Journal

The Gaming Industry's 'Big' Problem Remember the movie 𝘉𝘪𝘨 with Tom Hanks?It's a perfect mirror to today's gaming industry.I've been in gaming for 30 years.And I'm seeing a worrying trend.Game execs aren't 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 anymore.They're lost in:- Corporate meetings- Disconnection from players- Misaligned prioritiesResult? Games suffering.(Think Concord's recent struggles)In 𝘉𝘪𝘨, Tom Hanks' character thrives because:1. He's passionate about toys2. He understands what kids want3. He brings fresh, honest perspectivesWhat today's gaming industry lacks:1. Passion for the Product Like Josh's love for toys, we need execs who genuinely love games.2. Market Understanding Josh knows what kids want. Do our execs know what gamers want?3. Real Solutions vs. Toxic Positivity Josh cuts through corporate noise. We need leaders who do the same.4. Aligned Leadership In 𝘉𝘪𝘨, execs lose sight of fun. Sound familiar?The solution?We need more 'Josh-like' leaders:- Passionate about games- In tune […]

How to approach marketability for your mobile games? Do you go full-blown scientific within current commercial sentiment, approach it differently with more research-based means, or through some other means and methods? 🎯 Overall there are many schools on this, whilst I've recently been part of myself on these two: 1. Very scientific process from concept and marketability testing to proving marketability first - followed by product as quickly as possible, at the earliest stage possible. 🧪 - Aiming for good marketability through e.g., intuitive and understandable mechanics with e.g., a mix of satisfying, skill-requiring, entertaining, and emotional appeals; on top of which investing further into the product once marketability is nailed. 2. Very product/market/audience/competitor/USPs/etc. -led approach with a thorough understanding of everything and tailoring theses-honoring games and messages and Ads/creatives out of that for the players. 🎮 - Aiming for an […]

Can Tencent Actually Acquire Ubisoft? 🤔There've been talks about it lately, but Guillemot Brothers took some strategic steps to protect their company from acquisition back in September 2022. 📅 At that time, Tencent increased its stake in Ubisoft from 4.5% to 9.99%, but the deal came with an important condition:❗ Tencent wouldn’t be able to increase its stake in the company for the following 8 years.So far, only two years have passed, and six more are still to go. This condition was specifically structured to safeguard the Guillemot family’s control and prevent any aggressive acquisition attempts from Tencent. 🚫So if both companies were to pursue a deal, they’d have to navigate this restriction—meaning a lot of paperwork and negotiations. If you want to learn more about it, I left the link for the Sep’22 deal analysis we made for InvestGame in […]

25 Unusual Tips for Game Designers (To level up your GD skills faster)1. Play a wide variety of games → Not just your favorite genres. → Explore indie games, retro titles, and even NFT and casino games. 2. Rapid prototype your ideas → Test concepts quickly to see what works and what doesn’t.3. Analyze successful games → Dissect what makes them fun. → Is it the mechanics, the story, or the progression?4. Join game jams → Short deadlines force creativity and help you collaborate.5. Embrace failure → Test bad ideas, break things, and learn from what doesn’t work.6. Play bad games → Study why they fail. It's just as valuable as learning from good games.7. Watch Let's Plays → Observe how different players interact with the same game. → You’ll get a range of perspectives.8. Try speedrunning → Mastering a […]

Most developers think hyper-casual games are dead.Meanwhile they millions of dollars in (IAP+Ad) revenue. Take a look at what’s going on in detail: https://lnkd.in/dy8tsqPgSend a quick message to Diana Levintova to learn more.Cheers! hashtag#gamedevelopment hashtag#mobilegames hashtag#videogamesAppMagic

Only 35.51% of U.S. mobile game spending stays in America.Ever wondered where the rest of that money goes?***In the first 9 months of 2024,U.S. mobile gamers spent~$6.336B on in-app purchases,but a "surprising" majority of that moneyends up in the hands of foreign developers.Let’s break down where the other 64.49% of that revenue is flowing.***Top 3 Countries Profiting Most from U.S. Mobile Players:🥇 USA Mobile Game Devs - $2.250M🥈 Israel Mobile Game Devs - $742M🥉 Turkey Mobile Game Devs - $719MWhy Spending on Local Games Matters:When people spend on locally produced mobile games,it benefits their country’s economy in a big way.Choosing games developed within a countrymeans more of the revenue stays local,supporting jobs, innovation, and the growth of homegrown talent.In contrast, when the majority of consumer spending flows to foreign developers,it limits opportunities for domestic studios to thrive.In a global market, […]

Reelshort Review: Netflix should take notes! Short-form entertainment game making $25+mil/month redefining the interactive novel genre👇 Influencing the story? Make choices during the short-form videos. Sounds like a game? It is! Reelshort gets all the stories from Chapters but with real people with all drama short plots! The minutes-long shows, catering to mobile-primed female audiences, aren’t exactly highbrow—think rags-to-riches revenge plots and werewolf-vampire fantasies—but they’re addictive, and viewers are paying to stay tuned to hits like "Fated to My Forbidden Alpha" and "The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband." CEO Joey Jia says the app has been downloaded over 30 million times. It also reportedly generates an average monthly revenue of $10 million; one show, which might have 60-90 short episodes, costs an average of $300,000 to produce. Reelshort is doing a cross-promo on steroids! Offerwall light in their own apps […]

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

First, I have some news regarding the EGD templates. 2019 I started sharing useful startup templates, including a cap table modeling tool, NDA templates, board meeting minutes, and more. Many have asked for the templates that have gone offline. I put everything together into a Google Drive folder, which you can access here. These files are view only, so you must make your own copies before using them. Most read pieces During the first half of 2024, these pieces were the most read by Elite Game Developers. Gaming Startups in Finland: From Boom to Bust? As a Finnish game developer and startup investor, I'm very concerned about the Finnish games industry. In this piece, I discuss three reasons gaming startups have nearly vanished in Finland and what key elements that once made Finland a powerhouse in the gaming industry are […]

Meta vs. Progression in Games: What's the Difference? These two concepts often get mixed up, but they serve different purposes.1. MetaMeta refers to anything that motivates players outside of direct gameplay advantages. ↳ Think of cosmetic items, skins, storylines, or leaderboards. ↳ Meta keeps players engaged but doesn't change how the game is played2. ProgressionProgression, on the other hand, directly affects gameplay. ↳ Leveling up, unlocking abilities, or gaining in-game power-ups, etc.↳ These rewards help players advance and unlock new gameplay experiences.3. There are also cases where Meta and Progression overlap. ↳ For example, unlocking a new character may offer cool visuals and a backstory (meta) while also giving new abilities (progression).Both are crucial for player engagement but serve different roles.

𝟬𝟰 - 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 While level exploration is not an exact science and every player behaves differently, there are general behavior patterns that can be considered when designing a free-navigation level. Players tend to be attracted to areas they perceive will provide the greatest and most immediate reward.In this example, the player needs to find and collect 4 boxes in any order. The question is: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹? The player has the following information:𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁The player’s brain rewards them in two key moments: first, when they locate a box, and second, when they collect it. Interestingly, locating a box but leaving it behind […]