Cliffhanger Games’ Post

Fun article worth a read! I think it's super interesting to see the parallels between the feature film industry and the gaming industry. While sequels are definitely big on HD platforms, they're not as prevalent on mobile. Obviously game as service means that the lifecycle of a (mobile) game is not the same as a movie. And UA dynamics are clearly different. But part of me also feels there might be missed opportunities in the mobile space to double down on sequels more. https://lnkd.in/epPWKKyT

The success of recent TV/film adaptions of video games is clear – The Last of Us, Super Mario Bros., the Sonic films…and most recently, Fallout. Everyone’s talking about it. According to a Fallout X/twitter post last week, they saw a surge of 5 million players in one day, across Fallout titles. This shows, that when done well, TV/film adaptions of games can really help revive an IP, but the important question is how can a brand best leverage this new engagement? As the article suggests, timing and strategy are key – trying to coincide the TV/film release with a new game or update is crucial to continue the high, giving fans something else exciting to get their teeth into straight away. Also, understanding your audience – how many are newcomers vs. previous fans? Is there potential to expand even further? What is it that really draws these audiences in? It will be interesting to see where the Fallout IP goes from here, and how other brands look to the transmedia model to expand and evolve their IPs. Source: https://lnkd.in/eeUZ56h8

"Having a strong franchise guarantees the success of the game!" Nope, it doesn't. Only if the project is great and can succeed on its own, a strong IP can help it reach a wider audience and become more successful, like Monopoly GO. But no franchise, even the most famous one, will save a low-quality, boring game suffering from bad monetization. Marvel's Avengers, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, Gotham Knights, Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) - the list can go on indefinitely. Gamers play primarily for fun, not for popular logos and skins. First, make sure the game is fun, and only then worry about a fancy IP for it.

Traveling?: https://ift.tt/0o8Xf7d Exciting news for Witcher fans! CD Projekt Red has just shared some new details about the highly anticipated next game in the franchise, codenamed Polaris. With over 250 developers now working on it, the team is growing rapidly. While the recent investor presentation primarily focused on Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt revealed that a significant portion of the team will transition to Polaris once the Phantom Liberty expansion releases in September. Although not much is known about the game itself, CD Projekt previously stated that it would mark the beginning of a new saga for the Witcher series. Considering the scale of the project, we can expect it to launch no earlier than 2025. In the meantime, CD Projekt has several other Witcher-related games in the pipeline, including Project Sirius and a main sequel for Cyberpunk 2077. To learn more about the development boost for Witcher 4, click the link below. [Read More](https://ift.tt/9sbzflU)

Check this out -The Game Director even gave some hints for fans. 🔴 Imagine creating 3D assets for your game with just a few clicks. That’s Kaedim. The AI-powered platform that transforms 2D images into 3D models in minutes. 🟢 Get Started Today: Kaedim3d.com or Check out our Showcase: app.kaedim3d.com/showcase #GDC #GDC2024 #a16z #VideoGames #gamedesign #Kaedim #Games #GamingUpdates

I have finally finished Baldur’s Gate 3. What can I say that hasn’t been said already? The game is great, it’s not only great as a stand alone game but also because of the fan-service it has delivered on the lore and characters from the earlier titles. What’s even more important, in my opinion, is how it has brought a new appreciation and fan-base to D&D. The Open Game License issue of early 2023 really rocked the boat on D&D’s future causing a bit of a consumer mutiny. Splintering and fracturing of the table top role-playing fantasy market didn’t sound great to me. I like diversity and options, but this was going to cause a smorgasbord of different rulesets and lore. I’m happy Wizard’s reacted to the backlash and I’m even happier Baldur’s Gate has introduced tons of young people to D&D. BG3 has also spiked Hasbro’s Q3’23 rev by 133% (also with the help of Monopoly GO!, but by far driven by BG3). Never did I think when I was 16yrs old cheesing with Melf’s Acid Arrow in BG2 that two decades later the next main instalment in the franchise would be driving a multibillion dollar company’s Digital Game’s Revenue P&L.

🏗 Not so Tiny Problems at tinyBuild 🎮 tinyBuild GAMES is the publisher-developer behind many popular indie games, such as the Hello Neighbor franchise, Graveyard Keeper, and Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator. Founded in 2011 by Alex Nichiporchik (CEO) and Tom Brien (former Chief Operating Officer), tinyBuild initially gained recognition with its self-developed game, No Time to Explain. The game was a commercial success, but it left the team burnt out and looking outside of development for their next venture. The company gradually pivoted from development into publishing and, over time, established itself as a prominent indie game publisher. At the beginning of 2021, tinyBuild was on a tear. It had recently turned an indie game published in 2017, Hello Neighbor, into a franchise that brought close to $50M in cumulative revenue through various spin-off games and multimedia properties. However, since then the company has experienced adversity striking and a softer commercial performance. Lets dive into story and into why it's management has reasons to remain optimistic nonetheless. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e85sGJxt A special thanks to Overwolf for making this issue of Digest possible. You can learn more about them here: https://lnkd.in/ep72e3SZ #indie #mergersandacquisitions #publiccompanies #gamingnews #gamesindustry

I think video game IP is proving to be super valuable across media types. Also, the fact that Netflix has decided to tack on a full gaming vertical to its existing movie/tv business suggests they foresee rising strength in video games against the more traditional types of entertainment. How wild would it be if 10 years from now static media like TV and Movies eventually go the way of Netflix discs-by-mail as the world decides it strongly prefers interactive entertainment vs static entertainment? To be honest, I think that’s where we’re headed.

What combination of game studios leads to competitive advantage? Bundle or unbundle? How do you execute a bundle strategy? Centralization vs. decentralization? The recent unwinding of Embracer Group into 3 separate companies potentially has lessons for all of us in the games industry. Going back to Ronald Coase's "The Nature of the Firm" to today thinking about what level of scale and combination of assets makes the most sense, we speak to the master himself: Chris Petrovic. Chris spearheaded Zynga's incredibly successful run of acquisitions from Harpan, Peak, Gram, Rollic, Small Giant, etc. Hear, from arguably, the industry's best about what happened and what the future outlook for M&A in the games industry. As always, Pixel & Profits recorded with my co-hosts, the Pixel Bros: Matthew Kanterman, CFA and Brian Peganoff. Link to the full discussion in the comments. You don't want to miss this one!

Star Wars for the win! Brilliant to see so many insights around Entertainment and Gaming during our Inside Fandom 2023 event this week! If you want to chat more, drop me a note! Fandom #gaming #streaming #entertainment #research #insights