Saikat Mondal

The following post explores what happened in 2023 and major trends in gaming in 2024. Sources: 1. Newzoo report, 2. Enterprise App Today, 3. IFPI Music Annual Report, 4. Wordsrated report Sources: 1. Newzoo report References: 1. Newzoo report on PC and Console market References: 1. a16z blog posts, 3. GDC Talks References: 1. Newzoo report on Transmedia References: 1. SeekingAlpha 2. Stillfront Q3’23 report 3. Xsolla state of play report 2023 References: 1. Newzoo report on PC and Console market References: 1. Statista report on VR References: 1. Xsolla report 2. Microsoft Cloud article References: 1. Medium article by Jon Radoff, 2. a16z blog posts, 3. GDC Talks

AD APOCALYPSE 2024 with Felix Braberg, Ad Monetization Consultant (Spotify link)In-App Ads Across Game Genres (DOF Spotify 2:01)Varied Revenue Impact: RPGs gain about 20% revenue from ads, hyper-casual games as high as 95%, and word/board games around 70-80%.High Ad Engagement: Core genres like RPGs and strategy games see over 90% ad completion rates, indicating strong player engagement.Changes in Mobile Ad Monetization Post-Privacy Updates (DOF Spotify 4:06)Shift to Non-Targeted Ads: Removal of IDFA led to more non-targeted ads, initially dropping eCPM by 50% on iOS.eCPM Recovery: Despite IDFA removal, eCPM recovered, with the gap between consented and non-consented users reducing from 60% to 18%.Use of Fingerprinting Techniques: Despite Apple's disapproval, networks used fingerprinting for ad targeting, showing resilience in ad monetization.Rewarded Ad Monetization: Balancing Revenue and Experience (DOF Spotify 5:22)Quality and Intrusiveness Concerns: Criticisms of low-quality content and intrusive end cards […]

Hello and welcome to our exclusive series on mastering game development and launch! Today, we delve into one of our most challenging yet enlightening topics: conceptualizing your next groundbreaking game idea. This journey is uniquely creative and iterative, where no single step overshadows another. This post tries to outline comprehensive steps and essential concepts to inspire and guide you towards creating your next big hit. Happy developing and stay inspired! Identify Your Core Expertise Genre: Understanding your strengths and preferences in game genres is vital in the highly competitive gaming market. This understanding forms the core foundation for developing a successful game. The significance of genre expertise is often reflected in the funding stages a game achieves, especially during the ideation or Beta launch phases. A prime example of the impact of genre expertise is Dream Games. Their funding journey […]

The State of Play from Real-Time payments to Web Shops (DOF podcast (Dec 15, 2023)1.    Real-Time PaymentsListen on Spotify: DOF Spotify 0:11Definition: Instantaneous transactions between bank accounts, including on holidays and weekends.Global Growth: Expected to constitute 30% of all electronic payments by 2027.Regional Examples:Brazil's PIX: QR code-based, used by over 131 million users.India's UPI: Accounted for 46% of all real-time transactions worldwide in 2022.US's Fed Now: A national system for instant payments, projected to handle 11.5 billion transactions by 2027.2.    Alternative PaymentsListen on Spotify: DOF Spotify 11:43Definition: Payment methods other than cash or credit cards, crucial for financial inclusion.Importance: Vital for markets where major platforms don't include all payment methods, enabling transactions for those without traditional banking.Examples:Japan: Convenience store payments like Konbini, Pay Easy, Bit Cash.Africa: Rapid growth in mobile gaming, underserved audience.Market Reach: Essential for global expansion, especially in emerging markets.3. […]

TWIG #263 The DOF Game Industry Awards (Listen on Spotify)AI's Transformative Role in Gaming (DOF Spotify 5:30)Development and Marketing Impact: AI's influence on game development and marketing costs is a central topic, with diverse perspectives on its potential.Industry Shift Indicator: King's acquisition of Peltarion highlights AI's significant impact, signaling a major industry transition.Major Industry MovementsMicrosoft-Activision Acquisition: A pivotal event, marked as one of the biggest acquisitions in gaming history.Unity's Controversial Fee: Caused speculation and trust issues in an engine powering 70% of mobile games.Off-Platform Payments: Notably, Playtika's off-platform revenues account for 30%, and Huuuge Games shows rapid growth in this area. (previous DOF podcast summary detailed analysis on Webshops)Unlocking New Demographics in Console GamingHarry Potter Hogwarts Legacy's Success: Contrary to expectations, the game sold around 16-17 million units, broadening the console market to include more women and children.Opportunities and Challenges […]

In the ever-evolving landscape of mobile gaming, 2023 has been a year of remarkable trends and advancements in both Western and Eastern markets. For mobile gaming 2023 was the first year to register a positive growth post Covid with some reports indicating growth to as much as 4% just teasing the potential growth potential in this segment. In this newsletter, we'll delve into the latest trends, explore the most popular titles, and examine what the future holds.For this article, we would focus on the western (US, UK, Germany and France). In the next part of the same series we would keenly focus on the Eastern markets (Japan and South Korea) markets separately primarily because the genre preference on mobile vary vastly on mobile. For western markets (US, UK, Germany and France):Match genre remained the top IAP grossing genre with 21% […]