 1996 by Satoshi Tajiri and earlier last month in 2023 we saw the first live-action TV series in Japan. Between the creation and the new show, Pokemon took myriad forms — such as anime and trading cards and from big cinematic films to triple AAA game titles.
Just think about that. There are probably 2 to 3 generations of childhood influences imbued into this one IP. Similar to the power of Disney, 90s babies grew up to be adults who loves the IP probably introduced it to their own children. Thus the cycle continues. A forever franchise.
But this didn't just happen. Game Freak (creator of Pokemon) had to rescue to the IP back in 2006. Sales were in decline and they were about to release their latest titles: Pokemon Pearl and Diamond. Up to this point, Pokemon has largely been an offline experience.
Game Freak created Pokemon Garden, an online Yahoo! Kids portal, which would be the equivalent of a "second screen" experience today. The online platform shared the history of Pokemon as well as a collection of mini games to drum up excitement for the game's release.
Jumping ahead another decade to 2016, and we have Pokemon GO. This was quite a unique departure from the company's norms since this would be a co-development with Niantics. Experiencing again with new technology such as AR, not to mention it also expanded the age demographic for the game.
There are more stories and notable events in Pokemon's history but you'll have to read the article in the Spotlight below for the full story!
Catch y'all tomorrow!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle | The Verge
🌊 MARKET 📞
Gabe Newell ordered to make in-person deposition for Valve v. Wolfire Games lawsuit | GamesIndustry.biz
Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle | The Verge
Adjust and TikTok boast 220% iOS app conversion leap with SKAdNetwork 4 | PGBiz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Savvy Games Group’s Ambition, Strategy, and Future | Naavik
Counter-Strike 2 Major in Asia | StreamHatchet
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Axie Infinity Starts Giving NFT Owners Commercial Rights as Official Merch Drops | Decrypt.gg
The long-term value proposition of Web3 games | GamesBeat
Ubisoft Is Bringing Rayman, 'Captain Laserhawk' NFT Avatars to The Sandbox | Decrypt.gg
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. There were a ton of gaming sales all over so make sure to fill up those holiday bags.
Now back to your regular programming.
Today I want to talk about Pokemon. Typically, IPs have a hard time landing the transmedia leap. We've seen a lot of game films flops and films-turned-to-game losers. So that alone shows us how Amazing Pokemon is.
Pokemon was founded in 1996 by Satoshi Tajiri and earlier last month in 2023 we saw the first live-action TV series in Japan. Between the creation and the new show, Pokemon took myriad forms — such as anime and trading cards and from big cinematic films to triple AAA game titles.
Just think about that. There are probably 2 to 3 generations of childhood influences imbued into this one IP. Similar to the power of Disney, 90s babies grew up to be adults who loves the IP probably introduced it to their own children. Thus the cycle continues. A forever franchise.
But this didn't just happen. Game Freak (creator of Pokemon) had to rescue to the IP back in 2006. Sales were in decline and they were about to release their latest titles: Pokemon Pearl and Diamond. Up to this point, Pokemon has largely been an offline experience.
Game Freak created Pokemon Garden, an online Yahoo! Kids portal, which would be the equivalent of a "second screen" experience today. The online platform shared the history of Pokemon as well as a collection of mini games to drum up excitement for the game's release.
Jumping ahead another decade to 2016, and we have Pokemon GO. This was quite a unique departure from the company's norms since this would be a co-development with Niantics. Experiencing again with new technology such as AR, not to mention it also expanded the age demographic for the game.
There are more stories and notable events in Pokemon's history but you'll have to read the article in the Spotlight below for the full story!
Catch y'all tomorrow!
-----
Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle | The Verge
Gabe Newell ordered to make in-person deposition for Valve v. Wolfire Games lawsuit | GamesIndustry.biz
Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle | The Verge
Adjust and TikTok boast 220% iOS app conversion leap with SKAdNetwork 4 | PGBiz
Savvy Games Group’s Ambition, Strategy, and Future | Naavik
Counter-Strike 2 Major in Asia | StreamHatchet
Axie Infinity Starts Giving NFT Owners Commercial Rights as Official Merch Drops | Decrypt.gg
The long-term value proposition of Web3 games | GamesBeat
Ubisoft Is Bringing Rayman, 'Captain Laserhawk' NFT Avatars to The Sandbox | Decrypt.gg
-----
Drop a gg!
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
The Verge
Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle
Gotta watch / play / buy ’em all.
❤4
Look at Gaming #341 | 11.28.2023
GM. I'm normally bearish when big tech tries to "do" gaming. See Google's Stadia, Amazon's numerous attempts, TikTok reducing headcount in its gaming department.
Building games is a craft. Cultivating a community takes a lot of TLC.
But this YouTube news caught my interest. The world's largest video platform is releasing a collection of mini games called 'Playables' and we should pay attention.
These games don't require any registration or installation. It's natively available within the YouTube mobile app and desktop browser.
I'm bullish on these "instant games". Netflix offers a similar experience with their mobile applications. Meta released a beta version of their instant games platform this month.
But back to YouTube. I think these snackable Playables are a prelude. I normally have YouTube open while playing a game — it's the de facto second-screen venue for many gamers. Now offering games natively into the platform could allow YouTube to fully own the gamer's experience — shooting to transition from the secondary screen to the primary one.
In other news, we have a report showing that gaming technology applied in non-gaming industry is $1.6B. I think this is the market we should observe for traction around the "metaverse". For example, Unity is used by automotive manufacturers and architects for modeling purposes. Unity's Unreal was used to produce Disney's The Mandalorian.
Catch y'all tomorrow!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
YouTube is getting into games, too | The Verge
🌊 MARKET 📞
East Asia Games Market Report | Niko Partners
UKIE: Video game technology was worth £1.3 billion in 2021 for non-gaming industries | GamesIndustry.biz
DDM: Gaming Investment Market in Q3 2023 | GameDev Reports
🌈 Platforms 🏠
YouTube is getting into games, too | The Verge
Eminem Fortnite Concert: Nostalgia For a New Generation | StreamHatchet
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Symbiogenesis' Launch Date Revealed as Square Enix Gives Out Free NFTs | Decrypt.gg
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
The five pillars of emergent gameplay | GamesIndustry.biz
Product Marketing Management for Games | Deconstructor of Fun
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Hololight raises $12M for XR streaming software | GamesBeat
-----
Drop a gg!
GM. I'm normally bearish when big tech tries to "do" gaming. See Google's Stadia, Amazon's numerous attempts, TikTok reducing headcount in its gaming department.
Building games is a craft. Cultivating a community takes a lot of TLC.
But this YouTube news caught my interest. The world's largest video platform is releasing a collection of mini games called 'Playables' and we should pay attention.
These games don't require any registration or installation. It's natively available within the YouTube mobile app and desktop browser.
I'm bullish on these "instant games". Netflix offers a similar experience with their mobile applications. Meta released a beta version of their instant games platform this month.
But back to YouTube. I think these snackable Playables are a prelude. I normally have YouTube open while playing a game — it's the de facto second-screen venue for many gamers. Now offering games natively into the platform could allow YouTube to fully own the gamer's experience — shooting to transition from the secondary screen to the primary one.
In other news, we have a report showing that gaming technology applied in non-gaming industry is $1.6B. I think this is the market we should observe for traction around the "metaverse". For example, Unity is used by automotive manufacturers and architects for modeling purposes. Unity's Unreal was used to produce Disney's The Mandalorian.
Catch y'all tomorrow!
-----
YouTube is getting into games, too | The Verge
East Asia Games Market Report | Niko Partners
UKIE: Video game technology was worth £1.3 billion in 2021 for non-gaming industries | GamesIndustry.biz
DDM: Gaming Investment Market in Q3 2023 | GameDev Reports
YouTube is getting into games, too | The Verge
Eminem Fortnite Concert: Nostalgia For a New Generation | StreamHatchet
Symbiogenesis' Launch Date Revealed as Square Enix Gives Out Free NFTs | Decrypt.gg
The five pillars of emergent gameplay | GamesIndustry.biz
Product Marketing Management for Games | Deconstructor of Fun
Hololight raises $12M for XR streaming software | GamesBeat
-----
Drop a gg!
Please open Telegram to view this post
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The Verge
YouTube is now getting into games
YouTube Premium subscribers can test more than 30 mini-games — but they might not be here to stay.
❤4
Look at Gaming #342 | 12.04.2023
GM frens. Apologies for the hiatus! Spent some extra time with the fam this holiday! But we're back to our regularly scheduled programming.
One Billion United States Dollars. That's how much Xbox spends per year to deliver us the amazing gaming catalog on Game Pass. And guess what, Game Pass actually makes money.
Phil Spencer is the boss at Xbox. He said in an interview that he doesn't care what games players play as long as their playing more and staying engaged. The subscription service provides both variety and consistency.
Quick research shows that there are 25M Xbox Game Pass subscribers in 2022 with $2.9B in revenue in 2021. What's more important though is the QUALITY of these types of revenue.
Not all revenues are treated equally. My finance professor would drill that into us. Subscription revenues, especially those that have a track record of high retention, are worth a lot more than one large lump sum revenue, especially if that one-time revenue is cyclical or seasonal.
This type of reliable revenue is highly beneficial to the company in two ways: (1) Wall Street / investors like the stock; (2) The company's finances are more predictable, making operations smoother.
In other news, Google and Apple announced the top games of the year (unsurprisingly, Honkai: Star Rail won BOTH). Fortnite hosted an Eminem concert, previously it had Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and Marshmello.
Catch you guys tmrw!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Microsoft spending over $1 billion annually on third-party Xbox Game Pass titles | GameDeveloper
🌊 MARKET 📞
Apptica & Gamelight: The Mobile Market in Q3 2023 | GameDev Reports
Nintendo FY'24 Q1-Q2 Report: Numbers and insights | GameDev Reports
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
UEFN Studios: Boom, Bust, or Choose Roblox? | Naavik
Brawl Stars Championship Finals - Mobile Streaming | Stream Hatchet
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Microsoft spending over $1 billion annually on third-party Xbox Game Pass titles | GameDeveloper
Epic explains why it hasn't sued Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft over 30% fee | Epic vs Google | GamesIndustry.biz
Fortnite’s Eminem concert teased the future of the game | The Verge
Google Play reveals its Best of 2023 award winners | PGBiz
Apple unveils App Store Award winners. These are the best apps and games of 2023 | PGBiz
-----
Drop a gg!
GM frens. Apologies for the hiatus! Spent some extra time with the fam this holiday! But we're back to our regularly scheduled programming.
One Billion United States Dollars. That's how much Xbox spends per year to deliver us the amazing gaming catalog on Game Pass. And guess what, Game Pass actually makes money.
Phil Spencer is the boss at Xbox. He said in an interview that he doesn't care what games players play as long as their playing more and staying engaged. The subscription service provides both variety and consistency.
Quick research shows that there are 25M Xbox Game Pass subscribers in 2022 with $2.9B in revenue in 2021. What's more important though is the QUALITY of these types of revenue.
Not all revenues are treated equally. My finance professor would drill that into us. Subscription revenues, especially those that have a track record of high retention, are worth a lot more than one large lump sum revenue, especially if that one-time revenue is cyclical or seasonal.
This type of reliable revenue is highly beneficial to the company in two ways: (1) Wall Street / investors like the stock; (2) The company's finances are more predictable, making operations smoother.
In other news, Google and Apple announced the top games of the year (unsurprisingly, Honkai: Star Rail won BOTH). Fortnite hosted an Eminem concert, previously it had Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and Marshmello.
Catch you guys tmrw!
-----
Microsoft spending over $1 billion annually on third-party Xbox Game Pass titles | GameDeveloper
Apptica & Gamelight: The Mobile Market in Q3 2023 | GameDev Reports
Nintendo FY'24 Q1-Q2 Report: Numbers and insights | GameDev Reports
UEFN Studios: Boom, Bust, or Choose Roblox? | Naavik
Brawl Stars Championship Finals - Mobile Streaming | Stream Hatchet
Microsoft spending over $1 billion annually on third-party Xbox Game Pass titles | GameDeveloper
Epic explains why it hasn't sued Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft over 30% fee | Epic vs Google | GamesIndustry.biz
Fortnite’s Eminem concert teased the future of the game | The Verge
Google Play reveals its Best of 2023 award winners | PGBiz
Apple unveils App Store Award winners. These are the best apps and games of 2023 | PGBiz
-----
Drop a gg!
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Game Developer
Microsoft spending over $1 billion annually on third-party Xbox Game Pass titles
Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated the subscription service is "financially viable" despite that outlay.
❤3
Look at Gaming #343 | 12.06.2023
GM! One of the many reasons I hear that web3 games is most greenest field in all of crypto is that there aren't any regulatory overhang.
But I don't think that's fully true.
GamesIndustry released an analysis piece discussing loot boxes in the current regulatory landscape. This is important to pay attention to since almost every video game has some loot-box-like components. But what are loot boxes?
According to the author, Loot box is any in-game purchase(s) with randomized elements that are bought with real-world money.
The easiest classification of loot boxes would be to consider them as gambling. Thus, existing laws are applied. Easy. Though there are other regulators that are deciding on different course of enforcement actions such as advocating for consumer protection laws, information disclosures, etc. Lastly, the simplest option is an outright ban, which is what Belgium decided to do.
The Netherlands followed suit and proposed a ban, still pending. Austria might consider it illegal gambling. Germany and Australia opted for an age rating decision, meaning games that have loot boxes would be rated for more mature audiences. Taiwan, Korea, Italy, Netherlands demands the probabilities and relevant information be publicly disclosed and accessible. But Netherlands does want the real money price of the item, even when the item is purchased with in-game currency.
In the UK, loot boxes have warning labels. The US and Canada are embroiled with class action lawsuits around this topic.
Given the global nature of crypto and web3, these jurisdictional tolerance and treatment of loot boxes must be navigated shrewdly.
In other news, we have we have a great blog post on revenue profiling by Brutally Honest and The Verge covered the final days of the Epic v Google trial. Fortnite is launching 3 new game experiences and GTA 6 trailer is out.
Catch y'all next time!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Loot box State of Play 2023: A global update on regulation | GamesIndustry.biz
🌊 MARKET 📞
A fortnight in Fortnite court | The Verge
The African games industry in numbers | GamesIndustry.biz
Loot box State of Play 2023: A global update on regulation | GamesIndustry.biz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The future of gaming: Social ecosystems that transcend platforms | GamesBeat
Ampere Analysis: Gaming subscription services in the Q3'23 | GameDev Reports
Apptica & Gamelight: The Mobile Market in Q3 2023 | GameDev Reports
Tile Busters: Leaving The Reddest Ocean To Find A Blue Spot | Deconstructor of Fun
Revenue Profiling | Brutally Honest
What does Epic's Big Bang mean for the future of Fortnite? | GameDiscoverCo
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Fortnite is expanding its horizons with a Lego building game and a Rock Band successor | TechCrunch
PlayStation keeps reminding us why digital ownership sucks | The Verge
Discord rolls out mobile update in quest to become better messaging app | The Verge
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Notorious B.I.G. Immortalized in Ethereum Metaverse Game The Sandbox | Decrypt.gghttps://decrypt.co/208521/notorious-big-immortalized-ethereum-metaverse-game-sandbox
Amazon Prime Is Giving Out Free Card Packs for NFT Game 'Gods Unchained' | Decrypt.gg
Sky Mavis teams up with Foonie Magus to take Apeiron to Ronin network | GamesBeat
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Arcweave raises $850k to build AI-powered game creation tools | GamesBeat
Former Activision Blizzard CEO supports GameTree's $1.7M seed round for AI app to unite gamers | PGBiz
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
GTA VI Game Trailer Analysis | Stream Hatchet
Supercell: "We need to make our games fucking famous, and become part of pop culture." | GameDev Reports
-----
GM! One of the many reasons I hear that web3 games is most greenest field in all of crypto is that there aren't any regulatory overhang.
But I don't think that's fully true.
GamesIndustry released an analysis piece discussing loot boxes in the current regulatory landscape. This is important to pay attention to since almost every video game has some loot-box-like components. But what are loot boxes?
According to the author, Loot box is any in-game purchase(s) with randomized elements that are bought with real-world money.
The easiest classification of loot boxes would be to consider them as gambling. Thus, existing laws are applied. Easy. Though there are other regulators that are deciding on different course of enforcement actions such as advocating for consumer protection laws, information disclosures, etc. Lastly, the simplest option is an outright ban, which is what Belgium decided to do.
The Netherlands followed suit and proposed a ban, still pending. Austria might consider it illegal gambling. Germany and Australia opted for an age rating decision, meaning games that have loot boxes would be rated for more mature audiences. Taiwan, Korea, Italy, Netherlands demands the probabilities and relevant information be publicly disclosed and accessible. But Netherlands does want the real money price of the item, even when the item is purchased with in-game currency.
In the UK, loot boxes have warning labels. The US and Canada are embroiled with class action lawsuits around this topic.
Given the global nature of crypto and web3, these jurisdictional tolerance and treatment of loot boxes must be navigated shrewdly.
In other news, we have we have a great blog post on revenue profiling by Brutally Honest and The Verge covered the final days of the Epic v Google trial. Fortnite is launching 3 new game experiences and GTA 6 trailer is out.
Catch y'all next time!
-----
Loot box State of Play 2023: A global update on regulation | GamesIndustry.biz
A fortnight in Fortnite court | The Verge
The African games industry in numbers | GamesIndustry.biz
Loot box State of Play 2023: A global update on regulation | GamesIndustry.biz
The future of gaming: Social ecosystems that transcend platforms | GamesBeat
Ampere Analysis: Gaming subscription services in the Q3'23 | GameDev Reports
Apptica & Gamelight: The Mobile Market in Q3 2023 | GameDev Reports
Tile Busters: Leaving The Reddest Ocean To Find A Blue Spot | Deconstructor of Fun
Revenue Profiling | Brutally Honest
What does Epic's Big Bang mean for the future of Fortnite? | GameDiscoverCo
Fortnite is expanding its horizons with a Lego building game and a Rock Band successor | TechCrunch
PlayStation keeps reminding us why digital ownership sucks | The Verge
Discord rolls out mobile update in quest to become better messaging app | The Verge
Notorious B.I.G. Immortalized in Ethereum Metaverse Game The Sandbox | Decrypt.gghttps://decrypt.co/208521/notorious-big-immortalized-ethereum-metaverse-game-sandbox
Amazon Prime Is Giving Out Free Card Packs for NFT Game 'Gods Unchained' | Decrypt.gg
Sky Mavis teams up with Foonie Magus to take Apeiron to Ronin network | GamesBeat
Arcweave raises $850k to build AI-powered game creation tools | GamesBeat
Former Activision Blizzard CEO supports GameTree's $1.7M seed round for AI app to unite gamers | PGBiz
GTA VI Game Trailer Analysis | Stream Hatchet
Supercell: "We need to make our games fucking famous, and become part of pop culture." | GameDev Reports
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GamesIndustry.biz
Loot box State of Play 2023: A global update on regulation
Loot boxes are still here with us in 2023, and some countries are finally catching up with regulation.
❤4
Look at Gaming #344 | 12.08.2023
GM! Here's some weekend reads for you. We got A LOT lined up.
First, Epic launched a three new experiences this week. Outside of the standard Battle Royale and the Fortnite Islands, Epic Games hasn't innovated much on the core elements of the game. Now we know it's because of this latest release.
I want to highlight the LEGO experience. Fortnite is no stranger to collaborations but this is a whole different level. This is almost like the Minecraft vision realized. This is LEGOs in the metaverse. A survival-and-build game that will act as the building blocks for more things to come.
The choice of partnering with LEGO on this is genius on both the product and marketing front. The narrative for this joint venture taps into almost every gamers' inner child. The literal act of putting LEGO blocks together to build something fantastical as a solo experience or multiplayer play provides a cohesion of genre, narrative, and product.
Not to mention all of the cosmetics that a player has acquired over the numerous seasons of Fortnite is shared across all three of these new experiences. Like fr, how can anyone compete with Epic Games here.
WILD. THE METAVERSE IS HERE.
What do you buy? I guess that'd be Tencent. Haha. NFA. DYOR.
Aside from that, we also have the 2023 Games Award so go check out the line up and the categories. This has been a banner year so the competition is stiff.
<INSERT GTA MEME "Ah Sh** Here We Go Again">
The FTC is coming after the MSFT-ATVI deal again. This should be a wonderful waste of taxpayer money.
Lastly, there's a lot of great educational and learning opportunities with the reports in this post. Research on how PC players buying behavior, Do Alt App Store Really Unlock More Benefits, Digital Distribution & Monetization Strategy of Mobile Publishers. I'll be sure to be reading those this weekend.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Epic adds Lego mode to Fortnite, putting action behind metaverse talk | Axios
🌊 MARKET 📞
The Game Awards 2023: the biggest news, trailers, and announcements | The Verge
FTC appeals to block already-completed Microsoft-Activision deal | GamesIndustry.biz
GameStop posts lower sales, reduced losses | GamesIndustry.biz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The joy of six | SuperJoost Playlist
Ultra & Atomik Research: How PC Gamers Discover and Purchase Games | GameDev Reports
Can You Unlock More and Spend Less by Going Around the App Stores? | LiftOff
Story: The first paid mount in WoW earned more than StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | GameDev Reports
Digital Distribution & Monetization Strategy | Niko Partners
With GTA 6 not due until 2025, what will drive games in 2024? | GamesIndustry.biz
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Bethesda relaunches paid mod store for Skyrim: Special Edition | GameDeveloper
Microsoft accelerates plans for Xbox mobile marketplace launch | PGBiz
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Merit Circle Brings Immutable zkEVM Into Beam Crypto Gaming Ecosystem | Decrypt.gg
💲 Fundraising 🤑
GameOn Technology changes its name to On as it raises $25M | GamesBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Scopely is spending big on Monopoly Go UA – as much as $1.5bn to date | MobileGamer.biz
Squid Game: The Challenge gets a second season — and a video game |The Verge
Drop a gg!
-----
GM! Here's some weekend reads for you. We got A LOT lined up.
First, Epic launched a three new experiences this week. Outside of the standard Battle Royale and the Fortnite Islands, Epic Games hasn't innovated much on the core elements of the game. Now we know it's because of this latest release.
I want to highlight the LEGO experience. Fortnite is no stranger to collaborations but this is a whole different level. This is almost like the Minecraft vision realized. This is LEGOs in the metaverse. A survival-and-build game that will act as the building blocks for more things to come.
The choice of partnering with LEGO on this is genius on both the product and marketing front. The narrative for this joint venture taps into almost every gamers' inner child. The literal act of putting LEGO blocks together to build something fantastical as a solo experience or multiplayer play provides a cohesion of genre, narrative, and product.
Not to mention all of the cosmetics that a player has acquired over the numerous seasons of Fortnite is shared across all three of these new experiences. Like fr, how can anyone compete with Epic Games here.
WILD. THE METAVERSE IS HERE.
What do you buy? I guess that'd be Tencent. Haha. NFA. DYOR.
Aside from that, we also have the 2023 Games Award so go check out the line up and the categories. This has been a banner year so the competition is stiff.
<INSERT GTA MEME "Ah Sh** Here We Go Again">
The FTC is coming after the MSFT-ATVI deal again. This should be a wonderful waste of taxpayer money.
Lastly, there's a lot of great educational and learning opportunities with the reports in this post. Research on how PC players buying behavior, Do Alt App Store Really Unlock More Benefits, Digital Distribution & Monetization Strategy of Mobile Publishers. I'll be sure to be reading those this weekend.
-----
Epic adds Lego mode to Fortnite, putting action behind metaverse talk | Axios
The Game Awards 2023: the biggest news, trailers, and announcements | The Verge
FTC appeals to block already-completed Microsoft-Activision deal | GamesIndustry.biz
GameStop posts lower sales, reduced losses | GamesIndustry.biz
The joy of six | SuperJoost Playlist
Ultra & Atomik Research: How PC Gamers Discover and Purchase Games | GameDev Reports
Can You Unlock More and Spend Less by Going Around the App Stores? | LiftOff
Story: The first paid mount in WoW earned more than StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | GameDev Reports
Digital Distribution & Monetization Strategy | Niko Partners
With GTA 6 not due until 2025, what will drive games in 2024? | GamesIndustry.biz
Bethesda relaunches paid mod store for Skyrim: Special Edition | GameDeveloper
Microsoft accelerates plans for Xbox mobile marketplace launch | PGBiz
Merit Circle Brings Immutable zkEVM Into Beam Crypto Gaming Ecosystem | Decrypt.gg
GameOn Technology changes its name to On as it raises $25M | GamesBeat
Scopely is spending big on Monopoly Go UA – as much as $1.5bn to date | MobileGamer.biz
Squid Game: The Challenge gets a second season — and a video game |The Verge
Drop a gg!
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Axios
Epic adds Lego mode to Fortnite, putting action behind metaverse talk
Company says it wants the best developers in the world making games in Fortnite.
❤5
Look at Gaming #345 | 12.11.2023
GM! Do all roads lead to gaming (for NFT PFP projects)?
Pudgy Penguins will launch Pudgy World in 2024.
This profile picture (PFP) NFT project was started in July 2021. There's been a lot of history happening between then and now. There was a some issues with the original owners, which led to a buyout, then recently there was a huge Pudgy Penguin toy rollout across 2000 Walmart stores.
After toys, I supposed the logical next step would be a game?
This order of operations of going from profile picture to merchandising then to gaming could be a playbook many adopt. What is commendable though is how Pudgy Penguins went with a physical product rollout first instead of a digital one, like many other projects.
I think that by taking such a large (and difficult) step first, the Pudgy Penguin team is crossing that chasm from being a web3 niche to mainstream acceptance. It was quite a strategic move to do the hard thing first which greatly reduce the perceived execution risk in their next venture.
In other news, there a lot of great games released or will be release soon. The Games Award is usually the platform that studios and publishers use to drop new trailers and this year was no different. I'm most looking forward to The Finals and Black Myth Wu Kong. I feel that Chinese mythology/tales are usually neglected in gaming so it's great that I get to immerse myself into an old favorite childhood tale.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Pudgy Penguins Reveal 'Pudgy World' NFT Game Rollout Plans | Decrypt.gg
🌊 MARKET 📞
The animated VTuber Ironmouse won Content Creator of the Year at the Game Awards | TechCrunch
Don’t worry. The Game Awards shows cool games are coming in 2024 | GamesBeat
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
data.ai: What awaits mobile games in 2024 | GameDev Reports
Newzoo: Comparison of Launches of EA Sports FC 24 and FIFA 23 | GameDev Reports
Unlocking Role-Play For The Masses | Konvoy Ventures
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Former DotEmu and Playdigious co-founder announces alternative app store finder, StoreRider
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Pudgy Penguins Reveal 'Pudgy World' NFT Game Rollout Plans | Decrypt.gg
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
What is animation in video games: Basic Principles & Applications | Kevuru Games
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Animoca Brands Boosts 'Mocaverse' Funding to $31.88 Million With Dapper, Polygon Onboard | Decrypt.gg
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
The Finals launches with destructive chaos like I’ve never seen before | The Verge
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Do all roads lead to gaming (for NFT PFP projects)?
Pudgy Penguins will launch Pudgy World in 2024.
This profile picture (PFP) NFT project was started in July 2021. There's been a lot of history happening between then and now. There was a some issues with the original owners, which led to a buyout, then recently there was a huge Pudgy Penguin toy rollout across 2000 Walmart stores.
After toys, I supposed the logical next step would be a game?
This order of operations of going from profile picture to merchandising then to gaming could be a playbook many adopt. What is commendable though is how Pudgy Penguins went with a physical product rollout first instead of a digital one, like many other projects.
I think that by taking such a large (and difficult) step first, the Pudgy Penguin team is crossing that chasm from being a web3 niche to mainstream acceptance. It was quite a strategic move to do the hard thing first which greatly reduce the perceived execution risk in their next venture.
In other news, there a lot of great games released or will be release soon. The Games Award is usually the platform that studios and publishers use to drop new trailers and this year was no different. I'm most looking forward to The Finals and Black Myth Wu Kong. I feel that Chinese mythology/tales are usually neglected in gaming so it's great that I get to immerse myself into an old favorite childhood tale.
-----
Pudgy Penguins Reveal 'Pudgy World' NFT Game Rollout Plans | Decrypt.gg
The animated VTuber Ironmouse won Content Creator of the Year at the Game Awards | TechCrunch
Don’t worry. The Game Awards shows cool games are coming in 2024 | GamesBeat
data.ai: What awaits mobile games in 2024 | GameDev Reports
Newzoo: Comparison of Launches of EA Sports FC 24 and FIFA 23 | GameDev Reports
Unlocking Role-Play For The Masses | Konvoy Ventures
Former DotEmu and Playdigious co-founder announces alternative app store finder, StoreRider
Pudgy Penguins Reveal 'Pudgy World' NFT Game Rollout Plans | Decrypt.gg
What is animation in video games: Basic Principles & Applications | Kevuru Games
Animoca Brands Boosts 'Mocaverse' Funding to $31.88 Million With Dapper, Polygon Onboard | Decrypt.gg
The Finals launches with destructive chaos like I’ve never seen before | The Verge
-----
Drop a gg!
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Decrypt
Pudgy Penguins Reveal 'Pudgy World' NFT Game Rollout Plans - Decrypt
The Pudgy Penguins NFT empire is expanding and will open the gates for its metaverse experience Pudgy World sometime in 2024.
❤3
Look at Gaming #346 | 12.13.2023
Epic week at Epic Games. The Fortnite creator took home the dub. The Jury decided in favor of Epic thus implicating Google for having an illegal monopoly.
Quick checklist of the claims:
[X] Google has a monopoly on Android App Store
[X] Google has monopoly on in-app payment processing
[X] Google practiced anticompetitive behaviors
[X] Epic Games was hurt because of the aforementioned points
Epic didn't ask for many monetary damages. Epic only wants the freedom to operate its own app store and own payment rails. Though that actually means ALL developers will have that freedom as well.
But we still don't know if the judge would grant that to Epic yet. So the movie ain't over.
Now would be a great time to read up on all the alternative app stores and out-of-app monetization methods.
In other news, Xbox thinking of adding an ad tier to its Game Pass subscription, Disney is stepping up its gaming ambitions, Bethesda opens up its mod marketplace. Oh and Fortnite's LEGO experience pulled in 2.4M players.
Catch y'all later!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight | The Verge
🌊 MARKET 📞
Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight | The Verge
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney: the post-trial interview | The Verge
Exclusive: Disney "just starting" with ambitious gaming plans | Axios
Out-of-app monetisation outside of Google Play and the Apple App Store is on the rise | PGBiz
E3 is officially over forever | The Verge
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Money Trouble | SystemTalk
Which new games made the biggest splash at The Game Awards? | GameDiscoverCo
The 5 Characteristics of Successful (and Less Successful) Founders | Deconstructor of Fun
Epic v. Google | Game Changers
🌈 Platforms 🏠
The regulation is coming from inside the house! | TechCrunch
Xbox considering free (with ads) Game Pass tier | GameDeveloper
Bethesda relaunches paid mod store for Skyrim: Special Edition | GameDeveloper
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Gods Unchained Rated 'Adults Only' for Play-to-Earn Elements, Booted From Epic Games Store | Decrypt.gg
Oh Baby! Games launches Oh Baby Kart racing title in SpongeBob universe | GamesBeat
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Allstar raises $12M to scale gaming content creation platform | GamesBeat
Magma raises $5M for game art creation and project management platform | GamesBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Lego Fortnite’s debut builds momentum with 2.4M people playing at once | TechCrunch
-----
Drop a gg!
Epic week at Epic Games. The Fortnite creator took home the dub. The Jury decided in favor of Epic thus implicating Google for having an illegal monopoly.
Quick checklist of the claims:
[X] Google has a monopoly on Android App Store
[X] Google has monopoly on in-app payment processing
[X] Google practiced anticompetitive behaviors
[X] Epic Games was hurt because of the aforementioned points
Epic didn't ask for many monetary damages. Epic only wants the freedom to operate its own app store and own payment rails. Though that actually means ALL developers will have that freedom as well.
But we still don't know if the judge would grant that to Epic yet. So the movie ain't over.
Now would be a great time to read up on all the alternative app stores and out-of-app monetization methods.
In other news, Xbox thinking of adding an ad tier to its Game Pass subscription, Disney is stepping up its gaming ambitions, Bethesda opens up its mod marketplace. Oh and Fortnite's LEGO experience pulled in 2.4M players.
Catch y'all later!
-----
Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight | The Verge
Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight | The Verge
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney: the post-trial interview | The Verge
Exclusive: Disney "just starting" with ambitious gaming plans | Axios
Out-of-app monetisation outside of Google Play and the Apple App Store is on the rise | PGBiz
E3 is officially over forever | The Verge
Money Trouble | SystemTalk
Which new games made the biggest splash at The Game Awards? | GameDiscoverCo
The 5 Characteristics of Successful (and Less Successful) Founders | Deconstructor of Fun
Epic v. Google | Game Changers
The regulation is coming from inside the house! | TechCrunch
Xbox considering free (with ads) Game Pass tier | GameDeveloper
Bethesda relaunches paid mod store for Skyrim: Special Edition | GameDeveloper
Gods Unchained Rated 'Adults Only' for Play-to-Earn Elements, Booted From Epic Games Store | Decrypt.gg
Oh Baby! Games launches Oh Baby Kart racing title in SpongeBob universe | GamesBeat
Allstar raises $12M to scale gaming content creation platform | GamesBeat
Magma raises $5M for game art creation and project management platform | GamesBeat
Lego Fortnite’s debut builds momentum with 2.4M people playing at once | TechCrunch
-----
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The Verge
Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight
Victory Royale.
❤6
Go support Eliza + team from GAM3S.GG!
Grab some popcorn and tune in:
🟣 https://twitch.tv/GAM3Sgg
🔴 https://youtube.com/@GAM3Sgg
🔵 https://x.com/GAM3Sgg_
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Twitch
GAM3Sgg - Twitch
The future of gaming, strictly for gamers 🎮 Join us for weekly web3 gaming streams & reviews. Home of the #GAM3Awards 🏆
🔥4❤2
Look at Gaming #347 | 12.21.2023
GM! Happy Holidays everyone! This will be the last news headlines post for the year.
We're cooking ov'r here at tcl so stay toasty my frens.
Catch you in2️⃣ 0️⃣ 2️⃣ 4️⃣ .
———
The top headline that caught my attention was that Overwolf, the premier modding platform, paid over $200M to creators in 2023, a 23% YoY growth.
What's more noteworthy is the payout growth — $29M in 2020 and nearly 7x to $200M by 2023. This speaks volume on how mod culture is commanding big bucks. There are 165k+ creators powering an ecosystem of 41M monthly active users.
Mods increases the re-playability and thus lengthens longevity of a game. In an ever-expensive UA landscape, being able to increase the Life-time Value (LTV) of a player is invaluable. From large renowned publishers to indie studios, everyone is aiming to turn their game IP into a platform. Mods will be even more prevalent in the future.
But how does the creator payout distribution look like? I've mentioned on a Twitter Space with PaladinsDAO that UGC takes on a super power law. Meaning that these "home-made" experiences vary drastically across the spectrum and usually have a very long tail distribution.
Overwolf's creator payout distribution looks like this:
$100>: 76000
$100+: 18000
$1000: 5600
$10k: 1400
$100k: 260
$300k: 92
$1M: 16
$3M: 4
Though the distribution of the whole gaming industry looks like this, it is way more prominent in the UGC space. Building games and fun experiences is tough even for the professionals so it's unsurprising the distribution is even worst in UGC.
Other readings that I liked this week is a blog post from Weiming (Games and Game Industry) about the Top 20 Gaming-Related IPs on Netflix and an article on how to conduct UA in Japan and Korea.
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of 2023!
🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎆
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Overwolf pays $201M to in-game modders and creators in 2023 | GamesBeat
🌊 MARKET 📞
Big publishers forced to innovate through M&A, says Daglow | GamesIndustry.biz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Top 20 Gaming-Related IPs on Netflix by Hours Watched - H1 2023 | Games and Games Industry
GTA VI Looks Great, but Online It’s the Real Topic (Opinion) | Deconstructor of Fun
Gaming is our Best Defense | Konvoy Ventures
mindGAME: Content drops ruled The Game Awards, not celebrities | GamesBeat
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Overwolf pays $201M to in-game modders and creators in 2023 | GamesBeat
Google to change app store's billing options post-antitrust suit | GameDeveloper
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Epic won’t ban blockchain games over adults-only ratings | The Verge
Ubisoft's 'Champions Tactics' Ethereum NFTs Generate Millions After Free Mint | Decrypt.gg
Immutable Debuts Passport Gaming Wallet in 'Gods Unchained' and More | Decrypt.gg
Gam3 reveals the best blockchain games of 2023 | GamesBeat
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Game Developer's 2023 Wrap-Up: 10 Must-Read Deep Dives | GameDeveloper
Mobile Game Testing: Things You Need To Know | Kevuru Games
How to effectively implement social features into your LiveOps strategy | PGBiz
Game Developer's 2023 Wrap-Up: 10 Must-Read Featured Blogs | GameDeveloper
How to scale up your UA in Japan and Korea? | GameDeveloper
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Farcana Raises $10 Million for NFT Esports Shooter That Pays Out Bitcoin | Decrypt.gg
Social Giant Line Raises $140 Million for NFT Push, 'Brown and Friends' Games | Decrypt.gg
https://decrypt.co/209736/social-giant-line-raises-140-million-nft-push-brown-friends-games
Barnyard Games raises $3.4m in seed round to make games for Fortnite | PGBiz
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/83070/barnyard-games-raises-34m-in-seed-round-ready-for-mega-golf-fun-zone-on-fortnite/
Hot Five: MyGamez raises $1.6m, Peak soft launches Star Match, and Monster Hunter Now hits $100m | PGBiz
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/83068/hot-five-mygames-investment-star-match-monster-hunter-now/
-----
GM! Happy Holidays everyone! This will be the last news headlines post for the year.
We're cooking ov'r here at tcl so stay toasty my frens.
Catch you in
———
The top headline that caught my attention was that Overwolf, the premier modding platform, paid over $200M to creators in 2023, a 23% YoY growth.
What's more noteworthy is the payout growth — $29M in 2020 and nearly 7x to $200M by 2023. This speaks volume on how mod culture is commanding big bucks. There are 165k+ creators powering an ecosystem of 41M monthly active users.
Mods increases the re-playability and thus lengthens longevity of a game. In an ever-expensive UA landscape, being able to increase the Life-time Value (LTV) of a player is invaluable. From large renowned publishers to indie studios, everyone is aiming to turn their game IP into a platform. Mods will be even more prevalent in the future.
But how does the creator payout distribution look like? I've mentioned on a Twitter Space with PaladinsDAO that UGC takes on a super power law. Meaning that these "home-made" experiences vary drastically across the spectrum and usually have a very long tail distribution.
Overwolf's creator payout distribution looks like this:
$100>: 76000
$100+: 18000
$1000: 5600
$10k: 1400
$100k: 260
$300k: 92
$1M: 16
$3M: 4
Though the distribution of the whole gaming industry looks like this, it is way more prominent in the UGC space. Building games and fun experiences is tough even for the professionals so it's unsurprising the distribution is even worst in UGC.
Other readings that I liked this week is a blog post from Weiming (Games and Game Industry) about the Top 20 Gaming-Related IPs on Netflix and an article on how to conduct UA in Japan and Korea.
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of 2023!
-----
Overwolf pays $201M to in-game modders and creators in 2023 | GamesBeat
Big publishers forced to innovate through M&A, says Daglow | GamesIndustry.biz
Top 20 Gaming-Related IPs on Netflix by Hours Watched - H1 2023 | Games and Games Industry
GTA VI Looks Great, but Online It’s the Real Topic (Opinion) | Deconstructor of Fun
Gaming is our Best Defense | Konvoy Ventures
mindGAME: Content drops ruled The Game Awards, not celebrities | GamesBeat
Overwolf pays $201M to in-game modders and creators in 2023 | GamesBeat
Google to change app store's billing options post-antitrust suit | GameDeveloper
Epic won’t ban blockchain games over adults-only ratings | The Verge
Ubisoft's 'Champions Tactics' Ethereum NFTs Generate Millions After Free Mint | Decrypt.gg
Immutable Debuts Passport Gaming Wallet in 'Gods Unchained' and More | Decrypt.gg
Gam3 reveals the best blockchain games of 2023 | GamesBeat
Game Developer's 2023 Wrap-Up: 10 Must-Read Deep Dives | GameDeveloper
Mobile Game Testing: Things You Need To Know | Kevuru Games
How to effectively implement social features into your LiveOps strategy | PGBiz
Game Developer's 2023 Wrap-Up: 10 Must-Read Featured Blogs | GameDeveloper
How to scale up your UA in Japan and Korea? | GameDeveloper
Farcana Raises $10 Million for NFT Esports Shooter That Pays Out Bitcoin | Decrypt.gg
Social Giant Line Raises $140 Million for NFT Push, 'Brown and Friends' Games | Decrypt.gg
https://decrypt.co/209736/social-giant-line-raises-140-million-nft-push-brown-friends-games
Barnyard Games raises $3.4m in seed round to make games for Fortnite | PGBiz
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/83070/barnyard-games-raises-34m-in-seed-round-ready-for-mega-golf-fun-zone-on-fortnite/
Hot Five: MyGamez raises $1.6m, Peak soft launches Star Match, and Monster Hunter Now hits $100m | PGBiz
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/83068/hot-five-mygames-investment-star-match-monster-hunter-now/
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VentureBeat
Overwolf pays $201M to in-game modders and creators in 2023
Overwolf, an all-in-one modding platform, said it has paid $201 million to in-game creators in 2023, a 25% increase over the previous year.
🔥5❤2
TCL fam — we're deep in the lab this winter so thank you for your patience and support.
Let us COOK! And we will serve you.
Stay tuned for 2024.
Let us COOK! And we will serve you.
Stay tuned for 2024.
❤🔥14❤6🤝3🔥2
Look at Gaming #348 | 1.8.2024
GM and Happy New Year! This is the first edition of your daily newsletter for 2024.
There were a ton of new subscribers so here's the tldr on what we do here everyday. We will deliver you the best curated and aggregated news feed across the whole gaming industry (web2 and web3). Additionally, I'll also provide some short thoughts and analysis on key headlines.
This channel will be more web2 centric (check out our web3 channel for REAL-TIME actionable alpha).
Kicking off the year, I think this new integration between Walmart and Unity is quite interdasting. The Unity SDK will offer a real-world purchase API that will deliver IRL goods to you via Walmart. Why settle for just digital merchandise when you could get the real thing too.
The transaction will occur in game. This means that Unity will also provide a payment processing capabilities to allow the players to remain immersed in the game while successfully conducting a purchase. Immersion Commerce aka Immerce. You heard it here first.
This unlocks a whole new world for merchandising. In-game cosmetics would be turned into merch — probably leads to higher user spend since there's more value provided. Furthermore, I think this ecommerce element could be a new social layer. Imagine being able to send gifts to an online crush or to send some bandaids to a player you just completely dominated in a fighting game.
A few other headlines that caught my eyes were Netflix possibly adding an ad network to their mobile games, Nexon getting fined for deceptive practices, and a coverage piece on Fortnite's LEGO experience.
That's it for the first edition! I'll catch y'all tomorrow.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
"Nice in-game outfit - I'll take it!" Walmart and Unity team up for new in-app purchase API | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
Video Game Insights: State of the PC games (Steam) market in 2023 | GameDev Reports
Tencent is now spending over HK$1 billion A DAY on its own shares | PGBiz
The top grossing mobile game publishers of 2023 | Mobilegamer.biz
Streaming Superstars of 2023: The Year's Top 10 Female Creators | Stream Hatchet
SteamDB: In 2023, 14,533 games were released on Steam | GameDev Reports
Visual Capitalist: 50 Years of Video Game Revenue | GameDev Reports
Top Games In Live-Streaming: December 2023 | Stream Hatchet
Nexon’s CEO on Leaving a Legacy, Fostering Talent, & AI in Games | Naavik
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
MarketWire x Pixels & Profits | Roblox Domination: #1 Downloads and #1 Revenue | GameMakers
A Shifting Esports Landscape | Konvoy Ventures
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Netflix considers adding in-app purchases and ads to games, report says | TechCrunch
"Nice in-game outfit - I'll take it!" Walmart and Unity team up for new in-app purchase API | PGBiz
Antitrust regulator hits Nexon Korea with record fine for deceptive practices | PGBiz
Why Fortnite is getting into cozy gaming | TechCrunch
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ready Player One author and Futureverse team up for Readyverse Studios metaverse | GamesBeat
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Getting the most out of a games incubator | GamesIndustry.biz
Master How To Make A Game Design Document | Kevuru Games
-----
Drop a gg!
GM and Happy New Year! This is the first edition of your daily newsletter for 2024.
There were a ton of new subscribers so here's the tldr on what we do here everyday. We will deliver you the best curated and aggregated news feed across the whole gaming industry (web2 and web3). Additionally, I'll also provide some short thoughts and analysis on key headlines.
This channel will be more web2 centric (check out our web3 channel for REAL-TIME actionable alpha).
Kicking off the year, I think this new integration between Walmart and Unity is quite interdasting. The Unity SDK will offer a real-world purchase API that will deliver IRL goods to you via Walmart. Why settle for just digital merchandise when you could get the real thing too.
The transaction will occur in game. This means that Unity will also provide a payment processing capabilities to allow the players to remain immersed in the game while successfully conducting a purchase. Immersion Commerce aka Immerce. You heard it here first.
This unlocks a whole new world for merchandising. In-game cosmetics would be turned into merch — probably leads to higher user spend since there's more value provided. Furthermore, I think this ecommerce element could be a new social layer. Imagine being able to send gifts to an online crush or to send some bandaids to a player you just completely dominated in a fighting game.
A few other headlines that caught my eyes were Netflix possibly adding an ad network to their mobile games, Nexon getting fined for deceptive practices, and a coverage piece on Fortnite's LEGO experience.
That's it for the first edition! I'll catch y'all tomorrow.
-----
"Nice in-game outfit - I'll take it!" Walmart and Unity team up for new in-app purchase API | PGBiz
Video Game Insights: State of the PC games (Steam) market in 2023 | GameDev Reports
Tencent is now spending over HK$1 billion A DAY on its own shares | PGBiz
The top grossing mobile game publishers of 2023 | Mobilegamer.biz
Streaming Superstars of 2023: The Year's Top 10 Female Creators | Stream Hatchet
SteamDB: In 2023, 14,533 games were released on Steam | GameDev Reports
Visual Capitalist: 50 Years of Video Game Revenue | GameDev Reports
Top Games In Live-Streaming: December 2023 | Stream Hatchet
Nexon’s CEO on Leaving a Legacy, Fostering Talent, & AI in Games | Naavik
MarketWire x Pixels & Profits | Roblox Domination: #1 Downloads and #1 Revenue | GameMakers
A Shifting Esports Landscape | Konvoy Ventures
Netflix considers adding in-app purchases and ads to games, report says | TechCrunch
"Nice in-game outfit - I'll take it!" Walmart and Unity team up for new in-app purchase API | PGBiz
Antitrust regulator hits Nexon Korea with record fine for deceptive practices | PGBiz
Why Fortnite is getting into cozy gaming | TechCrunch
Ready Player One author and Futureverse team up for Readyverse Studios metaverse | GamesBeat
Getting the most out of a games incubator | GamesIndustry.biz
Master How To Make A Game Design Document | Kevuru Games
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thecoreloop.gg — Web3 [SUNSET]
Web3 Gaming News & Insights.
For daily Web2 + Web3 Gaming News: t.me/thecoreloop
For daily Web2 + Web3 Gaming News: t.me/thecoreloop
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Look at Gaming #349 | 1.9.2024
GM! Today we're going to to take a trip to East Asia.
Niko Partners published a report indicating that the East Asia (Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea) games market is worth nearly $30B in 2023. With just 108M gamers, this region is home to one of the highest paying players in the world.
Japan is the third-largest video game market, which contributed 60%+ of all games revenue for this region. It is also home to 50% of the total gamers in the region. Though Korean players are dominating in the PC market in terms of both revenue and number of gamers.
Approximately half of these Korean gamers spend their gaming time in PC bangs (internet cafes). Unlike other countries, esports-related titles like League performs extraordinarily well in Korea —maybe because esports was practically invented there.
In other news, we see that Marvel Snap creators raised $100M, Unity removed 1800 jobs, Bytedace is selling its game assets to Tencent, and Sony is doubling down on its transmedia push after big successes like Twisted Metal and The Last of Us. There's going to be a God of War and Horizons Forbidden West series — I'm psyched for this.
Shoutout to the fellas (JACL from Delphi and Alex from Shima) on their Doubl3Tap podcast! They had the one and only Aiko from Folius on the pod. We're big fans of these folks so be sure to check them out.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
East Asia gaming markets target $30.8 billion mark by 2027 | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
East Asia gaming markets target $30.8 billion mark by 2027 | PGBiz
ByteDance discussing game asset sale with Tencent | GameDeveloper
Unity is cutting 1,800 jobs in the name of "profitable growth" | GameDeveloper
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Just how big have PC & console game catalogs got? | The GameDiscover Co
Clash Mini Faces the Make it or Break it Moment | Deconstructor of Fun
🌈 Platforms 🏠
AppsFlyer launches AI-based creative optimization for marketing campaigns | GamesBeat
Sony doubled down on game TV and film adaptations at CES 2024 | GamesBeat
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
The State of Web3 Trading Card Games | Naavik
Ep 003 - Aiko (Folius Ventures) | Doubl3Tap
Bitcoin Devs Preserve Classic Nintendo Games With Ordinals | Decrypt.gg
💲 Fundraising 🤑
ArenaX Labs raises $6M to develop AI-powered games | GamesBeat
Second Dinner raises $100m in Series B funding round | GamesIndustry.biz
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Aromajoin unveils scent-based XR devices at CES 2024 | GamesBeat
Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro VR Headset Launches Next Month | GameInformer
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Today we're going to to take a trip to East Asia.
Niko Partners published a report indicating that the East Asia (Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea) games market is worth nearly $30B in 2023. With just 108M gamers, this region is home to one of the highest paying players in the world.
Japan is the third-largest video game market, which contributed 60%+ of all games revenue for this region. It is also home to 50% of the total gamers in the region. Though Korean players are dominating in the PC market in terms of both revenue and number of gamers.
Approximately half of these Korean gamers spend their gaming time in PC bangs (internet cafes). Unlike other countries, esports-related titles like League performs extraordinarily well in Korea —maybe because esports was practically invented there.
In other news, we see that Marvel Snap creators raised $100M, Unity removed 1800 jobs, Bytedace is selling its game assets to Tencent, and Sony is doubling down on its transmedia push after big successes like Twisted Metal and The Last of Us. There's going to be a God of War and Horizons Forbidden West series — I'm psyched for this.
Shoutout to the fellas (JACL from Delphi and Alex from Shima) on their Doubl3Tap podcast! They had the one and only Aiko from Folius on the pod. We're big fans of these folks so be sure to check them out.
-----
East Asia gaming markets target $30.8 billion mark by 2027 | PGBiz
East Asia gaming markets target $30.8 billion mark by 2027 | PGBiz
ByteDance discussing game asset sale with Tencent | GameDeveloper
Unity is cutting 1,800 jobs in the name of "profitable growth" | GameDeveloper
Just how big have PC & console game catalogs got? | The GameDiscover Co
Clash Mini Faces the Make it or Break it Moment | Deconstructor of Fun
AppsFlyer launches AI-based creative optimization for marketing campaigns | GamesBeat
Sony doubled down on game TV and film adaptations at CES 2024 | GamesBeat
The State of Web3 Trading Card Games | Naavik
Ep 003 - Aiko (Folius Ventures) | Doubl3Tap
Bitcoin Devs Preserve Classic Nintendo Games With Ordinals | Decrypt.gg
ArenaX Labs raises $6M to develop AI-powered games | GamesBeat
Second Dinner raises $100m in Series B funding round | GamesIndustry.biz
Aromajoin unveils scent-based XR devices at CES 2024 | GamesBeat
Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro VR Headset Launches Next Month | GameInformer
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PocketGamer.biz
East Asia gaming markets target $30.8 billion mark by 2027
...
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Look at Gaming #350 | 1.10.2024
GM! Happy Hump Day everyone. Hope your week is going well.
Today’s headline I want to spotlight is about web store platforms for your mobile game.
These are external-game and off-platform monetization channels that supplements the in-game store. The benefits are that these web stores are out of Apple/Android’s control.
There are effectively only two choices: (1) Build Your Own; (2) Use White-Label Platforms.
It’s expensive and intensive to build your own web store so this is usually reserved for large publishers who have the resources and capabilities. The advantageous are that these publishers would be the Merchant of Record, which means they get to save on royalty fees.
These royalty fees are charged by white-label platforms for their services. Since these platforms handle not only the technical elements of the web store but also the payment processing, which includes refunds, chargebacks, fraud, etc. For delivering this ease of use and seamless integrations, these platforms charge as high as 15%. Examples of these service providers are Xsolla and Appcharge.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
How to choose a web store platform for your mobile game | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
Twitch reportedly laying off 35% of staff | GamesIndustry.biz
2024 predictions for mobile gaming | MobileDevMemo
Podcast: Looking forward to 2024 in mobile gaming (with Matthew Kanterman) | MobileDevMemo
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
2023 Top 5 Themes in Content Monetization | Niko Partners
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
A Comprehensive Guide For RPG Weapons | Kevuru Games
How to choose a web store platform for your mobile game | PGBiz
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
PlayStation achieved record 123M monthly active users in December 2023 | GameDeveloper
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Happy Hump Day everyone. Hope your week is going well.
Today’s headline I want to spotlight is about web store platforms for your mobile game.
These are external-game and off-platform monetization channels that supplements the in-game store. The benefits are that these web stores are out of Apple/Android’s control.
There are effectively only two choices: (1) Build Your Own; (2) Use White-Label Platforms.
It’s expensive and intensive to build your own web store so this is usually reserved for large publishers who have the resources and capabilities. The advantageous are that these publishers would be the Merchant of Record, which means they get to save on royalty fees.
These royalty fees are charged by white-label platforms for their services. Since these platforms handle not only the technical elements of the web store but also the payment processing, which includes refunds, chargebacks, fraud, etc. For delivering this ease of use and seamless integrations, these platforms charge as high as 15%. Examples of these service providers are Xsolla and Appcharge.
-----
How to choose a web store platform for your mobile game | PGBiz
Twitch reportedly laying off 35% of staff | GamesIndustry.biz
2024 predictions for mobile gaming | MobileDevMemo
Podcast: Looking forward to 2024 in mobile gaming (with Matthew Kanterman) | MobileDevMemo
2023 Top 5 Themes in Content Monetization | Niko Partners
A Comprehensive Guide For RPG Weapons | Kevuru Games
How to choose a web store platform for your mobile game | PGBiz
PlayStation achieved record 123M monthly active users in December 2023 | GameDeveloper
-----
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PocketGamer.biz
How to choose a web store platform for your mobile game
In 2023, nearly every major mobile games publisher launched a web store - payment and platform expert AppCharge explains why - and how to go about creating your own
❤3
Look at Gaming #351 | 1.11.2024
GM! Many maaaannyy games will be launching this year. And these games are going to need help with distribution.
But before we dive in, head over to our web3-only REAL-TIME news channel here.
Influencer marketing is the number one way to get users in web3 gaming. So let's see what are some good tips on executing an influencer strategy.
1. Get the content right. Web3 attention economy is peaking. Airdrop here, bridger there, referral links everywhere. Just having a playdrop campaign isn't enough nor is just giving out WLs. Get the content right by doing something rememberable and topical — like putting a hat on your star character, Sipher INU wif hat.
2. Don't cut corners on legal. Get the contracts, payout structures, timelines, and expectations aligned. Layout the proper benchmarks that you agree to hit and have weekly reviews that those KPIs are met. Having a tight feedback loop will allow you to optimize better while keeping everyone accountable to the agreement. Who's posting? Who's retweeting? When to post and how long are they kept? Can you reuse the content elsewhere? A few questions to consider.
3. Finding the right mix of creators. Imo, follower count is a baseless metric. Optimize for engagement. Even if the following is low, you'd want high quality installs over mass volume, especially if it's a playdrop. Target a 3%+ engagement rate. When doing video-related promos, look out for sporadic but high viewership count (lacks consistency), viewership peaks at the end (viewers could easily skip your promo). Fortunately, the list of web3 gaming influencers are quite small so you don't need to use tools to find time.
4. Retargeting and reengaging. Even after getting these users to playdrop, claim, sign up, or whatever the call to action was, you should always retarget them. Convert them into your discord, set up community managers to engage with these new players effectively. Get their twitter handles, create a twitter list, and use that as your future outreach/retouch list.
These are just a few points to consider! Wish you the best with your guys' launch!!
H/t to Matej over at Brutally Honest for sharing this guide.
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Influencer Marketing Guide for UA: How to Execute in 2024 | Brutally Honest
🌊 MARKET 📞
China and US accounted for more than 50% of the $107 billion spent on mobile games in 2023 | PGBiz
The Golden Twig Awards 2023 | Deconstructor of Fun
Nintendo shares hit record high due to Switch 2 anticipation, Saudi investment speculation | GamesIndustry.biz
Crunchbase: Investments in gaming startups at venture stages in 2023 reached a minimum since 2018 | GameDev Reports
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Financial Comparison of Gaming-Related Public Companies and M&A Capacities - 2024 Edition | Games & Game Industry
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Netflix Games gains traction with installs up 180% year-over-year in 2023, thanks to GTA and others | TechCrunch
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Influencer Marketing Guide for UA: How to Execute in 2024 | Brutally Honest
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Many maaaannyy games will be launching this year. And these games are going to need help with distribution.
But before we dive in, head over to our web3-only REAL-TIME news channel here.
Influencer marketing is the number one way to get users in web3 gaming. So let's see what are some good tips on executing an influencer strategy.
1. Get the content right. Web3 attention economy is peaking. Airdrop here, bridger there, referral links everywhere. Just having a playdrop campaign isn't enough nor is just giving out WLs. Get the content right by doing something rememberable and topical — like putting a hat on your star character, Sipher INU wif hat.
2. Don't cut corners on legal. Get the contracts, payout structures, timelines, and expectations aligned. Layout the proper benchmarks that you agree to hit and have weekly reviews that those KPIs are met. Having a tight feedback loop will allow you to optimize better while keeping everyone accountable to the agreement. Who's posting? Who's retweeting? When to post and how long are they kept? Can you reuse the content elsewhere? A few questions to consider.
3. Finding the right mix of creators. Imo, follower count is a baseless metric. Optimize for engagement. Even if the following is low, you'd want high quality installs over mass volume, especially if it's a playdrop. Target a 3%+ engagement rate. When doing video-related promos, look out for sporadic but high viewership count (lacks consistency), viewership peaks at the end (viewers could easily skip your promo). Fortunately, the list of web3 gaming influencers are quite small so you don't need to use tools to find time.
4. Retargeting and reengaging. Even after getting these users to playdrop, claim, sign up, or whatever the call to action was, you should always retarget them. Convert them into your discord, set up community managers to engage with these new players effectively. Get their twitter handles, create a twitter list, and use that as your future outreach/retouch list.
These are just a few points to consider! Wish you the best with your guys' launch!!
H/t to Matej over at Brutally Honest for sharing this guide.
-----
Influencer Marketing Guide for UA: How to Execute in 2024 | Brutally Honest
China and US accounted for more than 50% of the $107 billion spent on mobile games in 2023 | PGBiz
The Golden Twig Awards 2023 | Deconstructor of Fun
Nintendo shares hit record high due to Switch 2 anticipation, Saudi investment speculation | GamesIndustry.biz
Crunchbase: Investments in gaming startups at venture stages in 2023 reached a minimum since 2018 | GameDev Reports
Financial Comparison of Gaming-Related Public Companies and M&A Capacities - 2024 Edition | Games & Game Industry
Netflix Games gains traction with installs up 180% year-over-year in 2023, thanks to GTA and others | TechCrunch
Influencer Marketing Guide for UA: How to Execute in 2024 | Brutally Honest
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thecoreloop.gg — Web3 [SUNSET]
Web3 Gaming News & Insights.
For daily Web2 + Web3 Gaming News: t.me/thecoreloop
For daily Web2 + Web3 Gaming News: t.me/thecoreloop
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Look at Gaming #352 | 1.12.2024
GM GM! Happy Friday. Just a short one today.
2023 was really a banner year for mobile apps. Here are some stats:
• 5-Hours per day (Record highs in time-spent on mobile)
• $171B were spent on mobile
• $362B mobile ad spend (up 8% YoY)
Non-gaming apps led. RPGs was the top genre, accounting for 30% of mobile rev despite being only 3% of downloads.
In other news, Niko Partners did a dive on China's new gaming regulation, there's also more lay offs at Discord and Playtika, and lastly check out The Verge's article on new WiFi.
Have a great weekend everyone!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
Wi-Fi 7 quietly took off while everyone was looking at AI | The Verge
Discord cuts 17% of employees to ‘sharpen its focus’ | GamesBeat
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute | PGBiz
New Draft Gaming Regulations in China | Niko Partners
Playtika reduces staff by 10% | GamesIndustry.biz
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Switch 2 Allegedly Launches This September, According To An AI Company's Press Release | GameInformer
-----
Drop a gg!
GM GM! Happy Friday. Just a short one today.
2023 was really a banner year for mobile apps. Here are some stats:
• 5-Hours per day (Record highs in time-spent on mobile)
• $171B were spent on mobile
• $362B mobile ad spend (up 8% YoY)
Non-gaming apps led. RPGs was the top genre, accounting for 30% of mobile rev despite being only 3% of downloads.
In other news, Niko Partners did a dive on China's new gaming regulation, there's also more lay offs at Discord and Playtika, and lastly check out The Verge's article on new WiFi.
Have a great weekend everyone!
-----
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute | PGBiz
Wi-Fi 7 quietly took off while everyone was looking at AI | The Verge
Discord cuts 17% of employees to ‘sharpen its focus’ | GamesBeat
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute | PGBiz
New Draft Gaming Regulations in China | Niko Partners
Playtika reduces staff by 10% | GamesIndustry.biz
Switch 2 Allegedly Launches This September, According To An AI Company's Press Release | GameInformer
-----
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PocketGamer.biz
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute
data.ai has highlighted five key statistics from the mobile landscape offering immediate insight at a glance, as part of a broader overview of the industry i...
❤5
In The Loop w/ kapital_k (Week 0️⃣2️⃣ of 2024)
Here are the top five headlines and fundraising announcements plus a collection of content from independent creators that you missed this week!
———
TOP 5 HEADLINES
———
thecoreloop FEATURED PICKS 💖:
• Visual Capitalist // 50 Years of Video Games Revenue — link
• Doubl3Tap // Yat Siu (Animoca Brands) — link
• $106M raised this week. Second Dinner (Marvel Snap creator) raised $100M and Arena AI creators raised $6M.
———
Check out our Substack for the full newsletter!
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IN THE LOOP with kapital k // W2 of 2024
The only gaming newsletter you need. I curate and aggregate content from across web2 & web3 to deliver it straight to your inbox.
❤8
Look at Gaming #353 | 1.16.2024
GM! Hope everybody had a great holiday weekend.
I'm kicking this week off with a trend/movement that I'm excited to see in 2024. But before I dive in, head over to thecoreloop's Web3 REAL-TIME news channel for actionable alpha (here).
So the movement I'm referring to is the Xbox mobile app store. Now that Microsoft successfully acquired Activision Blizzard (and King), its game catalog as well as mobile know-how has drastically improved.
The are definitely some regulatory tailwind such as the DMA in Europe and the recent Epic v Google ruling. But these types of changes work slowly through the system. But nonetheless these legal landmarks have created a gap of opportunity to take on the mobile store duopoly.
Xbox isn't with out its own strengths. Microsoft operates multiple digital store fronts so there's definitely high brand equity recognizability for the consumer. Moreover, these users are already opted into Microsoft's payment rails and payment systems. Combining these inherent strengths with the mobile gaming catalog and the reach of King's Candy Crush, Xbox mobile store is poised to make a valiant attempt at the throne.
More than two decades ago, Microsoft created the Xbox, which rose to being one of the top 3 console contenders today. I wouldn't bet against Microsoft.
Hope everyone has a great kickoff to their week!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Will an Xbox app store break Apple and Google’s duopoly this year? Let’s hope so | Mobilegamer.biz
🌊 MARKET 📞
Will an Xbox app store break Apple and Google’s duopoly this year? Let’s hope so | Mobilegamer.biz
data.ai: Mobile Gaming Market in 2023 (State of Mobile 2024) | GameDev Reports
Gaming Industry Report - Q4 2023 | Konvoy Ventures
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Elena Grigorian on My.Games: Strengths, Challenges, and Future | Deconstructor of Fun
Death, and rebirth, of virtual reality | SuperJoost Playlist
The Unity We Asked For | SystemTalk
🌈 Platforms 🏠
The new Ubisoft+ and getting gamers comfortable with not owning their games | GamesIndustry.biz
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
GameStop's crypto plans collapse as retailer prepares to shut NFT marketplace | GameDeveloper
Assassin's Creed Maker Ubisoft Backs Yet Another Crypto Gaming Network | Decrypt.gg
Nike Will 'Go Way Deeper' Into Video Game Fashion Amid NFT Push | Decrypt.gg
Game Over: More Than 30% of Crypto Games Have Been Discontinued | Decrypt.gg
Solana Game 'Nyan Heroes' Hits Epic Store Ahead of Airdrop | Decrypt.gg
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Scopely finally brings Stumble Guys to console with Xbox launch | GamesBeat
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! Hope everybody had a great holiday weekend.
I'm kicking this week off with a trend/movement that I'm excited to see in 2024. But before I dive in, head over to thecoreloop's Web3 REAL-TIME news channel for actionable alpha (here).
So the movement I'm referring to is the Xbox mobile app store. Now that Microsoft successfully acquired Activision Blizzard (and King), its game catalog as well as mobile know-how has drastically improved.
The are definitely some regulatory tailwind such as the DMA in Europe and the recent Epic v Google ruling. But these types of changes work slowly through the system. But nonetheless these legal landmarks have created a gap of opportunity to take on the mobile store duopoly.
Xbox isn't with out its own strengths. Microsoft operates multiple digital store fronts so there's definitely high brand equity recognizability for the consumer. Moreover, these users are already opted into Microsoft's payment rails and payment systems. Combining these inherent strengths with the mobile gaming catalog and the reach of King's Candy Crush, Xbox mobile store is poised to make a valiant attempt at the throne.
More than two decades ago, Microsoft created the Xbox, which rose to being one of the top 3 console contenders today. I wouldn't bet against Microsoft.
Hope everyone has a great kickoff to their week!
-----
Will an Xbox app store break Apple and Google’s duopoly this year? Let’s hope so | Mobilegamer.biz
Will an Xbox app store break Apple and Google’s duopoly this year? Let’s hope so | Mobilegamer.biz
data.ai: Mobile Gaming Market in 2023 (State of Mobile 2024) | GameDev Reports
Gaming Industry Report - Q4 2023 | Konvoy Ventures
Elena Grigorian on My.Games: Strengths, Challenges, and Future | Deconstructor of Fun
Death, and rebirth, of virtual reality | SuperJoost Playlist
The Unity We Asked For | SystemTalk
The new Ubisoft+ and getting gamers comfortable with not owning their games | GamesIndustry.biz
GameStop's crypto plans collapse as retailer prepares to shut NFT marketplace | GameDeveloper
Assassin's Creed Maker Ubisoft Backs Yet Another Crypto Gaming Network | Decrypt.gg
Nike Will 'Go Way Deeper' Into Video Game Fashion Amid NFT Push | Decrypt.gg
Game Over: More Than 30% of Crypto Games Have Been Discontinued | Decrypt.gg
Solana Game 'Nyan Heroes' Hits Epic Store Ahead of Airdrop | Decrypt.gg
Scopely finally brings Stumble Guys to console with Xbox launch | GamesBeat
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thecoreloop.gg — Web3 [SUNSET]
Web3 Gaming News & Insights.
For daily Web2 + Web3 Gaming News: t.me/thecoreloop
For daily Web2 + Web3 Gaming News: t.me/thecoreloop
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Look at Gaming #354 | 1.18.2024
GM! The biggest news has to be that Apple is legally forced to allow third-party off-platform payment options.
The final shots in this legal battle was fired by the Supreme Court when they denied Apple's and Epic's appeal. Apple must now allow developers to offer different payment solutions for in-game purchases.
But of course Apple wasn't going to roll over. The tech giant reacted by implementing a new 27% fee that'll be charged on external platform payments with a large full-screen-size pop-up that warns users that they're going to be using an authorized payment option. Then the hero we don't deserve, Tim Sweeney took to Twitter to call out Apple on these new practices. The friction to purchase off-platform is immense.
Unfortunately with the 27% Apple tax plus the third-party payment processor's fee of 3 to 6%, game studios and publishers may be paying more than they would've with Apple's 30% fee. So spicy. Full-frontal all-out business warfare.
In other news, I want to highlight this AMAZING report that our good friend Jon Huang from Bitkraft authored. The piece discusses the growth and innovation of Asia's gaming industry, particularly why this region will be the dominant area to pay attention to. It also mentions that Asia accounted for a significant portion of global gaming venture capital deals in the first half of 2023. The East also accounts for 46% of global gaming revenues in 2022 and home to 2.4 billion gamers.
However, investing in Asia's gaming industry requires a deep understanding of the local context, diverse user base, and interconnected ecosystem. Therefore Bitkraft's Asia investment thesis is upheld by these four key pillars.
The four key pillars are:
1. Mobile-Native Cross Platform Games
2. Focusing on Core Genres
3. Asia as a Bastion of Web3 Gaming Innovation
4. Platforms, Infrastructure, and Applied Game Mechanics
Enjoy some good reading this weekend!
-----
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
Niko Partners 2024 Predictions | Niko Partners
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments | PGBiz
Supreme Court rejects Epic vs Apple appeals | GamesIndustry.biz
Tencent slashed investments in 2023 | GamesIndustry.biz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The Silk Road of Asia Gaming | Bitkraft
MarketWire | Let me be clear: Monopoly Go is "successful" | GameMakers
Is the latest game subscription 'moral panic' justified? | GameDiscoverCo
Apple to Developers: Heads I win, tails you lose (part 2) | MobileDevMemo
Cookie deprecation in Chrome: who is impacted? | MobileDevMemo
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Build a Rocket Boy raises $110M to launch Everywhere and UGC tools | GamesBeat
On Off Games lands $1.5M investment from Mobavenue in Singapore | PGBiz
Pine Games secures $2.25M for mobile game development in Istanbul | PGBiz
3thix raises $8.5M to monetize Web3 games | GamesBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Eddy Gordo Is Tekken 8’s First DLC Fighter, Opening Cinematic Released | GameInformer
-----
Drop a gg!
GM! The biggest news has to be that Apple is legally forced to allow third-party off-platform payment options.
The final shots in this legal battle was fired by the Supreme Court when they denied Apple's and Epic's appeal. Apple must now allow developers to offer different payment solutions for in-game purchases.
But of course Apple wasn't going to roll over. The tech giant reacted by implementing a new 27% fee that'll be charged on external platform payments with a large full-screen-size pop-up that warns users that they're going to be using an authorized payment option. Then the hero we don't deserve, Tim Sweeney took to Twitter to call out Apple on these new practices. The friction to purchase off-platform is immense.
Unfortunately with the 27% Apple tax plus the third-party payment processor's fee of 3 to 6%, game studios and publishers may be paying more than they would've with Apple's 30% fee. So spicy. Full-frontal all-out business warfare.
In other news, I want to highlight this AMAZING report that our good friend Jon Huang from Bitkraft authored. The piece discusses the growth and innovation of Asia's gaming industry, particularly why this region will be the dominant area to pay attention to. It also mentions that Asia accounted for a significant portion of global gaming venture capital deals in the first half of 2023. The East also accounts for 46% of global gaming revenues in 2022 and home to 2.4 billion gamers.
However, investing in Asia's gaming industry requires a deep understanding of the local context, diverse user base, and interconnected ecosystem. Therefore Bitkraft's Asia investment thesis is upheld by these four key pillars.
The four key pillars are:
1. Mobile-Native Cross Platform Games
2. Focusing on Core Genres
3. Asia as a Bastion of Web3 Gaming Innovation
4. Platforms, Infrastructure, and Applied Game Mechanics
Enjoy some good reading this weekend!
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Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments | PGBiz
Niko Partners 2024 Predictions | Niko Partners
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments | PGBiz
Supreme Court rejects Epic vs Apple appeals | GamesIndustry.biz
Tencent slashed investments in 2023 | GamesIndustry.biz
The Silk Road of Asia Gaming | Bitkraft
MarketWire | Let me be clear: Monopoly Go is "successful" | GameMakers
Is the latest game subscription 'moral panic' justified? | GameDiscoverCo
Apple to Developers: Heads I win, tails you lose (part 2) | MobileDevMemo
Cookie deprecation in Chrome: who is impacted? | MobileDevMemo
Build a Rocket Boy raises $110M to launch Everywhere and UGC tools | GamesBeat
On Off Games lands $1.5M investment from Mobavenue in Singapore | PGBiz
Pine Games secures $2.25M for mobile game development in Istanbul | PGBiz
3thix raises $8.5M to monetize Web3 games | GamesBeat
Eddy Gordo Is Tekken 8’s First DLC Fighter, Opening Cinematic Released | GameInformer
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Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) on X
A quick summary of glaring problems we've found so far:
1) Apple has introduced an anticompetitive new 27% tax on web purchases. Apple has never done this before, and it kills price competition. Developers can't offer digital items more cheaply on the web…
1) Apple has introduced an anticompetitive new 27% tax on web purchases. Apple has never done this before, and it kills price competition. Developers can't offer digital items more cheaply on the web…
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In The Loop w/ kapital_k (Week 0️⃣3️⃣ of 2024)
Here are the top five headlines and fundraising announcements plus a collection of content from independent creators that you missed this week!
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TOP 5 HEADLINES
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thecoreloop FEATURED PICKS 💖:
• Bitkraft // The Silk Road of Asia Gaming — link —> Shoutout to our friend Jon Huang on this FRESH and INSIGHTFUL piece.
• two & a half gamers // Dissecting Apple's 27% Fee — link
• $129M raised this week. The two that stood out are Build a Rocket Boy which raised $110M and 3Thix, a new web3 monetization platform.
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Check out our Substack for the full newsletter!
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IN THE LOOP with kapital k // W3 of 2024
The only gaming newsletter you need. I curate and aggregate content from across web2 & web3 to deliver it straight to your inbox.
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