M&A Outlook in 2023, D&D's Debacle, Paid vs. Organic UA in 2022, SEA Freezes Salaries, China Licenses Spark S. Korean Gaming Stocks Hello! I hope your New Year is getting off to a good start. I know it’s a bit past the New Year, but I also wanted to share this post which some folks found helpful. I know I have. William Barclay wrote the original daily … [Read more...] about Market Wire | January 9, 2023
F2P Games Industry
New World for Gaming Startups in 2023
Jason Chapman (Konvoy Ventures) and Josh Lu (a16z) discuss the new gaming startup and funding environment. Welcoming a New World in 2023! As we begin 2023, I can’t help but feel we live in a very dynamic, changing, and confusing time. From a gaming startup’s perspective, there’s a lot to think about: From an opportunity perspective, we have a lot of … [Read more...] about New World for Gaming Startups in 2023
Market Wire | Jan 2, 2023
Year in Numbers 2022, Uber Drivers and IAP, Corruption at Tencent, Embracer Bull or Bear?, & YouTube Demonetizes Violent Gaming Content Happy New Year! Well, folks, 2023 is here. 2022 was a really huge challenge for me personally, but I was very humbled and grateful for the many opportunities, lessons learned, and the gift of great adversity to overcome. Wishing … [Read more...] about Market Wire | Jan 2, 2023
Market Wire | December 19, 2022
12 Most Anticipated Games 2023, Apple Won't Surrender 30%, $2B and $3B Games in 2023, Tim Sweeney: Politicians Should Fear Apple's Power, Playtika Lays off 610. Good morning. It’s been a bit since I recorded any original content, but I recently recorded 4 podcasts in the past week or two. First of all, I was interviewed by Matej Lanceric and his “two & a half … [Read more...] about Market Wire | December 19, 2022
Market Wire | December 12, 2022
FTC files to block Microsoft ATVI acquisition, PUBGM hits $9B, Best Selling Games of November, Elden Ring Director "No Idea" Why Successful, Apple Offers More IAP Price Options. Good morning from Bangalore, India. We’ve got a great event coming up this Saturday. John Kelly, Creative Director at Playsimple, will give another talk on F2P game economy: If you’re in … [Read more...] about Market Wire | December 12, 2022
F2P Panel Q&A: RTS, Predictions, Culture, and More!
Eric Kress (Deconstructor of Fun), Tim Morten (Frost Giant), and yours truly answer USC Advanced Games Business' students questions. Thanks for subscribing to GameMakers. Hope you enjoy some interesting questions, which I list below: 0:00 Intro 0:09 Can Future Games Industry Outcomes Be Accurately Predicted? 4:05 How Ready is the Market for RTS? How to … [Read more...] about F2P Panel Q&A: RTS, Predictions, Culture, and More!
Market Wire | November 28, 2022
Warzone vs. Battlefield, Phil Spencer Interview, FTC to Challenge Microsoft Acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Indian vs. Chinese Gaming Market, & Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Good morning. I don’t know about you guys, but boy, was last week rough! Lol. Having said that: I survived, and life goes on. Another day is another day to get better. Looking … [Read more...] about Market Wire | November 28, 2022
F2P Game Monetization: Good vs. Evil
Tim Morten (Frost Giant), Eric Kress (Deconstructor of Fun), and Ed Zobrist (USC Lecturer, former Epic) talk about the future of F2P monetization It was just a joke! Sometimes I don’t realize how much of a tech/Silicon Valley/India bubble I’m in. After losing subscribers and getting many messages telling me the “A Fork in the Road” link in the last … [Read more...] about F2P Game Monetization: Good vs. Evil
Market Wire | November 21, 2022
We're trying something new. Want to see weekly gaming market data and news? Good morning. Welcome to a new segment focusing on gaming market data and news hitting your inbox every Monday. I decided to start this since many of you find my philosophical writing too snoozy. By the way, I hate you! But the market is the market, so here we go… Top 10 … [Read more...] about Market Wire | November 21, 2022
Mr. Beast, Tesla AI Day, and the Future of Game Development: Small Vector Creation is Coming!
The world's greatest YouTube creator demonstrates the potential for future game creators I was 3 hours in when I realized what was becoming painfully obvious: Holy shit! This guy is a fucking genius, and he barely had a high school education. I’m talking about Mr. Beast. Lessons Learned from Mr. Beast I’ve casually followed Mr. Beast for many years as a fan of … [Read more...] about Mr. Beast, Tesla AI Day, and the Future of Game Development: Small Vector Creation is Coming!
Will Dislyte Be Lilith’s Next Big Mobile Gaming Hit?
Features expert analysis from Harshal Karvande (Lead Game Designer Rovio/Naavik Pro Contributor), Teemu Palomaki (Chief Game Analyst, Japan at GameRefinery), and Junde Yu (GM Gaming at data.ai) Lilith Games has been one of the few companies capable of releasing multiple top-grossing hits, one after the other. From the original DOTA Legends (aka Dot.Arena aka SoulHunters), … [Read more...] about Will Dislyte Be Lilith’s Next Big Mobile Gaming Hit?
How To Become A Great Games PM | The 4Ps PM Operating System
JK's career development framework for how to be an impactful and influential PM rather than just an organizer and analyzer. How do you become someone who can turn a project from failure to success? As a young management consultant, I had the opportunity to work with Rich Melmon. He, amongst other career accomplishments, was a partner at The McKenna Group and a … [Read more...] about How To Become A Great Games PM | The 4Ps PM Operating System
Why Bombay Play Believes in “Hyper-social” Games ft. Oliver Jones
Mr. Oliver Jones! Oliver was one of the earliest foreigners coming to India to work on F2P game development. He also worked as an early employee or co-founder at two of India's biggest F2P game companies: Zynga and Moonfrog. One of my pleasant surprises coming to India has been meeting with several wonderful game dev folks like Oliver. You really can't beat the … [Read more...] about Why Bombay Play Believes in “Hyper-social” Games ft. Oliver Jones
Hot Topics: UA Apocalypse, Product Validation, Global Recession, & Employee Compensation | Philosophy #17
Brett Nowak and I talk about a lot of hot topics people have been discussing in the games industry. What are the hottest topics in the gaming industry right now? In speaking to a number of folks in the gaming industry virtually and in person in LA, it turns out there seem to be some common themes of interest for discussion. I also ran a quick poll on LinkedIn to see what … [Read more...] about Hot Topics: UA Apocalypse, Product Validation, Global Recession, & Employee Compensation | Philosophy #17
Will Harbin on Making a Comeback with Kingdom Maker
Lessons from Kixeye, The Past & Future of F2P, and Making a Comeback There was a time when Will Harbin was on top of the gaming world when he presided over Kixeye as CEO in the early 2010s. Or at least on the fastest growing platform of that time: social networks like Facebook and MySpace. Kixeye was coming off a string of innovative hit games on social canvas like … [Read more...] about Will Harbin on Making a Comeback with Kingdom Maker