LinkedIn Ventures into Gaming: Introducing Puzzle Fun

Wow, wow, wow! Looks like LinkedIn wants to crash the gaming party already! Time to roll out the red carpet, or? LinkedIn, our networking giant, is leveling up! Time for brainy fun with puzzles like "Queens" and "Crossclimb" coming your way. Who said networking couldn't be a game? Seems like we're in the "wait and see" zone. No launch date yet, but they're prepping for quick, fun gaming sessions. Tech giants diving into gaming show how games rule both business and culture, aiming to keep us entertained for the long haul. Enhancing User Engagement With a user base of over 1 billion individuals, LinkedIn recognizes the potential of integrating games to captivate its audience further. By introducing casual gaming experiences, the platform aims to offer users a refreshing break from their professional endeavors while fostering deeper connections and sparking conversations […]

Gamigion March 18

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Huuuge’s Milestone Year: 2023 Annual Report Highlights

Huuuge Games' recently released 2023 Annual Report showcases another remarkable year for the company, with both EBITDA and profits surging. Prioritizing Profitability: Strategic Shifts in 2023 In 2023 alone, Huuuge Games achieved an impressive $108.2 million in EBITDA, contributing to a combined EBITDA of $190.5 million over the past two years. Strategically, 2023 saw Huuuge prioritize profitability over revenue growth, particularly evident in its core franchises, Huuuge Casino and Billionaire Casino. Despite a 6% decline in revenue from the previous year, these franchises demonstrated stability, with core DAU experiencing growth for three consecutive quarters. Monetization Mastery: Leading the Social Casino Market Importantly, key monetization metrics ARPDAU and ARPPU increased by 8% and 13% year-over-year, respectively. This solidifies Huuuge's position as a leader in social casino games monetization. Innovation and Investment Looking ahead to 2024, Huuuge plans to increase marketing investment […]

Gamigion March 17

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Rovio’s Insights on Unveiling Biases in AI

Rovio released a series of articles exploring AI biases in mobile gaming, offering a comprehensive look at ethical concerns. In this enlightening blog series, Rovio’s DEI People Analytics Lead and ML Engineer, Bee Steer, delve into the ethical landscape of AI, exposing how unchecked AI can perpetuate biases, from gender to political radicalization. Part 1: The Ethical Landscape Rovio's recent exploration into AI biases in mobile gaming reveals the ethical complexities of algorithmic decision-making. Through real-world examples, they uncover how unchecked AI can perpetuate discrimination. Notably, Amazon's recruitment algorithm favored male-dominated interests, while YouTube's recommendation system inadvertently promoted extremist content, highlighting the societal impact of biased AI. Part 2: Exploring Solutions To address these biases, Rovio proposes actionable solutions. Diversifying training data is paramount to ensure AI models capture the full spectrum of real-world scenarios. Transparency in AI decision-making processes […]

Gamigion March 17

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The Future Of GameDev: Cosmic Lounge’s AI Insights

Established in 2022, Cosmic Lounge received €4M in seed funding from Transcend Fund, fueling the advancement of their AI-driven puzzle game development. Cosmic Lounge's Puzzle Engine rapidly prototypes games in 5-6 hours, streamlining game creation for designers with user-friendly dropdown menus and prompts. CEO Tomi Huttula showcased Puzzle Engine's capabilities at the recent Google Think Games event, unveiling a puzzle game prototype dubbed "Angry Dev" created within hours. With only two human level designers, Cosmic Lounge leverages AI bots to generate, test, and optimize game prototypes, enabling rapid iteration and feedback loops for high-quality results. Huttula expressed, "We view AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, our team's capabilities, improving productivity and outcomes." While AI streamlines tasks like level and art production, it complements rather than replaces human designers. The studio envisions AI as a tool to empower designers […]

Gamigion March 17

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Supercell’s Big Swap: Clash Mini Dies, Spark Shines

Supercell pulled the plug of Clash Mini, revealing the termination of its development after two years in beta. Despite significant improvements, the game did not meet Supercell's quality standards. However, Supercell remains committed to delivering the Clash Mini experience within Clash Royale, reflecting its dedication to fulfilling its ultimate vision. The move aligns with Supercell's launch of Spark, a new greenlight process for external teams, demonstrating the company's dedication to innovation in game development. What's the bigger picture? In an exclusive interview with mobilegamer.biz, Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen and former Hay Day lead Stephan Demirdjian shed light on an innovative process. A game-changing move from Supercell, the masterminds behind Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Brawl Stars. They're flipping the script with Team Lab, a fresh initiative that gives the green light to teams, not just game ideas. […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 16

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US Bill to Ban TikTok: Amid Privacy Concerns

The US House's bill might just give ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, a serious ultimatum: either sell the shares or face the banhammer! US is now closer to potentially banning TikTok, as the bill received significant support from both sides of the aisle, with 352 votes in favor and only 65 against. Concerns about Data Privacy and Influence The House bill doesn't explicitly ban TikTok but gives ByteDance six months to divest its ownership. However, analysts believe this effectively bans TikTok, as it's unlikely Beijing would approve a sale to a Western or US-friendly entity. Beijing remains firm, stating it will take all necessary measures to protect Chinese companies abroad. Infringement on Freedom of Speech Lawmakers and the administration stand in contrast to a significant portion of TikTok's 170 million American users, constituting approximately half of the nation's population. Additionally, […]

Gamigion March 16

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A Global First: EU to Enact AI Regulation

The moment we've been waiting for: who's stepping up to regulate AI first? Buckle up folks, let's see what's there for mobile gaming! EU AI Act: Shaping the Future In a historic move, the EU parliament ratified groundbreaking regulatory guidelines, establishing the world's first comprehensive framework for governing AI. The EU AI Act, launched in 2021, categorizes AI tech by risk levels, from "unacceptable" to high, medium, and low. Starting in 2025, the law will roll out gradually, pending European Council approval and expected checks by May's end. Implications for Mobile Gaming The ramifications of the EU AI legislation extend to the mobile gaming industry, poised to revolutionize user experience, data privacy, and market dynamics: 1. Enhanced User Experience: The regulations advocate for responsible AI use, prompting mobile gaming companies to integrate AI-driven features like personalized recommendations, dynamic difficulty adjustment, […]

Gamigion March 13

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600 Activision QA staff form gaming’s largest union yet

Activision Blizzard, a titan in the gaming industry, has long been celebrated for its blockbuster titles, with franchises like Call of Duty capturing the hearts of millions of gamers worldwide. But in the shadows of game development, QA workers are often overlooked... The most extensive union within the U.S. video game industry ever On Friday, 600 software testers at Activision Blizzard established the most extensive union within the U.S. video game industry to date. Amidst growing concerns over working conditions and treatment, Activision QA workers have taken a bold step forward: forming a union to advocate for their rights and welfare. Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Paved the way In a conversation with The Verge, Tom Shelley, a technical requirements specialist and one of the organizers of Activision Quality Assurance United, mentioned that the labor neutrality agreement and Microsoft's acquisition of […]

Gamigion March 9

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Mobile Gaming Marketing Trends in 2023 by SocialPeta

2023 emerges as a pivotal year, marked by shifting market dynamics and evolving consumer behaviors. Game devs are surfing a wave of uncertainty as the pandemic peak fades. With markets saturated and economies shaky, it's a wild ride ahead! No surprise anyways, right? Understanding Key Trends in Mobile Gaming Marketing In the ever-changing world of mobile gaming, two big trends stand out: more advertisers and loads of fresh, creative content. With competition heating up, catchy and original ads are the name of the game. Insights from APAC APAC emerges as the epicenter of mobile gaming marketing, with Southeast Asia emerging as a particularly intense battleground for UA. What was once a blue ocean market has transformed into a highly saturated arena, underscoring the fierce competition prevalent in the region. Navigating Market Dynamics in Q3 Despite the intensifying competition, the global […]

Gamigion March 2

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Playtika Plans $1.2 Billion M&A Strategy for Next Three Years

Playtika's bigwigs scrapped the buyer hunt and are now all about M&A. CFO Craig Abrahams disclosed Playtika's intention to finalize 1-2 strategic deals annually. Playtika embraced a new capital allocation strategy, employing a multi-faceted approach to enhance shareholder value. With plans to initiate quarterly dividends and earmark between $600 million and $1.2 billion for M&As over the next three years, the company is poised for strategic growth. Largest M&A Gaming Deals in the Last Several Years In recent years, significant mobile gaming mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have occurred, such as Microsoft's $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive's $12.7 billion acquisition of Zynga, and Savvy Games Group's $4.9 billion takeover of Scopely. While most mobile gaming M&A deals from January 2021 to February 2024 involved large publishers acquiring smaller developers, activity slowed in 2022 and 2023 due to post-Covid […]

Gamigion February 27

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Industry Report by Xsolla: Steady Growth in 2024

Xsolla's Winter 2024 report: Unveiling gaming trends that'll make you go 'Whoa!' Dive into the gaming world's rollercoaster ride and get the scoop to steer your biz in the right direction! Berkley Egenes emphasizes that the launch of The State of Play Winter 2024 Edition highlights the gaming industry's notable transformation. CMO Berkley Egenes highlights that according to Xsolla's projections, the global games market is set for consistent expansion, reaching revenues of $211.2 billion by 2025. The dominance of mobile gaming is anticipated, contributing an estimated $103.1 billion primarily from user spending. Cloud gaming is also identified as a major disruptor, poised to generate around $8.2 billion in revenue. Furthermore, the VR gaming sector is forecasted to grow, yielding approximately $3.2 billion in revenue by 2024. More: State of Mobile Gaming: Trends and Challenges by Data.ai.

Gamigion February 22

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2024 Mobile App Trends by Adjust and AppLovin

Adjust and AppLovin collaborated on the Mobile App Trends 2024 report, offering a deep dive into industry benchmarks, data analysis, and insights crucial for navigating the ever-changing mobile app market. Core questions driving their strategies are no surprise: How best to allocate budgets and where to expect the highest ROI? Into the Report According to Adjust & AppLovin, delving into the mobile app marketing landscape of 2024 involves formulating a successful growth strategy, diversifying channels, optimizing media mix, and adapting to evolving privacy updates, next-generation technologies, and AI-driven advancements. They note a consistent increase in App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rates year-over-year. In the fintech sector, app installs surged by 42%, sessions by 24% YoY, accompanied by a remarkable 118% increase in in-app revenue. As per their findings, for e-commerce apps globally, the median eCPI stands at $1.33, with a […]

Gamigion February 19

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