Look at Gaming #242 | Friday June 30th 2023

Big news came out of Bellevue today and I'm not referring to Microsoft. Valve (creator of Steam) won't publish titles that use AI-generated content.

The story is that there's a developer who tried to submit their game to Steam but got flagged by the review team. Steam required the studio to show that they owned the rights to the dataset used by the A.I. before their title could be published.

This is a tall order. It is impossible for a team to own the dataset of the underlying A.I.. The team could potential get a "right to use" the dataset but outright ownership seems farfetched.

These copyright issues has been a grey area in gen. AI writ large so it's not surprising to see some backlash within the gaming space. Valve doesn’t want to get sued to oblivion so I understand their tempered and reserved approach.

Though, Steam is a vital and integral stakeholder and infrastructure provider for a lot of folks in the gaming space so I hope some clearer guidelines emerge sooner rather than later.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Report: Valve won't publish Steam titles that use AI-generated content | GameDeveloper


🌊 MARKET 📞
Microsoft and Activision CEOs battle to keep a giant Xbox deal alive | The Verge

Is the FTC vs Microsoft hearing over yet? | Microcast | GamesIndustry.biz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Nadella's endgame | SuperJoost Playlist


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Report: Valve won't publish Steam titles that use AI-generated content | GameDeveloper


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
SuperDuper partners with Immutable on Web3 RTS Overlord | VentureBeat


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Mythical Games raises a further $37million, hitting a valuation of over $1billio | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Scriptic raises $5.7m in seed funding round | GamesIndustry.biz

WAGME #17 — Gods Unchained debuts on Epic Games, Yuga Labs reveals HV-MTL Forge S1, & Sparkball debuts on Steam. With fresh entrants like Rumble Arcade, FFG & Loot Chain launching, Web3 Gaming never disappoints.

• ❗️ 6 Priority Items to pique your interest
• 💻 10 Mints n Drops to look into
• 📘 8 Guides to keep you ahead
• 👾 26 Game Releases/Updates to keep you in the loop
• 🧐 9 Newly Spotted Games to track

——————

Drop a gg! ❤️

Here's Week 2️⃣6️⃣ of In The Loop.

Can't believe half the year has already passed!

This week there's a lot of news about platforms.

• YouTube launching mini games. 👀

• WeChat's mini games hit 400M MAU. ‼️

• Valve disallows AI-gen content on Steam. ❌

• Roblox allows 17+ Mature content. 🆒

There are many more blogs, threads, and pods to check out so be sure to head over to the newsletter.

https://tinyurl.com/thecoreloopitlw26

Look at Gaming #243 | Monday July 3rd 2023

GM! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Happy Fourth to those in the states. And what better way to celebrate independence than to launch your own app store.

That's exactly what Meta is purportedly doing. It seems that users may be able to download apps from within the Facebook app; though, this will only be available in Europe.

This not only opens up a whole new "App Store" but also an internal Ad Network within the Facebook App. For those familiar with programmatic media buying/UA, imagine the FB Ad Manager now lets you manage ads not only on Facebook's Ad network which serves ads in other apps but also ads inside the Facebook app itself — much meta, so inception.

P.S. Samsung set to launch its own game store in 30 countries.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Meta to get into the app store game as Facebook allows app downloads | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Five Key Mobile Game Genres ​in Asia and MENA​ (in collaboration with AppMagic) | Niko Partners

American Truck Simulator is running ads for real truck companies | GameDeveloper

South Korea could enforce an approval system for Chinese games | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Microsoft’s FTC fight comes down to Call of Duty | The Verge


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Skill gaming and the future of real money gaming | Nancy MacIntyre | VentureBeat

The Future of Game Shows | Konvoy Ventures

#213: Rise of the robots | Hit Points by Nathan Brown

Meta to launch direct-to-install ads for Android. Will they work? | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Samsung to launch online gaming store in 30 countries | VentureBeat

Meta to get into the app store game as Facebook allows app downloads | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Unity pulls the plug on Atlas AI generation tool less than 24 hours after launch | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Ubisoft Reveals Next Blockchain Game, Champions Tactics | Decrypt

Can Web3 Gaming on Mobile Succeed? | Naavik


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
AAA vs. Gaming Startups | Naavik

Look at Gaming #244 | Tuesday July 4th 2023

Happy Fourth! Enjoy some good ol' BBQ y'all! 💥😎

Valve gave us a little insight into how their thinking about AI-generated games on Steam.

The crux of their policy is the legality of the AI content. Valve must adhere to current copyright laws and policies in place. But as we all know legislation/regulation moves much slower than innovation.

This is a very conservative stance on Valve's part. But the Half-Life creator also said that they know the landscape is constantly evolving and so will they — as the famous PR line goes, "the situation is fluid". Valve did offer to refund the non-refundable app submission fee for cases that involves AI-gen.

This is also on the heels that Unity rolled back all their AI tools practically within 24 hours of announcing it.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Valve responds to claims it has banned AI-generated games from Steam | TechCrunch


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Minecraft earned four times as much revenue on Switch compared to Xbox | GameDeveloper

Report: Apple scales down plans for Vision Pro headset | GamesIndustry.biz

Valve responds to claims it has banned AI-generated games from Steam | TechCrunch


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Building a Sustainable Web3 Game With Sorare | YouTube

Deconstructing On-chain Game Engines | Twitter

List of On-chain Game Infra | Twitter


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Xbox Series X|S have sold a combined 21m units | GamesIndustry.biz

—————

Drop a gg in the comment. I want to hear from you guys!

Who do you want to win in the FTC v MSFT?

Look at Gaming #245 | Wednesday July 5th 2023

Quiet day today in gaming land. Thinking folks are just sitting back this week and holding out all news in the off chance that the FTC v MSFT court ruling was released — that would for sure drown out all other headlines.

Nonetheless, we see another court-related action today. Apple is appealing to the US Supreme Court to overturn a decision in the Epic antitrust case. Recall that although the District Court of California ruled against Epic on 9 out of 10 claims, the one claim that got approved was the most important one regarding Apple's anti-steering practices (aka not allowing developers to use 3rd party payment portals).

Apple had already appealed this to the US Court of Appeals but it looks like the Appellate court is going to uphold the District court's ruling. So Apple must seek "justice" from the highest court of the land. Apple is claiming two key things: (1) Since Epic isn't representative of a class, the court can't apply a universal injunction; (2) Since the case was brought in California, it shouldn't be a nationwide injunction.

This is coming on the heels of rumors about Meta and their app store inside the FB mobile app. Turf wars everywhere.



⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Apple asks US Supreme Court to overthrow ruling in Epic antitrust case | GamesIndustry.biz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Why do games media layoffs keep happening? | GamesIndustry.biz

June’s top mobile game downloads worldwide | Mobilegamer.biz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Meta to launch a Twitter competitor. Can this time be different? | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Apple asks US Supreme Court to overthrow ruling in Epic antitrust case | GamesIndustry.biz


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Grow your retention & focus on fun | Deconstructor of Fun

Creating Rhythm-Action Game by Hi-Fi Rush creator | The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook

—————

Drop a gg in the comment. I want to hear from you guys!

Anyone playing D4?

Look at Gaming #246 | Thursday July 6th 2023

Fundraising has been tough all around unless you're an AI company. For gaming we saw a dip in deal count in Q2 2023. In terms of exits, we're at the lowest since Q1 of 2018.

With the uncertainty surrounding anti-trust and regs, large acquisitions are stalled. Additionally, crossover funds, PE funds, basically any institution with a deep stack is trigger shy right now.

Europe and North America numbers drag the global figures lower but Asia is roughly on pace with 2022.

Rough, rough, rough! All eyes on the MSFT v FTC case results.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Global VC deals slipped further in Q2 | Pitchbook | VentureBeat


🌊 MARKET 📞
Embracer raises $182 million via share issue | GamesIndustry.biz

Global VC deals slipped further in Q2 | Pitchbook | VentureBeat

Steam Bans CS:GO Accounts With $2 Million Worth of Skins—Do NFTs Fix This? | Decrypt

South Korean government charges Game Rating and Administration Committee with embezzlement | GamesIndustry.biz

GameRefinery & Liftoff: Mid-core games in 2023 | GameDevReport

MENA and social gaming - what does it take to succeed in one of the world’s fast | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
The complete introduction to Unity game development | GameDeveloper

Rovio's masterclass for creating memorable characters | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

An indie developer's guide to industry events, trade shows, and exhibitions | GameDeveloper

Harnessing the Potential of Video Game Sound Design | Kevuru Games

How to create engaging open worlds | GamesIndustry.biz


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Aito raises $6.5M to make finger-sensing and haptics for laptops | VentureBeat

Look at Gaming #247 | Friday July 7th 2023

Late post y'all! Apologies for missing it yesterday! But here's your news for Friday.

I want to spotlight Riot's publishing division called Riot Forge. This is the prime example of an IP-Turn-Platform.

Riot launched a publisher to further expand its universe for its IP. They recognized that the MOBA genre isn't great for storytelling so they decided to allow other studios to take their IP and build new worlds and rich lore.

One could draw a parallel from Riot's success to what all the web3 games/studios are trying to do with their "ecosystem" angles. But what's important to note is that Brandon Beck and Mark Merrill (founders of Riot) set out to build the best MOBA game, not to platformatize their IP.

Gotta get the basics right first.

Recall that Riot started as a "fork" of the Warcraft III mode called Defend of the Ancients (DotA). Riot's success story is worthy of a case study.

Have a great weekend y'all.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Riot Forge boss "would love" to publish League of Legends dating sim | GameDeveloper


🌊 MARKET 📞
Report: Women make up 37% of Asia's gamers | GamesIndustry.biz

NCSoft stock down 36.6% since January, with further dip after lacklustre pre-reg | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Niantic Layoffs / Square Enix’s Future / FTC Lawsuit Revelations | Naavik

Embracer Group raises $182 million through share issue | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

South Korean regulator ousts staff after odd corruption investigation | GameDeveloper


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The Death of the Social Internet, and What’s Next | Jacob Wolf

Virtual Reality and Misaligned Expectations | Konvoy


🌈 Platforms 🏠
How Samsung gives gamers options beyond buying consoles | Mike Lucero | VentureBeat

Court blocks restraining order against EA college football game | GamesIndustry.biz

Riot Forge boss "would love" to publish League of Legends dating sim | GameDeveloper


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
The Most Anticipated Crypto and NFT Games | Decrypt

Sorare unveils licensed NFTs for top NBA draft picks | VentureBeat

Web3 games don’t need to highlight blockchain elements to succeed | TechCrunch

Sega cools interest in blockchain and NFT games | GameDeveloper


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Microsoft reported about 21M+ sold Xbox Series S|X | GameDevReports

Look at Gaming #248 | Monday July 10th 2023

Just a short one for Monday y'all. It was quiet over the weekend.

There is one headline that I wanted to spotlight. The growth in gaming amongst women and girls. There was a headline previously about how the age group 50+ feels neglected by the games industry and how that same segment is growing rapidly with over 30% of adults 45+ playing online games.

Here are some stats on female gamers. 47% of console gamers are female. Females make up half of PC gamers and 54% of mobile gamers.

The breakdown of console type is even more interesting as females own: 52% of Switch, 45% of Xbox Series, and 41% of PS5.

This speaks to the broader trend of "everyone is a gamer" and more particularly how certain segments are becoming the lion share of the market.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
What To Watch: Growth in Gaming Among Women and Girls | The NPD Group


🌊 MARKET 📞
What To Watch: Growth in Gaming Among Women and Girls | The NPD Group


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Mobile Mavens: What do app downloads direct from Facebook mean for the industry? | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Pulling the Threads: Inside social media's latest trend | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Line Next signs deal with Sega to make Web3 game for Game Dosi | VentureBeat

Look at Gaming #249 | Tuesday July 11th 2023

We know China is a powerhouse when it comes to mobile gaming spend but what's less well-known is the console market — and it's larger than you might think.

Niko Partners dropped a report suggesting that the console market generated $2.3B in 2022 from nearly 17M gamers. These figures are from all sales, hardware and software, legitimate channels and grey market. Unsurprisingly, more than 3/4 of the software sales are generated via the grey market.

Niko Partners also surveyed actual players to assess what kind of games they prefer and surprisingly these are the first-party narrative-rich titles such as God of War and The Last of Us, while FPS like CoD: MW2 is played by a very small subset.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
In-depth: inside China's 'hidden' game console market | GameDiscoverCo


🌊 MARKET 📞
Classic Games Disappearing Faster Than Silent Films | Axios

In-depth: inside China's 'hidden' game console market | GamesDiscoverCo

RPGs led the pack through 2022 in MENA and Asian markets, regional trend report | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Gaming Industry Report - Q2 2023 | Konvoy Venture


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Netflix Games 2.0: social games push incoming after big-name live service and triple-A hires | Mobilegamer.biz

Meta's firehose (or: the wrong lesson from Threads' 100MM users) | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Netflix Games 2.0: social games push incoming after big-name live service and triple-A hires | Mobilegamer.biz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Axie Infinity: Raylights launches monetization and multiplayer gaming | VentureBeat

Stepn Creator's Next Game Is a Social MMO Called Gas Hero | Decrypt

Mighty Bear Games will publish Mighty Action Heroes on Arbitrum blockchain | VentureBeat


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Gamercraft raises $5 Million for AI-powered skill- gaming platform | VentureBeat


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
100 Thieves debuts Bank Heist custom Fortnite Map | VentureBeat

The Boys Invades Call Of Duty This Week | Game Informer

Look at Gaming #250 | Wednesday July 12th 2023

Alas we have a conclusion to one of the largest legal case of the gaming industry. The court decided to deny the FTC's injunction of the Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

This is right on the heels of the deal's expiration date of July 18th, upon which Microsoft has to pay Activision Blizzard a breakup fee of $3B.

Initially, Microsoft kept pressing that ABK's mobile expertise and market dominance were why they pursued the deal. But in the end the case largely rested on the Call of Duty franchise.

Now there are still chances of the FTC filing an appeal so the show continues.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Judge Denies FTC's Injunction | Axios


🌊 MARKET 📞
India deals a 28% tax blow to online gaming industry | TechCrunch

Microsoft and UK regulators agree to pause their Activision battle to negotiate | The Verge

What's next for Microsoft & Activision Blizzard | Axios

Judge Denies FTC's Injunction | Axios

What happens to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard post-FTC? | VentureBeat

Judge denies injunction in Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition | VentureBeat

Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard merger can’t be blocked by FTC, judge rules | TechCrunch


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The Game Industry Has Spoken: Remote vs. Hybrid vs. On-Site | Deconstructor of Fun


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
EU’s Metaverse Vision Focuses on Standards and Governance for Virtual Worlds | Video | CoinDesk


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
What is brand marketing? | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Gardens raises $31m in Series A funding round | GamesIndustry.biz

WAGME #18 — Action-packed week of open betas including Mighty Action Heroes, Gran Saga & Mithraeum. Messari drops their on-chain gaming report & Ubisoft dives into Web3 via its Tactical RPG, Champions Tactics.

• ❗️ 7 Priority Items to pique your interest
• 💻 5 Mints n Drops to look into
• 📘 8 Guides to keep you ahead
• 👾 19 Game Releases/Updates to keep you in the loop
• 🧐 9 Newly Spotted Games to track

——————

Drop a gg! ❤️

Look at Gaming #251 | Thursday July 13th 2023

What a day! We have the FTC filing for an appeal on the US District Court's decision — not surprised. Here we go again.

In other big news, we have Android dropping a MEGA policy change. Moving forward, Google Play will start supporting blockchain technology (eg NFTs) for the mobile games and apps.

This is pretty big vindication for all of us web3 folks. The terms and conditions and how the approval/review process would be are still unclear. Though, this policy only applies to existing apps this is a large step in the right direction.

Since both Apple and Androids are allowing for NFTs in mobile, there's no longer a valid claim as to why your game isn't on mobile. It's the largest gaming platform. Go get those users y'all.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Android policy change adds blockchain support for Google Play apps | GameDeveloper


🌊 MARKET 📞
FTC Appeals Court Ruling In Activision Blizzard Acquisition Case Against Microsoft | Game Informer

Apps VS Mobile Games: Who came out on top in H1 2023 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Xbox bonanza: that FTC win & the future of Game Pass! | GameDiscoverCo

Why esports businesses should pay close attention to employment law | Opinion | GamesIndustry.biz

Down. Not out. | SuperJoost Playlist


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Unity announces Safe Voice | GamesIndustry.biz

Roblox is coming to Meta’s Quest VR headsets | The Verge


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Android policy change adds blockchain support for Google Play apps | GameDeveloper


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Guerrilla Games and the road to Horizon: Forbidden West | GamesIndustry.biz

How Trailmix took Love & Pies from perpetual pivots to record retention | Mobilegamer.biz


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Embrace raises $20M to help devs build better mobile games and apps | VentureBeat

Bring It On raises $4M to make skill-based games like Road Trip Bingo | VentureBeat

Infinite Canvas raises $6M in funding, launches AI-powered Discord game | VentureBeat

Binance Labs Invests $15 Million in Crypto Game Publisher Xterio | Decrypt


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Stumble Guys teams up with MrBeast on in-game experience | VentureBeat

Look at Gaming #252 | Friday July 14th 2023

Happy Friday y'all! Aside from all the FTC, Microsoft huff and puff, Sony is just shipping and building.

From releasing great new hardware products like the PS5 accessibility controller and the Backbone One mobile peripheral to software release such as Project Q, Sony is focused on delivering new products and services to their users.

And now, Sony is planning to invest $2B into extended reality research — closing the game between the digital and physical world. This is 40% of its annual R&D budget for the company, not just the Sony Interactive (their gaming division).

I honestly have no idea what "extended reality" means but i'm here for it. Hope it doesn't turn into Meta's R&D spending on the metaverse which totaled $36B from 2019 till now. 🫠

Have a great weekend y'all!


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Sony to invest $2 billion into extended reality research | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Report: Arm in talks with Nvidia as anchor investor ahead of IPO | GamesIndustry.biz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
How nDreams became one of the biggest VR game developers in the world | GameDeveloper


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Antstream Arcade is coming to Xbox | GamesIndustry.biz

Google Play Games beta for PC expands to over 60 new countries including India | TechCrunch

Sony to invest $2 billion into extended reality research | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Saga draws 224 projects to its Web3 scaling platform in less than a year | VentureBeat


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
The developers of Thronefall make games for people who don't have time | GameDeveloper


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
The Last of Us TV series up for 24 Emmy nominations | GamesIndustry.biz

Look at Gaming #253 | Monday July 17th 2023

Welcome back to another week of gaming news!

Kicking off the week right with the FTC's appeal being denied and Microsoft signing a multi-year deal with Sony to keep CoD on PlayStation. So this deal is racing towards the finish line — especially since there's a $3B breakup fee if Microsoft misses the July 18th deadline.

Though there's still the UK's Competition & Markets Authority that stands in Microsoft's way of total domination.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Sony signs deal with Microsoft to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation | VentureBeat


🌊 MARKET 📞
Sony signs deal with Microsoft to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation | VentureBeat

FTC denied appeal to block Microsoft-Activision acquisition | GamesIndustry.biz

African games market hits $863m throughout 2022 | GamesIndustry.biz

Gamified e-learning platform Kahoot gets acquired in a $1.7B deal led by Goldman Sachs, Lego and more | TechCrunch


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
The Future of Player Betting | Naavik


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Lessons Learned From My Startup Journey | Deconstructor of Fun

Look at Gaming #254 | Tuesday July 18th 2023

What if I told you TikTok has a 30% click-thru rate with over multi-billion impressions.

There's a trend on TikTok called #GameEdit, which is when a creator edits gaming-related content with a humorous interpretation.

Genshin Impact's #GenshinEdit received 5B impressions and 30% of viewers digs up more information about the game after seeing the TikToks.

TikTok is an extension to the game itself. This new medium of immersion and engagement with game content extends the user's lifetime value (LTV).

The report also indicated that gaming content received over 3T views in 2022.

This is similar to "modding", except it's not playable in the traditional sense but it does connect with the players beyond the initial game.


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
TikTok users viewed more than three trillion gaming-related videos in 2022 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Africa’s gaming revenue is more than 90% mobile | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

MS-ABK nears completion in the US | Microcast | GamesIndustry.biz

EA and other video game stocks see big boost as M&A fever creeps in | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Why running Merge Mansion is like ‘governing a micronation’ | Mobilegamer.biz

Excerpt: John Romero’s autobiography Doom Guy on the birth of id Software | The Verge


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Threads as a gaming hub? Zynga founder-backed Artie is counting on it | TechCrunch

TikTok users viewed more than three trillion gaming-related videos in 2022 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
The State of Web3 Game Developer Tooling | BITKRAFT Ventures


💲 Fundraising 🤑
More Turkish investment as Fortune Mine Games closes $2m seed round | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Google and Taito’s AR Space Invaders game is out now on Android and iOS | The Verge

Crunchyroll announces One Punch Man game for PC and mobile | VentureBeat

_________
Drop a gg if you're around!

What is your game's TikTok strategy?

Look at Gaming #255 | Wednesday July 19th 2023

Roblox released some big news. Though Roblox has provided numerous way for devs to make money from selling items to charging an access fee. For the first time ever, developers are able to offer subscriptions.

These myriad monetization options are in stark contrast to those offered by Fortnite's Creator Mode — you only get paid based on how long players spent within your experience.

Another nugget Roblox dropped at the end of their press release was that players may be able to "purchase real-world goods within an experience." BOOM‼️


⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Roblox is going to let developers offer subscriptions in their experiences | The Verge


🌊 MARKET 📞
Republican members of Congress urge FTC to drop case against Microsoft-Activision | GamesIndustry.biz

US Supreme Court denies gamer lawsuit a block against Microsoft's Activision acquisition | GamesIndustry.biz

Microsoft, Activision reportedly discussing acquisition deadline extension | GamesIndustry.biz

Famitsu: Japanese gaming market in H1 2023 | GameDevReports

Brazilian mobile market to jump to $5.2bn gross revenue by 2027 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Introducing a new UK games industry salary benchmarking service for businesses | GamesIndustry.biz

Venture Capital Funding to Web3 Plummets 76%, Crunchbase Report Shows | CoinDesk

Data drop: H1 2023 digested, TikTok tips, App Store visibility plus Diablo Immortal, Attack Hole and more | Mobilegamer.biz

Activision Blizzard Q2 2023 Financials | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGBiz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Generative AI for ad creative: five value milestones | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert

Summer special: video games & AI 'exposed'? | GameDiscoverCo


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Roblox is going to let developers offer subscriptions in their experiences | The Verge


✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
You Can Now Earn Bitcoin for Playing Minecraft—Here’s How | Decrypt

'Assassin's Creed' Creator Ubisoft Throws Weight Behind Cronos Blockchain | Decrypt

'Neopets' Cancels NFT Game After Raising Money From Polygon, Avalanche | Decrypt

Cool Cats Expands Gaming Push With Trio of Upcoming Titles | Decrypt


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
How Coffee Talk 2 evolved from DLC to a full-fledged sequel | GameDeveloper

'I've turned down life-changing money': The story of Waffle | GamesIndustry.biz


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Futureverse Raises $54 Million From 10T, Ripple Labs for Metaverse Push | Decrypt

Scalo leads $3.5m investment in Sushi Roll, Blend it 3D publisher Hexacore | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Hit comic book series Invincible to get new mobile game courtesy of Ubisoft | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz