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Hey there, Core Loop community! 🎮👋

Exciting news! We're expanding our digital footprint to include Threads by Instagram, a new social media network that's shaking things up. It's a bold new platform that's a perfect match for us at thecoreloop, where we're constantly exploring the frontier of gaming, consumer tech, and social.

We know you're as passionate about these sectors as we are, and Threads offers a fantastic new channel for us to share the insights, data, and actionable intelligence you love to many others. Expect deep-dives, behind-the-scenes peeks, exclusive early alerts, and of course, our unique take on the latest news and trends.

So, if you're on Threads (or even if you're not yet, but keen to explore), click on the link below to follow thecoreloop. Just like always, we'll be dropping plenty of 'alpha' and actionable insights that you won't want to miss.

🔗 Join us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thecoreloop
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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! ❤️
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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
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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
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This is Part 1 of our Super Apps series.

GM y'all.

We wanted to explore the possibility of an industry-specific super app. But before that we had to learn a bit about the super app space.

- Super apps don't have to come from messaging and social media platforms.

- Before they become super apps, these apps exhibits key attributes that led them to super app status.

- We cover some examples of super apps that came from other industries.

- There were some macro trends that contributed to the success of super apps in the east

———————
Drop a gg! Let me know what you guys think of the piece.
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GM. Here's some Sunday reading for you!

We had a fairly slow week of news barring the US Court ruling for Microsoft-Activision Blizzard.

There was also the big news about Android;s Google Play Store changed their policy to allow blockchain/NFT in their apps.

In the Threads, Blogs, and Pods world, we have Konvoy Ventures funding report for Q2 2023, Deconstructor of Fun's survey results on Remote vs. Hybrid vs. On-Site work.

Laslty, I think funding activity is coming back! We had over $81M in funding this week across web2 and web3.

To read more check it out here:
https://tinyurl.com/thecoreloopitlw28
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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
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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?
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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
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WAGME #19 — Rumble Arcade & Topology roll out exciting playtests, BITKRAFT & IOSG release reports on Game Developer Tooling and network effects in Game Engines respectively while both Curio & XPLA roll out major updates.

❗️ 3 Priority Items to pique your interest
💻 7 Mints n Drops to look into
📘 5 Guides to keep you ahead
👾 11 Game Releases/Updates to keep you in the loop
🧐 2 Newly Spotted Games to track

——————

Drop a gg! ❤️
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Look at Gaming #256 | Thursday July 20th 2023

Not enough is said about Candy Crush. This franchise is partly responsible for the mobile gaming revolution. So check out the Spotlight article to learn more about this legendary story.

This year King's net revenue increased 9% YoY. They are the best at accelerating production and testing for their live ops. The Swedish company is a powerhouse today with nearly 3B downloads and $11.3B lifetime revenue across all its titles.

King is still king more than a decade later.


Spotlight 🤩
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Microsoft extends Activision Blizzard merger deadline by 3 months | VentureBeat


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🌈 Platforms 🏠
Activision Blizzard Esports Hit With Layoffs As Overwatch League's Future Remains Undecided | Game Informer

Diablo IV drives record quarter for Blizzard and Activision | GameDeveloper

Unity Opens Beta for VisionOS Development | GameDeveloper


Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Making a metaverse that matters | Wagner James Au interview/podcast | VentureBeat


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
The five Ps of better creative management | GamesIndustry.biz

Jam City’s Radostina Zhekova and Winnie Wen on UA creativity and the rise of fem | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


💲 Fundraising 🤑
GGWP raises $10m for AI moderation platform | GamesIndustry.biz

Screen Australia backs 23 studios with $2 million in funding | GamesIndustry.biz

Eyeball Games raises $1.5M for blockchain pool game | VentureBeat

Karat Financial raises $70M and teams with Visa on credit cards for creators | VentureBeat
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Look at Gaming #257 | Friday July 21st 2023

Happy Friday y'all! We got a big big report from Drake Star today covering the Q2 2023 Fundraising and M&A within the gaming industry.

Here are some quick stats:
- 196 private funding deals totalling $663M
- $6.2B in M&A activity
- Public gaming stocks on average grew by 15.9% last quarter

The concentration has been in the early-stage and the late-stage segments. I think it's because the startups will be building throughout these uncertain times. On the other end, we see consolidation of the large incumbents because everyone is chasing economies of scale and growing their revenue.

Last point that Michael Metzger (Partner at Drake Star) mentioned was that there are more gaming investors now more than ever. This could be a great sign of a bright future or these funds could be the lingering residuals of dumb money from the last frothy cycle.

Also big shout out to the friends over at Bitkraft, Play Ventures, a16z Games, and Griffin Gaming Partners who were amongst the most active funds in Q2 2023!


🔦 Spotlight 🌟
Q2 gaming M&A deal value rises to $6.2B thanks to Scopely, Rovio | Drake Star | VentureBeat


🌊 MARKET ☎️
FTC withdraws its in-house challenge to Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard deal | The Verge

Carry1st & Newzoo: Sub-Saharan African countries gaming revenue reached $863M in 2022 | GameDevReports

Peak XV, Tiger Global, others urge PM Modi to review India's online gaming tax | TechCrunch

Valorant to accelerate PC game and Esports revenue growth in China | Niko Partners

Ubisoft's Q1 sees a 9% dip | GamesIndustry.biz

Q2 gaming M&A deal value rises to $6.2B thanks to Scopely, Rovio | Drake Star | VentureBeat

Netflix Q2 earnings: password-crackdown subscriber bump, revenue miss and ARPU decline | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert


🌈 Platforms 🏔
How 25 years of Yu-Gi-Oh prepared Konami for live service games | GamesIndustry.biz


Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌎
OpenSea Launches Peer-to-Peer NFT Swaps, 'Deals' | CoinDesk


🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
The best places to publish your indie game | GameDeveloper


👾 Game & Stats Releases 🎮
The Borderlands movie comes out next year | The Verge

Pokémon Sleep is now available in the US on Android and iOS | The Verge

Jam City launches DC Heroes & Villains mobile RPG | VentureBeat
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gm gm! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Your weekly digest is here:
In The Loop w/ Kapital K

This week I'm covering:
- The FTC x Microsoft Saga
- Q2 2023 Fundraising Activity ($6B+)
- Roblox Subscriptions
- TikTok getting 3 Trillion Views
- A Quick Look at Candy Crush

There was over $141M in fundraising this week with a $1.7B acquisition.

We also have blogs about the Japanese gaming market as well as the State of Web3 Game Dev Tooling.

If you're in the listening mood, we have some great pods about Creating Interoperability Standards as well as a pod on Iterative Prototyping for Board Games.

Read more here
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Look at Gaming #258 | Monday July 24th 2023

With the MSFT vs. FTC pretty over, I wanted to take a look at the franchise that was the crux of the whole case. Call of Duty was first released two decades ago in 2003 on PC and console. But it only came on mobile in 2019.

In Activision's Q2 2023 financials, the company stated that more than half of all engagement happens on mobile — totalling to $3B in lifetime revenue. This is incredible for a game that was predominantly on PC and console.

It only took 3 years for the engagement to flip sides. Can Activision Blizzard execute their mobile strategy with other titles like Overwatch?

This also speaks to the evolution of mobile players. The core genre is becoming more prevalent in mobile and that's a good thing.


Spotlight 🤩
Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


🌊 MARKET 📞
Why is cloud gaming the future for video games? | Kevuru Games

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: A complete timeline | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Ubisoft saw $298 million in net bookings in Q1 of the 2023-24 fiscal year, but m | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

Indian government clarifies 28% tax does not apply to mobile games | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz


💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Xbox' back catalogue isn't just a stopgap – it's a competitive advantage | Opinion | GamesIndustry.biz

#218: Get the papers | Hit Points by Nathan Brown

LatAm Gaming Market | Konvoy Ventures

SEGA President: Games for a new console generation will cost $70M+ to develop | GameDev Reports


🌈 Platforms 🏠
The Sony Project Q PlayStation handheld is running Android in a leaked video | The Verge


Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Unpacking the ‘Backpack’ Wallet: How ERC-6551 Tokens Are Changing Digital Ownership | CoinDesk


💲 Fundraising 🤑
Closing Theory raises $2.3m | GamesIndustry.biz


👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
A new MMORPG from NetEase - Justice Online Mobile - is earning at least $1.5M daily since the release | GameDev Reports

Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz

_______
Drop a gg!

Also thecoreloop also bought its first Paladin to be a part of PaladinsDAO!

Excited for what to come. Stay tunedddddd. :)
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gm. Let's start the week off with a bang.

Here's a look at our essay on how we're thinking about Digital Marketing 3.0. UA costs are up 2x and brands are hurting.

We covered things from branded in-game experiences on Roblox all the way to Starbucks' Odyssey Loyalty Program.

Read it HERE.

____________

TL;DR — Brands are struggling to maintain engagement while sustaining return on advertising spend.

But there are alternatives advertising avenues on the horizon.

In this article we explore these techniques that may transform the relationship between customers and brands, which can increase brand awareness, engagement and customer lifetime value (LTV).
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Look at Gaming #259 | Tuesday July 25th 2023

Aside from TikTok, Roblox is another ad platform that you must know. Why is it important? Nearly half of kids age 13 and under in the US plays Roblox — that's 61M DAU.

Roblox launched their Immersive Ads product back in March 2023. This allows creators to insert specific areas in their games that facilitates PROGRAMMATIC ad placements.

There are two types of Immersive Ads. (1) A static billboard, (2) A billboard that transports you to another game.

NOTE. You can NOT divert users off Roblox — so no URLs, QR codes, etc.

Roblox is openning that up to outside partners. Folks like Vayner3 (Gary Vee's outfit), Dentsu (Japanese Ad & PR company). Prepare to see a deluge of brands flooding into this ad platform. There are numerous stringent issues with targeting and advertising to kids. If Roblox could crack the regulatory code, then it's going to be a dominant player in the ads space.


🔦 Spotlight 🌟
Roblox has launched an ad network | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert


🌊 MARKET ☎️
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Roblox has launched an ad network | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert

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