In this week's Roundtable, the squad starts off by reflecting on Unity’s business model changes and Jim Ryan’s retirement after a strong 30 year run at PlayStation. Then we discuss comments from both Xbox’s Phil Spencer and Capcom’s Haruhiro Tsujimoto that put into question AAA games’ pricing and the evolving role of publishers. We also touch on the breaking news of Epic Games’ major layoffs and divestments before digging into 2023’s biggest winners and losers so far. Lastly, we close with a qui...
Sep 29, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Amitt Mahajan, co-creator of cultural icon and Internet treasure Farmville, has been working at the intersection of gaming and technology for his entire career. Now, Amitt has set his sights on web3, and more specifically, building true fully on-chain “forever games” and the technical tools to power them, in order to facilitate autonomous worlds, ensure game longevity, and create a more immersive player experience. His company, Proof of Play, recently announced a $33 million seed round led by a1...
Sep 26, 2023•58 min
India’s gaming market is well known for its betting and gambling companies, including unicorns like Dream11 and Mobile Premier League, but what does the next decade of gaming behavior in India look like? Salone Sehgal , founder and GP of Lumikai , one of India’s first dedicated games and interactive media funds, and Abhaas Shah , co-founder of Studio Sirah , join us to talk about the size of India’s gaming market, their conviction in the untapped potential of Hindu and Indian lore and mythology,...
Sep 24, 2023•1 hr
In this week's Roundtable, the squad shares some personal updates including a recap of Korea Blockchain Week, streetball with Fat Joe, and two new Naavik deep dives. Then we cover the latest in Unity's evolving monetization saga, including why the company got itself into this situation in the first place and why it’s (perhaps partially) backpedaling on its monetization policy announcements. We also cover Playtika’s acquisition of Innplay Labs, and dig into the court document leaks that highlight...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Together with Dive , one of Naavik's Open Gaming Research Initiative partners, we’re exploring the topic of data and games through a limited podcast series called the “Data Corner”. Today’s episode is about “Driving ROI with Data Analysis” — a broad topic that everyone understands is valuable but most don't know how to effectively engineer into their game studios. After all, ROI from data analysis goes beyond simply analyzing the data and also covers the entire activity funnel. For example, it's...
Sep 19, 2023•1 hr
User generated content is a multi-decade wave that continues to grow and transform the games industry. One company pioneering this future is Overwolf , which is creating an all-in-one platform for creating, sharing, and monetizing in-game apps, mods, and game servers. As is laid out in the episode, Overwolf is looking to help creators earn billions of dollars over time by essentially enabling all game studios to build their own versions of UEFN for their games. It’s a big, exciting vision, and O...
Sep 17, 2023•1 hr 2 min
In this week's Roundtable, the squad discusses a wide range of fun topics. We start by digging into the potential sales of Jagex and Gearbox, YouTube’s new Playables feature for instant gaming, and Story Protocol's $54M raise for its unique web3 take on IP. Then we dive into the week's main headline: Unity’s major installs-based monetization addition, which is sparking a major backlash from game developers. Lastly, we wrap up by discussing takeaways from the Roblox Developers Conference, chattin...
Sep 15, 2023•1 hr 13 min
In 2011, Sean Ryan was hired to build out Facebook’s nascent gaming business just as Zynga and other social gaming start-ups were gaining traction on the platform. A decade later, Sean’s responsibilities eventually encompassed numerous other initiatives, including Facebook’s forays into blockchain. In this episode, Sean explains why he felt compelled to leave Facebook to start his own web3 gaming company, why he believes the notion of digital ownership is as big of a watershed moment as free-to-...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 3 min
“Show me how you play, and then I’ll tell you who you are”, says Joe Schaeppi , CEO and Co-Founder of AI powered studio Solsten . Today, Joe, Alex, and Kishen Patel , the author of “The Infinite Power of Play” in collaboration with our partners at Lightspeed, talk about the use cases of AI in games (#1: Cost and Time Reduction, #2: New Genres of AI Powered Games), what it means to understand not only player behavior but the psychographics of your player demo, and where we actually are in any of ...
Sep 10, 2023•1 hr 1 min
In this week's Roundtable, the squad highlights data.ai’s new 2023 Gaming Spotlight Report (link below) and adds more details around PlayStation’s decision to raise subscription prices. Then we cover Starfield’s launch, including its impact on Game Pass and the viability of its windowing strategy, followed by discussion on how the writers and actors strike could impact the games industry. Lastly, we wrap up by exploring Humble Bundle's quiet yet interesting expansion strategies. Join us for all ...
Sep 08, 2023•43 min
AI is all the rage right now, but unless you’re in the thick of it, it can be hard to make perfect sense of what’s possible today and where we’re headed. Will AI be a sustaining or disruptive innovation for the gaming industry? Why is the "open source vs. closed source" conversation so important? How will business models change as technology evolves? What role will humans play as AI takes over more workflows? What’s overhyped right now? To help navigate all of these questions, Aaron Bush is join...
Sep 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min
In this week's Roundtable, the squad delves into Supercell's cancellation of Floodrush and highlights from Gamescom 2023, including NetEase’s Project Mugen and Ubisoft’s Assassin's Creed Jade. We examine Sony's rationale for acquiring Audeze alongside a notable PlayStation Plus price hike. Then we unpack the advantages and target audience of Epic's new First Run exclusivity program for revenue enhancement. Lastly, we explore both the potential and challenges associated with Embracer and Sandsoft...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Just about every game that integrates blockchain technology in some way is either on Ethereum, most likely via a Layer 2 solution such as Polygon or Immutable X, or is building on a more scalable but less decentralized Layer 1 chain such as Solana or Binance Smart Chain. Bitcoin, the granddaddy of blockchains, has not attracted much attention from game developers, and for good reason — on-chain transactions on Bitcoin are very, very slow. This is where the Bitcoin Lightning Network comes in. Ori...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min
The House of Blueberry is creating its own line of digital fashion, addressing a market that is expected to grow to $2.5 billion by 2028 . It began via character customization in RPGs, took center stage in design and life simulation games like The Sims, and exploded with the onset of the pandemic and UGC platforms like Roblox and Zepeto. TLDR: Drip is going digital. House of Blueberry Chief Creative Officer Ashley Hopkins and Head of Business Development Emily Eitches join us to discuss the tren...
Aug 27, 2023•1 hr 2 min
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad gives an update on Baldur’s Gate 3's success metrics and Dark and Darker’s continuing renegade journey. We explore the seeming free fall of Free Fire through Sea Limited’s expansion struggles. We dig into cloud streaming, with an update on the PlayStation Portal and Microsoft handing streaming rights for Activision Blizzard games over to Ubisoft to appease regulators. Finally, we dive into strategic reasons why NetEase continues to acquire Western game develo...
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr 15 min
100 Thieves is a premier lifestyle brand and gaming organization that’s building a highly unique ecosystem of products and services. This now includes esports, content creators, apparel, premium keyboards and peripherals (via Higround), energy drinks (via Juvee), and even game development (on UEFN and with Project X). In this episode, Naavik co-founder Aaron Bush is joined by John Robinson , 100 Thieves’ President and COO, to discuss why the organization’s aspirations are so wide and how they ma...
Aug 20, 2023•1 hr 3 min
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad discusses Play Ventures raising at least $78 million for its third venture fund and Savvy Games Group as the financier behind the $2 billion Embracer deal that fell apart. We dive into the early international reception for the new Gran Turismo movie and where it falls under Sony's ongoing transmedia strategy. We dissect the information Zynga released about its new web3 gaming ecosystem, Sugartown, and whether Zynga is really a good fit. Finally, we dig into N...
Aug 18, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Together with Dive , one of our Open Gaming Research Initiative partners, we’re exploring the topic of data and games through a limited podcast series called "The Data Corner." Today’s episode covers the topic of “the data nightmare that the gaming industry faces." Games, in general, generate tons of player data every day, and within that data exists a ton of harvestable insight that can be used to drive better decision-making so as to drive more revenue and eventually drive better game-making. ...
Aug 15, 2023•56 min
There are more than 3 billion gamers in the world, but the number of gaming professionals interested in business and development content pales in comparison, with approximately 300,000 people employed in the U.S. games business, according to market researcher IBIS World. Niche content curation and content creation companies like Deconstructor of Fun, GameMakers, Elite Game Developers, Naavik, and more cover the space and, importantly, compete with each other for mindshare across this small pool ...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 3 min
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad discusses the massively successful launch of Baldur’s Gate 3. Sebastian shares a story around monetizing Dota 2 Arcade mods under the nose of Valve’s lawyers in light of the recent Arcade shutdown. We also have an earnings discussion covering Playstudios and Playtika that leads to a deep exploration of the future of the social casino genre on mobile. Finally, we dig into the new web3 fighting game Wreck League from Animoca Brands subsidiary nWay, and discuss ...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 19 min
As virtual worlds become more immersive and widespread, how we all represent ourselves — via avatars — becomes all the more important. That’s why Naavik co-founder Aaron Bush sat down with Genies founder and CEO Akash Nig am to discuss the future of avatars and Genies’ rising role in it. The two of them discuss Genies’ history and focus, why XR will unleash a new wave of avatar use cases, what avatar ecosystems will ultimately look like, what the games industry underrates regarding avatars, and ...
Aug 06, 2023•47 min
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad discusses Inworld AI raising $50+ million for AI NPCs in games, plus Playtika's acquisition of Youda Games. Then after a short discussion on EA’s earnings report, we discuss the demise of physical games and retail outlets like GameStop. Finally, we peel apart the success of BattleBit Remastered to figure out what other game developers can learn from this surprise hit and discuss how much graphic fidelity really matters for success. Join us for all the latest ...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Mythical Games is one of the busiest operators in the web3 ecosystem, with a finger in many pies. The company is the creator of the licensed mobile football game NFL Rivals, which crossed 1 million downloads just a couple of months after its launch earlier this year, and Blankos Block Party, a multiplayer universe available on the Epic Games Store. In addition, Mythical operates the Mythos Foundation, on which it partners with other traditional game developers, web3 developers, and esports and...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Influencer houses, influencer agencies, and influencer campaigns — these are some of the most important forces in gaming distribution. Nadia Bubennikova , Head of Agency at Famesters , walks us through two campaigns on a Rust Expansion Pack in Dying Light and an Eastern European user acquisition play in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. We learn how a campaign comes together, what types of games qualify for influencer representation, the difference between platforms like Twitch and YouTube (and when yo...
Jul 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad discusses Tencent becoming a majority shareholder of Techland and what Blizzard bringing some of its games to Steam could mean for the company pre and post-acquisition. Then we explore how CD Projekt making workforce cuts could affect its plans going forward for franchises like The Witcher and Cyberpunk. We dig into how big brand changes can affect future success with a contrast of Twitter becoming X and FIFA 24 becoming FC24. Earnings updates for Ubisoft and...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Chris Bell and Stephen Bell have been involved in several defining games like Journey, Sky: Children of the Light, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Blaseball. However, their new project is tackling a whole new level of ambition. In this episode, Naavik co-founder Aaron Bush joins the Bell brothers to discuss their new company Gardens , its unique game in development, and how this project both builds on insights from previous projects and comes with fresh challenges. They also dig into life as fi...
Jul 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min
In this week’s Roundtable, the squad discusses the latest news on how mobile platforms are enacting blockchain policies. In particular, we hit on Google Play’s new blockchain policy, how it differs from Apple’s App Store policy, how these rules affect mobile game design, and the overall current blockchain game development sentiment. Then we discuss how AI game development studios are gaining funding traction and dive into a spicy debate about new models of game development. Join us for all the l...
Jul 21, 2023•57 min
Zach Dixon is the co-founder and COO of Player’s Lounge , an app and service that allows players to bet on themselves across games like FIFA, Madden, NBA2k, Apex, and Valorant. Many of us know the story of Skillz, the real-money gaming and esports company that was building betting rails for casual mobile games, and may be dubious of how player betting fits into the gaming ecosystem. However, in this episode, we discover the nuances between "head-to-head" and "against-the-house" betting, the busi...
Jul 16, 2023•57 min
In this week's Roundtable, we discuss the FTC losing its court case to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and explore what Xbox Game Pass means for developers. We also touch on Meta's new social network Threads hitting 100 million users and Final Fantasy XVI's supposedly “disappointing” 373,790 in physical Japan sales after two weeks as a $70 PS5 exclusive. With 87% of games before 2010 being inaccessible to the average gamer, we ask what can be done to improve game archiving. ...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 13 min
David Gardner , co-founder and co-chairman of The Motley Fool, is not just a legendary investor, but he has also pulled off something special: successfully embedding game design into his life and business. In this episode, Naavik co-founder Aaron Bush joins David to ask how gamification can level up anyone’s life or business. They also discuss how David’s “Rule Breaker Investing” principles can apply to the games industry, why conscious capitalism deserves more attention, and end with a fun game...
Jul 09, 2023•1 hr 13 min
