Adam Shott

Lucky to be here at A16Z GAMES as we announce a $600M raise, leading to total >$1.2B to be invested into the gaming sector. As a reminder... VC-backed gaming / game-adjacent companies include: 👊 Riot Games 🧑‍🌾 Zynga 🦙 Epic Games 🧱 Roblox 📦 Unity 💀 Supercell 👑 King 🎰 Playtika 🎲 Scopely 📺 Twitch 💬 Discord 🦸 Second Dinner VC isn't right for all games. VC isn't right for all founders. But VC most certainly has... - Played a huge role in defining modern gaming - Contributed to the development of some of the most-beloved & enduring gaming franchises of the last 15 years - Created tremendous economic opportunity for founders and game industry employees alike. People will point to studio failures. Mergers. Layoffs. Yup - those all happen (both for VC-backed and Publisher-backed companies). But zoom out - since 2010, the gaming jobs industry has more than doubled in size even accounting for the layoffs. Many of the companies leading that growth? VC-backed companies. :) Anyhow - working with Andrew Chen, Jonathan Lai, Joshua Lu, Jack Soslow, Robin Guo, Troy Kirwin, Justin Paine, Doug McCracken, Samira Behrouzan, Lester Chen, Caitlin Cooke, Michael Sandwick, Goldie Chang, Marigold Vu has been a career-defining experience. Working with the founders across the fund has been equally impactful. So many different people, all of them with huge vision and ambition - hard not to get excited for them and for the future of the fund. Thanks to all of you for letting us work with your teams & support your goals. 🙏 🙏 🙏 PS - must plug - if you'd like your own shot at being in the list of disruptive companies who reshaped the gaming landscape, we're here to support you. Apply to SPEEDRUN: https://bit.ly/4cSlcBV

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Last night, Boston Post Mortem hosted a Fireside Production chat with Oleg Brodskiy, a development director with experience ranging from Lord of the Rings Online to the new Civ VII who shared some key takeaways. Here are three that I think apply to indies and solo devs: 1. The needs of a game cannot be predicted using yes or no questions (like in app development). → Predict end goals, work backwards placing check-ins, then start. Check-ins are your green flags in your development marathon. 2. Whack-a-moling problems becomes firefighting and makes you lose perspective. → Slow down this dopamine loop by adding friction to the problem-solving context. Only the reviewer may approve if the assigned goal is done. 3. We succeed when we work together more often than when we don’t. → How might indie and solo teams collaborate for production-like accountability?

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Neat chart by Jack Soslow - AR/VR revenues rival those of the creator platforms currently getting a ton of attention (and valuation). This isn’t exactly apples to apples but interesting to see the developer payouts have become substantial in spatial computing. (Also a lot less competitive for get a share of the pie in VR)

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I'm scheduling more https://shipit.show episodes. Here's some companies I'd love to talk to. If you know someone please tag them Gaming infrastructure is really interesting and hearing from gaming streaming services like Xbox live, Nintendo or Playstation would be great topics. Game servers from companies like Electronic Arts (EA), Square Enix, Ubisoft is also cool! Any Twitter infrastructure engineers want to talk about how it works behind the API? I'd love to talk to someone from TikTok about their infrastructure too. Any WASM companies like Cosmonic or Fermyon Technologies want to explain how it works? There's a lot of cool new platforms like Fly.io, Vercel, Render I'd like to talk to What other topics and companies would you want to hear from? #podcast

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Hey, AI! Can you create a custom notary service for me? Just kidding, I've got this. Remember, while Devin and Co-Pilot are impressive, they're still just tools. The real magic lies in our ability to innovate, learn, and adapt. So, keep coding, keep learning, and don't fall for the fear porn. Because in the end, it's not AI that's taking over software engineering, it's us. 🚀👩‍💻 #AI #SoftwareEngineering #KeepLearning

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Match3 is not the best game economy. I know some who would say it’s not even economy! Also, digital board games are just video games with terrible UX. Listen to the episode for more on these hot takes from me and the fellas.

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Big news from Meta! On August 5, App Lab will finally be merged into the main store, now called Meta Horizon Store. Indie Devs have been waiting for this for a long time. Meta listened. 🙏 I talked to people at the company earlier today about this update. Here are my takeaways: - Meta intends to put all developers on an equal footing. They're fully aware of the breakout successes of indie hits, and want to lean into this. This is FANTASTIC news. - They are actively seeking input from devs and trying to learn best practices for early access from other storefronts, especially Steam. - This is just a first step. They're aware that this will open the floodgates and that it will require algorithmic solutions to amplify/downgrade content. My best guess is that apps with more/better reviews, more downloads and tight update schedules will be boosted. With this change, my top feature request to improve visibility on the store are user-defined tags (like on Steam). What's yours? https://lnkd.in/d3Z8cYf5 #metaquest #vr #mr #applab

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I have been seeing a lot of negative postings lately about the job market, and I wanted to offer some insight to those seeking a new position. 1. It is a numbers game. It is literally like pulling the handle on a slot machine. The more pulls of the handle, the more likely you will eventually get a "hit" (a response to your resume.) Some people will get a new position immediately. Some people will have to wait a while longer. (Just like watching the person next to you at a casino getting a winning slot pull, and you are a $100 in before hitting a bonus game.) 2. You are going to get more rejections than inquiries. This is part of the process. Unless you have the "3 key skills" that are currently hot, this is how it is going to work. 3. No matter when you apply for a position, and no matter your profession, there are always going to be about "3 key skills" that are currently in demand. Technology and industry trends change roughly every six months. If you happen to have the right words on your resume, you are going to get some traction. Most people need time to catch their skills up to the ever changing market. This isn't a negative reflection on you, this is how it works. Your skills are always going to be slightly behind what is hot in the market right now. Particularly in the technology sector -- that new coding language, paradigm, API, is the bright shining object that gets someone's attention. If you have been working for a company for a while, there is a very good chance you are using an older tech. Companies don't change tech stacks overnight. 4. It is easy to become discouraged, but I have a philosophy that I found that works. When I see a job posting, even if I am not a 100% fit, I apply anyways. I always say to myself, "When in doubt, apply." Rejections are free and easily discarded. But you just never know what might be on your resume that will make you stand out to a particular hiring manager. 5. Always be learning. Your Linked In profile is your business card. If you are currently not employed, take a course, and get it posted to your profile. You always want to be viewed in the light of a constant learner. 6. Job searching is a process. You cannot speed it up. There are no shortcuts. Sometimes the market is "tight" and there are not a lot of opportunities available. This is not a reflection on you. It is reality. The job market is much like the real estate market. Sometimes it is a buyer's market (in favor of the employee). Sometimes it is a seller's market. (In favor of the employer.) It varies depending on the economic circumstances of the time. 7. Diversify your skillset. You have core skills that are needed for your profession. Develop tangential skills that will differentiate you. 8. Apply! Set goals for yourself. Something like, "I will apply to x companies each day." It isn't as though you are sending out paper resumes with stamps and killing trees. Persistence, and tenacity are your best allies. I hope this helps.

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Walking games have a weird amount of PMF. Pokémon Go still makes $500M+ every year! One of my best friends from college Zibo Gao has been working on a music version of this. Walk around, collect songs, trade with others. My theory for why these work is that the core loop is so simple and habitual: you walk and collect stuff. Everyone does it. It’s like finding a bunch of rare pennies on the street. It makes a daily task that much more enjoyable. The flip side is your total engagement might be a bit capped. Not as easy as opening up a match-3 game which you can do anywhere, and you can only walk so many miles. What’s most important is the progression mechanic and metagame. Makes it feel like every walk you take is leading to something (besides great health) In game economies with rare items are a great way to create incentives here A few other cool companies we’ve seen building in this walking game space: Genopets Talofa STEPN Coin Hunt World Zombies Run!

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"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆." NY Time increased the average time people spend on their website by ~70% after they acquired the Wordle game l. And, LinkedIn launched games on their platform today. More and more non gaming companies are benefitting from games as an engagement/retention tool. Youtube and Instagram have already launched or are experimenting with games on their platforms "𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁." To the game devs in my network, do you guys consider these platforms or traditional industry businesses as a tool to experiment your ideas or/and just a new distribution channel ? Aso, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦. I believe 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝟯, 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝘁𝗰.. rather than just a distribution/retention tool. Games will be used to pitch businesses to clients and be used for a multivariate use-cases apart from traditional "gaming". Feel free to add your thought. Credits to Sergei Vasiuk for an insightful post. #innovation #gamingindustry #gamedev

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So sorry to hear about layoffs at Modern Wolf, with 6 staff members being affected. The news broke last night, with my former CA colleague George Willard posting the news, as well as providing information about those also laid off to support re-hiring as quickly as possible. You can find that here: https://lnkd.in/eEXWSgNQ To those impacted by these layoffs, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,200 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eu2bjadW ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,900 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/etPj22BE 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 450 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/dwwVjZuc 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gxDvFM-Z 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/e5MuViug 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 190 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSkPSsWf 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev: This resource lists around 290 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePG57_7v ⚙ IT, Helpdesk and DevOps: This resource lists around 140 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e8ZsuiZh 🎮 Game Design: This resource lists around 480 jobs worldwide. https://lnkd.in/dCv_hQXv 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, If you have worked in publishing, please message me. I am looking for quite a few roles right now! ⬅ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #modernwolf

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Minecraft turns 15 this week, and Mojang Studios is planning quite the party: To celebrate its 15th birthday — either May 17th or Nov 18th depending on how you define it — Mojang Studios/Microsoft has planned 15 days of celebration, kicking off today, May 15th. It will feature... 👕 Branded capes, like for Twitch & TikTok 🎀 15x limited edition Character Creator items 🎉 A 𝟓𝟎% 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 — making the game a fitting $15 𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 🚘 Minecraft drives usage 🚗 The capes (and presumably other items) are gonna be accesible by interacting with things outside the game. That's a testament to how much larger the Minecraft ecosystem is than just Single Player — and an homage to its special connection with content, which lead to 1 trillion YouTube views in 2021. Yes, as F2P games, Roblox & Fortnite are growing their player bases quickly. But the 'size' of Minecraft has always been more than in-game, and it shows. 👑 The world's best selling game... is on sale? 🎁 Minecraft almost never has sales of any kind, and if you want to find something to this extent, you'd have to look back 5 years to the 10th anniversary. But what's most incredible is folks that bought the game full price 10 years ago aren't in the slightest bit mad — if anything, the prevailing sentiment is what a steal it was at "only" $30 dollars. For Minecraft to become the bestselling game at 300+ million copies 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 is incredible. Now imagine these become more regular: is 500 million that outlandish? Maybe even more... 🥳 The real party starts with creators 🎊 Though the fine folks at Minecraft/Mojang Studios likely have more in store, if the 10th is anything to go off of, the true celebration comes with creators paying homage in their own ways. 5 years ago, nostalgic content around the game's beginning exploded on YouTube — with the rise of short form since, I think we'll see an even bigger flooding of support from creators large and small. For Minecraft, the success it takes to be able to fund these festivities is certainly a validation of the game's incredible (and ongoing) legacy. But the way in which it continues to invite players to take part in that story — and supports them as they do it — THAT is what makes Minecraft, Minecraft to me.

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I'm seeing a lot of these "expert answers" about frontend development and what does HTML, CSS, and Javascript do. So many of them over complicate it: HTML is content authoring. You are writing a document and should use the tools and formatting available to make it as clearly understood as possible. Most people should be able to write some HTML much like most people can post dross on social networks. However there is a big difference between a coherent, semantically correct HTML doc and some div/span catastrophe. The latter is more like the local racists latest rant with no punctuation, swimming with spelling mistakes, and they've tied themselves in knots over the fact there was once a rainbow flag in Morrisons. CSS is not just about making things "look nice". Yeah it'll make things look better but it's main purpose should be to improve usability, legibility and make your content more understandable. Finally Javascript - Javascript is usually unnecessary and I reckon 90% of the internet could do without it. A lot of the things that Javascript has introduced has made the internet worse, less stable, and less accessible. It's main purpose has been to make frontend development more like a programming discipline, rather than the design discipline it originally was. This is coming from someone who has built their career around frontend development 🤷‍♂️

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Amazon's sub-sub-sub categories are getting out of control. There's a category just for SciFi and Fantasy Art? Apparently I'm their top new release, with my mermaid book :). On the downside, MOST of the other new releases in this area are massive amounts of AI-generated books featuring big-breasted fantasy porn and scifi porn. The books are flooding their system. Here's the link to my book, which is about the history and types of mermaids. It's not a how-to-draw book. https://lnkd.in/g8a8EAJh #mermay #mermaid

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Interesting article about a veteran panel's thoughts on the state of gaming. My quick thoughts for whatever they're worth: 1. There are still many more layoffs coming. The underlying fundamentals of many developers, publishers, and platform / tech companies are questionable and not looking to improve. Talent costs are too high in developed countries and it takes too long to make AA / AAA games. The modus operandi of expensive video game development is dying outside of the tentpole big IPs. 2. Indie game developers with ability to bootstrap to an identifiable, quality MVP will be the harbingers of many of the new innovations in gaming. I would argue that the current mass migration into Indie is good for gamers and the industry. But the competition will be ferocious for resources. 3. Discoverability is a big problem, and novel publishing / marketing techniques for discoverability could turn into actual companies that shake up the industry. Some folks will make a killing if they address this issue. This would be an actually useful application of AI / ML. 4. From everyone I've spoken with since GDC who actually knows what they're talking about, the game industry financing situation will improve later this year / through next year. A lot of content calendars for 2025-7 have been decimated by project cancellations, and those same publishers / platforms need content. Interest rates will likely go down / clarity in future of US / EU markets will likely improve over the next year. Also, a lot of money is sitting waiting to be deployed. But there still remains a massive hangover from the absolute nonsense of 2020-2022. https://lnkd.in/gGA272ZR #gameindustry #gaming #startuplife #investment #indie #gamedev

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