Shawn Silverman

Business of games: 14 biggest funding rounds, partnerships, and trends from the last week Investment round-up details for May 4th week. #238 1. Nintendo acquires Switch port specialist Shiver Entertainment from Embracer 2. IGN Entertainment buys GamesIndustry, RockPaperShotgun, other Gamer Network outlets 3. Firaxis vets found a new developer Midsummer 4. Keywords Studios green lights £2 billion EQT Group buyout offer 5. Sinn Studio raises $2.5M for real-time PvP VR combat game 6. Sega veterans Jarvis Crofts, Luke Greenaway, and Mark Dallamore have formed a new publisher-agency hybrid, Alibi 7. Atari acquires Intellivision brand, uniting competitors from gaming's early years. 8. Relic Entertainment has partnered with UK-based investment firm Emona Capital to become fully independent after being sold by Sega in March. 9. Rolling Stone has returned to games media by launching a new section, Rolling Stone Gaming. 10. Anomaly has raised $1.45 million for an AI-driven Layer 3 Web3 gaming platform. 11. Elixir Games acquires RoboKiden and teams with Ava Labs 12. Swordsman Studio Lands $2.5M For New PvP VR Combat Game 13. Autodesk acquires Wonder Dynamics 14. Plarium and Big Fish up for sale at Aristocrat Top Trends: 1. Embracer CFO and deputy CEO Johan Ekström stepping down, 2. Sony making PlayStation mobile store for F2P games 3. Moonton not for sale as Bytedance stays in the game with new CEO 4. Sega reaches financial targets one full year ahead of schedule in record fiscal year #gamingIndustry #gamedesign #mobilegames #gamedev #gamedevelopment #gamedeveloper #indiedev #unity3d #madewithunity

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🚨 SINGAPORE GAME DEVELOPERS LISTEN UP 🚨   IMDA has launched a Call for Proposal (CFP) for games that are designed to promote and engage audiences with Singaporean narratives and culture. No, they're not asking you to resurrect World of Temasek... Think about Ghostlore, or Chinatown Detective Agency! Games with good taste!   Selected proposals will receive S$50,000 to develop a prototype/vertical slice (ie. a playable with at least 10-minute gameplay) over four-months, to be showcased at a physical event. The selected teams will receive regular feedback from a curated panel comprising the leads of renowned publishers (somehow, I'm on this panel), which will help push the vertical slice towards globally competitive quality standards. If you're a Singapore game development team looking to make something that meaningfully pays homage to the Singaporean cultural identity - but is still a viable, fun game that's relatable for a global audience!! - then please apply! I'm hoping to see lots of local developers, including all those who've been daunted by the prospect of how to sustain themselves while developing their own prototype, push their creative proposals forward.   Check out the CFP guideline and further details at https://lnkd.in/gn46spr3.   Submit your proposal by 24 Jun 2024 here: https://lnkd.in/gQkFxE2w

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🌊🌊🌊🌊Exciting times are upon us in the mobile gaming industry, bringing forth a wave of fresh opportunities to craft better, more immersive games with increased retention and higher LTVs - welcome to the era of the NEW HYPER! Yet, amidst all this innovation, one fundamental principle remains unchanged: the importance of simplicity. Here are some important considerations for developers and publishers aiming to create successful products: 1️⃣ Fun Factor: Fun is the beating heart of every successful game, driving engagement and retention. Games that only rely on great creatives won’t cut it anymore - they have to have enough depth and creativity (fun!) to engage players    2️⃣ Polished Art: In today's market, polished visuals of high fidelity are the new standard. Use art to enhance the player experience and elevate your game above the competition. 3️⃣ Masterful Level Design: Craft levels with an understanding of player psychology, while maintaining a delicate balance between FunXEconomic pressure points. Every level should be a journey, carefully designed to keep players coming back for more. 4️⃣ Long(ish)-term Vision and pockets:  Set clear lifetime value (LTV) goals for your projects from the outset, and meticulously plan your development cycles and resource allocation to achieve them. What's your #5 & #6? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below! If you’re ready to try out these for your next game, you’re in luck. We've just launched SuperSpring - another exciting contest focused on puzzles, simulations, and runners. Whether you have a fully-fledged game or just a brilliant idea, submit your concept and get exclusive resources and many perks I’m super excited to see your submissions! I love this time of year, it feels like my birthday every single day. Submit your game now :

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Should you offer bonuses to casino players every day? Imagine this scenario: you walk into your favorite coffee shop for your usual delightful coffee. Upon ordering, you're pleasantly surprised when the barista hands you a croissant along with your coffee. You enjoy this unexpected treat and leave the shop feeling quite satisfied. As the day progresses, you find yourself visiting the coffee shop multiple times, and with each visit, you receive a croissant with your coffee. This becomes a daily ritual over the course of the week, stretching into the month. Eventually, the charm of the croissant fades. The delight you initially felt turns to indifference; you even start declining the croissant because you simply can't manage another bite. Then, one day, they offer you a cake with your coffee instead. But by now, the thought of more sweets only brings a sense of revulsion. You've had your fill of sweetness. This overindulgence mirrors the effect of constant #casino bonuses. Just like sweets, bonuses lose their appeal when they are no longer a novelty. Follow me for more 🦄

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“But you don’t look like a gamer. And I mean it as a compliment.” — Strangers “Then you are not a gamer.” — Industry veteran I grew up playing tons of games in China. I still vividly remember the fun times playing Korean MMORPGs with childhood friends at internet cafes. Can you imagine we had to pay both publishers and internet cafes by the hour? New maps, cosmetic items, creatures, and weapons were dropped with every update. I was always jealous of the kids who could afford monthly subscriptions, giving them unlimited playtime. This was easily 15+ years before the concept of Game as a Service. My first ever online purchase on Chinese eBay was virtual items for Ragnarok Online because little Grace was good at math and knew it was way cheaper to buy a decent beginner set than to grind for crafting materials. When I moved onto other games, I sold my RO account and made a small profit. This was 20+ years before NFTs and discussions around digital ownership. In Asia, video games are a crucial part of our social lives. My cousin, who introduced me to World of Warcraft, Half-Life, Need for Speed, and many other exciting games when I was a little girl, met his wife through Honor of Kings. My sister-in-law jokes that if dating apps fail you, find someone in a game who will carry you - you see their true colors through PvP and teamwork. Gaming has always been fun and positive for me, and I never doubted my identity. Then moving here to the US was a culture shock. On one side, I was told I was too good to be a gamer because I dressed nicely, wasn't socially awkward, and didn't live in my parents' basement. On the other side, an industry veteran said in my face that I wasn't good enough to be a gamer because I didn't play certain genres competitively. I was frustrated and turned to Reddit for answers. Here are some top comments I found: “I remember putting 300+ hours into Skyrim, but feeling like I couldn't call myself a gamer because I didn't play Halo or League. You definitely aren't the only one who feels that way. ♥️ We were just blocked by years of gatekeeping ugh” “I don't refer to myself as gamer and I don't think I ever will. I love video games, but the term comes with so much baggage it wouldn't fit onto a container ship bc most of the dudes who the term was coined for and that unironically refer to themselves as gamers are not people I would like to be associated with.” “𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬.” 🥲 ✨ Imagine a world where everyone who plays games can proudly call themselves gamers. ✨ Imagine the breakthroughs in storytelling and game design we could achieve if every gamer felt empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. ✨ Imagine the explosive growth of the industry if we shatter the stereotypes and gatekeeping that hold it back. Gaming is for everyone, regardless of how they look or which games they play. If you love games, you belong in this community. #videogames #inclusivity

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part 1 and 2 is out john has summed the things that game publisher need to take note. the need to understand the player behavior, player motivations and game economy is crucial in crafting the revenue path and strategies for each segment or group. there is no 1 size fits all strategy. not just on monetization, before that, acquistion and retention would be the initial steps to work on and follow by monetization. Just working monetization alone will see repercussions. Players have too many options to choose, how to keep them to the game and keeping them long will be one of the core to successful monetization.

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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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Hi everybody, I'm very sorry to have heard that Kwalee experienced job cuts today, as widely reported by the games media. Most of those same sources cited a 10% cut (~40 employees), although this has not been confirmed by the employer itself yet (citations in comments). To those gamers affected at Kwalee: 🔗 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.

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Business of games: 12 biggest funding rounds, partnerships, and trends from the last week 🕹️ Investment round-up details for June 3rd week, 245 1. Tripledot acquires Zephyr Mobile 2. Pengu creator Slay raises $5M for social gaming platform 3. Megamod raises $1.9M for user-generated content platform 4. Farworld Labs raises $1.75M for Web3 mobile gaming ecosystem 5. Narwhal Accelerator injects six-figure funding into game dev tool Magify 6. Florian Jauffrineau (ex-TapNation VP) founded a new studio, Good Games 7. Animoca invested in the seed SAFT round for Saltwater Games’ $XR token. 8. Second World Games launches Fantasy Troop and raises $3M in token presale 9. Verve Acquires Jun Group, A Mobile Video And Gaming Network, For $185 Million 10.Mystic Forge has announced the successful closure of a €2M funding round led by ForsVC and ROM Utrecht Region. 11. Digital educator Brainspark Games has raised £1.4 million from a combined angel investment and grants from Innovate UK 12. CodeDev: The Unreal Guys, a new studio based in London founded by chairman Rik Alexander, CEO Myke Parrott, and CTO Ryan Woodland Top Trends from last week: 1. Unity is "undoing so many of the missteps" made as new CEO Matthew Bromberg changes company culture. 2. NVIDIA became the world's most valuable company, with its market value hitting $3.3 trillion. 3. Squad Busters generates $28 million in first three weeks.    #gamingindustry #gamedesign #mobilegames #gamedevelopment #gamedev #videogames #gaming #useracquisition #growth #UA #revenue #data #icartic #gamedeveloper #indiedev #unity3d #madewithunity #businessofgames

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I was so sorry to read today (5/2/24), as reported by the studio itself (https://lnkd.in/g4cXwcnz), that Paladin Studios has closed. If you were affected by these cuts, our community's heart is with you and we have 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. HOME 2 - 🔗 Please visit discord.gg/amirsatvat to join our Discord, a live extension of our community resources. With over 2,000 members, we are in an open-join phase. HOME 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes over 85,000 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 31,000 coaching conversations to date and has been visited by over 100,000 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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🏀 Basketball Fever: China's top mobile publishers, Tencent and NetEase Games, are launching new licensed basketball games, reflecting key trends in the gaming market and the global future of licensed sports titles. 📱 Dunk City Dynasty: Also known as Hoop Heroes, this 3v3 street basketball game by NetEase boasts 500K downloads and is gearing up for global launch. It's already outperforming competitors! 🌍 NBA Infinite: Tencent's 3v3 basketball game has seen a global push since the NBA All-Star Game. With unique player abilities and broad international ambitions, it’s set to capture basketball fans worldwide. 🎮 Strategy Shift: Both Tencent and NetEase are diversifying genres and expanding globally. With new regulations stunting growth in traditional genres, they're now focusing on more casual, globally appealing titles. 🏆 Sports Licensing: These new games highlight the evolving landscape of sports IP. NetEase licenses players directly from the NBPA, while Tencent holds an official NBA license, indicating a shift towards more diverse and dynamic licensing opportunities. 🌐 Global Appeal: With basketball’s growing popularity, these games aim to attract new players domestically and internationally. This could be a game-changer in achieving revenue growth through audience diversification. 🕹️ Play Hoop World: For fans of basketball games, don’t miss out on Hoop World from Quiet. Available on iOS, Android, and Online on the web that works without installing, it's a fun and addictive basketball game that's perfect for quick play sessions. Give it a try and see why it's worth the hype! Links in the comments.

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Insightful talk from Vivy Zhao today! 💎

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🎮 Japan boasts a rich gaming culture, where companies have excelled in console games and animations for years. While many Japanese game companies have a long history in the industry, transitioning to mobile devices can be challenging for those rooted in traditional consoles. 💡Japanese game publishers are known for their diverse portfolio, spanning mobile games, animations, and music works. This results in mobile games with captivating stories, music, and art, setting them apart from others. 💡With many Japanese games maintaining popularity for years, local companies remain competitive in their market. Curious about this dynamic landscape? Dive deeper with our latest report: https://lnkd.in/gk6CGiCS #mobilegaming #marketingtrends2024 #SocialPeta #Japanesegaming

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📊 Games & Numbers (29.05.24 - 11.06.24) 🎮 PC/console games ▪️ Star Citizen fundraising has surpassed $700 million, with more than 5.2 million donations. In August 2023, the news broke that $600 million had been raised. https://shorturl.at/XuONK ▪️ Blizzard Entertainment boasted that over 100 million people have played games from the Diablo series. https://lnkd.in/dPDsH_Px ▪️ Dragon’s Dogma 2 sales have reached 3 million copies. The first 2.5 million copies were sold within 2 weeks of release (the game was released on March 22 this year). https://lnkd.in/dei96Wyp ▪️ Content Warning has sold 2.2 million copies in 2 months. The total number of players has exceeded 8.8 million (the game was initially distributed for free). https://lnkd.in/dxfMx345 ▪️ Marvel Rivals already has over a million wishlists on Steam and EGS. https://lnkd.in/dZktsvVx ▪️ The Octopath Traveler series has surpassed 4 million copies sold. Both parts of the game were recently launched on Xbox Game Pass. https://lnkd.in/dUigFRr9 ▪️ Fallout 76 has reached 20 million users. In December last year, the number of players was 17 million. The DAU for Fallout games has soared by 600% following the success of the TV series. Todd Howard said he had never seen such a growth before. https://lnkd.in/d6rWbc6t ▪️ MultiVersus successfully returned to Steam with 153,000 concurrent users at launch. Now, the CCU has stabilized at 17,000. https://shorturl.at/feeTB 📱Mobile games ▪️ Rise of Kingdoms revenue has exceeded $3.5 billion. 25.6% of all money came from the USA; 14.4% from China; 12.6% from South Korea. South Korea is the leader in RPD (revenue per download) ($142) and ARPDAU (average revenue per daily active user) ($5). Following are China (RPD - $6; ARPDAU - $4.6) and the USA (RPD - $62; ARPDAU - $3.3). https://lnkd.in/dbx2FCUh ▪️ Dungeon & Fighter Mobile successfully launched in China. In the first week starting from May 21, the game earned $66 million on iOS alone, and revenue from both platforms exceeded $140 million (according to Niko Partners); the game was downloaded by 2.4 million users. In South Korea, the game has been available since March 2022, and in just over two years, it has earned more than $185.6 million. https://shorturl.at/gyxgb ▪️ Squad Busters earned $1.1 million on its first day (data from Sensor Tower). On the same day, the game was downloaded 8.8 million times. According to AppMagic, in the first week, the game earned $10.66 million (excluding platform fees and taxes). Yet, Eric Seufert doesn't believe those numbers are real pointing out that Squad Busters had 40M+ pre-regs. https://shorturl.at/iCeUL

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Bucket list check : Executive producer🪣 ✅ In Q4 2024 Gold Standard Gaming got to execute our first high budget ad. I shot my first ad back in 2020 with about a $300 budget. 💯 By now-we've shot and delivered over $400,000 in ads ✅ But this one was special because GSG creative.. Created 🧠 Wrote ✍🏾 Storyboarded/Scripted 📑 This project. What an incredible experience AND case study this was! 🔥 The message behind the ad was about showcasing the behavior that people of ALL backgrounds deal with while playing games in online multiplayer. As someone who's been in the competitive scene since 15 yrs old. It was amazing meeting different people from all walks of life talking about their experiences and how we can continue to make gaming a safe, inclusive space for everyone. 🎮🌊 While we were addressing a serious topic that will take ALL of us to make change, being on set and learning more about both production AND different perspectives was an incredible experience. As we continue to grow as professionals, it's important to make sure we share our experiences and key learnings. 🔑 We've re-signed this client and we're going EVEN bigger this year. Calling all industry talent 📢📢 If you want to change the gaming culture and leave the industry better than how you found it. Hit my DM! 📩 We start next month. Don't wait. We can all Shine our light in our own ways😎🎮 P.S. shoutout to Adam S. Hacker and the Havelyn House team for making the experience smooth and professional. 🎥 #Esports #Entrepreneurship #Gaming #Marketing #Production

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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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