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
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!
Sony to invest $2 billion into extended reality research | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
Report: Arm in talks with Nvidia as anchor investor ahead of IPO | GamesIndustry.biz
How nDreams became one of the biggest VR game developers in the world | GameDeveloper
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
Saga draws 224 projects to its Web3 scaling platform in less than a year | VentureBeat
The developers of Thronefall make games for people who don't have time | GameDeveloper
The Last of Us TV series up for 24 Emmy nominations | GamesIndustry.biz
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www.pocketgamer.biz
Sony to invest $2 billion into extended reality research
Sony has announced its intention to invest 300 billion yen ($2.13 billion) into the field of ‘extended reality’ by the end of March 2024, helping...
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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.
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.
thecoreloop’s Substack
Super Apps Part 1: Expanding Horizons
Redefining Super Apps: An Exploration of Their Evolution and Potential from Diverse Industries
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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
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
thecoreloop’s Substack
IN THE LOOP with kapital k // W28 of 2023
The only gaming newsletter you need. I curate and aggregate content from across web2 & web3 to deliver it straight to your inbox.
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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
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.
Sony signs deal with Microsoft to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation | VentureBeat
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
The Future of Player Betting | Naavik
Lessons Learned From My Startup Journey | Deconstructor of Fun
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VentureBeat
Sony signs deal with Microsoft to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation
Microsoft and Sony have signed a binding deal to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation platform.
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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?
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.
TikTok users viewed more than three trillion gaming-related videos in 2022 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
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
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
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
The State of Web3 Game Developer Tooling | BITKRAFT Ventures
More Turkish investment as Fortune Mine Games closes $2m seed round | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
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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VIEW IN TELEGRAM
www.pocketgamer.biz
Gaming-related videos on TikTok received over three trillion views in 2022
Users of ByteDance’s hit social networking app TikTok viewed more than three trillion gaming-related videos in 2022, according to the company’s G...
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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
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
Roblox is going to let developers offer subscriptions in their experiences | The Verge
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
Generative AI for ad creative: five value milestones | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
Summer special: video games & AI 'exposed'? | GameDiscoverCo
Roblox is going to let developers offer subscriptions in their experiences | The Verge
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
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
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
Hit comic book series Invincible to get new mobile game courtesy of Ubisoft | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
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www.pocketgamer.biz
Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for the franchise is on mobile
Activision Blizzard’s Q2 2023 financial results have revealed that Call of Duty: Mobile, their handheld spin-off of the popular shooter franchise, has...
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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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Drop a gg! ❤️
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thecoreloop’s Substack
Weekly Alpha Gaming Metaverse Expedition (WAGME) #19 — 20 July
Rumble Arcade & Topology roll out exciting playtests, BITKRAFT & IOSG release reports on Game Developer Tooling and network effects in Game Engines respectively. Curio & XPLA roll out major updates.
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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
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.
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
Microsoft extends Activision Blizzard merger deadline by 3 months | VentureBeat
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
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
Making a metaverse that matters | Wagner James Au interview/podcast | VentureBeat
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
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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PocketGamer.biz
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush
As far as puzzle games on mobile go, few are as successful - or as addictive - as King’s Candy Crush Saga. The poster-child for mobile success a
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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
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
VentureBeat
Q2 gaming M&A deal value rises to $6.2B thanks to Scopely, Rovio | Drake Star
Q2 2023 saw a spike in M&A deal value thanks to Savvy Games Group's $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely according to Drake Star Partners.
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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
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
thecoreloop’s Substack
IN THE LOOP with kapital k // W29 of 2023
The only gaming newsletter you need. I curate and aggregate content from across web2 & web3 to deliver it straight to your inbox.
🔥4❤2🤝1
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. :)
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.
Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
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
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
The Sony Project Q PlayStation handheld is running Android in a leaked video | The Verge
Unpacking the ‘Backpack’ Wallet: How ERC-6551 Tokens Are Changing Digital Ownership | CoinDesk
Closing Theory raises $2.3m | GamesIndustry.biz
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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PocketGamer.biz
Hit comic book series Invincible to get new mobile game courtesy of Ubisoft
Invincible, the comic-book turned hit animated show is set to receive its own mobile game, courtesy of Ubisoft entertainment. Invincible: Guarding the Globe...
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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).
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).
thecoreloop’s Substack
Beyond Traditional Advertising: Exploring Interactive Experiences and Web3 Innovations
Unlocking A New Brand-Customer Relationship Through Interactive Advertising Experiences: Games, Quests, and Digital Collectibles.
🔥6❤4⚡1
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 ☎️
Belgium officially expands its Tax Shelter to games | GamesIndustry.biz
ESRB proposes facial recognition as new form of age verification | GameDeveloper
India accounted for 15.29% of game downloads in the first six months of 2023 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Roblox has launched an ad network | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
How to Market a Game: 2022 became the worst year for indie developers on Steam | GameDevReports
✨ Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌎
Welcome to McNuggets Land: McDonald’s Launches Metaverse Game in ‘The Sandbox’ | Decrypt
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
Summer special: how devs should reach out to top YouTubers | GamesDiscoverCo
Mastering Remote Work Culture: A Conversation with Playrix — Deconstructor of Fun
💰 Fundraising 🧧
Delabs Games Raises $4.7 Million to Build on Polygon | Decrypt
👾 Game & Stats Releases 🎮
Exoprimal reaches one million players | News-in-brief | GamesIndustry.biz
Mortal Kombat 1 adds Omni-Man, Peacemaker, and Homelander to roster | The Verge
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 ☎️
Belgium officially expands its Tax Shelter to games | GamesIndustry.biz
ESRB proposes facial recognition as new form of age verification | GameDeveloper
India accounted for 15.29% of game downloads in the first six months of 2023 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Roblox has launched an ad network | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
How to Market a Game: 2022 became the worst year for indie developers on Steam | GameDevReports
✨ Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌎
Welcome to McNuggets Land: McDonald’s Launches Metaverse Game in ‘The Sandbox’ | Decrypt
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
Summer special: how devs should reach out to top YouTubers | GamesDiscoverCo
Mastering Remote Work Culture: A Conversation with Playrix — Deconstructor of Fun
💰 Fundraising 🧧
Delabs Games Raises $4.7 Million to Build on Polygon | Decrypt
👾 Game & Stats Releases 🎮
Exoprimal reaches one million players | News-in-brief | GamesIndustry.biz
Mortal Kombat 1 adds Omni-Man, Peacemaker, and Homelander to roster | The Verge
Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
Roblox has launched an ad network | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
Roblox has launched an ad network. Mobile marketing and advertising, freemium monetization strategy, and marketing science. Mobile Dev Memo.
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Look at Gaming #260 | Wednesday July 26th 2023
Man! I guess this week is just filled with ad-related topics. If you missed our piece on Digital Marketing 3.0. Read it HERE. Yesterday we talked about Roblox's ad network and how that's going to change the game — apologies for the cringey cliché. Now a report from GameAnalytics shows USA game ad revenue hit $130B by 2025.
But that's only 6% of the advertising spend in the USA. Brands are still undervaluing the potential of ads in the gaming space. Also that 50% of all ad revenue from within the gaming industry comes from within the gaming industry itself, talk about dogfooding ourselves.
There are quite a few interesting data points in the report so check out the link in the Spotlight section. Promise you'll learn something!
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
USA game ad revenue to reach $130 billion in 2025 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
Snap Q2 earnings: revenue decline, continued focus on ad measurement | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
Consumers spent 2.5 billion hours on Android in H1 2023, what's that mean for mo | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
USA game ad revenue to reach $130 billion in 2025 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
The state of recruitment in 2023 | GamesIndustry.biz
Xbox Q4 revenues flat as hardware drops 13% | GamesIndustry.biz
Xbox hardware stumbles as Game Pass delivers record Q4 engagement | GameDeveloper
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Japan’s indie game scene is growing up | The Verge
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
Crypto Gaming Startup Ultra Launches Esports Platform With Token, NFT Prizes | Decrypt
Solana Gaming Franchise Aurory Expands to Ethereum Layer-2 Arbitrum | Decrypt
CyberKongz to Mint Genkai NFTs on Ronin, Migrate Game to 'Axie' Chain | Decrypt
Solvo pivots from crypto investment app to Web3 gaming wallet | VentureBeat
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Why no one wants to fund your mobile game startup | GameStuff
Why Is Mobile The Most Profitable Game Development - Kevuru Games | Keruvu Games
Socialisation in gaming: The trend for increased retention and revenue | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
💲 Fundraising 🤑
Valhalla Ventures raises $66M to invest in deeptech and gaming | VentureBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
How Netflix's external dev partnerships are pivotal for its gaming gambit | GamesIndustry.biz
The Futurama crew touches down in Fortnite | The Verge
Three new Starfield animated shorts offer more glimpses of Bethesda’s new universe | The Verge
Blue Protocol brings an anime world to life | hands-on preview | VentureBeat
_______
Drop a gg! How is UA/growth going for you guys? I know its tough all round right now.
Man! I guess this week is just filled with ad-related topics. If you missed our piece on Digital Marketing 3.0. Read it HERE. Yesterday we talked about Roblox's ad network and how that's going to change the game — apologies for the cringey cliché. Now a report from GameAnalytics shows USA game ad revenue hit $130B by 2025.
But that's only 6% of the advertising spend in the USA. Brands are still undervaluing the potential of ads in the gaming space. Also that 50% of all ad revenue from within the gaming industry comes from within the gaming industry itself, talk about dogfooding ourselves.
There are quite a few interesting data points in the report so check out the link in the Spotlight section. Promise you'll learn something!
USA game ad revenue to reach $130 billion in 2025 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
Snap Q2 earnings: revenue decline, continued focus on ad measurement | Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
Consumers spent 2.5 billion hours on Android in H1 2023, what's that mean for mo | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
USA game ad revenue to reach $130 billion in 2025 | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
The state of recruitment in 2023 | GamesIndustry.biz
Xbox Q4 revenues flat as hardware drops 13% | GamesIndustry.biz
Xbox hardware stumbles as Game Pass delivers record Q4 engagement | GameDeveloper
Japan’s indie game scene is growing up | The Verge
Crypto Gaming Startup Ultra Launches Esports Platform With Token, NFT Prizes | Decrypt
Solana Gaming Franchise Aurory Expands to Ethereum Layer-2 Arbitrum | Decrypt
CyberKongz to Mint Genkai NFTs on Ronin, Migrate Game to 'Axie' Chain | Decrypt
Solvo pivots from crypto investment app to Web3 gaming wallet | VentureBeat
Why no one wants to fund your mobile game startup | GameStuff
Why Is Mobile The Most Profitable Game Development - Kevuru Games | Keruvu Games
Socialisation in gaming: The trend for increased retention and revenue | Pocket Gamer.biz | PGbiz
Valhalla Ventures raises $66M to invest in deeptech and gaming | VentureBeat
How Netflix's external dev partnerships are pivotal for its gaming gambit | GamesIndustry.biz
The Futurama crew touches down in Fortnite | The Verge
Three new Starfield animated shorts offer more glimpses of Bethesda’s new universe | The Verge
Blue Protocol brings an anime world to life | hands-on preview | VentureBeat
_______
Drop a gg! How is UA/growth going for you guys? I know its tough all round right now.
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thecoreloop’s Substack
Beyond Traditional Advertising: Exploring Interactive Experiences and Web3 Innovations
Unlocking A New Brand-Customer Relationship Through Interactive Advertising Experiences: Games, Quests, and Digital Collectibles.
🔥3⚡1❤1
Look at Gaming #261 | Thursday July 27th 2023
Venmo is a popular payment app in the US that facilitated over $244B in 2022 with over 75M users. Its reported that the avg payment on the app is $60. Sounds like its just the right amount to buy a game.
Xbox integrated with Venmo. This is just another step forward since Microsoft already has a relationship with Paypal. Players can use their venmo account to pay for games, Xbox subscriptions, and of course pay one another. The last part I think is interesting.
Depending on how well integrated Venmo is to the platform, I can imagine some player2player payment action happening. "$5 for first blood," said by my teammate to the left as we spawn into our CoD game. Fun.
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
Microsoft integrates Venmo into Xbox's payment system | GameDeveloper
🌊 MARKET 📞
Data drop: COD: Mobile hits $3bn, King up 9%, 2027 forecasts, Asia and MENA stats and more | MobileGamer.Biz
Meta Q2 2023 earnings: 12% ad revenue growth, impressions increase 34% with slowing CPM declines | MobileDevMemo
Zuckerberg acknowledges investor "discomfort" as Meta loses another $3.7B on Reality Labs | GameDeveloper
Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil 4 drives Capcom Q1 sales to $313m | GamesIndustry.Biz
Alphabet Q2 earnings: YouTube returns to growth, and advertising’s AI feedback loop | MobileDevMemo
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light | PGBiz
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Microsoft integrates Venmo into Xbox's payment system | GameDeveloper
Checkout.com teams with NetEase Games on international game payments | VentureBeat
Samsung Galaxy lineup has plenty of power for gaming | VentureBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
Candivore’s Match Masters passes $200m, 50m installs as it sets sights on US market | MobileGamer.Biz
Venmo is a popular payment app in the US that facilitated over $244B in 2022 with over 75M users. Its reported that the avg payment on the app is $60. Sounds like its just the right amount to buy a game.
Xbox integrated with Venmo. This is just another step forward since Microsoft already has a relationship with Paypal. Players can use their venmo account to pay for games, Xbox subscriptions, and of course pay one another. The last part I think is interesting.
Depending on how well integrated Venmo is to the platform, I can imagine some player2player payment action happening. "$5 for first blood," said by my teammate to the left as we spawn into our CoD game. Fun.
Microsoft integrates Venmo into Xbox's payment system | GameDeveloper
Data drop: COD: Mobile hits $3bn, King up 9%, 2027 forecasts, Asia and MENA stats and more | MobileGamer.Biz
Meta Q2 2023 earnings: 12% ad revenue growth, impressions increase 34% with slowing CPM declines | MobileDevMemo
Zuckerberg acknowledges investor "discomfort" as Meta loses another $3.7B on Reality Labs | GameDeveloper
Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil 4 drives Capcom Q1 sales to $313m | GamesIndustry.Biz
Alphabet Q2 earnings: YouTube returns to growth, and advertising’s AI feedback loop | MobileDevMemo
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light | PGBiz
Microsoft integrates Venmo into Xbox's payment system | GameDeveloper
Checkout.com teams with NetEase Games on international game payments | VentureBeat
Samsung Galaxy lineup has plenty of power for gaming | VentureBeat
Candivore’s Match Masters passes $200m, 50m installs as it sets sights on US market | MobileGamer.Biz
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Game Developer
Microsoft integrates Venmo into Xbox's payment system
Due to an extended partnership between PayPal and Microsoft, Venmo becomes Xbox's first new payment option in years.
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Look at Gaming #262 | Friday July 28th 2023
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you guys got fun plans for the weekend.
Today we're taking a break from all the ads-related topic and talk about the casual mobile games. It's been all the rage to talk about hybridcasual as hypercasual fell out of favor. Though there might be a resurgence of casual games.
Five Categories of Mobile Games:
Hypercasual > Hybrid > Casual > Mid-Core > Core
Hypercasuals are the play-once-throw-away type of experiences then the Hybridcasual are pretty much the same except there's a progression system — think Archero. In the middle we have Casual games are the match-3 games such as Candy Crush Saga.
Hypercasual became all the rage as the mobile advertising grew in popularity. Studios like Voodoo would ship dozens of these games each year and load em up with UA and monetize with ads only.
Surprisingly the retention rate for Hypercasual and Casual games are similar. But unsurprisingly the session length for Casual games are nearly 2x that of Hypercasual. In terms of monetization, ARPU for Casual games varies widely from $4 to $49, whereas Hypercasual has a tighter range of $4 - $11.
To learn more check out the article in the Spotlight section today. It provides a pretty good highlevel taxonomy of the mobile space and an in-depth look at differences between the two genres.
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
The great casual game revival | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
India’s gaming industry draws the line between 'online' and 'real money' gaming | PGbiz
Is China's gaming output back on track? | PGBiz
Intel turns surprise Q2 profit with $12.9B in revenue as AI drives growth | VentureBeat
The latest developments in esports technology | Win.gg
Best Places to Work is looking for the best game companies | VentureBeat
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
BIG READ: Essential facts about the ESA's finances | SuperJoost
The great casual game revival | PGBiz
Video: Wordle, one year later | GameDeveloper
🌈 Platforms 🏠
Roblox is now available to try on Meta Quest VR headsets | The Verge
Epic also appeals to US Supreme Court in legal battle against Apple | GameIndustry.Biz
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
The British Museum Will Enter the Metaverse via 'The Sandbox' | Decrypt
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
Why Should Brands Do In-game Audio Advertising | Digital Journal
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
PlayStation 5 passes 40M sales milestone | VentureBeat
________
Drop a gg.
Also, I'm playing CoD and Mario Kart this weekend so let me know if you guys wanna LAN party
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you guys got fun plans for the weekend.
Today we're taking a break from all the ads-related topic and talk about the casual mobile games. It's been all the rage to talk about hybridcasual as hypercasual fell out of favor. Though there might be a resurgence of casual games.
Five Categories of Mobile Games:
Hypercasual > Hybrid > Casual > Mid-Core > Core
Hypercasuals are the play-once-throw-away type of experiences then the Hybridcasual are pretty much the same except there's a progression system — think Archero. In the middle we have Casual games are the match-3 games such as Candy Crush Saga.
Hypercasual became all the rage as the mobile advertising grew in popularity. Studios like Voodoo would ship dozens of these games each year and load em up with UA and monetize with ads only.
Surprisingly the retention rate for Hypercasual and Casual games are similar. But unsurprisingly the session length for Casual games are nearly 2x that of Hypercasual. In terms of monetization, ARPU for Casual games varies widely from $4 to $49, whereas Hypercasual has a tighter range of $4 - $11.
To learn more check out the article in the Spotlight section today. It provides a pretty good highlevel taxonomy of the mobile space and an in-depth look at differences between the two genres.
The great casual game revival | PGBiz
India’s gaming industry draws the line between 'online' and 'real money' gaming | PGbiz
Is China's gaming output back on track? | PGBiz
Intel turns surprise Q2 profit with $12.9B in revenue as AI drives growth | VentureBeat
The latest developments in esports technology | Win.gg
Best Places to Work is looking for the best game companies | VentureBeat
BIG READ: Essential facts about the ESA's finances | SuperJoost
The great casual game revival | PGBiz
Video: Wordle, one year later | GameDeveloper
Roblox is now available to try on Meta Quest VR headsets | The Verge
Epic also appeals to US Supreme Court in legal battle against Apple | GameIndustry.Biz
The British Museum Will Enter the Metaverse via 'The Sandbox' | Decrypt
Why Should Brands Do In-game Audio Advertising | Digital Journal
PlayStation 5 passes 40M sales milestone | VentureBeat
________
Drop a gg.
Also, I'm playing CoD and Mario Kart this weekend so let me know if you guys wanna LAN party
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PocketGamer.biz
The great casual game revival
The mobile games market has evolved over the years, with various playstyles having their moment in the limelight, from casual games to hyper-casual and now t...
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GM! It's Sunday. Time for some reflection and reading.
Check out our W30 of In The Loop w/ kapital_k
_______
Here's what you missed this week.
- A report on USA Game Ad Revenue hitting $130B in 2025.
- Netflix's preferred method of working with external dev studios.
- A look at the resurgence of casual games
- CoD Mobile raking in $3B lifetime revenue.
- Some tips about recruitment from a studio perspective.
These are some threads, blogs, and pods that I want to shoutout:
- Threads — Javier's Metaverse Landscape
- Blogs — thecoreloop's Beyond Traditional Advertising
- Blogs — Lightspeed Venture's Gaming x AI Market Map + new website
- Pods — Deconstructor of Fun's TWiG#242 Talking about Eggy Party
There were over $73M raised this week — $66M came from a new gaming fund called Valhalla Ventures
_______
Read more here
Check out our W30 of In The Loop w/ kapital_k
_______
Here's what you missed this week.
- A report on USA Game Ad Revenue hitting $130B in 2025.
- Netflix's preferred method of working with external dev studios.
- A look at the resurgence of casual games
- CoD Mobile raking in $3B lifetime revenue.
- Some tips about recruitment from a studio perspective.
These are some threads, blogs, and pods that I want to shoutout:
- Threads — Javier's Metaverse Landscape
- Blogs — thecoreloop's Beyond Traditional Advertising
- Blogs — Lightspeed Venture's Gaming x AI Market Map + new website
- Pods — Deconstructor of Fun's TWiG#242 Talking about Eggy Party
There were over $73M raised this week — $66M came from a new gaming fund called Valhalla Ventures
_______
Read more here
thecoreloop’s Substack
IN THE LOOP with kapital k // W30 of 2023
The only gaming newsletter you need. I curate and aggregate content from across web2 & web3 to deliver it straight to your inbox.
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Look at Gaming #263 | Monday July 31st 2023
GM. Welcome to Week 31 of the year — time is flyin' by.
Fun fact to start your week. 2 out of 3 people in China plays video games. 🧐
A report from the China Audio-Video And Digital Publishing Association (CADPA) stated that China's gamer base hit a new ATH with 668M players — that's 2x the population of the USA. But revenue of $20B in H1 2023 is 2% lower YoY. A full report is scheduled to be released after the ChinaJoy conference.
I went over to AppMagic to see what the mobile game market structure looks like and unsurprisingly Tencent and NetEase dominated. Out of the Top 10 Mobile Game Publishers, Tencent and NetEase comprise of 80% of the revenues and
92% of the downloads so far in 2023.
Shoutout to miHoYo Games for being the third largest publisher in China with less than 2% of the quantity of mobile apps that Tencent and NetEase has.
You can check out my AppMagic data dashboard here
(Drop a comment if you want a trial code to App Magic)
Read more about the article in the Spotlight section below!
_____
🔦 Spotlight 🌟
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023 | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET ☎️
Apptica: Mobile gaming market in H1 2023 | GameDevReports
Twitch viewership sees a 3% dip in June | GamesIndustry.biz
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023 | PGBiz
Blizzard's billion dollar quarter. Gang gang, data so good. And a teardown of the industry essential facts | Unboxing Podcast
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Snapchat's Future in AR | Konvoy Ventures
Under the hood: Deconstructing Monopoly GO! | PGBiz
Re-release: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Creative Director, Marcus Smith | The AIAS Game Maker Notebook
🌈 Platforms 🏔
Xbox's Phil Spencer reveals new Final Fantasy partnership | GamesIndustry.biz
EA reshuffles studio leadership after Samantha Ryan departs | GamesIndustry.biz
HaZimation launches Moontopia, a sci-fi shooter on Fortnite built by filmmakers | VentureBeat
✨ Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌎
Solana Wants to Lead the Crypto Gaming Charge—Here's How | Decrypt
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
Influencer Marketing 101 | Naavik
👾 Game & Stats Releases 🎮
Lara Croft, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, And 21 Savage Are Joining Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II And Warzone | GameInformer
________
gg! Say it back!
GM. Welcome to Week 31 of the year — time is flyin' by.
Fun fact to start your week. 2 out of 3 people in China plays video games. 🧐
A report from the China Audio-Video And Digital Publishing Association (CADPA) stated that China's gamer base hit a new ATH with 668M players — that's 2x the population of the USA. But revenue of $20B in H1 2023 is 2% lower YoY. A full report is scheduled to be released after the ChinaJoy conference.
I went over to AppMagic to see what the mobile game market structure looks like and unsurprisingly Tencent and NetEase dominated. Out of the Top 10 Mobile Game Publishers, Tencent and NetEase comprise of 80% of the revenues and
92% of the downloads so far in 2023.
Shoutout to miHoYo Games for being the third largest publisher in China with less than 2% of the quantity of mobile apps that Tencent and NetEase has.
You can check out my AppMagic data dashboard here
(Drop a comment if you want a trial code to App Magic)
Read more about the article in the Spotlight section below!
_____
🔦 Spotlight 🌟
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023 | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET ☎️
Apptica: Mobile gaming market in H1 2023 | GameDevReports
Twitch viewership sees a 3% dip in June | GamesIndustry.biz
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023 | PGBiz
Blizzard's billion dollar quarter. Gang gang, data so good. And a teardown of the industry essential facts | Unboxing Podcast
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
Snapchat's Future in AR | Konvoy Ventures
Under the hood: Deconstructing Monopoly GO! | PGBiz
Re-release: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Creative Director, Marcus Smith | The AIAS Game Maker Notebook
🌈 Platforms 🏔
Xbox's Phil Spencer reveals new Final Fantasy partnership | GamesIndustry.biz
EA reshuffles studio leadership after Samantha Ryan departs | GamesIndustry.biz
HaZimation launches Moontopia, a sci-fi shooter on Fortnite built by filmmakers | VentureBeat
✨ Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌎
Solana Wants to Lead the Crypto Gaming Charge—Here's How | Decrypt
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
Influencer Marketing 101 | Naavik
👾 Game & Stats Releases 🎮
Lara Croft, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, And 21 Savage Are Joining Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II And Warzone | GameInformer
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AppMagic.rocks
Publisher Comparison Dashboard
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Look at Gaming #264 | Tuesday August 1st 2023
Apple coming in hot with that user protection. They will start asking developers to justify WHY certain APIs are used. This new category of API is called "Required Reasons APIs" aka the final nail the coffin for fingerprinting.
These APIs include disk space APIs, active keyboard APIs, user default APIs, system boot time APIs, and file timestamp APIs. This is a living list so things will change.
The policy will be softly implemented starting Fall 2023 then by Spring 2024 Apple will outright reject applications that do not comply.
This means that User Acquisition (UA) will become even more challenging. More importantly, recall that the EU allowed side loading and new app stores next year. These privacy practices may carry over to other upcoming app stores like those of Meta's and Microsoft's when they do launch next year in the EU. So UA will be difficult no matter what platform you end up choosing.
You can read more about it in the Spotlight or click here.
—
QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT:
thecoreloop.gg recently acquired our very own Paladin so we're official members of the PaladinsDAO.
I believe PaladinsDAO is one of the best upcoming communities of builders in the space. There's only 5 slots left so go make sure you grab one here!
Paladins DAO is building a NFT based esports team using Vtubers to represent the players and NFTs as a store of value for their fans. It's governed by a 100 member DAO with esports leaders, and gaming fund investors and researchers looking to create a model of "sustainable esports".
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
• Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle | PGBiz
🌊 MARKET 📞
• Sega Q1 sales up despite lower than expected game sales | GamesIndustry.biz
• Take-Two was making layoffs in March, but just paid its top execs $72.3 million | GameDeveloper
• Sensor Tower: Japanese mobile market in H1 2023 | GameDevReports
• Microsoft argues its Activision Blizzard case with UK regulators | The Verge
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
• What chance does your Switch game have of being a hit in 2023? | GameDiscoverCo
🌈 Platforms 🏠
• Game Pass Ultimate signups led to Xbox revenue surge | GameDeveloper
• Nintendo's new console is reportedly due out in the second half of 2024 | GameIndustry.biz
• Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle | PGBiz
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
• Monetization In Games | Kevuru
💲 Fundraising 🤑
• Playtika acquires Youda Games for up to $165M | GamesBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
• Omni One starts shipping to equity investors and hits consumers in Q2 2024 | GameBeat
• AppMagic: miHoYo mobile titles surpassed $8B in revenue | GameDevReports
————
Drop a gg !
Apple coming in hot with that user protection. They will start asking developers to justify WHY certain APIs are used. This new category of API is called "Required Reasons APIs" aka the final nail the coffin for fingerprinting.
These APIs include disk space APIs, active keyboard APIs, user default APIs, system boot time APIs, and file timestamp APIs. This is a living list so things will change.
The policy will be softly implemented starting Fall 2023 then by Spring 2024 Apple will outright reject applications that do not comply.
This means that User Acquisition (UA) will become even more challenging. More importantly, recall that the EU allowed side loading and new app stores next year. These privacy practices may carry over to other upcoming app stores like those of Meta's and Microsoft's when they do launch next year in the EU. So UA will be difficult no matter what platform you end up choosing.
You can read more about it in the Spotlight or click here.
—
QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT:
thecoreloop.gg recently acquired our very own Paladin so we're official members of the PaladinsDAO.
I believe PaladinsDAO is one of the best upcoming communities of builders in the space. There's only 5 slots left so go make sure you grab one here!
Paladins DAO is building a NFT based esports team using Vtubers to represent the players and NFTs as a store of value for their fans. It's governed by a 100 member DAO with esports leaders, and gaming fund investors and researchers looking to create a model of "sustainable esports".
• Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle | PGBiz
• Sega Q1 sales up despite lower than expected game sales | GamesIndustry.biz
• Take-Two was making layoffs in March, but just paid its top execs $72.3 million | GameDeveloper
• Sensor Tower: Japanese mobile market in H1 2023 | GameDevReports
• Microsoft argues its Activision Blizzard case with UK regulators | The Verge
• What chance does your Switch game have of being a hit in 2023? | GameDiscoverCo
• Game Pass Ultimate signups led to Xbox revenue surge | GameDeveloper
• Nintendo's new console is reportedly due out in the second half of 2024 | GameIndustry.biz
• Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle | PGBiz
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚
• Monetization In Games | Kevuru
• Playtika acquires Youda Games for up to $165M | GamesBeat
• Omni One starts shipping to equity investors and hits consumers in Q2 2024 | GameBeat
• AppMagic: miHoYo mobile titles surpassed $8B in revenue | GameDevReports
————
Drop a gg !
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pocketgamer.biz
Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle
Apple is set to ask developers to explain their use of different application programming interface (APIs) as it moves to the final endgame in its crack down...
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Look at Gaming #265 | Wednesday August 2nd 2023
Top Fortnite creator, Ali "SypherPK" Hassan, created a live-service map on Fortnite islands using UEFN called Rocket Wars. Within the first 30 days the island garnered 5M hours of playtime, 160k hours per day. this playtime is similar to that of Among Us.
More importantly, this is a key example of user-generated content utilizing user-powered crosspromotions. SypherPK used his channels (7M subscribers on YouTube and 6.5M on Twitch) to activate his community and you see it in the data that each time he did that the play time rose for consistently for a week.
You can read more about this in the Spotlight section.
————
⚡ Spotlight 🤩
• SypherPK’s Rocket Wars UEFN map playtime rivals Among Us on Steam | GamesBeat
🌊 MARKET 📞
• EA earns $1.2 billion from live service titles during record first quarter | GameDeveloper
• AMD CEO sees PC market recovery in 2nd half as AI demand ramps | GamesBeat
• Japan’s consumer spend set to surpass $12.6 billion in 2023 | PGBiz
💎 Deep Dives 🔎
• App Store’s NFT Guidelines | Deconstructor Of Fun
• SypherPK’s Rocket Wars UEFN map playtime rivals Among Us on Steam | GamesBeat
• Gamefam and the business of advertising on game platforms | GamesIndustry.biz
🌈 Platforms 🏠
• Netflix launches Cut the Rope Daily game and animated episodes | GamesBeat
✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐
• GameStop Is Killing Its NFT Wallet and Blames ‘Regulatory Uncertainty’ | Decrypt
• How Mythical Games is Balancing Web2 & Web3 | Naavik
🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘
• How to launch a consumer app | MobileDevMemo
• Make it last: How to turn a static IP into a franchise the Dead Cells way | GameDeveloper
💲 Fundraising 🤑
• Playtika acquires Azerion's Youda Games portfolio for upwards of $89.1 million | PGBiz
• A16z Games commits $75M to Speedrun game startup accelerator | GamesBeat
👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊
• MiHoYo makes $8 billion in user spending with 73% from Genshin Impact | PGBiz
————
Drop a gg !
Top Fortnite creator, Ali "SypherPK" Hassan, created a live-service map on Fortnite islands using UEFN called Rocket Wars. Within the first 30 days the island garnered 5M hours of playtime, 160k hours per day. this playtime is similar to that of Among Us.
More importantly, this is a key example of user-generated content utilizing user-powered crosspromotions. SypherPK used his channels (7M subscribers on YouTube and 6.5M on Twitch) to activate his community and you see it in the data that each time he did that the play time rose for consistently for a week.
You can read more about this in the Spotlight section.
————
• SypherPK’s Rocket Wars UEFN map playtime rivals Among Us on Steam | GamesBeat
• EA earns $1.2 billion from live service titles during record first quarter | GameDeveloper
• AMD CEO sees PC market recovery in 2nd half as AI demand ramps | GamesBeat
• Japan’s consumer spend set to surpass $12.6 billion in 2023 | PGBiz
• App Store’s NFT Guidelines | Deconstructor Of Fun
• SypherPK’s Rocket Wars UEFN map playtime rivals Among Us on Steam | GamesBeat
• Gamefam and the business of advertising on game platforms | GamesIndustry.biz
• Netflix launches Cut the Rope Daily game and animated episodes | GamesBeat
• GameStop Is Killing Its NFT Wallet and Blames ‘Regulatory Uncertainty’ | Decrypt
• How Mythical Games is Balancing Web2 & Web3 | Naavik
• How to launch a consumer app | MobileDevMemo
• Make it last: How to turn a static IP into a franchise the Dead Cells way | GameDeveloper
• Playtika acquires Azerion's Youda Games portfolio for upwards of $89.1 million | PGBiz
• A16z Games commits $75M to Speedrun game startup accelerator | GamesBeat
• MiHoYo makes $8 billion in user spending with 73% from Genshin Impact | PGBiz
————
Drop a gg !
Please open Telegram to view this post
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VentureBeat
SypherPK’s Rocket Wars UEFN map playtime rivals Among Us on Steam
SypherPK's SuperJoy Studios exclusively shared data with GamesBeat showing its Rocket Wars UEFN map hit 5M hours played in its first 30 days.
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