Marcin Iwinski

gamescom latam was a blast. However, one week of discussions with game developers from Latin America and around the globe spotlighted the weaknesses of the European digital trade promotion policy. First of all, the Chinese and Indians were visible at the event, but the EU was missing. The trade consulates of EU countries still see each other as their main competitors, but our main competitors are non-EU giants like the USA, China, and India. Only by collaborating, finding synergies, and pooling resources will the EU member states be able to challenge the global visibility of American, Chinese, and Indian trade promotion activities. Secondly, we might be too focused on talent attraction and outsourcing opportunities. Do not get me wrong; both are critical topics for the growth of the European game industry, and we must continue working with them. However, we should not be blinded by those goals. Brazilian game dev studios are rapidly expanding, and the largest of them are already starting to open their local studios in the EU. It is time to broaden our focus and begin promoting the EU more as an investment location and an ideal sport for co-productions. Thirdly, the EU parades itself as the forerunner and trendsetter of digital regulation. As Brazilian efforts to build a GDPR-adequate privacy policy framework and their plans to regulate gatekeeper platforms demonstrate, Brussels's effect is true. However, if the EU does not take a more active role in aligning digital policies inspired by it, we will face a significant risk of deepening global regulatory market fragmentation. It is clear that trade agreements are not an instrument that is agile enough to address this challenge. Instead, the EU should focus on building joint guidelines with third countries on how to align regulatory requirements. In practice, we need joint guidelines between, for example, European and Brazilian data protection authorities addressing the potential conflicts between the EU and Brazilian data protection frameworks. Thank you so much for the invite, great hospitality and enabling the trip Eliana Russi 🔜 gamescom latam , congrants for successful event Stefan Heikhaus 🔜 gamescom latam and thank you for all the help Alessandra Leone.

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Most successful gaming companies are very good at acquiring users. 🕹️📈 After all, that’s what made them successful in the first place. But when it comes to retention… Man, do they quickly fall off. 📉 A few days ago I talked with one of my geek friends who (still) plays World of Warcraft, and he mentioned different ways how WoW improved their retention strategies… 🎮… It made me think about all the successful client retention strategies I’ve seen work in my field - the mobile gaming space. So let’s talk about some of the most reliable ways to keep your users in your game for longer 👇 Use Personalized Re-engagement. 💌 Rather than sending generic "we miss you" notifications, analyze their purchasing history to find out when and what they bought last. 📊🛒 You want to tap into what is familiar and previously enjoyable to them and offer the same experience - with a discount. An example: “Remember those great finds at [Vendor Name]? We'd love to treat you to 15% off your next treasure hunt there." 🏹💎 Contextual communication. 📝 Align your messages with users' current situations or milestones. Understand and anticipate what they need at that moment and offer it to them. An example: Tax refund season is the time when users are more inclined to spend. Adapt your messages to the situation, and create an appropriate offer. Listen to Feedback! 👂📢 So many companies ignore this and double down on greedy practices. Put yourself in the user’s shoes: there’s a problem they complain about for weeks or months, and nothing changes. Their natural conclusion will be: “This company doesn’t care about me, so why should I give them my time and money?” But if you implement feedback and fix what the users complain about, then this will happen: ✨🔧 a) They will be thrilled to learn that their voice matters 📢 b) Their loyalty will drastically increase 📈 c) They will be more inclined to financially support the company 💳 Do this and the no.4 will happen organically. 🌱 Create Incentives That Matter 🎁✨ Use the user data you have to create personalized incentives based on their activity and preferences. Track which features they use most, their progression patterns, purchase history, and engagement frequency, and use this as your foundation. An example: A special "Holiday Mode" with themed challenges and rewards during festive seasons, Or roll out limited-time "mystery boxes" that offer rewards based on what they do most in your game. It all comes down to delivering value to users, and making their experience rewarding no matter what they do. 🎯 #UserRetention #GamingIndustry #CustomerEngagement #MobileGaming #GameDevelopment #PlayerExperience #CommunityManagement #FeedbackLoop #DigitalMarketing #GamerCommunity

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⚡️ Gaming Reports - May 20 - May 31 (2024) I'm back from my short yet very fulfilling vacation, and happy to share the main updates of the industry numbers of the last (two) weeks. 👉 Newzoo lowered the 2023 market forecast. Fair to say that the update changes the perception of what happened last year with the market growing 0,5% YoY instead of 2,6% YoY. The console market stayed flat (+0,3% YoY) instead of the previously forecasted 7,4% YoY growth. Mobile declined (-2,1% YoY vs. reported originally +0,8% YoY). PC is the only winner with 8,4% YoY growth compared to the 1,6% growth in the first report. Numbers are just numbers until you realize that 2023 was the year of the launch of Monopoly GO! and Honkai: Star Rail (both made it to the top 10 titles by revenue). There were tons of huge AAA releases on PC & Consoles. Platform holders managed to overcome the supply constraints, which boosted console sales. Despite all these factors we still see flat numbers. This worries me a little. Are we approaching a ceiling? 👉 Sony shared a Game & Network services segment update, in which they confirmed that PlayStation 5 is the most profitable console in their history. There were 97 million monthly active consoles in April 2024, and half of them were PlayStation 4. So the old-gen is still there, and people play on it (you can't ignore almost 50 million users, right?). Of course, PS5 users are much more engaged (63% of playtime is contributed by them). And they also pay more (PS4 LTD Spend for the first 4 years is $580; PS5 is far ahead with $731). Last - but not least - GAAS & annual releases have 51-53% of overall PS Store revenue for the last fiscal years. 👉 Circana numbers are telling us that the US market declined in April 2024 by 3% YoY. That's after 3 months of growth by this indicator this year. Two important things - the mobile segment grew in April by 12%. I haven't heard of mobile being the growth driver for a while, so it does feel good. And Stellar Blade - we do have a new leader in charts. That's a big achievement for SHIFTUP which never released a PC/Console title before. Congratulations! There've been a lot more interesting in the last couple of weeks, and you can find a full recap here: https://lnkd.in/d_GvNHDX

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Supermarket Manager Simulator by Digital Melody Games already passed 15 Mil. downloads in nearly 1 month from launch and did more than $1 Mil in overall revenue 🤑. Why are we talking about it? read the interesting story bellow 😎 The game is a mobile fast follow of the new popular steam PC game Supermarket Simulator 🛒 by Nokta Games, which was released on 20th of Feb, with 32K very positive reviews. The mobile game was released around a month after it in a very rudimentary state, basically using mostly just free asset store packs I would guess. But the main core loop is there and its 1:1 with the PC game 💻. The game is actually a first person 3D game, where you really need to do all the work around the supermarket 🛍. Stock the shelves, order more groceries if they run out, checkout customers and give them back the change (pro tip - round everything 😅 or you will die of clicking) and walk a lot of course. Interestingly this very tangible core loop really captures the fantasy of running your own supermarket, which gives the game so much appeal even in its rudimentary state. This is another example how some core gameplays can be easily translated from PC to mobile 📲 and scale there even faster - similarly to Vampire survivors - Survivor.io case. Because its already popular on steam and approved by user reviews there, you can be sure that the core is solid, then you just need to adapt it for mobile platform. Join us as we talk about all of these with 🦩 Matej showing the UA strategy of 1 creative and Felix improving the ads revenue on the spot 😁. Data based on Sensor Tower, thanks for the support 🤗 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/d2Vb2zrS 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/d2nk4gqf 🗣 Join the discussion in our slack channel: https://lnkd.in/eCfTUdu9 #gamedev #gamedevelopment #gamedesign #gameindustry #mobilegames #mobilemarketing #mobileadvertising #userexperiencedesign #userexperience #gamedeveloper #games #gameart #ads #creative #casual #hypercasual #supermarket

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Reflecting on my predictions for the Games industry recruitment in 2024. Last January I joined the PocketGamer.biz podcast to share my view on the state of the industry from somebody who's deeply involved in recruitment. While I may have been optimistic about some recruitment trends, but other aspects such as the rise of AI in game development and the demand for AI skills, have proven to be pretty accurate. What are you observations Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow FRSA?  Would be great to catchup and do another episode some time! #GamesIndustry #gamedevelopment #recruitment #trends #industryinsights #gamesfactorytalents #gamedevtalents #hiring #recruitment

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The mobile gaming landscape welcomes a new player: Juicy Button Games! Based in Limassol, Cyprus, this studio has already secured a promising $3 million in funding led by The Games Fund (TGF). Juicy Button boasts a powerhouse founding team. Alexander Kravchuk (creator of mobile strategy hit Total Battle), Anton Sinelnikov (design director of Pixel Gun 3D), and Aleksandr Zaytsev (co-founder of Mighty Party developer Panoramik) bring a combined track record of success. Their previous titles have reportedly garnered a staggering $180 million to $220 million in revenue and a massive player base with 43 million to 190 million downloads across their lifetimes. The studio isn't wasting any time setting its sights on a new challenge. Their debut project will be a 4X strategy game designed specifically for mobile platforms. This genre is currently dominated by Chinese developers, but Juicy Button aims to break the mold and become a "worthy European challenger." This sentiment aligns with TGF's vision. Ilya Karpinskiy, co-founder of the VC firm, sees immense potential in Europe's game development scene. "We want to connect outstanding gaming founders from overlooked regions with the global industry," says Karpinskiy, highlighting the firm's mission to bridge the gap between talented European developers and the international gaming market. Juicy Button Games, with its experienced team and ambitious goals, is definitely a name to watch in the mobile strategy space. Can they dethrone the current giants and reign supreme? Only time will tell, but their journey promises to be an exciting one. (source: https://lnkd.in/e94ebWGv)

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TOP SOFT LAUNCHES NEW LEGO GAMES With the challenges of new privacy policies, using IP has been a key UA strategy in mobile games in recent years. IPs endemic to the gaming industry have been performing well, such as “Candy Crush”🍬 and “PUBG”🪂. But there are non-endemic IPs that are well received by the gaming audience, such as soccer (”EA Sports”), board games (”Monopoly GO”), and cartoons (”Pokémon GO”). Now imagine a mobile game with an endemic IP of almost 1.2 billion downloads combined with one of the most iconic brands in kids' culture. 🤯 This one is… ✨ "LEGO® Hill Climb Adventures" ✨ Developed by Fingersoft in partnership with the LEGO Group, "LEGO® Hill Climb" is a 3D version of "Hill Climb Racing". With a well-polished game art. 🎨 Moments of competition, like "Hill Climb Racing 2". 🏁 But keeping the famous brake-acceleration balance mechanics. 🚗 The game also features in-depth gameplay, including a building narrative. 🛠️ These features aim to take advantage of the hundreds of millions of downloads and the 22.8% D30 retention rate of the classic "Hill Climb". 🎯 👇 Scroll through the slides below and see for yourself. 👇 Released globally on May 28, "LEGO® Hill Climb" has achieved nearly 500k downloads, with a 33% share in the US market. However, this wasn't Lego's only recent launch. They extended their partnership with Irish game studio StoryToys 🇮🇪 (part of Team17 Group PLC), releasing 2️⃣ more titles: ✨ LEGO® DUPLO® PEPPA PIG ✨ & ✨ LEGO® DUPLO® DOCTOR ✨ In the first one, Lego builds yet another product with the world-famous (including my daughter 👨‍👧💓) character Peppa Pig 🐷, celebrating a partnership begun in January with Hasbro and Merlin Entertainments. The second game is a very child-friendly job simulator. 🥼🩺 Both are games from the DUPLO® brand aimed at preschool children. Is the games market demanding IP? No problem, Lego is in. 🤩 All mobile data from AppMagic. 💯 - x - This research was supported by Cost Center. Cost Center is a tech company that offers a powerful suite of tools for Mobile Publishers to optimize UA campaigns. 💪 Its portfolio includes amazing clients such as Amanotes and Lihuhu. 🏆 Do you like it? 🤩 Call my friend Yi Ting Ho. She'll show you a demo. 😉 #marketing #lego #gaming #gamedevelopment #HypercasualByCarlosPereira

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Governments Target Gaming Addiction with Time Limits & Spend Curbs Is gaming getting out of hand? Governments are exploring: * Time caps to limit gaming sessions (like China's 1 hour rule for minors) * Spend restrictions to curb in-game purchases Read here: https://lnkd.in/dPeGfejh #GamingAddiction #DigitalWellness #GameCloud #LolzSoft

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🚀 Explore Real-World Examples from Mr.Beast x Top Troops Influencer campaign or Podcast ads for June's Journey as Alternative Mobile UA Channels for 2024 In today's fast-evolving mobile landscape, sticking solely to Google and Facebook for user acquisition isn't enough. With economic shifts demanding more scrupulous budgeting and quicker payback, diversification isn't just beneficial—it's necessary. 👉 Why Diversify? More channels mean more opportunities for testing, discovering potentially profitable new channels, and not putting all your eggs in one basket. When one channel stumbles, your strategy doesn’t have to. I’m excited to share insights on alternative mobile UA channels that are making waves in 2024. Also, thanks Media Bodies | Influencer Marketing Agency & Vibe.co for additional insights: Influencer Marketing: Discover how collaborations with mega-influencers like Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) can drive significant engagement and installs, as seen with the Top Troops by Socialpoint, which included custom assets and challenges to maximize ROI. Podcast Ads: Learn from successful podcast campaigns that utilize the trust and intimacy of this medium to boost app installs—insights backed by campaigns like those run by Tactile Games for Lily's Garden or Wooga for June's Journey. Connected TV (CTV): See how brands leverage CTV advertising to effectively reach massive audiences, highlighted by real-time optimized campaigns by Huuuge Games on different platforms. Strategic Partnerships: Gain insights from the unique partnership between Clash of Clans and Chess.com, which cross-promoted content to mutual benefit, boosting user bases significantly. Retail Media Networks: Get a peek at how major brands utilize spaces in retail media, from Amazon Advertising to newer platforms like inflight entertainment systems. These examples aren’t just theories but actionable strategies that have been implemented and tested in the market, offering you a clear pathway to diversify and strengthen your mobile UA efforts. 💬 I’d love to hear about your experiences with these or other innovative UA channels. Have they transformed your approach? What worked and what didn’t? Let’s exchange insights and learn together! 🔄 Engage, Comment, and Share this post to help others in our community stay ahead of the curve in mobile user acquisition strategies! 🔗 Dive deeper into each of these strategies by reading the full article here: The Art of Diversification: Alternative Mobile UA Channels for 2024 https://lnkd.in/dwjeKUNc #UserAcquisition #MobileMarketing #DigitalMarketing #RealWorldExamples #InfluencerMarketing #PodcastAds #ConnectedTV #StrategicPartnerships #TikTokMarketing #RetailMedia #MobileGames

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Dear Stretch Network Partners, Please allow me to inform you about additional changes that will take place in the global network on July 8. 🍀 All Heads-up tables will be removed 🍀 Badugi cash tables will be removed 🍀 Sonic cash tables will become 6-max 🍀 The minimum buy-in for Sonic Omaha cash tables will be 20 BB 🍀 Sonic Omaha 7 card cash tables will be added These changes apply only to cash tables and only to our Global Network. In your local networks, you decide your product strategy, but we would be happy to assist you in managing your local networks as well. If you need our help, please contact us. The above-mentioned changes are part of the new strategy for the Stretch Network Global Network, which prioritizes the comfort of novice players and casual traffic to maintain the proper balance of our ecosystem between amateurs and professionals. Caring for the ecosystem of the Global Network is our priority. The changes we are implementing now and will continue to implement will significantly improve the user experience for your players, extend their LTV, ARPU, and, of course, Revenue.

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📊 Games & Numbers (12.06.24 - 25.06.24) 🎮 PC/console games ▪️From Software announced just days before the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that Elden Ring has surpassed 25 million copies sold. In February of this year, the company reported 23 million sales. https://t.ly/cgI5s ▪️Activision Blizzard boasted that their Crash N. Sane Trilogy has been purchased over 20 million times. https://t.ly/_xf8t ▪️Sales of Resident Evil Village have exceeded 10 million copies, taking 3 years to achieve this milestone. Total sales of the series have surpassed 157 million copies, with the best-selling game being the Resident Evil 2 remake, which sold 13.9 million copies. https://t.ly/uFglV ▪️The VR game Gorilla Tag has earned over $100 million since 2021. The game has been bought more than 10 million times, with an average session time of 60 minutes. https://t.ly/ozY4A ▪️According to GameDiscoverCo, Black Myth: Wukong has over 4 million wishlists on Steam, with 60-70% of them coming from China. During the 2024 Summer Game Fest, the game has been added to wishlists 854,000 times. https://t.ly/Otl1r ▪️The meditative building simulator Tiny Glade has garnered over a million wishlists. The developers shared their joy on social media. https://t.ly/oXn4Z 📱Mobile games ▪️Sensor Tower reports that Chinese users spent a staggering $270 million on Dungeon & Fighter Mobile in a month, excluding Android stores. Niko Partners revised their forecast for the project, increasing it from $1 billion to nearly $2.5 billion annually. In its first month in China, the game earned more than it did in over two years in Korea ($180 million). The game’s launch was even better than Monopoly GO!, and it’s only available in two markets. https://shorturl.at/dJDAz ▪️Summoners War: Sky Arena has earned over $3 billion in ten years. The game reached its 1st billion in August 2017, the 2nd in August 2020, and the third in June 2024. Over 90% of its revenue has come from outside South Korea. https://t.ly/gMxs6 ▪️Sensor Tower reports that Squad Busters has surpassed 44.3 million downloads and $28 million in revenue, though actual figures are likely higher. https://shorturl.at/1KdA2 ▪️Wuthering Waves has been downloaded more than 30 million times, according to its developer, Kuro Games (https://t.ly/6p72Z). AppMagic reports a figure three times lower but doesn’t account for alternative platforms. The Chinese portal GameLook estimated that the game earned $137.8 million in its first month. https://t.ly/CEIKm ▪️Zenless Zone Zero has broken the record for pre-registrations held by Squad Busters. In a month and a half, the project has attracted over 41.5 million users. At launch, Honkai: Star Rail had 31 million users and Genshin Impact had 21 million. https://t.ly/IEeeQ ▪️According to Sensor Tower, Solo Leveling: Arise has earned over $70 million in its first month. Of this revenue, 39.4% came from South Korea, 16.9% from the USA, and 15.6% from Japan. https://shorturl.at/wJCJs

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NEW GAME TRENDING SUPERMARKET SIMULATOR (ROUND 2) In April, I published a post about the new trend of supermarket simulators 🛒 in the games industry. There I mentioned that this trend emerged on Steam (by Valve corporation) under the title "Supermarket Simulator", developed by Nokta Games. The trend quickly spread to the mobile market and spawned some hits, such as "Supermarket Manager Simulator" by Polish studio Digital Melody Games. 🇵🇱 At that time, the games that took advantage of this trend reached around 35MM downloads and US$512k in IAP revenue. What has happened since then? 🤔 Well… some gaming studios have read my post 🤣 and launched their versions of supermarket simulators. And studios that had already developed supermarket simulators, either in a different version to Nokta's game, also took advantage of the trend. 📈 (This is the case with "Hypermarket 3D", a Hypercasual simlutator published by Sunday and developed by Suji Games) The trend is still hot! 🔥 "Manage Supermarket Simulator" by Zego Studio has jumped to the top of the charts in recent weeks. 🔝 According to AppMagic, since March the supermarket trend has generated around 69MM downloads and US$1.1MM in IAP revenue in the mobile gaming market. Here's a list of the five most downloaded mobile games (from March to June 12th): 🥇 “Supermarket Manager Simulator” by Digital Melody Games. 🥈 "Hypermarket 3D" published by Sunday and developed by Suji Games. 🥉 “Manage Supermarket Simulator” by Zego Studio (iKame Global). 4º - “Retail Store Simulator” by Kosin Games. 5º - “Supermarket Simulator Game 3D” by Emir Tarek (Peace Games Studio). 👇 Scroll through the slides below to see some details about these games. 👇 - X - I've put together a list of the 30 most downloaded market simulator games in recent months. Interested in it? 🤔 Then follow the step-by-step instructions in the comments and access my private AppMagic dashboard. - X - This research was supported by Cost Center. Cost Center is a tech company that offers a powerful suite of tools for Mobile Publishers to optimize UA campaigns. 💪 Its portfolio includes amazing clients such as Amanotes and Lihuhu. 🏆 Do you like it? 🤩 Call my friend Yi Ting Ho She'll show you a demo. 😉 #gaming #gamedevelopment #HypercasualByCarlosPereira

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EU citizens will soon elect the new European Parliament. It is time to highlight the key ways the new Parliament can address the key challenges the European game industry is currently facing. The first one of them is access to talent. 🇪🇺 First, the EU must ensure that any young person dreaming of becoming a game developer has a way to do so. Thus, the EU and its member states must invest more in talent building. To ensure that all European children are empowered to take the steps from playing games to creating them, the EU must increase its investment in digital skills in general and widen the scope of its support instruments for non-formal education (e.g. increasing diversity among gamedev club participants). To ensure a clear route from being an amateur developer to a game industry junior in all EU countries, the EU must support the introduction of formal game development education in the member states lacking it. To boost the diversity of the European game industry's key decision-makers, the EU must build specific support instruments for start-up founders with a minority background. 🇪🇺 Secondly, the EU must become the most attractive place for global top game industry talents. For far too long, the main focus of EU immigration policies has been on refugees. It is time to widen this focus on attracting the best talents and their families to the EU. In practice, this means it must become more accessible for the top talents to relocate to the EU to look for a job. The Union must act to reduce immigration bureaucracy; in particular, member states and the Union must shorten the waiting times and lessen red tape for students applying for residence permits to study or to look for a job after graduating. The Union should introduce rules allowing third-country industry experts to relocate to the EU without a concrete job offer. Furthermore, the Union should make it easier for those workers who legally reside in one EU Member State to move and work in another EU Member State. 🇪🇺 Thirdly, the EU must build a single digital remote work area. The free movement of people is one of the fundamental freedoms the EU was created to protect. It is, therefore, embarrassing that the EU has so far failed to develop a solid and clear legal framework for it. The Union must carry out an EU-level study mapping all relevant national rules on cross-border remote work. This study must include all legal challenges related to cross-border remote work, including corporate and personal taxation, health care, and social security rules. Each EU member state should build and provide a one-stop shop combining all relevant national information and services on cross-border remote work, as well as immigration in general. If you have not done so already, vote! Vote for someone who continues the European support for Ukraine. For more information on the EGDF EP election manifesto, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eXYzVDHv

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The latest article in Esports News UK's UK esports history series with GGBET UK has just dropped. And it's a major one worth your time. StarCraft is a much-loved strategy game series, first launched way back in 1998, and it has a rich history in esports. In the words of the author, Molten, 'StarCraft 2 is an historic esport, sequel to the revolutionary RTS (real time strategy) game, StarCraft, it was key in the development, globalisation, and popularity of esports. 'StarCraft’s rich history stems from its passionate dedicated audience and the sheer skill, speed and strategy required at the top level. The UK has seen the rise of several professional players, casters, and personalities, important to both the UK and overseas StarCraft scenes. 'The story of StarCraft 2 in the UK is a (perhaps surprisingly) long and exciting one, in this article we take a deep dive into the tournaments, players and personalities that have created unforgettable moments and a close-knit, thriving StarCraft 2 community in the UK. 'Our story begins in the early years of StarCraft 2, 2010-2014. The revolutionary RTS game had been released and, with that, the evolution of the LAN tournament in the UK.' I'm so proud to delve into these stories and bring them to the fore, and for them to be archived online forever, for anyone who searches for SC2 esports in the UK on Google in the future. Thanks again to Molten for researching and writing this, and to GGBET UK for allowing this series to happen. I'll pop the article link in the comments. #esports #starcraft #history #article

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I believe we are in the early days of a gaming Renaissance, one that will be led and dominated by games coming out of Eastern European indie and solo devs. As someone who loves the region and has spent a lot of time there, I have my theories about why this is the case. However, I will take a more data-driven approach here: 1. A strong modding scene, and probably the oldest. Every single developer I have met from Eastern Europe started off as an accomplished modder. 2. The increase of Early Access games on Steam has been increasing 25%+ year over year. The region that produces the most Early Access games? Eastern Europe (Poland, to be precise). 3. With advancements in game development tools and engines, it has never been easier for small teams or even solo devs to not only get started, but to put something in players hands. We have been seeing hints of this wave for a little while now. ➤ Manor Lords, made by a solo dev in Poland, sold over 1 million copies over 1 weekend while in Early Access ➤ Gray Zone Warfare, made by MADFINGER Games in Czech Republic, was the 7th most wishlisted game on Steam and at the time of this writing the top selling game on all of Steam. ➤ Frostpunk, made by 11 bit studios in Poland, sold 3 million copies and its sequel Frostpunk 2 is the 4th most wishlisted game on Steam ➤ S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl , made by GSC in Prague, is the 5th most wishlisted game on Steam ...and many more. If you are curious on my expanded thoughts on this, feel free to reach out. The region has long been home to world-class talent, and I'm delighted to see it finally getting the recognition it deserves.

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VERY fast primer on the Global Games Market in Q4, see below -- enjoy! ✨ (I mostly consolidated this data from Konvoy's reports - they're great! and other sources - trend perspectives are my own). Go register on Konvoy's site for future reports. Games Market Size for 2023: $189b + 2.7% YoY Up from $184B in 2022 💩 3.38B Gamers in the world primarily in Asia + APAC (+12% YoY) NA - 7%, LATAM - 10%, EU - 13%, MENA - 17% - Asia + APAC - 53% Growth in MENA region mostly Public Games Companies Cash and Cash Equivalents - $35b (-22.2% YoY) When you add Amazon, MSFT, Tencent, Meta, Netdlix, etc. you get over another $267B (+122% YoY) -- Wtf! Private (VC) Funding in Games: Excludes PE, Growth Minorites and PIPES 2019 - $2.5B: 273 Early stage - 36 Growth 2020 - $2.8B: 314 Early stage - 44 Growth 2021 - $9.9B: 493 Early stage - 85 Growth 2022 - $6.7B: 546 Early stage - 54 Growth 2023 - $2.1B: 408 Early stage - 33 Growth Q1 2024 saw 124 deals at $594M, seeing a 25% increase in deal quantity off of Q4, changing trend from Q122 peak of 270 deals. Growth rounds picking back up a bit likely for folks who have passed milestones from 2019 - 2021 investments. Early stage is still king with 80% of dealflow currently in Q1 2024. Ratio is always 10 - 20% growth vs. early stage really no matter the market. in Q1 Disclosed Asian investment $'s are underreported but in terms of dealcount Asia represents 43% (54 deals), NA 38% (47 deals), EU 15% (19 deals) and Australia 3% (4 deals). NA lead with $317M in investment but Asia data not accurate. Biggest rounds: BaRB Series D at $110M, Second Dinners Series B at $100M, but the majority of other major funding deals were for web3 gaming: Parallel, Carbonated, Illuviam, Overworld, Metacene (web3 games is a much more fluid than trad gaming currently. 40 M&A Transactions in Q1 2024, same clip as throughout 2023 on average and almost matching Q4 2023. Fast Trends (these are my opinion): Read Chris Kaleiki's Medium post on the issues with AAA publishing on his Substack. Nuff said. theorycraft(.)substack(.)com Disney Invests in Epic - great deal for both parties Holy crap, why do I still hear the word Metaverse 2 years later? Stop it! Are NetEase's investments in USA the right strategy? China continues to just crush it on mobile and the west is in Pain... ... Except for Scopely, MonopolyGO eats the ineffecient ad market. $2B in rev Discord experiences / Infra is STILL underutilized and underbuilt for Larian says GAMES MARKETING IS DEAD, and they are right

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Telegram games have attracted millions of players but will they turn into another disaster like Axie Infinity? Hamster Kombat has over 31 million followers and Notcoin peaked at 35 million users with 6 million daily active users. These stats make it clear as to why so many are seeing Telegram Messenger games as the secret to a sustainable gaming blockchain ecosystem. But, will they fail to deliver the same way games that came before them did? Here are three things to consider: User engagement is wildly high, but long-term sustainability is unclear. Telegram games are attracting millions of players with their simple "tap-to-earn" mechanics. The sustainability of this engagement and its potential to translate into an economic model that holds over time, however, is yet to be seen. Potential for a new blockchain-powered ecosystem. Telegram's approach to integrating games, cryptocurrency, and messaging services mirrors successful "super app" models seen in other markets. This integration, coupled with blockchain tech, could provide an actual REAL pathway to mass blockchain adoption. After setbacks like Axie Infinity's $600 million hack and the Terra/Luna collapse, the community is eager for a new 'killer app’. The transition from simple 'tap-to-earn' mechanics to more complex blockchain focused ecosystems will be a critical challenge. The "tap-to-earn" trend on Telegram represents a development at the intersection of social platforms, gaming, and blockchain technology that has huge potential to drive mainstream adoption. The upside for early developers is huge as the appetite from players is seemingly endless. At Odyssey Gaming, we see an interesting future with the telegram ecosystem and can’t wait to jump in. What do you think? Are Telegram games here to stay? #TelegramGames #BlockchainGaming #GamingEconomy #FutureOfTech

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Last month, Sumo Digital Ltd announced a 15% staff reduction in light of tackling the ongoing misfortune of the gaming industry. The layoffs affected almost all of the Sumo studios across Canada, the UK, Poland, the Czech Republic and India just a day after Sumo unveiled big projects at the Summer Games Fest. Almost 250 individuals were told that they would be sacked in the coming weeks because Sumo Digital cannot afford them anymore and wants to navigate upcoming challenges. Those challenges are mainly maintaining its development partnerships with giants like Sony, Microsoft, and SEGA since Sumo mostly provides work-for-hire and co-developmental services. As usual, the workforce had to take a hit in the name of cutting costs. To be real, can the bosses and higher-ups of studios like Sumo (and many others that have laid off people in mass) really show their books wide open to the ones impacted and prove that even their salaries are being cut? Can they prove that they are cutting these jobs for the studio to survive in the future and that they have not taken a single profit for themselves? This is just messed up, and this industry needs a revolution for the better altogether. In the hope of helping some of the folks who were impacted by the Sumo layoffs, this post is a shoutout to bring visibility to them from recruiters and game studios. Sara Machado — We all know about Sara’s immense contributions to this community and how she looks after the people of this industry day in and day out. But apart from helping the community, Sara has 5+ years of experience building game development teams. Incredibly, she has hired teams for titles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Still Wakes the Deep. Peter Barnard — The studio art director who has worked for many renowned studios like Electronic Arts, Rebellion, and Exient. Moreover, Peter has worked on the quirky title Angry Birds Transformers at Exient. Steven Hird — With 24 years of experience in the gaming industry, Steven was a veteran artist for Sumo Digital, the studio’s principal concept artist who was with the studio for over 12 years. He has also worked for studios like EA, Sony, and THQ. Check out his blog here: https://lnkd.in/gWc-U779 Pier Francesco Tortorelli — Another hardcore industry veteran with immense production experience across studios like Ubisoft and Ubisoft Reflections. Pier is a bomb talent whose games speak for him; games like Burnout Revenge, Battlefield: Modern Combat, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Assassin’s Creed, and many more AAA titles. Aaron Drinkwater — An associate programmer for Sumo Group’s subsidiary Auroch Digital who was with the studio for more than 3 years. Take a look at Aaron’s potential on his itch portfolio: https://lnkd.in/gE2Wkf_F *** If you were impacted by the layoffs and are looking to upskill, we are offering you a 100% scholarship on our $11,000 flagship game programming BootCamp: https://lnkd.in/gg_4HcT5 *** #layoffsupport

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The Brazilian Gaming Industry in 2023 🎮 🗒 State of the Brazilian gaming market 📊 309 gaming companies participated in the ABRA Games survey. 98 of them were exclusively involved in game development; 211 were also engaged in other activities. Mainly - art outsourcing (28%); gamification (24%); animations (23%). 🗓 3% of companies in the Brazilian market have been in existence for over 15 years; 14% - from 10 to 15 years; 28% - from 5 to 10 years; 35% - from 2 to 5 years; 19% - less than 2 years. 🏆 93% of Brazilian developers work on their own IP. 15% work on transmedia projects; 13% - on the IP of other companies; 10% - license external IP. 🌎 Most game companies in Brazil are located in São Paulo (302) and Rio de Janeiro (107). 🎮 Games from Brazilian developers 🕹 The number of released games is increasing. In 2022, 1009 projects were released by Brazilian developers. For comparison, in 2020 there were 715. 📊 58% of developed games in 2022 are games in the classical sense. 18% - "branded" games (Advergames); 17.5% - educational games. 💻 25% of projects are developed for PC 📱 25% - for smartphones 🕸 23% - for the web 🕹 18% - for consoles 🕶 8% - for VR/AR devices. ⚙ 80% of studios work on Unity; 26% - on Unreal Engine; 7.8% use Construct; 5.5% - GameMaker; 5.5% - Godot. 🤼 People in the Brazilian gaming industry 📈 According to ABRA Games estimates, 13,225 people are working in the gaming industry in Brazil. Growth compared to last year is 6%. 💻 70% of employees in Brazil work remotely; 16% - in a hybrid format; 14% - in the office. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 74.1% of employees are men; 24.4% - women, and 1.5% - non-binary individuals. 🗣 80% of Brazilian studios have multilingual employees. ❗ NB: In the report - besides the classic gaming companies - developers of educational games, "serious” games are also featured. Therefore, the picture becomes a bit blurry. It is worth taking it with a grain of skepticism. Source: https://lnkd.in/euUD_bf8 #data #brazil #gaming

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