Vas Roberts

This is probably the best story I have ever written in terms of sourcing. Please give it a read and if you hate reading just listen to the audio file. PS: Thanks to Tobias Seck, the Wizard of Oz of our little endeavor, behind the scenes, editing, producing audio files, and just making my writing better.

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Finding the balance between being transparent with your team, investors and customers while maintaining confidence as a leader/founder is a highwire act. There is no perfect way to do this, but its always good to be open to suggestions and seek ways of improving how you go about it. Beth N. of Developa and I discuss this and many other topics in today's Founders Unplugged conversation. Below is a sneak peek 👇 Watch/listen to the full conversation on the platform of your choice here: https://lnkd.in/e8ksXNM7 #foundersunplugged #founder #startupfounder #startuplife

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A bit of UK market data news. Fallout 4 was comfortably the UK's best-selling game in April (GSD figures), and was one of three Fallout games in the Top Ten. Overall UK game sales in April were down 7% year-on-year, but there was a lack of new releases (in 2023, we had Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Dead Island 2), so that seems like a pretty good result. There were no new games in the Top Ten for April, with PlayStation's Stellar Blade coming in at No.12. The action game was only on sale for one week when this data was counted. The console market continues to have a horrible year (GfK figures). Sales of games machines are down 30% in the UK this year. Xbox Series console sales are down just under 25%, PS5 sales are down just over 25%, and Switch sales are down 38%. Elsewhere, 530,000 accessories were sold over April, a drop of 28% over March but up 7% over April last year.

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Little update from newsletter land. Pantaloon's May partnership has now come to an end, so thought I’d drop a few stats for the month past as we roll into June. 🔑 1000 Penrose Steam Keys given 💰 $4999 worth of games given away in May 💸 $50,474 worth of games given away in total 📈 1,166 new subscribers for May 👤 17,811 total subscribers ✉️ 74% open rate on main email (!) ✉️ 59% average open rate for May comms Other info-nuggets: 🟨 We invested in a dedicated IP for the newsletter for May, which - although is still warming, meaning we have to batch emails over a number of days - has already had an effect on the deliverability and open rates. Hopefully this continues to now improve our sender rating and stats over time. 🟨 Subscribers continue to love the monthly Pantaloon Puzzle (successfully completing this guarantees that month's game), driving lots of Discord chatter and hint-exchanging. Approx. 30% of subscribers attempted May's puzzle, with 8% of that figure successfully completing all five levels. 🟨 The changes implemented off the back of the April partnership (shifting from a FCFS model to a blended 60% FCFS, 40% random) seems to have gone down well, with less disappointment for those missing out, and far more unexpected delight for those fate smiles upon. -- See you next month, number fans! (and sign up at pantaloon.io👍) #indiegames #gamedev #indiedev #newsletter #emailmarketing

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I am thrilled to see star British jockey Saffie Osborne sporting the branding of The Winners Circle, the revolutionary fan engagement platform powered by the scalable and performant Zilliqa blockchain. Reflecting on this partnership and the intersection of #Web3 with traditional sport, it is plain to see a number of parallels between Zilliqa’s ethos and the values embodied in the sport of horse racing, four of which really stand out for me: 1️⃣ Equality and Inclusivity: Zilliqa's blockchain is designed to be inclusive, providing access and benefits to users of all sizes and capacities. Similarly, horse racing offers an inclusive arena where success is determined by talent and strategy, and anyone can compete in a fair race. 2️⃣ Scalability and Performance: Just as horse racing demands the performance possible from both horse and jockey, #Zilliqa focuses on high throughput and scalability, ensuring seamless operations even under high demand. 3️⃣ Community Engagement: Fans are the lifeblood of horse racing, driving the spectacle and excitement on race day. At Zilliqa, community involvement is also paramount, and our platform encourages participation in decision-making processes, mirroring the interactive and engaged community found in horse racing. 4️⃣ Global Accessibility: Zilliqa aims to make its platform universally accessible, fostering a global community. Horse racing, with its widespread appeal, is a prime example of a worldwide phenomenon - one that provides a perfect avenue for Zilliqa to showcase its technology across diverse markets. By powering The Winners Circle and integrating with a sport that embodies equality, performance, community engagement, and worldwide reach, Zilliqa amplifies these values and opens the door to a wider global audience of users for its high-throughput, low-cost network. Read more on The Winners Circle’s partnership with Saffie Osborne: https://lnkd.in/eEf7f_xy #TheWinnersCircle #FanEngagement #HorseRacing #Loyalty

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Player acquisition is important, but maximizing on the players you already have is even more crucial in this market. CleverTap Gaming comes to the rescue!I I had an engaging conversation with Randy Malluk & Stacy E. from Besitos - KashKick last week on how they've managed to 3x retention and 4x player stickiness (DAU divided by MAU) in just a few months. How'd they do it? Check out the full recording of our live stream: https://lnkd.in/eyQe4gBQ #gaming #gamingindustry #playerretention #playerengagement #playerstickiness #inappengagement #customerengagement

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⚡️ Gaming Reports - May 13 - May 18 (2024) 👉 Fallout 4 was a best-selling title on both the UK & EU markets in April, 2024. I think a similar situation will be in the US, as there has been a lack of big releases in April. Fallout 76, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3 also made it to the top 15. I won't be this "transmedia woo-hoo" guy, but the TV Series definitely helped Bethesda Softworks to attract a new audience. It's not only about the re-activation of existing users but also about bringing new players to the ecosystem. And it might pay off a new release when it... will happen? 👉 Serbian Games Association released a report about the state of the local gaming market in 2023. It grew twice by workforce in 2023, heavily due to the relocation of Eastern European companies to the country. The bright news is that a lot of companies in Serbia are planning to increase their workforce in 2024. The last months have been negative for many talents in the industry, and I hope that some of them will find a new adventure within Serbia. 👉 Daniel Ahmad looked at the Sony FY report. PS5 is a little bit behind PS4 after 5 years in the market (59.2M vs. 60M), which speaks of the total addressable market size, right? However, the most interesting was on Twitter. According to Daniel's insights, in Q1'24 PS5 shipments were 5x higher than Xbox Series S|X's. Ouch. Knowing this, recent Microsoft comments on moving their franchises to other platforms sound reasonable. We've been living for a long time in a world of walled gardens, with each party protecting their playgrounds. It doesn't feel sustainable anymore, right? All reports, as always, available here: https://lnkd.in/dY-aPj4M Contents: 1. International Game Developers Association (IGDA®): Developer Satisfaction Survey 2023 2. GSD & GfK - An NIQ Company: Fallout 4 became the best-selling PC/Console game of April in the UK 3. Games & Numbers (01.05.24 - 14.05.24) 4. Serbian Games Association : The Serbian gaming industry doubled its workforce in 2023 5. GSD & GfK: PC/Console game sales in Europe dropped in April 2024 6. Mistplay: Spending habits of Mobile Gamers in South Korea in 2024 7. Daniel Ahmad: Sony shipped 5 times more consoles to stores in Q1'24 than Microsoft did with the Xbox Series S|X

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A new debate on the cost of cool, which digs into the environmental impact of increasing vinyl sales and rising concerns among several major artists. In summary, some counter-argue that the tech behind vinyls is significantly evolving, notably with BioVinyl, whilst others mention the environmental cost of storage data from streaming platforms. For me, it is entertainment, it is what consumers want, and it is the same debate as EV cars vs. good old gas. It’s evolution meets nostalgia. What do you reckon? 

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⚡️ Gaming Reports - June 3 - June 7 (2024) 👉 Newzoo highlighted top-20 PC/Console games of April'24 by Revenue and MAU - Manor Lords (#5 in revenue ranking) and Content Warning (#12) had a very solid start. Fallout 76 made it to the top 20 with all transmedia efforts too. - Two out of 3 PlayStation new titles in top-20 by revenue are from Microsoft - Sea of Thieves and Grounded. - Fallout 4 had a huge comeback in an MAU rating. It wasn't in rating by Revenue, so I assume a lot of people just opened their catalog after watching a TV series. 👉 Sensor Tower (first one with data.ai (by Sensor Tower)!) shared a Q1'24 report on the Mobile market. Great as always. The report, I mean, not the status of the market. - The gaming market reached $20,3B on Mobile in Q1'24. It's Gross and without China Android stores. +2,9% YoY, but that's... a little behind non-gaming 19,4% growth. - MONOPOLY GO! was coronated as a top-grossing title in a single quarter with $770M. Previous record was set by Honor of Kings with $765M in Q2'21. - Spend on digital ads in gaming in Q1'24 in US & Canada felt by 19%. Won't expect those regions to grow massively in the future. 👉 Thanks to AppMagic I was able to check how the Mobile top by Revenue and Downloads looked like in May'24 - Dungeon Fighter Online Mobile had a very successful launch in China with $63,7M Net Revenue in less than 2 weeks only on iOS. - Solo Leveling: Arise was quite big with 18.2M downloads. - Aside from this, it's been quite stable. Next month I'd expect Squad Busters to a top-1 by downloads; but curious how high the game can jump by revenue. Mentioned reports (& more) are available here: https://lnkd.in/gTTn4vej

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Interesting read

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As reported by VGC today, "Square Enix is set to make an unconfirmed number of layoffs as part of its ongoing company restructuring... According to people who were in attendance, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu said that both the company’s American and European arms would be hit with layoffs, which will happen over the course of the next month. The scale of the layoffs wasn’t shared, but staff were told that people working in publishing, IT, and Square Enix’s Collective indie games division would be predominantly affected. Those affected will be informed this week, staff were told. In the UK, employees will enter into a one-month consultancy period, as per local employment law, while US-based staff could leave their roles before June. Following the internal meetings on Monday, many of Square Enix’s main Slack channels were locked, VGC was told" https://lnkd.in/eaTMend9 I am so sorry to hear this news. If you want to prepare yourself in case you become affected by these cuts, or if you indeed become affected by these cuts this week, our community has three resource "homes" built to help you: HOME 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our hub offering 15 resources to help you find work, including a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: Find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I’ll help edit and disseminate the final product, reaching 100,000+ people. These posts are highly effective in increasing visibility and we have done 97 of them. HOME 2 - 🔗 Please visit discord.gg/amirsatvat to join our Discord, a live extension of our community resources. With nearly 2,800 members, we are in an open-join phase. HOME 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes nearly 87,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. To our broader community, your involvement makes a difference. Here’s how you can help: - Spread the word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer support: Utilize the 13 ways listed on AMIRSATVAT.COM under "How You Can Help" to assist, or simply lend an ear or advice on our Discord server. - Join our movement: Volunteer with us at AMIRSATVAT.COM to support our colleagues in the games industry. Our network has facilitated over 1,800 jobs and 33,000 coaching conversations to date and has been visited by over 3,000,000 gamers lifetime. We're committed to providing daily encouragement and support during these challenging times. We will never stop fighting for you!

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Splash Damage has confirmed, to several news outlets, that a "small number of [its] roles" may be at risk of redundancy. If your role is affected by this news, please make use of the support available across our three platforms. Specifically, I recommend checking out the Games Org Support Posts in Home 1. These resources are highly effective, with ample data to back their success. I won't pretend there are easy solutions but our community's only goal is to make things a little easier for as many people as possible. We have a ton of data showing that, for all candidates, your chances of finding a games role double (from 5 to 10%) over 12 months if you regularly use all our resources versus not. I'm so sorry to hear this report and I will, as always, do my best to do something about it rather than just talking. Home 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our main hub provides 18 resources to assist you in finding work, featuring a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: Find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I’ll help edit and disseminate the final product, reaching 100,000+ people. These posts are highly effective in increasing visibility, and we've done 99 of them. Home 2 - 🔗 Discord: Join us at discord.gg/amirsatvat, our live extension of community resources. With over 4,500 members, we are currently in an open-join phase. Home 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes nearly 92,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. How the Broader Community Can Help: - Spread the Word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer Support: Utilize the 16 ways listed on AMIRSATVAT.COM under "How You Can Help" to assist, or simply lend an ear or advice on our Discord server. - Join Our Movement: Volunteer with us at AMIRSATVAT.COM to support our colleagues in the games industry. Our network has facilitated over 2,200 jobs and 41,000 coaching conversations to date, the largest impact of any games organization on earth, and has been visited by millions of gamers lifetime.

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I recently created a section on my site, called One Pagers – https://lnkd.in/eR9EbsKB The idea is to capture big and important areas of my life into one page. I’ve kicked things off with a one pager on How to Invest – https://lnkd.in/eKjpCa-v This has been a ten + year journey for me, with many twists and turns. I’ve finally settled on something straight forward, which will help me achieve my long term financial goals. And importantly, is right for me. I’m not saying this is the only way to invest, or that it will work for you. But, I do think it’s a pretty solid medium risk strategy for how most people might want to think about investing for the future. And in any case, it’s not a bad place to start thinking from. P.S. A gigantic thanks to my friend Paraskevas Avraam. He has been a HUGE help in evolving my own thinking on investing, and helped me become more self aware of my tolerance for risk over the last ten years or so. P.P.S The next one pager I will write will be bringing together my stance for how to train and exercise. Watch this space.

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⚡️ Gaming Reports - May 6 - May 10 (2024) 👉 Newzoo shared the top PC/Console titles of March 2024 in the US/Western Europe, and there is Dragon's Dogma II in the second spot. Who could've imagined? There are 4 new titles in the top 20 in March on all platforms. MAU charts, however, are stagnating. All the same names are at the top - Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft, GTA V, and Roblox. Helldivers II, which March performance was fairly good according to SteamDB, is only in 9th position. Those big titles are like black holes, absorbing all players' time. 👉 Stream Hatchet shared a great report on the streaming market. 69% of the audience in Q1'24 was watching Twitch; 16,5% - YouTube Gaming. It's funny, but Steam is the fastest-growing streaming platform right now with +109% YoY on hours watched. That's even cooler because 39,1% of all hours in Steam were spent on new releases. Contrary to 7% on Twitch and 4,3% on YouTube Gaming. 👉 Simon Carless from GameDiscoverCo shared conversion benchmarks of Steam wishlists into sales in the first month. Median conversion for the first month is 27% - you can use this number for benchmarking. Early access titles are usually having worse conversions. And there is a direct correlation between the review % and conversion (what a surprise!). As always, all reports are available in my weekly recap: https://lnkd.in/dqBGhrC7 In recap you'll find: 1. Newzoo: Top 20 PC/Console games in March 2024 by Revenue and MAU 2. Lurkit: State of the Streaming market in Q1’24 3. Liftoff Mobile: CPI and D7 ROAS benchmarks in Mobile Games 4. Stream Hatchet: Streaming Market Trends in Q1’24 5. GameDiscoverCo: Data Consumption in Steam by Country in 2024 6. Newzoo: Outlast Trials became the top-grossing B2P adventure game of March 7. GameDiscoverCo: Conversion benchmarks of Steam wishlists into sales in the first month

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News - I've just launched VGIM Insider, the paid subscription offer for readers of Video Games Industry Memo 🎉 Anyone who signs up for a paid subscription to become a VGIM Insider will receive: 📰 Two extra newsletters every month, including an Ask George Q and A column and an end of the month newsletter called The Debrief that'll take a deeper look at a range of interesting industry stories. 🏎 Early access to a load of VGIM exclusive bits and pieces including events, webinars, other exclusive content and even me (exciting, I know!) 💰 Discounts on VGIM events, on buying advertising within the main VGIM newsletter and other offers from the industry. 📈 And more stuff as VGIM Insider grows, including an exclusive chat community and a wider programme of content and events. You can read more about the subscription programme in the comment that I'm about to place below the post. And if you want to save 20% on the cost of your subscription, make sure to use the code KEENBEAN before Tuesday 9th July to get yourself a chunky amount of money off. VGIM Insider will hopefully help me kick off the next phase of the newsletter and I would love for you to support it if you can 🙏

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Investment news: Keywords Studios is being acquired by Swedish investment firm @EQT in a deal valued at £2.2 billion The agreement, announced on the London Stock Exchange (below), sees EQT acquiring all of Keywords' issued and to be issued shares for £24.50 per share in cash. EQT, already a player in the gaming industry, strengthens its presence with this acquisition. Keywords Studios offers a comprehensive suite of services, from development and art production to quality assurance, localization, and marketing. This acquisition bolsters EQT's portfolio in the ever-growing gaming landscape. The deal, valued at roughly £2.1 billion on a fully diluted basis, will be financed through a combination of equity and debt by EQT. Finalization is expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. This acquisition signifies a major move in the game services industry. Stay tuned for further updates on how this deal will impact Keywords Studios and the wider gaming landscape. (source: https://lnkd.in/ecT8gwf9)

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The experts' guide to mobile games monetisation: Part one

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Hi everybody, I'm very sorry to have heard that Traega Entertainment had to downsize most of its staff today, as reported in a post by its Game Director Tony Mann. https://lnkd.in/edhWamQ5 To those 19 gamers affected at Traega: 🔗 Please visit AMIRSATVAT.COM, our community's games jobs resources hub with 14 resources that will help you find work. These resources are free and updated regularly. 🔗 Resource 10 is our games org support posts. There you will find a template. If someone on your team can own populating that with information from individuals on your team, with their consent, I will get the finished product edited and out to the community, hitting 100,000 eyeballs. I have done 94 of these, working directly with games teams, and they are highly effective in increasing visibility. To our community: please do your part in making a difference. Some options include: -Spreading the word. Every reshare of this post is appreciated to raise visibility as to these situations. - Offer Support: While you certainly can do it through our community's resources (at amirsatvat.com we present 13 ways you can help), any advice lent, listening ear provided, or other support given is appreciated for those navigating these changes. - Join Our Movement: Become part of our network of volunteers at AMIRSATVAT.COM, providing support to our colleagues in the games industry. Together, our collective of over 84,000 people has enabled 1,700+ jobs and 29,000 community coaching conversations, and we're just getting started. More importantly, this network and its content seeks to provide a daily source of encouragement in this tough time. Thanks for stepping up for our friends at Traega, as outlined below: Character Art: Mike Waver Daniel Gallagher Concept: Dan Carpenter Environment Art: Andrew Baker Cutlar Nordyke Animation: Derek Zivolich Tech: William Harvey Brian Gordon Design: Ken Eland Alexander Loughran UI: Michael Scala Engineering: David Ollman Simon Barker Benjamin Miles Kirk Sexton Production: Karrah Yanta Business Operations: Mike Dixon QA: Chad Finley Troy Way

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Last night, a significant milestone was achieved as The Mediatwist Group's logo adorned the UFC mat during a thrilling fight. This momentous occasion underscores the rarity of a brand gracing the UFC platform, known for its exclusivity and high sponsorship costs. Traditionally, acquiring a spot on the coveted UFC mat entails substantial financial investment, a feat beyond the reach of many brands. This accomplishment speaks volumes about our brand's prominence and the value we bring to the table. It symbolizes our ascent into the elite echelons of sports sponsorship, a testament to our dedication and strategic prowess. The Mediatwist Group's presence on the UFC mat signifies not only a triumph but also a promise of greater opportunities on the horizon. In the past, brands have shelled out millions of dollars for the opportunity to be featured prominently on the UFC mat and during broadcasts. For instance, notable companies have invested upwards of $5 million for broadcast sponsorships alone, making it an exclusive arena reserved for major players with deep pockets. However, The Mediatwist Group's appearance on the UFC mat stands out for its rarity and significance. Against the backdrop of exorbitant sponsorship costs, our presence symbolizes a remarkable achievement, made even more impressive by the fact that it was secured without any financial outlay. 🗿This milestone underscores our growing prominence and influence in the world of sports sponsorship, signaling a new chapter in our journey towards greater recognition and success. The Mediatwist Group's breakthrough onto the UFC mat serves as a testament to our resilience, strategic acumen, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Giant Thank You to our brother in arms, Zoltan Bathory and UFC’s Mr. Dana White. Aimee Kurtz The Mediatwist Group ⁉️Can you spot the Mediatwist logo? Watch til the end. #mediatwist #ufc #sports #sponsorship #vegas #revenue #digitalnomads

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