Look at Gaming #381 | 4.11.2024

GM! I've been extolling about web shops for a hot minute now but Xsolla gave an informative and convincing presentation on how to get your users out of mobile "jail".

But first, what are web shops? These are alternative mobile stores where users could purchase in-game currencies and items — think IAP but done outside the app.

There are two types of web shops: Platforms vs. Boutiques. Platforms are a shared store experience, like a shopping mall with multiple brands. A boutique is a white-label, single-store rendition that's dedicated just to one game.

Web stores aren't just simply a place to sell in-game goods. It's a new wholly-owned direct-to-customer relationship that games never had before. This new relationship is worth up to 20% of additional revenue and comes with a 40-60% boost in conversion rate from login to purchase per Xsolla case studies.

The largest friction to web shop conversion is existing user payment behavior. So how do we overcome this?

"Whales don't want to save money," said Xsolla's Region Director Andrey Kalugin, who launched 150 web shops for hundreds of games.

Whales are the primary audience, but remember that they don't care for discounts. So the web shop needs to deliver value to the Whale user (eg. daily webshop check-ins for boosts, web shop-only items, etc.).

It is important to cement the first purchase behavior to be conducted on the web shop so optimize for that initial conversion. Then reward repeat purchases via web shop and as aforementioned induce more
repeat visits. For other players, use bundling/savings to attract them.

Lastly is to activate the community to drive referrals to the web shop (but NEVER use the words 'web shop', instead direct them to a FAQ, community page, leaderboard etc.)

If you’re launching a mobile game, do check out the video from PGbiz below.

ONE more day till Friday :)

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Xsolla’s Andrey Kalugin talks web shops tips to get users out of mobile "jail" | PGBiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Xsolla’s Andrey Kalugin talks web shops tips to get users out of mobile "jail" | PGBiz

62% of Gen Alpha gamers play 5+ hours per week, VS only 17% of Gen Z | PGBiz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The New York Times, a Wordle company | SuperJoost

Indie showcase’s biggest stars are AAA game characters | Game File


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Apple News is testing a game that kind of looks like NYT Connections | TechCrunch

Microsoft is bringing its Xbox dashboard to the web with party chat and more | The Verge


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
How to soft launch a mobile game in 2024? Benchmarks & Real data inside! | Brutally Honest


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
A Monopoly movie is coming courtesy of Margot Robbie and Lionsgate | The Verge

Vintage Cartoon FPS Mouse Gets New Trailer With Grappling Hook, Spinach Power-Up, And More | GameInformer

Royal Match races from $2 billion to $3 billion earnings faster than any other game | PGBiz


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Look at Gaming #382 | 4.12.2024

GM! Happy Friday. I have a good data dump for you today. This one is about F2P games on Steam.

Some top level statistics:
• 51% of games on steam are F2P
• 8% are under $10
• 31% are $10-$50
• 11% are above $50

A look deeper into the stats reveal that F2P ceded market share in terms of total hours spent to premium ($10-50) live service games. This hints at a potential shift in the content preferences. Players are leaning into more core genres with richer content. The premium games with live services meet players where they're heading.

But back to F2P games that do manage to hold onto their gamers. The top 25 F2P Games Capture 88% of CCU share (player engagement). This is extremely top heavy — exhibit 1: Counter-Strike 2 accounts for 25%. When you overlay this data point with the fact that the avg age of a Top 10 F2P Game is 7 years, it paints a stark landscape for existing and particularly new F2P titles.

But a new blue ocean may be openning up in the premium-lite live-service games. Games that are priced between $10-$30 with a promise of more content offers dev studios some reprieve with immediate sales and potential for continued revenue. Plus the player demographic that take a chance on these titles is growing.

In other news, check out Gam3s.gg's Q1 blockchain report. The team delivered a fairly comprehensive yet not too boring to read recap.

Have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday.

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
State of Free to Play on Steam in 2024 – Industry Report | VG Insights


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
State of Free to Play on Steam in 2024 – Industry Report | VG Insights


🌈 Platforms 🏠
King talks soft launched Candy Crush games, making a movie and more | Mobilegamer.biz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Deep Dive Big Blockchain Game Report Q1 2024 | Big Blockchain Game List & TLDR by Gam3s.gg

Ubisoft Web3 Game Champions Tactics Exclusive Trailer | Gam3s.gg


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Look at Gaming #383 | 4.15.2024

GM! Welcome back to another week!

Today there's a hodgepodge of headlines I want to spotlight. We're starting with some learnings from Epic execs.

According to Epic Games CTO, big brands like Disney are pivoting or outright adopted gaming/digital experiences as a core part of how they interact with their customers. These iconic brands see Fortnite as a blank canvas that enables novel ways for players to connect with the brand's products and IP.

See Fortnite's LEGO survival game. LEGO wanted to create an experience that's very far from the traditional battle royale. What's notable is not that LEGO created a different genre game, but that the LEGO assets, IP, and brand awareness will translate over to UEFN.

As more and more brands onboard to Fortnite, UEFN grows to becoming the biggest toy store and sandbox in the world with untold number of IPs.

Another headline that caught my attention was Roblox adding video ads into their advertising product suite. When I used to do UA on Roblox for our games, the ad tech platform was horrendous. No data analytics. No automation. No targeting. The ad creatives were all static images and banners.

Now, there are numerous options for advertisers, from in-game billboards/portals to reward video ads. Plus the ad platform now allows for programmatic media buying. This is important because of Roblox's player demographics. At one point, half of US kids were playing Roblox.

There isn't another platform in which advertisers could use to reach this demo when they're most engaged.

Last headline to spotlight is Chase (yes the big bank) is launching an ad network that consists of its 80M users based on their purchase data. This reminds me of how in crypto advertisers can target users based on wallet holdings and activities. Chase Bank's ad network could be a great comparable case study to see how valuable the crypto ad market would be.

That's it for Monday! I know its a big one but lets start the week off strong!

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Epic execs say IP holders don't care about Fortnite, but they really want its ecosystem | GameDeveloper


🌊 MARKET 📞
Skybound returns to Republic crowdfunding to fund Invincible title | GamesBeat

Apple denies violating court order over alternative payments | GamesIndustry.biz

Gaming Industry Report - Q1 2024 | Konvoy Ventures


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Matej Lancaric: The Story of a Solopreneur | Brutally Honest


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Epic execs say IP holders don't care about Fortnite, but they really want its ecosystem | GameDeveloper

Roblox partners with PubMatic to power video ads | PGBiz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
STEPN Partners With Adidas For Exclusive NFT Sneakers | Gam3s.gg


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Pre-Production and Brainstorming Optimization | GameDeveloper

How to build branching narrative without breaking the bank | GameDeveloper


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Avalon raises $10M to launch hybrid Web3 MMO | GamesBeat


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Sony’s PS5 Pro is real and developers are getting ready for it | The Verge

Content Warning sells 1 million copies following launch giveaway | GameDeveloper


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Look at Gaming #384 | 4.16.2024

GM! I always like to study Roblox's policies.

As one of the largest UGC platform in the world, Roblox has unique access to data and insights on user behaviors at scale — player-developer, player-player, and developer-developer relationships.

The intricate balancing act that Roblox must conduct when setting its policy is the endproduct of its analysis of its ecosystem and stakeholders.

So today I want to spotlight their newest policy called "Publishing Advance".

UGC marketplaces are riddled with subpar content — some are outright fraudulent or IP infringements. To combat this, Roblox instilled a new policy, in which creators must pay an upfront fee when they publish an asset onto the marketplace.

Each time their item is sold, the creator will receie a rebate from Roblox until the Publishing Advance fee is repaid, only after that would Roblox receive its platform fees.

This is quite an interesting model. I can absolutely see a policy like this being adopted in crypto. This is also like a "staking" and "gas paying "mechanic rolled into one.

Creators must pay "pay gas" to list the item so they can't spam the marketplace. But, that gas payment turns into a "stake", then creators would receive some rewards whenever a sale was made.

Roblox also recently relaunched their whole marketplace so I'm sure new policies are sure to be released overtime.

That's it for today folks!

Catch y'all tomorrow.


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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Roblox introducing new 'publishing advance' fee as it opens up creator marketplace | GameDeveloper


🌊 MARKET 📞
StreamElements & Rainmaker.gg: State of the Streaming market in March 2024 | GameDev Reports


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Revealed: the state of Steam wishlist conversions & 'long tail' in 2024 | GameDiscoverCo


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Roblox introducing new 'publishing advance' fee as it opens up creator marketplace | GameDeveloper

Fortnite's Next Star Wars Crossover Will Span Lego, Festival, and Battle Royale Modes| GameInformer

Skybound turns to crowdfunding for triple-A Invincible game | GameDeveloper


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Web3 AI-powered Game AVALON Raises $10 Million | Gam3s.gg


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Fallout games double in player count after Prime series premiere | GameDeveloper

MiHoYo green lights Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail movies with government backing | PGBiz

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Roblox introducing new 'publishing advance' fee as it opens up creator marketplace | GameDeveloper


🌊 MARKET 📞
StreamElements & Rainmaker.gg: State of the Streaming market in March 2024 | GameDev Reports


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Revealed: the state of Steam wishlist conversions & 'long tail' in 2024 | GameDiscoverCo


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Roblox introducing new 'publishing advance' fee as it opens up creator marketplace | GameDeveloper

Fortnite's Next Star Wars Crossover Will Span Lego, Festival, and Battle Royale Modes| GameInformer

Skybound turns to crowdfunding for triple-A Invincible game | GameDeveloper


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Web3 AI-powered Game AVALON Raises $10 Million | Gam3s.gg


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Fallout games double in player count after Prime series premiere | GameDeveloper

MiHoYo green lights Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail movies with government backing | PGBiz

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Look at Gaming #385 | 4.17.2024

GM! Can't believe its halfway through the week already! Today I want to talk about esports.

Its quite evident now that the esports still haven't solved for its economic model. But yet, there was an announcement about the Esports World Cup's record-breaking prize pool of over $60 million for 2024 marks a significant milestone in the esports industry.


Record-Breaking Prize Pool: The $60 million prize pool surpasses the previous record of $45 million, demonstrating the growing scale and importance of esports events globally.

Venue and Timing: The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from early July through August. It will eventually be held in Qiddiya, an entertainment city under construction, showcasing the country's commitment to becoming a hub for esports.

Participating Games: The Esports World Cup will feature 20 different tournaments across a variety of games, including popular titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike 2.

Club Championship: A unique feature of the event is the Club Championship, where the top 16 clubs based on overall performance across different games will be awarded a total of $20 million.

Distribution of Prize Pool: The prize pool will be distributed across various categories, including Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers. Each participating game will have its own prize pool.

Sustainable Business Model: The Esports World Cup Foundation, as a nonprofit organization, aims to create a sustainable esports ecosystem. Revenue streams include sponsorships, merchandise, ticketing, and media rights, with host country fees playing a significant role.

Overall, the Esports World Cup's massive prize pool underscores the growing significance of esports on the global stage and highlights efforts to create sustainable and inclusive competitive gaming environments.

Additionally, in other esports news, we saw that CoD esports is changing the way they interact with teams/managers. The official CoD esports league is extending a 2-year guaranteed revenue contracts to teams.

That's it for today! Catch yall tomorrow.


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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Esports World Cup will have record-breaking prize pool of more than $60M | GamesBeat


🌊 MARKET 📞
GTA publisher Take-Two to cut 5% of staff as it cancels new games | PGbiz

70 percent of devs unsure of live-service games sustainability | GameDeveloper

How 10 Chambers is using Lurkit as a force for creator engagement | GamesIndustry.biz

Call of Duty League offers better financial terms for esports teams | GamesBeat

Esports World Cup will have record-breaking prize pool of more than $60M | GamesBeat


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Mobile gaming’s haves and have-nots | MobileDevMemo


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ronin EVM sidechain onboards popular South Korean MMORPG IP Ragnarok | The Block

TikTok parent company explores on-chain possibilities for Web3 gaming and AI | Coin Telegraph


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Navigating the supply maze: Picking the best demand platform in 2024 | PGBiz

Why it's become harder to raise investments in mobile game development in 2024 | GamesIndustry.biz


💲 Fundraising 🤑
A16z raises second gaming fund at $600M as part of $7.2B funding | GamesBeat

Red Rover Interactive secures $15M in Series A funding round | GamesBeat

Indie gamers Avalon gear up for global launch with $10 million investment | PGBiz


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Look at Gaming #386 | 4.18.2024

Look at Gaming #386 | 4.18.2024

GM! We are over hump day and the weekend is right... there.

But before that, let's look at Fortnite's top third-party IP cosmetics and skins. It's almost like, "If you don't have your own Fortnite skin, were you even that popular?"

Fortnite allows third-party websites like Fortnite.gg to track cool and obscure things about the game. The good folks over at GamesDiscoverCo (GDC) decided to dive deeper into the popularity of certain skins/cosmetics.

The methodology is that skins that came with the battle pass (aka "free skins") are in one group and the other group are pay-to-download skins. GDC looked at player data on the most recent patch when the skin was released and here's what they found.

Amongst the top 20 free skins, number one was Neymar Jr, used by 13% of the players. Not only was this skin number one, but was the only real-life celebrity skin used. Fourteen out of the top 20 skins are superhero-related — across DC and Marvel.

That speaks to the superhero craze that we're currently in for pop culture. But when we look at pay-to-download skins, we see that players prefer real-life celebrities with Travis Scott, his alter ego Astro Jack, and Slim Shady (Eminem) being the top 3 skins. Additionally, we see some world-class anime IP such as Naruto and Dragon Ball being in the top 20 paid skins.

That's crazy! Players preferring to dress up as their favorite real person rather than superheroes or IPs wouldn't have been my guess. But I suspect that the Travis Scott and Eminem skins probably act as souvenir merch from their in-game concert. Plus seeing my childhood Anime up there was also quite cool.

Fortnite is more than just a battle royale game but it is a platform for pop culture.

Catch you tomorrow!


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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
What are Fortnite's top 'third-party IP' skins? | GameDiscoverCo


🌊 MARKET 📞
Royal Match vs. Monopoly Go Smackdown! | GameMakers

Merge Market Overview | Brutally Honest

What are Fortnite's top 'third-party IP' skins? | GameDiscoverCo

What it’s like to make a video game with Nintendo | Game File


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
The Joy and Pain of Game Mastery | GameDeveloper

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Look at Gaming #388 | 4.29.2024

GM! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Let's kick this week off with some direct-to consumer action.

A new era of additional revenue sources and better margins is upon us (maybe?). Cutting that 30% App Store fees down to 10% fee for webshops.

This savings trickle down to the players as well in the form of discounts, freebies, or more affordable premium in-game items.

But this is the game studio's chance to move beyond just in-game items. A webshop expands the offerings to physical goods and maybe even experiences (imagine buying BlizzCon passes and a T shirt to go with it).

The deepening of the D2C relationship could look like this::

1. Offer a discount for signing up for the newsletter with an email address. Huuuge Games does this in their Huuuge Casino title.

2. Provide a free gift for creating an account, enabling tracking of customer actions across devices. For instance, Kabam’s Shop Titans offers daily/weekly free gifts to their registered players via their webshops.

3. Recommend personalized items (either via email or on a webshop) based on browsing history, enhancing conversion and retention. A Thinking Ape’s Party in My Dorm is one good example.

4. Send promotional emails for sales or special gifts to drive conversion and retention. Scopely’s Marvel Strike Force does a great job here, they send a weekly email with promotions that can be found in-game and on their webshop.

5. Develop VIP/loyalty programs that reward players with points for every purchase that they can redeem for discounts and free items. Rovio’s Red Club loyalty program is a great example.

6. Use email addresses of high-spending customers to create targeted audiences on platforms like Meta and Google.

This is definitely a new area that I'm excited to see develop further. We saw what D2C did to brands and ecommerce.

In other news, check out Konvoy's piece on potential upcoming IPOs and the article by GamesIndustry.biz on game engines.

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
The era of direct-to-consumer for mobile games is here | GamesBeat


🌊 MARKET 📞
The era of direct-to-consumer for mobile games is here | GamesBeat

InvestGame: Gaming Investment Market in Q1’24 | InvestGames

PocketGamer.biz Podcast Week in Views E09 - Supercell's Squad Busters goes global, Embracer Group splits, and Apple's Vision Pro flops | PGBiz

Activision Blizzard boosts Microsoft financials as Xbox hardware revenue falls | GameDeveloper

Newzoo: Top-10 Games by Revenue in the USA and Europe in Q1'24 | Newzoo


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
WTF Is Happening in Gaming! India! | GameMakers

Gaming IPO Watch List (2024) | Konvoy Ventures

What I think about games investing in 2024 | Naavik & David Kaye

2024 Casual Gaming Apps Report | GameRefinery

How accessible are game engines, and how much is still to be done? | GamesIndustry.biz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ubisoft returns to Web3 gaming with new titles in the works | GamesBeat

Immutable zkEVM Offering Up to $50 Million in Token Rewards to Ethereum Gamers | Decrypt.gg

Zentry x Beam united with $300M treasury to incubate Sophon (Congrats to the frens!!) | Zentry


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Fintech gaming startup Sanlo’s webshop tool could help developers avoid costly app store fees | TechCrunch

Web3 game startup GFAL raises $3.3M from Supercell and Mitch Lasky | GamesBeat

CARV Secures $10 Million For Gaming Data Layer and AI | Gam3s.gg


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly has magnetic Joy-Cons, new cartridges, larger 1080p screen | GamesIndustry.biz


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👋 Web3 Gaming Recap — April 28 to May 4

💎 Gaming Spotlight 🥜
• Research on Node Sales: What is it, when investors can get their capital back, who benefits the most from this meta, and what can be improved going forward — Read More

🔄 Gaming Updates
• Illuvium — Launched Private Beta 4 Testnet (April 30 - May 28)
• Blade Games — Dune Factory Alpha Test (May 1 - 12)
• METALCORE — Closed Beta 2.5 (May 1 - 14)
• Sky Strife — Season 1 Launch on Redstone Mainnet (May 1 - 31)
• Wanderers — Launched First Jump Closed Beta on Epic Games (May 3)
• Mixmob — Coming to Android/iOS (May 7)
• Crypto Unicorns — XAI Migration (May 7)
• THE WATCH — Potential public alpha launch (May 8)
• Paradise Tycoon — Beta Snapshot 2 (May 8)
• EFAS — Citizen Passport WL (May 10)
• Fusionist — ACE Arenas launch (May 15)
• Worldwide Webb — Game playable now as PWA (play.webb.game)
• Fantasy Top — Mainnet Launch
• AI Waifu — Game launch on Base (Free until May 14)
• Rumble Kong League — Partnered up with with Gatorade
• zkCandy — Incentivized testnet coming soon

🔖 Gaming Reads
• Decentralised — Infinite Worlds: AI, IP Composability and Autonomous Agents
• Tax Cuts — The hit-or-miss nature of the gaming industry & why simply using crypto as a false solution to PMF will fail

▶️ Gaming Watch/Listens
• Blockchain Gaming World — Why Midnight is building its Evergreen multiverse one game at a time
• Game Economist Cast — Episode 25: The Veblen Goods Model that explains Web3 (w/ Dr. Sam Rosen)
• Doubl3Tap — Episode 17: Ben (Cambria)
• Naavik — Nyan Heroes: Cats, Mechs & Esports in Web3

💸 Gaming Fundraising
• Blade Games — Raised $2.4m Seed round led by PTC Crypto & IOSG Ventures
• Saltwater Games — Raised $5.5m Seed round led by Deus X & 4R Capital
• SHADOW War — Raised $5m Series A from Momentum 6, Cointelligence, Cogitent Ventures & Spicy Capital
• G4AL — Raised $3.2m Seed round from Supercell & Mitch Lasky
• XBORG — Raised $5.7m Pre-Sale from the public at $114m FDV

hope helpful wuwu 😆💞 — https://t.me/thecoreloopweb3

Look at Gaming #389 | 5.06.2024

GM! Happy Monday.

This week I want to kick it off with mobile games discovery, particularly under the current climate of Apple/Android app stores facing regulatory scrutiny.

Previously, game studios didn't have to worry too much beyond creating a fun game. But today the competition for customers is rough and the burden is on the game studios to acquire users.

Could there exist almost themed/genred-based app stores? A way for niches to shine without having to compete with the generalized market which is getting more and more expensive to operate in.

Second order effect from this line of thinking is who would then be the storefront builders and keepers and what novel methods would they adopt to win and retain users.

For example, Netflix could become a storefront. What would it offer? Just the existing and similar titles or would they engender to do more. How about LinkedIn, which recently launched games on their platform? Outside of just casual games, could core gamers recruit players via LinkedIn? Could players list their gaming achievements on their LinkedIn profiles?

These are exciting times, with the shuffling of titans and gatekeepers in the app store landscape. We have a shot to re-empower players and redefine the dynamics.

-----

⚡ Spotlight 🤩
The app store standoff is a chance to reshape mobile game discovery | GamesIndustry.biz


🌊 MARKET 📞
The Esports Future Summit: 7 things we learned | PGBiz

Meta loses another $3.8 billion on VR/AR | GamesIndustry.biz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Liftoff & GameRefinery: Casual Games in 2024 | GameRefinery

Infinite Worlds | Decentralised.co

The app store standoff is a chance to reshape mobile game discovery | GamesIndustry.biz


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Google objects to Epic's proposed changes to Play Store policy | GamesIndustry.biz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Over 127 Blockchain Games Now on Epic Games Store | Gam3s.gg

AnimeCoin Launches ‘Gacha Grab’ Game With Ethereum NFT Collection Azuki | Decrypt.gg

Redstone Network Launches to Power Fully On-Chain Ethereum Games | Decrypt.gg

Blockchain Gaming Makes Up 40% Of The Q1 Private Placements | Gam3s.gg


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Manor Lords is slow and frustrating, and I can’t stop playing | The Verge


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⚠️ Beware of Telegram Ads

> The telegram's new policy allow Ads to be published on channels without owner's permission

> Scammers already taking advantage of this feature

> Please do not interact with these ‘pop up adds’!

Source: AlexClay

⚠️ BEWARE ⛔️

thecoreloop will never run any ads so please do not click or interact with any ads you see.

Please take a screenshot and dm any ads to me if you se them!!

Look at Gaming #390 | 5.20.2024

GM! Welcome back to another wonderful Monday.

There's been quite the development in the industry that I want to cover. The first spotlight is about Netflix and Roblox.

Introducing Nextworld. THe ultimate digital theme park on Roblox that brings all of your Netflix favorites to pixelated life. The first 3 activations are around Stranger Things, One Piece, and Rebel Moon, with an upcoming release of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.

Imagine exploring the Upside Down with your friends or braving the open ocean with Luffy. All within a frictionless nested world.

I think this is more than just another example of content going transmedia. If these game experiences are operated like live service games then I expect the stickiness of these users to be quite high.

Plus, User A may have come for Stranger Things but then stayed to explore One Piece. This multi-IP amalgamation leads to numerous streams of inbounding traffic plus lengthening the user stickiness as demonstrated previously.

This represents a pivotal moment in film/movie IP as the "consumable hours" are no longer limited to the length of the show, season, or movie. The extension to live service games delivers continuous enjoyment and engagement for fans. I've frequently found myself at the end of a show going on to YouTube to search for cast interviews or breakdowns just to extend my enjoyment just a tad further.

Now, I can persist my escapism by diving into these imaginary worlds.

The second spotlight article is about YouTube being the dominant and most-trusted platform for game discovery.

A survey of 1000 gamers revealed that 64% of them discovered games via YouTube, with TikTok at 36%. Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly) Twitter is amongst the least trusted source.

Perhaps it's time for web3 games to expand beyond targeting just CT but then again, these web3 games would have to compete against the uber polished web2 games. Big fish little pond situation.

In other headlines we have Xbox closing down 4 Bethesda studios, a LiftOff report that shows CPI per ad type (avg about $2), and a bunch of fundraising announcements!


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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Netflix and Roblox unveil Netflix Nextworld digital theme park on Roblox | GamesBeat

Study finds YouTube is the most popular and trusted platform for game discovery | GamesIndustry.biz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Xbox shutting down four Bethesda studios | GamesIndustry.biz

‘If Roblox and TikTok had a baby’: Supercell-backed HypeHype edges closer to launch | MobileGamer.biz

Stream Hatchet: Streaming Market Trends in Q1’24 | GameDevReports


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Nintendo, Microsoft, Square welcome us to the era of fewer big video games | Game File

What's the state of Switch, leading into 'Switch 2'? | GameDiscoverCo

Is Strategy design due for a shakeup? | GameDeveloper

The rise of the audio-only video game | The Verge

GameDiscoverCo: Conversion benchmarks of Steam wishlists into sales in the first month | GameDevReports

From Hypercasual to Hybridcasual - The Supercent story | Brutally Honest

CPI and D7 ROAS benchmarks in Mobile Game | LiftOff


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Steam currently banned in Vietnam | GamesIndustry.biz

EA CEO wants games to be a platform for socialization and self-expression | GamesBeat

Netflix and Roblox unveil Netflix Nextworld digital theme park on Roblox | GamesBeat

Study finds YouTube is the most popular and trusted platform for game discovery | GamesIndustry.biz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ethereum Game ‘Fantasy Top‘ Now One of Crypto's Most Profitable Apps | Decrypt.gg

Rug.fun Turns Minting Ethereum Meme Coins Into a Competitive Game | Decrypt.gg

Pixels Surpasses 1 Million Daily Active Users | Gam3s.gg


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Narration Avenues in Multiverse Games | GameDeveloper

Game trailers and the art of storytelling | GameDeveloper


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Neurable raises $13M for brain-computer interface with everyday products | GamesBeat

Iconic Arts raises $3.1M to create original properties for games and Hollywood | GamesBeat

Jamango raises $2.5M to launch browser-based game maker this year | GamesBeat

Inco and Privy partner to enable safe gaming on Telegram Messenger | GamesBeat

Yellow raises $5M from A16z for Gen AI-powered 3D modeling tool | GamesBeat

Steel City Interactive raises £15m in funding | GamesIndustry.biz

Bladerite Game Developer Seeds Labs Raises $12 Million | Gam3s.gg

Galaxis Raises $10 Million to Expand NFT Community Empowerment | Gam3s.gg

Blade of God X Secures Multimillion Dollar Investment | Gam3s.gg


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Zelda: Majora’s Mask is now a native PC game, and every N64 title could follow its lead | GamesIndustry.biz

Hades II is the perfect Steam Deck game | The Verge

Look at Gaming #391 | 5.27.2024

GM! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I sure did!

To kick off this week, I have a few spotlights for you. Let's start with how everything is an ad network.

Netflix announced that it's launching an in-house ad tech platform that's scheduled for a global rollout. But this shouldn't be a surprise to my readers. There were clear signs that an ad network was the attention aggregation and coordination layer that was missing in Netflix's ecosystem.

Per NBC news, as of March 2024 Netflix's ad tier has 40M MAU, double January's number. Late last year, Netflix reported that ~1% of its subscribers (so about 2.5M users) engaged with their mobile game offerings. Mobile user acquisition cost is expensive and rising, partly due to data protection and competition. But that won't be the case with Netflix.

I suspect that Netflix would have full visual into the data and preferential ad rates for its mobile games which would add to the broad goal of keeping its subscribers within the ecosystem more effectively. Not to mention the most recent expansion in the ecosystem with Nextworld, a Roblox experience created around key Netflix IPs.

If Netflix's ad network is able to tape directly into Roblox's ad system, then this is a complete game changer as this signifies the first time Roblox openning its ecosystem to an external ad network.

But we shall wait and see how this plays out.

In other news, GameAnalytics dropped some industry benchmarks for us to gobble up. For the mid-core category in North America, the average D1, D7, and D28 retention are 30%, 8%, and 2.5% respectively. On the other end with the casual category, we see a similar D1 at 30%, then D7 and 7%, and D28 at 2%. Frankly these figures surprised me a bit as I thought the core category would see higher retention rates. For Asia region, D1 is 25%. D7 and D28 is basically half of the US counterparts.

The median session time is 4 minutes 45 seconds across all regions and all genres. So keep that in mind when designing your game's core loop. Yes, even the core games like RPG and Strategy genre barely eek out 5 and a half minutes of session time.

Speaking of mobile, recall that Microsoft had plans to launch a mobile app store but they're not alone. Sony is also entering the mobile arena. I'm very keen to see what happens as Sony isn't particularly strong in the mobile space (given their current lack of mobile titles and mobile studios). But what they do have are a treasure trove of content and IP.

Another IP giant that you might have heard of called Disney will let Fortnite creators use its IP to make games. This is the UGC dream realized! When I was making Roblox games, I can't believe the number of Marvel super hero games I saw that I knew were NOT Disney-approved.

But but but... we all know how protective Disney is of their IP so I anticipate this UGC leash to be quite short. Lessons to take from this is actually around Disney's policy on approving and policing UGC content using their IP. Games today are all aiming to create new IP that then turns into UGC platforms. All roads lead to that so it's shrewd to study the best practices by the biggest players.

I know that was A LOT to take in but we had a big week last week. I hope you guys learned something. I sure did this week.

Catch you next Monday!

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Netflix to launch in-house ad tech with global rollout set for 2025 | PG.biz

GameAnalytics: Benchmarks in Mobile Games for Q1’24 | GameDev Reports

Report: Sony planning mobile games platform | GamesIndustry.biz

Disney will let Fortnite creators use its IP to make games | PG.biz


🌊 MARKET 📞
FaZe, 100 Thieves, and OpTic Reveal The Founding Fathers LAN Tournament | The Fudge Retort

Judge orders Google to calculate the costs of Epic’s biggest Play Store demand | The Verge

Modders are Developers - It’s Time to Pay Them | GameDeveloper

IGN scoops up Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, and more | The Verge

💎 Deep Dives 🔎
GameAnalytics: Benchmarks in Mobile Games for Q1’24 | GameDev Reports

Mobile game publishers spend $21M on backend tech | Metaplay

Lower-cost regions are key to the industry's rebuilding | GamesIndustry.biz

Game Producer: The Role Everyone Loves to Debate | a16z Games

Mastering the Roblox Meta | Naavik


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Report: Sony planning mobile games platform | GamesIndustry.biz

Microsoft will integrate its Copilot AI into Xbox and PC games | GameDeveloper

Netflix to launch in-house ad tech with global rollout set for 2025 | PG.biz

Disney will let Fortnite creators use its IP to make games | PG.biz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Integrate Web3 into Any Game in Minutes | Gam3s.gg

Immutable Hits Over 1 Million Passport Signups | Gam3s.gg

What is ERC-5189 Account Abstraction | Gam3s.gg


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Deep Dive: Harnessing the power of player feedback with Dying Light 2 | GameDeveloper


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Anomaly Raises $1.45M for AI-Driven Layer 3 Gaming Platform | Gam3s.gg


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Famitsu: Nintendo Switch has become the best-selling console in Japan's history | GameDev Reports

Look at Gaming #392 | 6.03.2024

GM! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Let's talk about discoverability and platforms.

An article from PGbiz calls out the current state of app stores and how platform owners prioritize ads over useful recommendations.

The issue is obvious: too many games (and entertainment apps), and too little time/attention. Discoverability in mobile is worse because platforms offer prime locations to ad buyers. Additionally, Apple changed its App Store policy in 2017 to become more editorial-focus, like a magazine rather than a marketplace.

Steam's marketplace offers a more equitable and favorable display of games; for example, when searching for a game, users are shown the game and related DLCs, whereas, in the mobile app stores, the top placement is auctioned off to the highest bidder.

The author broke down the three distinct approaches as such:
• Steam = based on sales and user-driven recommendations
• Google = sponsored content upfront
• Apple = editorial content upfront

But don't worry, there's a shift coming. A new direct-to-consumer trend is emerging with the release of alternative app stores. Epic Games' and Xbox's mobile stores will set the benchmark for this new paradigm.

Although outside of the app stores and marketplace, there has always been a dominant discovery platform that no one in web3 talks about. A survey of 1000+ gamers shows that 64% learn about new games via YouTube, with TikTok in second place at 38%.

As if YouTube knew it was the place for discovery, it recently launched YouTube Playables with 75 titles. YouTube is expanding its role and function in a gamer's playflow. Although the titles are largely casual games, I suspect the YT Playable will soon offer more core offerings as that's usually the demographic who watches gameplay on YouTube.

Also, recall that Google owns YouTube. It's not inconceivable to see a future where watching gameplay on YT then launching a vertical slice or a lite instance of the game. At the end of the experience, a prompt to download the game that is launch-able on both YT and as an app on the phone.

Lastly, another platform I want to call out that's (re)making a big splash in gaming. Discord started as a place for gamers to congregate but has since expanded into many other verticals.

However, this return to gaming is notable because Discord sees an opening in the deplatforming of the incumbents. Discord is already home base to many gamers so refocusing its energy here makes sense. More recently, Discord added a questing feature that empowers games to activate their community base and to find new players.

There's a trend of games building atop Discord. I'm not only referring to the party games like Poker but full-blown double AA-quality games. Tatsumeeko is one such game. There was also another sandbox drag-and-drop builder that I saw on the timeline. Our friend Jon from Bitkraft recently wrote a piece on "the third place" — outside of our home and our workplace, there's a third place where we find refuge.

Discord is one of our third places but now with it doubling down on gaming, it might become the only third place.

That's it for this week! Before you go, check out the story on Embracer and Brutally Honest's 12 Tips for UA (Q2 Version). Oh and GameDiscoverCo's piece on Steam sales conversion decreasing over time.

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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Mobile's broken app store discoverability | PGBiz

Big Games Machine: How People Discover New Games in 2024 | GameDev Reports

YouTube Playables are out now with over 75 games available | PGBiz

Discord’s turning the focus back to games | The Verge


🌊 MARKET 📞
Embracer Group's Breakup: What It Means for the Future of M&A in Gaming | GameMakers

Embracer's Lars Wingefors on the "brutal truth" of the AAA market | GamesIndustry.biz

Mobile's broken app store discoverability | PGBiz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Big Games Machine: How People Discover New Games in 2024 | GameDev Reports

Virtual Pets | Konvoy Venture

Immersion interrupted | SuperJoost Playlist

Hyper casual games lead ad media buys at 34% share, with US at the forefront of ad spend | PGBiz

Are conversion rates dipping over time on Steam? | GameDiscoverCo


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Netflix announces Minecraft animated series | GamesIndustry.biz

Discord’s turning the focus back to games | The Verge

YouTube Playables are out now with over 75 games available | PGBiz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
How Immutable Nexus is Enhancing Gaming with Dedicated zkEVM Chains | Gam3s.gg

This Week in Crypto Games: 'Notcoin' Hits $1 Billion, 'Hamster Kombat' Token, Tickle-to-Earn | Decrypt.gg

‘Final Fantasy’ Maker Square Enix Moves to Arbitrum for Ethereum Game NFTs | Decrypt.gg

Mythical and Pudgy Penguins Reveal Mobile Party Game | Gam3s.gg

Arbitrum Is About to Unlock $250 Million in Funds for Ethereum Games | Decrypt.gg


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Game audio overview: Sound effects for games | GameDeveloper

11 tips for killer mobile User Acquisition (Q2 version) | Brutally Honest


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Anomaly's AI-powered gaming platform attracts $1.45 million in funding | PG.biz

Gamefam Launches $5 Million Fund for UGC Creators | Gam3s.gg

Play AI Raises $4.3 Million at $70 Million Valuation | Gam3s.gg

Look at Gaming #393 | 6.10.2024

GM! Rise and grind. Welcome back to another wonderful week.

Keeping this one short today. I read an interesting opinion piece on how Sony may be wading into the live servicing of games.

Recall that Sony is known for their immersive, story-rich single-player games. And you will pay $70 for the pleasure to experience one of these games.

Sony’s publishing of Helldivers II, a $40 paid-for game with some live service elements, could be telling sign of how the Japanese conglomerate is approaching live service games.

Their new game, Concord, is expected to follow the paid-for game model.

But this half-half, hybrid model is promising. Read the article for a deeper breakdown.



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⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Sony avoids F2P as its live service model takes shape | GamesIndustry.biz

As RPGs and casual genres drastically decline, Monopoly Go! gives casino a 34% revenue surge | PGBiz

Ad revenue has "seen better years" on iOS, but some ad formats still pack a punch | PGBiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Asia & MENA gaming markets approach $100B, 2B players in 2028 | Niko Partners

As RPGs and casual genres drastically decline, Monopoly Go! gives casino a 34% revenue surge | PGBiz

Ad revenue has "seen better years" on iOS, but some ad formats still pack a punch | PGBiz

What do Apple and Google’s direct-to-consumer changes really mean for game developers? | GamesIndustry.biz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Mobile Gaming Post-IDFA Deprecation | Konvoy Ventures

Sony avoids F2P as its live service model takes shape | GamesIndustry.biz

The Next Era of Modding | Naavik

Sensor Tower: Mobile (Gaming) Market in Q1'24 | GameDev Reports

China Games Market Reports Series | Niko Partners


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Xbox Games Showcase 2024: all the news, trailers, and announcements | The Verge

Ikea will pay 10 Roblox players to roleplay as employees in its virtual store | The Verge

Samsung shows off new barrier-free games for Samsung Smart TV | GamesBeat

Discord is making it easier for app developers to make money | The Verge


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ethereum Network Ronin Launches ‘Forge’ Program to Onboard More Games | Decrypt.gg

McDonald's Just Launched Its Own Metaverse—And Grimace NFT Owners Are VIPs | Decrypt.gg

Ethereum Wallet MetaMask Now Lets You Launch Crypto Games—Here’s How | Decrypt.gg



🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Promoting Your Brand Through Live Streaming Events | StreamHatchet


💲 Fundraising 🤑
‘Xociety’ Developer Raises $7.5 Million to Launch Sui Shooter Game | Decrypt.gg

The Sandbox raises $20 million to empower creators in the open metaverse | PGbiz

Wevr raises $3.5M for spatial computing and game production | GamesBeat

Hypersonic Laboratories raises $7m for modding platform Helix | GamesIndustry.biz


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Riot announces Valorant console beta test at SGF, starting June 14 | GamesBeat

Suicide Squad left a $200 million hole in WBD’s video game division | The Verge