Hasbro 2024 Financials: MONOPOLY GO! contributed $112M

Hasbro’s playing Monopoly GO! in real life. Cool numbers, right? Let's also check how Scopely is doing there! In 2024, Monopoly GO! got 2.2bn IAP & 60.5M Downloads. 🚀 Wizards of the Coast & Digital Gaming Soar as Hasbro Charts a Winning Course Hasbro isn’t just playing the game, changing it. Delivered on its 2024 promises, and leveled up profitability. 🎮 Gaming Leads the Charge MONOPOLY GO! was a massive hit, contributing $112 million in 2024. Wizards of the Coast & Digital Gaming revenue climbed 4%. MAGIC: THE GATHERING held strong despite the tough comparison against last year’s Lord of the Rings set. Digital & Licensed Gaming surged 22%, showing Hasbro’s IP expansion is a game-changer. 📊 Financial Power-Ups Adjusted operating profit skyrocketed 76% to $839 million, thanks to cost efficiencies and a sharper business mix. Operating cash flow hit […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 21

Journal

50 reasons Why VCs say NO to Startups

Here are 50 reasons why VCs say NO to startups: Market & Opportunity Concerns1. Can't see a venture-scale outcome ($100M+ annual revenue potential)2. No clear user problem that is being solved3. Market timing seems wrong (too early or too late)4. No clear differentiation from competitors5. Me-too product without unique innovation6. Market is already dominated by well-established incumbents7. The market is too mature for new entrants8. Unclear go-to-market strategy9. Customer acquisition costs likely to be too high10. For later stages, not enough evidence of product-market fitTeam Concerns11. Missing critical team members (e.g., CTO, game designer)12. Lack of relevant industry experience13. No clear CEO among co-founders14. Team lacks business creativity15. Founders still working at other companies16. Founders taking massive salaries17. Insufficient founder commitment level18. Past startup failures without clear learnings19. Key team members living in different countries20. Team lacks technical expertise for […]

Joakim Achren February 21

Journal

Scopely Control 76% of the Location-Based Market

Acquiring Niantic = Scopely Controlling 76% of the Location-Based Market Scopely is reportedly in talks to acquire Niantic for $3.5B. If the deal goes through, it will be one of the biggest M&As in gaming history! For us, this is a perfect moment to take a closer look at the genre and Niantic’s role in it:🔷 Niantic owns 4 out of the top 10 location-based games, generating 76% of total market revenue. This is one of the most monopolized segments in gaming, with incredibly high entry barriers.🔷 Having a major IP is almost essential in this market, yet even that doesn’t guarantee success. Despite its dominance, Niantic has seen multiple failures with titles based on Harry Potter, NBA, Transformers, Catan, and Marvel.🔷 While Pikmin and Monster Hunter are performing better, they’re still far behind Pokémon GO, which alone accounts for […]

Andrei Zubov February 21

Highlights

Amazon App Store’s Exit from Android

Well, it's official. Amazon App Store is bidding farewell to Android. As of August 20th, the store will shut its doors on Android devices, marking the end of an era for Amazon’s alternative app marketplace. What’s Changing? 🚫 No More App Submissions – Developers can no longer submit new apps to the Amazon App Store on Android.⏳ Final Updates Until August 20th – Existing apps can still receive updates, but only until the shutdown date.💰 Amazon Coins Discontinued – The Coins program will vanish alongside the store, but any unspent coins will be refunded.🛑 No More In-App Purchases in Japan – Japanese users will lose the ability to make purchases through the store on Android, though other marketplaces will still function temporarily. What Stays? 📱 Amazon Devices Still Supported – The Amazon App Store isn’t disappearing completely. It will continue […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 21

Journal

Why does CVC play a bigger role than ever?

Written by our partner, InvestGame. Lately, with financial investors less keen on backing gaming studios, many studios are exploring alternative options—returning to the industry’s roots with publishing partnerships and strategic investors taking the lead. Corporate-led transactions aren’t just funding studios; they’re shaping the industry’s future. Look no further than Epic Games: Disney’s $1.5B investment made headlines, but it wasn’t the only one—Sony and Kirkbi led another massive $2B round. And consider FromSoftware, the creator of the souls-like genre (Elden Ring, Dark Souls series), which has been backed by Sony and Tencent. These deals aren’t just capital injections; they represent strategic, long-term bets on the future of gaming. We’ve tracked this shift for years, but 2024 made one thing clear: corporate-led transactions aren’t just creeping in—they’re taking over private investments in gaming. Over 40% of gaming’s nine-figure deals are now corporate-backed, and we predict that corporate influence will continue growing in […]

Gamigion February 20

Journal

User Acquisition vs. Organic Growth

Source: Mobidictum Imagine you’re driving traffic with your best-paid channels, yet your organic growth stagnates. It sounds counterintuitive but could be the key to unlocking more sustainable revenue. As the UA landscape becomes more competitive and user ID tracking becomes more challenging due to privacy changes, marketing teams are under pressure to be more data-savvy than ever. The need for deeper analysis of UA has driven many to explore advanced models like Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) and Incrementality in hopes of better understanding platform algorithms and optimizing performance. MMM is a separate topic that requires its own discussion. In this post, I will focus on the basics of organic incrementality—how paid UA impacts organic growth and highlight key situations where reevaluating your testing strategy with a robust model could enhance your marketing efforts. Incrementality in Marketing: Incrementality measures the true impact of a marketing campaign or channel […]

Deniz Kekec February 20

Highlights

Good Job Games Secures Investment from Menlo Ventures, Valued at $100M+

Source: Webrazzi Turkey-based mobile game studio Good Job Games, known for its focus on hyper-casual and casual puzzle games, has received an investment from Menlo Ventures. According to available data, the investment surpasses $15 million, pushing Good Job Games' valuation above $100 million. This funding round includes contributions from multiple funds under Menlo Ventures. About Good Job Games Founded in 2017 by İlker Ilıcalı, Good Job Games has developed over 30 games and accumulated more than 100 million downloads across iOS and Android. Some of its most popular titles include: Fun Race 3D Color Bump 3D Run Race 3D Color Fill 3D Epic Race 3D Already scaling. Growing Match Villains & Wonder Blast, or new game incoming? Past Acquisitions Good Job Games has previously been in the spotlight due to significant acquisitions: In 2022, the company sold its Zen Match […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 20

Highlights

Unity Q4 2024: A Rocky Reset with a 25% Loss

Source: StockTitan Unity (NYSE: U) reported Q4 2024 revenue of $457 million, down 25% year-over-year, as the gaming and ad tech giant navigates a major portfolio reset. Despite the decline, the company sees momentum in AI-driven advertising solutions, mobile game development tools, and strategic growth areas. Feb 20: NASDAQ Weirdly, Unity Stocks jumped from 18,3 to 25,3 (38%) while AppLovin went to 440 from 490. (-10%) AppLovin Empire: Monopoly in Mobile Gaming?AppLovin to Sell Its Gaming Division for $900M to Strengthen Its Ad Tech Focus Key Financials (Q4 2024) Create Solutions (Game Engine & Dev Tools): $152M, down 47% Y/Y. Without the $99M Weta FX contract termination, the decline would have been 20% Y/Y. Grow Solutions (Ad Tech & Monetization): $305M, down 5% Y/Y. Excluding pre-merger IronSource incentives, revenue would have risen 2% Y/Y, supported by strong seasonal ad demand. […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 20

Journal

How to Spot a successful Hybrid Casual Game?

How to Spot a successful Hybrid Casual Game?Is it the IAP or the downloads? Answer is surprising: You simply can never be sure. (Why? on PS)Yet you can get PRETTY close.and trust me, you want to get close. Here is my theory:Let’s take puzzles: you are looking for stability.Track the RETENTION. Like day 60+.How do you find that?Well check out the downloads and Revenue.Revenue that starts piling up after 60 days.Cause, thats gonna be almost 100% IAP.Therefore, your IAP Rev chart is actually yourLONG TERM retention. like d60-d180For education purposes, I used 2022-2023-2024.Numbers won’t matter cause these are Top ones.When you spot a game scaling for a year,And THEN getting IAP, again for a long period.Congrats. You got yourself a fantastic game. 🦄 To measure this accurately, you gonna need toSet up your custom dashboards on AppMagicCheck it out once […]

Gökhan Üzmez February 20

Journal

Candy Crush Solitaire by King

Candy Crush Solitaire by King had it global launch two weeks ago (Feb.6th). Looking at the numbers the game did just $260K in revenue on 3 Mil. downloads in that time. This doesn't seem like the result King was looking for? why is this happening? 🤔 Compared to competitors, and there are many, there is one major change in core gameplay, where players can store 1 extra card as another "connecting" card, instead of just linear connecting of all the cards on the board. This gives them much more tactical gameplay ⚔️, where they can save this card for later, when they run out of their current chain to immediately start the next one. Because of predominantly older female players, this seems like a step too far into the puzzle, strategic depth direction, which makes the game much more niche, […]

Jakub Remiar February 20

Journal

Big Fish Games Pulls the Plug on New Titles

Big Fish Games is stepping away from new game development, shifting its focus to running and monetizing its existing live titles. The move comes as part of a major restructuring by its parent company, Aristocrat Leisure, which is scaling back investment in the studio’s portfolio. No Sale, No New Games After putting Big Fish and Plarium on the market last year, Aristocrat found a buyer for Plarium—Sweden’s MTG scooped it up for $620M. But Big Fish? No takers. Instead, Aristocrat held onto the studio’s social casino games and is now reshaping its business. The company is also retiring its Pixel United reporting segment, replacing it with Product Madness, which will now house Big Fish’s operations alongside its core slots business. Leadership Shake-Up As part of the shift, Superna Kalle, Aristocrat’s chief strategy officer, will take the reins of Product Madness, […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 20

Journal

Jam City Offloads Ludia in Strategic Sell-Off

Just after 3.5 years. Jam City is cutting loose its Montreal-based studio, Ludia, selling it to a consortium of Canadian institutional investors in a deal currently under review by the Canadian Competition Bureau. The price tag? Still under wraps. A Jurassic Exit The sale includes Ludia’s full game catalog, home to mobile hits like Jurassic World: The Game, Jurassic World Alive, and Ninja Turtles: Legends. Despite the shake-up, Jam City claims the move won’t disrupt its core business, as its biggest successes come from casual narrative and puzzle-style games. A Quick Flip The deal comes less than 3.5 years after Jam City acquired Ludia for $165M, backed by a $350M funding round as part of its ambitious—but ultimately scrapped—plan to go public at a $1.2B valuation. Now, Ludia is being sold off. "If the sale is approved, we’re committed to […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 20

Journal

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