Addiction to anything is injurious, ladies and gentlemen, and China has recently revised its laws pertaining to internet addiction and minors. China has asked online service providers to restrict time and internet consumption limits for children. Of course they mean Game Addiction!
Digital Games Spending September 2020! The month of September saw huge success in terms of the digital games market worldwide. According to Super Data, digital games earned a mammoth $10.7B in September 2020, an increase of 14% year over year. When compared to 2019, this year games earned a lot more across all platforms. We can also see a significant increase in mobile game revenues that has gone up by 9%. PC on the other hand has also witnessed an 8% increase but the console earning topped them all by 40%, thanks to all the major titles that hit the market.
Unskippable ads are always painful, whether it’s on YouTube or in-game adverts. And for this very reason, NBA 2K21 is under fire after they placed unskippable in-game ads to the full priced NBA 2K21. Paying in full and still getting unskippable ads, that ladies and gentlemen, is unacceptable. Why would you put unskippable ads in a $60 game?!
Today we are here with a horror game review; Frictional’s Amnesia: Rebirth. It is a self-respecting and spine chilling horror game that departs a lot from horror clichés like gloomy corridors and shadowy corners. Some bold choices made by the developers indeed.
Staggering numbers shared by YouTube; Among Us, videos have reached 4bn views in September 2020. Well, blow me down! I never thought that Inner Sloth’s asymmetrical multiplayer would reach such heights.
The holiday season is around the corner and yes, it is one of the most important occasions for everyone around the globe. And for us gamers, this holiday season is going to be fantastic. There’s plenty in store for gamers; Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and several awesome games ready to make our holidays worth the while.
Amazon oh Amazon! if you are a fan of Crucible, the happy days are over for you. Amazon has decided to shut it down for good and the servers will go offline on November 9th this year.
A significant development in the Epic VS Apple clash of digital titans, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has granted an injunction that permanently restrains Apple from retaliating against Unreal Engine. A sigh of relief for the Epic Games but there are some lemons too. The judge refused to grant an injunction against Apple that would force Apple to reinstate Fortnite on App Store.
Some games show their supremacy right from the start, and MiHoYo’s Genshin Impact is one of them. This open-world action-adventure grossed more than $60m in its launch week and that only on mobile; App Store and Google Play.
A huge development has come out of the studios of CD Projekt, Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold. Brace yourselves fellows because in this news article we will pour a lot of exciting and new information about Cyberpunk 2077.
Facebook Gaming News! Since the pandemic there, has been a steady rise in the viewership of live streaming and gaming. The most-watched platforms with millions of hours are Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube. All these platforms witnessed a sudden spike in streaming hours due to global pandemic and lockdowns, viewership storm
Gaming news Alert! This one is for the huge fan base of Minecraft and Super Smash Bros. You probably saw the reveal video of the latest DLC Fighter Smash Ultimate where Nintendo announced the inclusion of Steve and Alex from Minecraft to Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Nexus Mods has imposed a site-wide ban on US political mods in response to ‘provocative and troll mods.’ As the US general elections are drawing close, the current political situation is getting hot by every passing minute.
Ladies and gentlemen, who doesn’t love games podcasts? Podcasts are awesome. Whether you are snoozing off, driving to work, on a train or a plane, and don’t want to sleep, Podcasts are your go-to entertainment partner.
There have been new developments in the Apple VS Epic lawsuit. The anti-trust dispute between Epic and Apple is being overseen by the US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers and she has proposed a trial by jury. And from the looks of it, trial by jury will likely take place next year.
Discord popular, yeah baby look at those numbers! The success and popularity of some products can result in an automated success of other products. Today, let’s analyze the sudden spike in popularity of Discord, a mobile app that is used as a communication tool in games.
Amazon is a new contender in the Cloud gaming market, and I bet that no one will take it lightly. The news came out yesterday that Amazon, at its annual Alexa Hardware event, is set to launch its new cloud gaming platform at some point in the near future. Luna will have a $5.99 per month introductory price in its early access phase. It is going to be supported across mainland US at the start and no support for Hawaii, Alaska, and the US territories. Yes, fellow, at the moment it is extremely limited.
Microsoft just dropped a bomb on the gaming industry; one of the biggest acquisitions we have ever seen. Microsoft bought ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, Arcane studios, Tango, Game works, and more under one brand and that is Xbox.
Jeez, talk about the ripples of trade war reaching the gaming industry. The US government has decided to probe Epic Games and Riot Games after banning WeChat and TikTok. Tencent eat your heart out! The US Treasury Department has sent official notifications to the companies linked with Tencent, a Chinese
Mark your calendars and set alarm on your clocks, Xbox next-gen consoles will start on 22nd September 8 am PT/11 am ET at various retailers. And for digital preorders, online retailers like Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Gamestop, Amazon, Costco, Newegg, and more will carry the online preorder bookings for both Series X and S.
The Ubisoft Forward event was not all about games; Yuves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, addressed allegations of racism, lack of diversity, and sexual harassment at the workplace by saying, “We are at a start of a long journey. Real change will take time.” Some more announcements were also made which include a mentorship program for women and individuals from minority/underrepresented groups.
Last night a massive next-gen news package was dropped. Following the suit of Microsoft, Sony finally announced some of the most awaited details of PS5. Raising the expectations of the fans, the PS5 September showcase event announced several game trailers and new game announcements. These new games included the much anticipated God of War, Hogwarts Legacy, and Final Fantasy XVI. So let’s jump right into the details, shall we?
Razer oh Razer! Personal data breach or leak is always a nightmare. A cybersecurity researcher, Volodymyr Diachenko discovered that the personal data of gaming users was available and accessible on Razer’s website due to a server misconfiguration. The accident exposed the personal information of more than 100,000 gamers for almost a month.
Arm is a UK based semi-conductor firm famous for creating technology and designs related to CPU and processors used in various mobile phones. Arm was one of the integral suppliers for Apple. And in a recent and surprising development, graphic card giant Nvidia bought Arm for $40bn.
The Weekly Gaming News Recap, ladies and gentlemen, a lot has been happening lately in the gaming industry, some exciting news and announcements made headlines this week. Let’s jump right into the recap session of this week.
Microsoft Xbox Series S is looking real; Microsoft has announced its Xbox Series S, priced just $299. We witnessed an absolute avalanche of leaks all over Twitter about the brand new lower end version of the Xbox Series X. The long-rumored Xbox Series S will finally hit the market on November 10 and it will be digital-only. The next generation consoles are looking spicy!
The courts are busy nowadays to sort things out between some of the big guns of the gaming industry, yes I am talking about Apple versus Epic and Google’s resorting to court. The trust in the gaming industry is hitting a new low especially between Epic Games and Apple as the trust between both of them is hitting a new rock bottom every passing day. The Unreal Engine firm has filed another preliminary injunction against Apple to stop them from retaliating.
Ladies and gentlemen, a lot has happened this week in the gaming world; another eventful week has come to an end. A lot of news is worthy of mentioning, one recap article won’t do justice, so in this one, we will highlight some of the important news and stuff that you as a gamer must know.
Biden for President in Animal Crossing? Well, well, talk about some smart moves, ladies and gentlemen, political campaigns have reached the virtual world and virtual yard signs are available in a Nintendo game. A smart move indeed to engage the virtual online community in voting when the traditional way of campaigning has become unsafe.
Nielsen, Nielsen on the wall, which game is most anticipated in this fall?
Well, who doesn’t know about Nielsen, it is a measurement and analytics firm that has a global reach. Nielsen released a report a couple of days ago about the most anticipated games this fall, and guess what, the three games which we talked about the most; Marvel’s Avengers, Marvel’s Spiderman: Miles Morales, and Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War topped the list.
What’s up fellow gamers, a couple of years ago a game called atomic heart was announced, an action RPG. A game, developed by Russian developers Mundfish, takes place in USSR and an open-world game. It is what I believe is the most unique open-world games that I have seen in years. Like Bio Shock, this game also takes place in an alternate reality; a reality placed between the 1930s and the 1960s.
We have had an eventful week in the gaming industry, a lot has been happening lately and this week we have covered a lot of interesting and exciting news for you. If you didn’t get a chance to follow any of the news, don’t you worry, we are here to summarize all the things that you need to know about the gaming industry this past week. Let’s hook you up with hot news of the week.
Gamescom it is, despite COVID-19, social distancing limitation, and going virtual, Gamescom opening night live was a major event and big success. The virtual mega event was a two-hour long show that showcased awesome trailers and important announcements that included everything from Fall Guys to upcoming Star Wars: Squadrons and COD: Black Ops Cold War. Let’s talk about some of the games that Gamescom revealed.
Fall Guys of Mediatonic is the title, and the cute little beans have taken over the PlayStation Network and they are unstoppable at the moment. Fall Guys has become the most downloaded game in the history of PS Plus. The Mediatonic juggernaut has sold more than 7million units on Steam and stats show total world domination of this game. It has taken the gaming world by storm in mere months.
Listen, it is official, there is a new Batman game in the town; Gotham Knights. If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, please do, I bet it will blow your mind. The trailer confirms that it will be a co-op game featuring Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. But the sad thing is that Batman is apparently dead and his allies are the ones who have to save Gotham this time.
Epic Games, Apple and the fight continues, poor Fortnite!
We have just witnessed a big showdown between Apple and Epic Games on Monday to settle the round 1 of their lawsuit war. Epic filed a restraining order against Apple, Apple planned to pull out Unreal Engine from its platforms, terminating Epic’s developer account and removal of Fortnite from iOS Store. Epic was of the view that it would be “irreparably harmed” if Apple executes its aggressive designs.
This week in Episode 41 I have the remaining parts of the interview with Ivan Filletti of MaltaGaming and Timothy Bendt of Tamatem Games. Both are the seconds parts of conversations I had earlier this month. Ivan is telling why gaming studios should land in Malta and Timothy is giving us a look inside his publishing company that is focussing on the Middle East.
The games podcast is back, a small break and re-energyzed. Look and feel of the site has changed, better hosting, fresh new logo, new intro and outro music. So I hope you like it! Today two territories; India and the MENA. I have chat with Tim and Rahul are talking about the regions, their companies and lots about gaming what you should know.
Cris Reed is talking about Joe Rogan and his opinion about gaming & addiction. Check out what Cris what writing on linkedin! Also I did start to work with Sergei and Anton on their project InvestGame.net. They keep track of all financials in and around gaming. Do check out the site if you want more financial information.
GamingMalta, Malta and Gaming, have you heard about it? Well, today an interesting talk with Ivan Filletti, who is representing his government Malta. Lots of us do know the island because of Igaming, but there is so much more. Besides being a wonderful island to relax during your holiday’s, they are working on a gaming eco-system.
Next to that, I have the second part of my interview with Eitan Reisel. He started a games fund Vgames. Interesting enough I was already able to talk to some people and mention his new initiative. It was refreshing to listen to an investor that talks with so much passion about our beloved games industry, and actualy understands it.
VGames.vc is a new games investment firm in the games industry. VGames is founded to support early stage game founders trying to turn their dreams into reality.
In this episode I am talking to Eitan Reisel about his new games fund, how is looking at the games industry, how he is finding new potentials investments, which platforms or segment of the industry, deal terms etc.
Also the second part of the interview with Robby Yung, CEO Animoca Brands. We dive in deeper on how blockchain can be a service for the gaming industry. In episode 37 you can listen to the first part of this interview.
Blockchain and games is a topic that I have come across many times in the last years. Many people talk about it and it is said, it is a game-changer.
In this episode I wanted to learn more how blockchain can work for game developers. A company that is quite often in the news, when it is about blockchain and games is Animoca Brands. So who better could I talk to then the CEO himself; Robby Yung.
Animoca Brands develops blockchain-enabled games, which facilitates a genuine form of digital ownership of in-game content and collectables in its games. The digitised approach allows players to maintain ownership features across games and platforms, compared to the traditional game industry, where content is owned by the developer/publisher and rented by the player.
The game industry is growing by leaps and bounds. In 2020 alone, estimates place the market size at US$159.3 billion with a 9.3% CAGR.
According to data available on Steam, the median lifetime revenue per game is US$220,000 and the mean lifetime revenue is $2,669,000 (i.e. the tail is fat). These are extremely healthy profit margins considering the lower development cost of indie games.
Esports be like! Lately lots of news is focussing on esports. And of course with my games podcast, I am interested to learn more. So today some interesting esports companies; Blocksport.io, Plitch.com and Torque Esports.
Torque Esports is focused on accelerating new, live, immersive esports and interactive gaming experiences for consumers through its partnerships with traditional and emerging media companies and providing online interactive technology platforms and monetization services. I had an amazing insightful talk with Darcy Lorincz, who is the COO of Torque Esports. Torque Esports will be under the umbrella of Engine Media, together with Winview and Frankly.
Team based challenges, where you are not only striving for victory but also live challenges, power to the fans, who can vote for which challenge the streamer has to engage with and to which fans are being monetized.
Borja Varela, who is the program director of Hype Esports, explains the Hype esports accelerator. They call themselves “the 1st global esports accelerator”.
Interesting article in my inbox last week. Helsinki and gaming. Some takes from my friend Joakim about what Helsinki’s game environment is lacking and what needs to be done; “Ultimately, getting the right mix of creative and data talent will evolve Helsinki to the next stage.”
In Episode 8 I did ask Carlos Estigarribia some questions concerning Latin America, or LATAM as people call it. Gaming in LATAM. You can listen to this episode to get to know more about game studios, publishers and more. Today I want to know more Esports, localization of games, game events and other interesting topics that you should know about when targetting LATAM for your games.
Some weeks ago I had a chat with Dave Westin of Mobile Growth Association (MGA), I have known Dave for a very long time. He updated me about their upcoming event MGS Global Virtual Conference 1.0 and their roadmap for 2020-21. Local communities is part of their plan. It sounded very exciting and he mention I should talk to the CEO of this association, Jen Laloup. I did a fun and interesting interview with her.
Gaming Investments, the topic of Episode 28. His name is Aðalsteinn Óttarsson, but his friends are calling him; “Alli”. He is an investor in the gaming industry. He has been in leading positions in companies like CCP Games and Riot Games. We talk about the investment in gaming, landscape, the pitchdecks, future of gaming and what is he playing himself.
Esports And Legal With Justin Jacobson, Items of Joakim and Cris, Indie Games Spotlight And Nordic Game Online Update
EVOS Esports is the leading esports organization in Southeast Asia, and has won numerous world championship titles; Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship (M1) 2019 and Free Fire World Cup 2019.
Supercell is one of the rare companies that doesn’t try to beat the competition; rather, it tries to beat the high score set by its own prior games. To date, Supercell has created multiple genre-defining games and generated billions in revenues — all with little more than 300 employees (!).
Main guest interview of today is with Dmitry Burkovskiy of Xsolla. Their slogan is “Xsolla is the video game business engine! Our set of solutions helps you improve operations and sell more.” Dmitry is explaining more indepth.
Kate Edwards About Her Passion- In episode 23 I am talking to Kate Edwards. Our talk is about people in gaming. Cause this is what makes Kate ‘tick’. She cares about the people that make the games industry (complete).
Dr. Wohn’s research area is human-computer interaction in the context of social media, focusing on non-conscious use of technology, such as media habits, and their relation to psychological well-being and interpersonal relationships. She also studies how social media can help with social support and social identity.
In episode 21 I am talking about branding. Not only for your game studio, but also for your games and in your games, like how is the story telling matching the visuals and therefore how you communicate with your gamer community. Jussi Solja of Superbeast is an exciting talker when it comes to all of this.
This week is Gaming & Finance. Last episode 19 I was talking to Sergei of Mail.ru Games Ventures. Today I am talking to Richard Williamson of the Edison Group. He got a report out that is called; European video games: A safe haven in troubled times, click here to read it. We talk about insights in streaming, valuations, esports and so much more. It was very interesting to get his view on the state of gaming in Europe.
In this episode I have Sergei Evdokimov, an investment associate at Mail.ru Games Ventures. We talk about Gaming acquisitions and investments Q1 2020. Interesting to hear that Investors and funds pumped more than $700 million game startups in the first quarter.
In this episode 18 esport item of Chris Reed, of The Level Up Experience, with “Reed Thinks”, Joakim Achren, of Elite Game Developers, with his highlights of gaming industry and two companies to watch. Niklas send me a deck of GameBuddy and Kim of Aftermath.
#PlayApartTogether is 40 more game companies have joined the World Health Organization (WHO) #PlayApartTogether coronavirus awareness campaign. And more the campaign has gained more than 4.7 billion consumer media impressions worldwide.
In this episode I get to talk to Oliver Kern of Target Gamers. We talk about user acquisition in general, but also about how to adjust your user acquisition in games during this Covid-19 period and after the virus. Can and will consumer, read gamers, still be able to spend as much as before. How can you predict LTV, lifetime value? What can we expect today and later this year from other metrixs like retention, cost per install, CPM/advertising for your game and in your game.
Episode 15 is about Cloud Gaming – People that worked with me on this episode; Doki Tops of Utomik.com and Cris Reed of The Level Up Experience.
In this episode 14 I am asking a few questions besides my take on what might happen in the games industry! I am inviting you to come and brainstorm. Let other people know, that I am trying to get something going here, where we, as a gaming industry, compare notes/thoughts/ideas. What can we expect from ourselves, the consumer and more.
Gaming News; A quick overview of the latest game news. One interesting thing. Appsflyers is predicting increase for 2022 in user acquisition. My question is; In the light of the coronavirus, can you seriously predict this?
In this episode 12 I have Jacob Riis and Teddy Florea. Jacob is the organiser, CCO, and Host, Nordic Game Conference + Nordic Game Discovery Contest at Nordic Game Resources AB. Teddy is Director of Business Development at Nordic Game Resources AB. They explain me everything you need to know about Nordic Game. Fun interview it was.
Interview with Oscar Clark- The whole interview you can listen here. It was a magical an hour. I just couldnt stop him and that is the format! Get industry people to talk, explain, share their vision, war stories, the do’s & don’t’s and more.
You can find this podcast of the “Game Consultant” on Spotify and Apple and Google podcasts. Other platforms where you can find this podcast include: Breaker, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Overcast, CastBox and Anchor. So subscribe now!
This podcast is all about gaming. You can listen to many episodes and read daily news and insights from the games industry. The game podcast host is Reinout te Brake, who is an avid gaming investor and strategic business consultant specialized in the games industry. He is talking, in this podcast, to a variety of game experts in their fields, and they provide real and valuable gaming insights. He touches primarily on topics such as tips and tricks for getting started and grow in the games industry.
Reinout te Brake is an Online Gaming Expert and Game Marketing Consultant with 20+ years of experience serving gaming companies and clients in the facets of Corporate Business Development, Fundraising, Mergers & Acquisitions, and User Acquisition.
Hailing from Amsterdam, Netherlands, he has helped leading gaming investors, publishers, developers, entrepreneurs, and CEOs streamline the processes of idea creation, strategy development, branding, and execution.
Reinout is adept in offering consultancy services to gaming stakeholders, game studio founders, and management teams tailored to help them eradicate the barriers restricting technical, operational, strategic, and commercial acclivity. He leverages his years of field expertise and knowledge to help gaming companies and clients succeed in their pursuit of excellence.
