thecoreloop — your go-to gaming news

Big congrats to our good friends over at GuildFi (now aka Zentry). This is a much deserved shoutout as they've been building in the bear and now coming out swinging! ——— GuildFi has rebranded to Zentry. Please help spread the word! Rebrand Article on GuildFi Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuildFiGlobal/status/1782751808907346240 Rebrand Trailer on Zentry Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZentryHQ/status/1782751159372956128 Decrypt covering the rebrand: https://decrypt.co/227622/guildfi-rebrands-zentry-game-of-games-reward-players Expect even more exciting updates in the upcoming weeks! ——— "Job's not done."

Look at Gaming #388 | 4.29.2024 GM! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Let's kick this week off with some direct-to consumer action. A new era of additional revenue sources and better margins is upon us (maybe?). Cutting that 30% App Store fees down to 10% fee for webshops. This savings trickle down to the players as well in the form of discounts, freebies, or more affordable premium in-game items. But this is the game studio's chance to move beyond just in-game items. A webshop expands the offerings to physical goods and maybe even experiences (imagine buying BlizzCon passes and a T shirt to go with it). The deepening of the D2C relationship could look like this:: 1. Offer a discount for signing up for the newsletter with an email address. Huuuge Games does this in their Huuuge Casino title. 2. Provide a free gift for creating an account, enabling tracking of customer actions across devices. For instance, Kabam’s Shop Titans offers daily/weekly free gifts to their registered players via their webshops. 3. Recommend personalized items (either via email or on a webshop) based on browsing history, enhancing conversion and retention. A Thinking Ape’s Party in My Dorm is one good example. 4. Send promotional emails for sales or special gifts to drive conversion and retention. Scopely’s Marvel Strike Force does a great job here, they send a weekly email with promotions that can be found in-game and on their webshop. 5. Develop VIP/loyalty programs that reward players with points for every purchase that they can redeem for discounts and free items. Rovio’s Red Club loyalty program is a great example. 6. Use email addresses of high-spending customers to create targeted audiences on platforms like Meta and Google. This is definitely a new area that I'm excited to see develop further. We saw what D2C did to brands and ecommerce. In other news, check out Konvoy's piece on potential upcoming IPOs and the article by GamesIndustry.biz on game engines. ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 The era of direct-to-consumer for mobile games is here | GamesBeat 🌊 MARKET 📞 The era of direct-to-consumer for mobile games is here | GamesBeat InvestGame: Gaming Investment Market in Q1’24 | InvestGames PocketGamer.biz Podcast Week in Views E09 - Supercell's Squad Busters goes global, Embracer Group splits, and Apple's Vision Pro flops | PGBiz Activision Blizzard boosts Microsoft financials as Xbox hardware revenue falls | GameDeveloper Newzoo: Top-10 Games by Revenue in the USA and Europe in Q1'24 | Newzoo 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 WTF Is Happening in Gaming! India! | GameMakers Gaming IPO Watch List (2024) | Konvoy Ventures What I think about games investing in 2024 | Naavik & David Kaye 2024 Casual Gaming Apps Report | GameRefinery How accessible are game engines, and how much is still to be done? | GamesIndustry.biz ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Ubisoft returns to Web3 gaming with new titles in the works | GamesBeat Immutable zkEVM Offering Up to $50 Million in Token Rewards to Ethereum Gamers | Decrypt.gg 💲 Fundraising 🤑 Fintech gaming startup Sanlo’s webshop tool could help developers avoid costly app store fees | TechCrunch Web3 game startup GFAL raises $3.3M from Supercell and Mitch Lasky | GamesBeat CARV Secures $10 Million For Gaming Data Layer and AI | Gam3s.gg 👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊 Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly has magnetic Joy-Cons, new cartridges, larger 1080p screen | GamesIndustry.biz -----

HUGE news happened in MapleStory today. A player was about to hit the maximum level in the game but then he quit, live on stream with over 25k ppl. But before he quit, he declared all his grievances and injustices he had to deal with over his 34 months grinding (every single day grinding). He brought up evidence, screenshots, receipts, etc. to back up his case. This is Player-Activism. God dam I love it. https://twitter.com/0xkapital_k/status/1783653752337211623

Look at Gaming #386 | 4.18.2024 GM! We are over hump day and the weekend is right... there. But before that, let's take a look at the top third-party IP cosmetics and skins in Fortnite. It's almost like, "If you don't have your own Fortnite skin, were you even really that popular?" Fortnite allows third-party websites like Fortnite.gg to track all sorts of cool and obscure things about the game. The good folks over at GamesDiscoverCo (GDC) decided to dive deeper into the popularity of certain skins/cosmetics. The methodology is that skins that came with the battle pass (aka "free") are in one group and the other group are pay-to-download skins. GDC looked at player data on the most-recent patch when the skin was released and here's what they found. Amongst the top 20 battle-pass-skins, the top skin was Neymar Jr, which was used by 13% of the players. Not only was this skin number one, but also was the only real-life celebrity skin used. Fourteen out of the top 20 skins are superhero related — across DC and Marvel. That speaks to superhero craze that we're currently in for pop culture. But when we look at pay-to-download skins, we see that players have a preference for real-life celebrities with Travis Scott, his alter ego Astro Jack, and Slim Shady (Eminem) are the top 3 skins. Additionally, we see some worldclass anime IP such as Naruto and Dragon ball being in the top 20 paid skins. That's crazy! I would've thought superheroes and IPs would be the top. Players who wants to dress up as their favorite irl person wouldn't have been my guess. But what I suspect is that since the Travis Scott and Eminem skins probably act as a souvenir merch from their in-game concert. Plus seeing my childhood Anime up there was also quite cool. Fortnite is more than just a battle royale game but it is a platform for pop culture. Also check out the Merge Market overview by Brutally Honest and GameMaker's breakdown of Monopoly Go vs Royal Match. Catch y'all tomorrow! ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 What are Fortnite's top 'third-party IP' skins? | GameDiscoverCo 🌊 MARKET 📞 Royal Match vs. Monopoly Go Smackdown! | GameMakers Merge Market Overview | Brutally Honest What are Fortnite's top 'third-party IP' skins? | GameDiscoverCo What it’s like to make a video game with Nintendo | Game File 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 The Joy and Pain of Game Mastery | GameDeveloper -----

Look at Gaming #385 | 4.17.2024 GM! Can't believe its halfway through the week already! Today I want to talk about esports. Its quite evident now that the esports still haven't solved for its economic model. But yet, there was an announcement about the Esports World Cup's record-breaking prize pool of over $60 million for 2024 marks a significant milestone in the esports industry. Record-Breaking Prize Pool: The $60 million prize pool surpasses the previous record of $45 million, demonstrating the growing scale and importance of esports events globally. Venue and Timing: The event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from early July through August. It will eventually be held in Qiddiya, an entertainment city under construction, showcasing the country's commitment to becoming a hub for esports. Participating Games: The Esports World Cup will feature 20 different tournaments across a variety of games, including popular titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike 2. Club Championship: A unique feature of the event is the Club Championship, where the top 16 clubs based on overall performance across different games will be awarded a total of $20 million. Distribution of Prize Pool: The prize pool will be distributed across various categories, including Game Championships, MVP Awards, and Qualifiers. Each participating game will have its own prize pool. Sustainable Business Model: The Esports World Cup Foundation, as a nonprofit organization, aims to create a sustainable esports ecosystem. Revenue streams include sponsorships, merchandise, ticketing, and media rights, with host country fees playing a significant role. Overall, the Esports World Cup's massive prize pool underscores the growing significance of esports on the global stage and highlights efforts to create sustainable and inclusive competitive gaming environments. Additionally, in other esports news, we saw that CoD esports is changing the way they interact with teams/managers. The official CoD esports league is extending a 2-year guaranteed revenue contracts to teams. That's it for today! Catch yall tomorrow. ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Esports World Cup will have record-breaking prize pool of more than $60M | GamesBeat 🌊 MARKET 📞 GTA publisher Take-Two to cut 5% of staff as it cancels new games | PGbiz 70 percent of devs unsure of live-service games sustainability | GameDeveloper How 10 Chambers is using Lurkit as a force for creator engagement | GamesIndustry.biz Call of Duty League offers better financial terms for esports teams | GamesBeat Esports World Cup will have record-breaking prize pool of more than $60M | GamesBeat 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Mobile gaming’s haves and have-nots | MobileDevMemo ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Ronin EVM sidechain onboards popular South Korean MMORPG IP Ragnaro | The Block TikTok parent company explores on-chain possibilities for Web3 gaming and AI | Coin Telegraph 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 Navigating the supply maze: Picking the best demand platform in 2024 | PGBiz Why it's become harder to raise investments in mobile game development in 2024 | GamesIndustry.biz 💲 Fundraising 🤑 A16z raises second gaming fund at $600M as part of $7.2B funding | GamesBeat Red Rover Interactive secures $15M in Series A funding round | GamesBeat Indie gamers Avalon gear up for global launch with $10 million investment | PGBiz -----

Look at Gaming #384 | 4.16.2024 GM! I always like to study Roblox's policies. As one of the largest UGC platform in the world, Roblox has unique access to data and insights on user behaviors at scale — player-developer, player-player, and developer-developer relationships. The intricate balancing act that Roblox must conduct when setting its policy is the endproduct of its analysis of its ecosystem and stakeholders. So today I want to spotlight their newest policy called "Publishing Advance". UGC marketplaces are riddled with subpar content — some are outright fraudulent or IP infringements. To combat this, Roblox instilled a new policy, in which creators must pay an upfront fee when they publish an asset onto the marketplace. Each time their item is sold, the creator will receie a rebate from Roblox until the Publishing Advance fee is repaid, only after that would Roblox receive its platform fees. This is quite an interesting model. I can absolutely see a policy like this being adopted in crypto. This is also like a "staking" and "gas paying "mechanic rolled into one. Creators must pay "pay gas" to list the item so they can't spam the marketplace. But, that gas payment turns into a "stake", then creators would receive some rewards whenever a sale was made. Roblox also recently relaunched their whole marketplace so I'm sure new policies are sure to be released overtime. That's it for today folks! Catch y'all tomorrow. ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Roblox introducing new 'publishing advance' fee as it opens up creator marketplace | GameDeveloper 🌊 MARKET 📞 StreamElements & Rainmaker.gg: State of the Streaming market in March 2024 | GameDev Reports 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Revealed: the state of Steam wishlist conversions & 'long tail' in 2024 | GameDiscoverCo 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Roblox introducing new 'publishing advance' fee as it opens up creator marketplace | GameDeveloper Fortnite's Next Star Wars Crossover Will Span Lego, Festival, and Battle Royale Modes| GameInformer Skybound turns to crowdfunding for triple-A Invincible game | GameDeveloper 💲 Fundraising 🤑 Web3 AI-powered Game AVALON Raises $10 Million | Gam3s.gg 👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊 Fallout games double in player count after Prime series premiere | GameDeveloper MiHoYo green lights Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail movies with government backing | PGBiz -----

Look at Gaming #383 | 4.15.2024 GM! Welcome back to another week! Today there's a hodgepodge of headlines I want to spotlight. We're starting with some learnings from Epic execs. According to Epic Games CTO, big brands like Disney are pivoting or outright adopted gaming/digital experiences as a core part of how they interact with their customers. These iconic brands see Fortnite as a blank canvas that enables novel ways for players to connect their products and IP. Another example is Fortnite's LEGO survival game. LEGO wanted to create an experience that's very far from the traditional battle royale. What's notable is not that LEGO created a different genre game, but that the LEGO assets, IP, and brand awareness will translate over to UEFN. As more and more brands onboard to Fortntie, UEFN grows to becoming the biggest toy store and sandbox in the world. Another headline that caught my attention was Roblox adding video ads into their advertising product suite. When I used to do UA on Roblox for our games, the ad tech platform was horrendous. No data analytics. No automation. No targeting. The ad creatives were all static image and banners. Now, there are numerous options for advertisers, from in-game billboards/portals to reward video ads. Plus the ad platform now allows for programmatic media buying. This is important because of Roblox's player demographics. At one point, half of US kids were playing Roblox. There isn't another platform in which advertisers could use to reach this market when they're most engaged. Last headline to spotlight is Chase (yes the big bank) is launching an ad network that reaches its 80M users based on their purchase data. This reminds me of how in crypto advertisers can target users based on what's in their wallet. Chase Bank's ad network could be a great comparable case study to see how valuable the crypto ad market would be. That's it for Monday! I know its a big one but lets start the week off strong! ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Epic execs say IP holders don't care about Fortnite, but they really want its ecosystem | GameDeveloper 🌊 MARKET 📞 Skybound returns to Republic crowdfunding to fund Invincible title | GamesBeat Apple denies violating court order over alternative payments | GamesIndustry.biz Gaming Industry Report - Q1 2024 | Konvoy Ventures 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Matej Lancaric: The Story of a Solopreneur | Brutally Honest 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Epic execs say IP holders don't care about Fortnite, but they really want its ecosystem | GameDeveloper Roblox partners with PubMatic to power video ads | PGBiz ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 STEPN Partners With Adidas For Exclusive NFT Sneakers | Gam3s.gg 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 Pre-Production and Brainstorming Optimization | GameDeveloper How to build branching narrative without breaking the bank | GameDeveloper 💲 Fundraising 🤑 Avalon raises $10M to launch hybrid Web3 MMO | GamesBeat 👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊 Sony’s PS5 Pro is real and developers are getting ready for it | The Verge Content Warning sells 1 million copies following launch giveaway | GameDeveloper -----

Look at Gaming #382 | 4.12.2024 GM! Happy Friday. I have a good data dump for you today. This one is about F2P games on Steam. Some top level statistics: • 51% of games on steam are F2P • 8% are under $10 • 31% are $10-$50 • 11% are above $50 A look deeper into the stats reveal that F2P ceded market share in terms of total hours spent to premium ($10-50) live service games. This hints at a potential shift in the content preferences. Players are leaning into more core genres with richer content. The premium games with live services meet players where they're heading. But back to F2P games that do manage to hold onto their gamers. The top 25 F2P Games Capture 88% of CCU share (player engagement). This is extremely top heavy — exhibit 1: Counter-Strike 2 accounts for 25%. When you overlay this data point with the fact that the avg age of a Top 10 F2P Game is 7 years, it paints a stark landscape for existing and particularly new F2P titles. But a new blue ocean may be openning up in the premium-lite live-service games. Games that are priced between $10-$30 with a promise of more content offers dev studios some reprieve with immediate sales and potential for continued revenue. Plus the player demographic that take a chance on these titles is growing. In other news, check out Gam3s.gg's Q1 blockchain report. The team delivered a fairly comprehensive yet not too boring to read recap. Have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday. ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 State of Free to Play on Steam in 2024 – Industry Report | VG Insights 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 State of Free to Play on Steam in 2024 – Industry Report | VG Insights 🌈 Platforms 🏠 King talks soft launched Candy Crush games, making a movie and more | Mobilegamer.biz ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Deep Dive Big Blockchain Game Report Q1 2024 | Gam3s.gg Ubisoft Web3 Game Champions Tactics Exclusive Trailer | Gam3s.gg -----

Look at Gaming #381 | 4.11.2024 GM! I've been extolling about web shops for a hot minute now but Xsolla gave an informative and convincing presentation on how to get your users out of mobile "jail". But first, what are web shops? These are alternative mobile stores where users could purchase in-game currencies and items — think IAP but done outside the app. There are two types of web shops: Platforms vs. Boutiques. Platforms are a shared store experience, like a shopping mall with multiple brands. A boutique is a white-label, single-store rendition that's dedicated just to one game. Web stores aren't just simply a place to sell in-game goods. It's a new wholly-owned direct-to-customer relationship that games never had before. This new relationship is worth up to 20% of additional revenue and comes with a 40-60% boost in conversion rate from login to purchase per Xsolla case studies. The largest friction to web shop conversion is existing user payment behavior. So how do we overcome this? "Whales don't want to save money," said Xsolla's Region Director Andrey Kalugin, who launched 150 web shops for hundreds of games. Whales are the primary audience, but remember that they don't care for discounts. So the web shop needs to deliver value to the Whale user (eg. daily webshop check-ins for boosts, web shop-only items, etc.). It is important to cement the first purchase behavior to be conducted on the web shop so optimize for that initial conversion. Then reward repeat purchases via web shop and as aforementioned induce more repeat visits. For other players, use bundling/savings to attract them. Lastly is to activate the community to drive referrals to the web shop (but NEVER use the words 'web shop', instead direct them to a FAQ, community page, leaderboard etc.) If you’re launching a mobile game, do check out the video from PGbiz below. ONE more day till Friday :) ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Xsolla’s Andrey Kalugin talks web shops tips to get users out of mobile "jail" | PGBiz 🌊 MARKET 📞 Xsolla’s Andrey Kalugin talks web shops tips to get users out of mobile "jail" | PGBiz 62% of Gen Alpha gamers play 5+ hours per week, VS only 17% of Gen Z | PGBiz 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 The New York Times, a Wordle company | SuperJoost Indie showcase’s biggest stars are AAA game characters | Game File 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Apple News is testing a game that kind of looks like NYT Connections | TechCrunch Microsoft is bringing its Xbox dashboard to the web with party chat and more | The Verge 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 How to soft launch a mobile game in 2024? Benchmarks & Real data inside! | Brutally Honest 👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊 A Monopoly movie is coming courtesy of Margot Robbie and Lionsgate | The Verge Vintage Cartoon FPS Mouse Gets New Trailer With Grappling Hook, Spinach Power-Up, And More | GameInformer Royal Match races from $2 billion to $3 billion earnings faster than any other game | PGBiz -----

Look at Gaming #380 | 4.11.2024 GM! Happy hump day. Can't believe the week is already almost over! This news came out yesterday but I didn't get the chance to cover it. Disney is expanding further into games and we should pay attention. Recall that Disney already plowed $1.5B into Epic Games earlier this year to create a new universe of entertainment and fun. Historically, Disney has been quite removed from the game creation process — typically licensing their IP or "codeveloping" a game with large publishers (ex. EA & Star Wars). Therefore this marked transition into gaming is notable. Now, even the leadership team internally at Disney is changing to reflect this new direction. Disney recruited executives from storied studios like Blizzard Entertainment and Ubisoft as well as promoting talent from within. These executives' efforts are spread across Disney's game portfolio from licensing to co-development. Disney game titles have received more than 1.5B global installs with 9 franchises hitting that $1B threshold. Disney also has their own Disney+ streaming service to act as a distribution channel to reach users directly. Though Netflix has had mediocore success with their game rollout, the accessibility to user shouldn't be discounted. Disney has a similar potential. ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Disney Games expands leadership team to invest further in games | GamesBeat 🌊 MARKET 📞 Embracer Sells Gearbox, Sega Sells Relic | Rock Paper Shotgun Disney Games expands leadership team to invest further in games | GamesBeat 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Apple’s privacy “nuclear option” | MobileDevMemo 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Fortnite Festival lets users play on virtual Coachella stages | GamesBeat ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Sui Gaming Handheld Targets Steam Deck, Runs PC and Crypto Games | Decrypt.gg Hearthstone' and 'Parallel' Card Game Fans Have Beef—Here's Why | Decrypt.gg Saga launches mainnet with more than 350 Web3 projects | GamesBeat 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 The Ultimate Game Dev's Guide to Working with Content Creators | a16z Games -----

Look at Gaming #379 | 4.09.2024 GM! I'm getting back into the swing of things and here's an original thread that I wrote about my experience playtesting MapleStory Universe. The playtest was for friends and family only so it was a great pleasure for me to had been invited to participate. I anticipated the game to be similar to its web2 counterpart but I was pleasant surprise when it wasn't just a reskin of the current MapleStory with NFTs. My prediction is that MapleStory Universe will reignite the MMORPG genre. The reintroduction of social gameplay and integration of new game economics. MapleStory Universe comprises of the content-rich world of MapleStory + Blockchain Technology + New Dynamic Pricing + New Item Distribution Mechanism. I wrote in detail about the Dynamic Pricing and the Item Distribution Mechanism in my thread. I hope you enjoy and that you see why I'm so dam bullish on MSU. Catch y'all tomorrow. ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Alpha from MapleStory Universe Friends & Family Playtest | thecoreloop 🌊 MARKET 📞 Disney Games expands leadership team to invest further in games | GamesBeat 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Disney Games expands leadership team to invest further in games | GamesBeat ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Xterio and AltLayer Collaborate to Launch Gaming-Oriented Blockchain | Gam3s.gg Alpha from MapleStory Universe Friends & Family Playtest | thecoreloop 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 A decade in Tamriel: Takeaways as Elder Scrolls Online turns ten | GamesIndustry.biz Breakdown of AFK Arena | Brutally Honest #107 -----

Look at Gaming #378 | 4.08.2024 GM! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Today, let's cover UEFN. In 2023, creator payouts hit $320M. But there's trouble in paradise islands. Creators are going after each other — alleging trademark violations, unfair suspensions, "Like" cheating and manipulations. Some creators even went as far as filing Digital Millennium Copyright ACT (DMCA) takedown notices. Creators are blaming Epic for not helping creators protect their creations. But some weaponized these notices by filing bogus claims at competing maps. "Like" Cheating and manipulation is when creators maliciously place in-game action buttons above the favoriting button. This lead players to favorite the map, thus increasing the map's ranking. The result of staying on top of the discovery funnel is worth $15M in revenue for some games. When Epic is given notice of a DMCA notice, it automatically removes the game. This action completely destroys the game's discoverability with the algorithm. These copyright / IP issues extends beyond Epic Games and involves UGC as a whole. From simple cosmetic items to more robust mods like game types, we need better practices in place to foster innovation without encouraging malicious anti-competitive tactics. Hope everyone has a good start to their week! ----- ⚡️ Spotlight 🤩 Epic Games faces complaints of UEFN DMCA takedown manipulation and ‘like cheating | GamesBeat 🌊 MARKET 📞 Epic Games faces complaints of UEFN DMCA takedown manipulation and ‘like cheating | GamesBeat Ten years later, Facebook’s Oculus acquisition hasn’t changed the world as expected | TechCrunch Jackbox Games creates successes by creating memories | GamesBeat Helldivers 2 launch on par with big games like Modern Warfare II and Apex Legends | GamesBeat We're in the era of the perennial game: plan accordingly | GamesIndustry.biz 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Esports Questions: Where's My #$@%ing Money? | The Fudge Retort Accessibility in Gaming: “We All Win” | Konvoy Ventures Mobile Games in 2024 | SensorTower 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Apple allows retro game emulators on App Store | GamesIndustry.biz ✨ Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌐 Federal Watchdog Takes Aim at Crypto Gaming | Decrypt.gg GAM3S.GG and Immutable Partner to Expand Web3 Gaming | Gam3s.gg 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 The accidental, inimitable success of Monument Valle | GamesIndustry.biz 💲 Fundraising 🤑 Raiinmaker Secures $7.5 Million for AI Training Tools | Gam3s.gg Today Raises $5 Million for Web3 Game with AI NPCs | Gam3s.gg -----

Look at Gaming #377 | 4.04.2024 GM! NewZoo is a trusted data provider for the gaming space. The 2023 Global Gamer Study reported that out of the total online population, 72% of women play video games. What's more jarring is that out of the population that says they play video games, nearly half (45%) were women, half of which are PAYING users. Women are absolutely and unequivocally no longer a small "niche" in the gaming space. This is particularly important for mobile game studios because about 44% of female gamers play strictly on mobile. But as expected female mobile players prefer casual titles. For the more core female gamers, we must look at the Console and PC platforms, where there seems to be an even split across the three categories of genres (casual, midcore, core). This is fantastic news as the "gamer" demographic is expanding, which means brands are more willing to invest in products targeting gamers and marketeres are more likely to spend on gamer-focused ads. In other news, check out Voldex purchasing another Roblox game in a multi-million dollar deal, a team of PhD from MIT created AI agent companions to play Minecraft with you, and a must-read interview with SuperJoost founder on data in the games industry. Drop a gg fams! Miss ya! ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 72% of women play video games with half of female players being payers | PGBiz 🌊 MARKET 📞 Voldex snaps up Ultimate Football | GamesIndustry.biz Lara Croft crowned the most iconic video game character of all time | BAFTA Judge allows Roblox illegal gambling suit to proceed | The Verge 72% of women play video games with half of female players being payers | PGBiz Meet the Team Bringing AI Agents to Minecraft | a16z Games 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Why older games rule - and new games drool - in Discoveryland | GameDiscoverCo How data can help you understand the game industry | Joost Van Dreunen interview The big economy of small advertisers | MobileDevMemo ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Coachella Launching Avalanche NFT Quests Game at Music Festival | Decrypt.co 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 Godot vs. Unity: All You Need To Know | Kevuru Games 💲 Fundraising 🤑 Bitkraft Ventures unveils new $275m fund | GamesIndustry.biz -----

👋 Web3 Gaming Recap — April 1 to 3 💎 Gaming Spotlight 🥜 • Parallel launched Open Beta Season 2 which includes patch update 0.28 featuring a new Battle Pass, brand new game mode and several additional bug fixes. — See More 🔄 Gaming Updates • Crypto Unicorns — 7 step migration plan to XAI • Mahjong Meta — Riot of Cherry Blossoms Event (April 1 - 28) • Lumiterra — Genesis Mystery Box moved to OKX NFT Marketplace • Palio — Launched Palio Odyssey, earned points swappable for Xterio Ecosystem Airdrop • Guild of Guardians — Web3 Read Only Test Launch (April 3) • Gomble Games — Airdrop Alliance Level 3 (April 2 - 25) • Matr1x — $FIRE Unlock (April 7) • HYCHAIN — Guardian Node Software v0.0.01 release • Nyan Heroes — End of Airdrop & Pre-Alpha Demo (April 9) • Balthazar DAO — $BZR Airdrop & Ordinal Migration • Pegaxy — Blaze now available on iOS / Android • METALCORE — Closed Beta 2 (April 9) • Webaverse — Moemate Update • My Pet Hooligan — Early Access Update • Planet Mojo — Play To Airdrop (April 4 - 12) • Saga — SSC Testnet V1 & Pegasus Testnet V1 Deprecated • Thetan World — $THC to $THG Conversion • MEGAWEAPON — Opening testing to general community • Spellborne — Season 1 Build Complete 🔖 Gaming Reads • Payton — Marketing & Distribution in Web3 • Madotsuki — The messy system of Pokemon bridging and crypto's potential in solving game interoperability & asset preservation ▶️ Gaming Watch/Listens • Naavik — Guild of Guardians on Immutable + Web3 Pulsecheck 💸 Gaming Fundraising • 7 Digital Labs — Raised $4m seed funding for Hero-Shooter game BloodLoop 🆕 Gaming Projects • VectorShift • First Light Games • Ronin Launchpad • Verse Foundation • Pirate Battle • OPEN • Play AI hope helpful wuwu 😆💞 — https://t.me/thecoreloopweb3

Look at Gaming #376 | 4.03.2024 GM everyone! I am BACK from leave. Yours truly is a new father so thank you for your patience! Let's get back in it. Today's headline that caught my attention is about Discord's new questing platform. This is notable because there are numerous web3 projects that are basically glorified questing platforms so Discord's new product feature is highly competitive. This particular Discord quest involves The Finals, which is a F2P FPS game. The users have to stream themselves playing the game to friends in their Discord server for 15 mins. Players are rewarded with the Skill Issue set, includes virtual rewards such as a Beanie with Headphones, Skill Issue Sneakers, Skill Issue Blackout Tattoo, Skill Issue Slacks, Skill Issue Tank, and Attention Grabbers Sticker. This initiative is part of a collaboration with Embark Studios to celebrate the latest updates to The Finals, including new modes, maps, abilities, weapons, and gadgets. Using quests to activate or push live ops and rewarding users with cosmetics is good but these are just surface level interactions with the questing platform. I envision Discord quests growing into a massive second-screen experience for these game studios. Mini games or lite-versions of the game could be played on Discord as part of their questing campaign and it may start as a campaign then scale into a permanent fixture in the game design. There's ONE web3 game/infra project that's tackling User Acquisition/Activation this way. Drop a gg in the comments and I'll share it. Catch y'all tomorrow! ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Discord users can get Skill Issue in The Finals game by completing a quest | GamesBeat 🌊 MARKET 📞 FTC denies facial age estimation as verification tactic | GamesIndustry.biz PC and console market grew 2.6% in 2023, but playtime hours fell | Newzoo Embracer CEO says restructuring is over, no other studios for sale | GamesIndustry.biz 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Supercell explains Brawl Stars’ big comeback, from an all-time low to 8.8x revenue | MobileGamer.biz Supermarket Simulator: Best Streaming Debut of All Simulator Games | Stream Hatchet The meaning of the massive success of Scopely’s Monopoly Go | GamesBeat 32% of mobile gamers plan to spend less on in-app purchases in 2024 | Mistplay 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Discord users can get Skill Issue in The Finals game by completing a quest | GamesBeat Gaming social platform Discord set to embrace ads for revenue boost | PGBiz ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Azuki Chooses Arbitrum for Anime-Focused Project AnimeChain | Decrypt.gg 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📘 Playable ads make the biggest splash in gaming apps | Liftoff The Backend Jungle: A Short Guide for Game Executives | Deconstructor of Fun 💲 Fundraising 🤑 A16Z Games commits $75M to accelerator program for early game startups | GameDeveloper Ludus Ventures invests $1M in Turkish studio Midas Games | PGBiz BloodLoop Raises $4M to Fuel Blockchain Hero-Shooter | Gam3s.gg XION Raises $25M Funding to Drive Web3 Mass Adoption | Gam3s.gg Laton Ventures Launches $35M Global Gaming VC Fund | Gam3s.gg Wargaming co-founder launches $50 million investment fund Mika Games to support mobile studios | PGBiz Lil Snack raises $3.1M for snackable games built by devs with AI tools | GamesBeat Helika Launches $50 Million Crypto Gaming Accelerator | Gam3s.gg Shifty Eye Games raises $580K and appoints gaming luminaries as advisers | GamesBeat ---- Drop a gg!

👋 Web3 Gaming Recap — March 8 to 10 💎 Gaming Spotlight 🥜 • Sipher launches Open Alpha starting with US, Brazil, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Argentina, Venezuela, & India. Progress, achievements & earned items will carry over to global launch — See More 🔄 Gaming Updates • Spellborne — Released Feb Developer Update • Axie Infinity — Classic guilds are now live • Guild of Guardians — NFT Migration to Immutable zkEVM • Shrapnel — Token Unlock Schedule Revision (April 2024 unlock reduced by 75%) • Mystery Society — Released new playtest • Illuvium — Released Feb 2024 Governance Newsletter • Everseed — Launched Season 2 • Kuroro Beasts — $KURO airdrop extended (7% of supply to be distributed) • Soba — Launched Open Beta • SkyArk Chronicles — Opened staking • Crypto Unicorns — 3.1.2 Tuning Update • Pegaxy — Released Pre-registration (March 8 - 22) • ZTX — Genesis Home NFTs are now integrated into ZTX Beta • Decentral Games — Blast Deposits are now LIVE • Parallel — Closed Beta S7 Card / Cosmetic Claims are extended • Planet Mojo — Announced Gogo Mojo, a new interoperable • Block Games — Integrating Ronin into their player network ecosystem • Holdara — Released new Dev Blog • Bitcraft — Released gameplay reveal trailer & alpha sign-up form (Alpha starts April 2) • Worldwide Webb — Revealed 2024 Roadmap • XTREMEVERSE — DN404 Anime Gaming NFT Collection Minted out • Aavegotchi — Gotchiverse Roadmap 🔖 Gaming Reads • Sparkcsays (Wolves DAO) — How to Not Fuck Up in Web 3: From Traditional Gaming to Crypto • John Patten (Treasure DAO) — Why blockchain games are able to blow up • Jonah Blake (Real Third Web) — Crypto gaming on mobile will take over • Vader Research — Pixelmon Analysis ▶️ Gaming Watch/Listens • Animoca Brands — How Imaginary Ones is Creating Global IP Through Web3 • All Chat — Spatial Computing Today (How it compares to Meta, experience developing for iOS & challenges of investing in the space) 🆕 Gaming Projects • Rebel Cars • Play AI hope helpful wuwu 😆💞 — https://t.me/thecoreloopweb3

GM everyone! Wanted to wish everyone a great start to your guys' week! I'm taking some time off the next two weeks for personal reasons. (Don't worry it's good news!!). So please excuse the delay in Web2 Daily Lag coverage. But the Web3 Gaming Recap will keep on going! Talk to you guys again soon ❤️ ❤️

👋 Web3 Gaming Recap — March 4 💎 Gaming Spotlight 🥜 • Tatsumeeko launched their Web Event, Uncharted Dream allowing users to start playing & earning points — See More 🔄 Gaming Updates • Battle Bears — Leaving Ronin • Tokyo Beast — Released BASE prototype site • Osiris Metaverse — Alpha signup form • Kuroro Beasts — New Airdrop Quest • Decentral Games — $BAG now tradable on $BLAST L2 • Holdara — Released new DevBlog • Aradena — Shared 2024 Roadmap ($AG to be delisted and new ecosystem token launched) • Fusionist — Endurance Mainnet Upgrade (March 4, 2:00 UTC) • Fusionist — Announced Prime Ace (ERC 404 NFT collection to be launched on Endurance launchpad) • Sipher — Open Alpha launch (March 8) • Wilder World — Released DOMINO roadmap • StepN — Updated Whitepaper • Axie Infinity — Guilds will be introduced to Axie Classic this month (Phase 1 - March 7, Phase 2 EOM) • Gomble Games — Mystery Marbles are claimable at all times • Matr1x Fire — Approved on iOS App Store • Nine Chronicles — Monster Collection now available on mobile • Paradise Tycoon — Now has multiplayer • Tabi Chain — Released Testnet 🔖 Gaming Reads • Nyan Heroes — Why Nekovia Codes are so valuable • Sebastian Park (BITKRAFT) — How to solve the issue of games getting killed by liveops • Joakim (F4 Fund) — The right direction for gaming startups in 2024 • Robin Guo (a16z) — What we look for to find games that stand out during playtests • Vader Research — How Portal Founders are Marketing Geniuses • Jihoz (Axie) — Returning to Axie's core development features to ensure Homeland becomes a more engaging & community-focused experience ▶️ Gaming Watch/Listens • Blockchain Gaming World — Gaming on cross-chain L1 Moonbeam • Gamecraft — Distribution & why its so important to how video game businesses function 💸 Gaming Fundraising • ChronoForge — Announced their $3m Strategic Round 🆕 Gaming Projects • JinAnomaly • Nim Network (Formerly MatchboxDAO) • Tabi • Gold • CropXYZ • World Engine • DUPER hope helpful wuwu 😆💞 — https://t.me/thecoreloopweb3

Look at Gaming #375 | 2.28.2024 GM! Hope everyone is getting through the week alright. Normally, I don't cover news about game updates but this is special — or should I say these are. The Pokémon Company commemorated Pokémon Day by unveiling updates for all five of its active mobile games. First, I didn't realize there were five Pokemon-IP-related mobile games. I mean, I knew they existed but never recognized them as a part of an ecosystem. This is another example of an IP turning into a platform. The notable part is how these games and applications differ while still being under the same IP umbrella. The diversity of having content from the AR/geolocation game Pokémon Go to the health/wellness app Pokémon Sleep, is a great case study for big IP holders. Pokémon Go is introducing tie-ins with the Pokémon Horizons anime series, featuring a new Pikachu with unique battle abilities and AR features showcasing characters Liko and Roy. Meanwhile, Pokémon Unite is adding new creatures from the Scarlet and Violet games, along with a minigame and Prize Machine Event for players. In Pokémon Café ReMix, players can expect to see Scarlet’s mascot Koraidon and earn Gimmighoul Coins through completing puzzles. Pokémon Sleep is receiving updates with log-in bonuses and the debut of legendary Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune from the Gold and Silver games. Additionally, Pokémon Masters EX is celebrating its 4.5 year anniversary with the release of Champion Silver and Tyranitar, as well as limited releases of other characters. Furthermore, a new mobile game titled Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is set to launch in 2024, aiming to digitize the popular card game with features such as collecting, trading, and battling. I'm looking forward to seeing if this is just a surface-level one-time coordination or if it would be the spark of an integrated ecosystem. PS. Hoyoverse is another good example of multiple games and categories of app stemming from IP, granted it's not all under one IP. That's it for today, catch y'all tmrw! ----- ⚡ Spotlight 🤩 Pokémon’s power in full force as five big mobile games align for updates | PGBiz 🌊 MARKET 📞 Cloud Imperium reportedly hit with layoffs | GamesIndustry.biz Game M&A hit $11.8B in 2023, lowest since 2019 | Quantum Tech Partners Google DeepMind Unveils AI ‘Genie’ to Instantly Conjure Playable Games | Decrypt.gg Shorooq Partners: State of the Gaming Market in MENAP and globally in Q4 2023 | GameDev Reports ESL Faceit Group lays off 15% of staff 2 years after $1.5B merger | GamesBeat Playtika earmarks up to $1.2bn for mergers and acquisitions | GamesIndustry.biz 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 Reddit advertising and the limitations of contextual targeting | MobileDevMemo Digital Turbine: mobile game ads can have more impact than social ads | GamesBeat The VGHF built an archive of gaming history — and is making it available online | The Verge 🌈 Platforms 🏠 Pokémon’s power in full force as five big mobile games align for updates | PGBiz Fortnite continues to expand with two new Lego games | The Verge ✨ Web 3⃣ + Meta 🌐 Parallel Studios Launches Open Beta for TCG Parallel | Gam3s.gg 💲 Fundraising 🤑 Scuti raises $10M to boost rewards for gamers | GamesBeat PlayMakers Secures $1.5 Million for User-Generated Content in Games | Gam3s.gg 👾 Game & Stats Releases 📊 OnePlus partners with Hoyoverse on Genshin Impact phone | GamesBeat ----- Drop a gg!

Look at Gaming #374 | 2.27.2024 GM! Today I want to highlight a blog from Deconstructor of Fun that discusses the discusses the potential decline of mobile gaming, drawing parallels with the decline of Facebook games in 2012. It highlights key market trends, including a slowdown in revenue growth and a decrease in the number of game launches. The rise of apps as essential services and the competition for user attention are identified as challenges for the mobile gaming industry. The worst-case scenario is outlined, where platforms like Apple App Store and Google Play Store prioritize apps over games and restrict distribution channels for games, similar to what happened with Facebook games. Here are some headwinds: • Ad monetization shift away from waterfall model by Google Ads as early as January 2024 • Historical data may become obsolete, requiring reassessment of partners and updating LTV calculations • New consent requirements affecting Google publisher products and Ads demand • Fingerprinting removal impending, posing additional challenge to performance marketing • Difficulty in obtaining big advertising budgets • Shorter payback periods and increasing ROAS targets add pressure on marketing efforts So mobile gaming may be approaching its ending arc as the platform's revenues account for more than half of all global gaming revenue. In light of these challenges, it's more important than ever to retain the players. So check out this other article talking about omnichannel messaging. How getting gamers to opt into email, Discords, and even SMS, could drastically improve retention and reactivation. That's it for today! See y'all tomorrow. ----- 🔦 Spotlight 🌟 How Mobile Gaming Could Come to an End | Deconstructor of Fun 🌊 MARKET ☎️ Unity shares fall 18% despite revenue growth to $2.2 billion in 2023 | PGBiz Playtika earmarks up to $1.2bn for M&A as it halts sale search | MobileGamer.biz data.ai: Mobile Gaming Market in 2024 | GameDev Reports 💎 Deep Dives 🔎 How Mobile Gaming Could Come to an End | Deconstructor of Fun 🌈 Platforms 🏔 Game devs say Apple Arcade payouts have been on the decline for years | GamesIndustry.biz ✨ Web 3️⃣ + Meta 🌎 Forge adds support for Avalanche, Immutable and other protocols | GamesBeat 🧠 Knowledge Hub 📚 Dear Tester, this is how you can help us be innovative | GameDeveloper How to generate lasting player loyalty with omnichannel messaging | PGBiz Where's the squeeze, if more games 'succeed' on PC? | GameDiscoverCo 💰 Fundraising 🧧 Ex-Homa staff raise $1.5 million for UGC platform PlayMakers | PGBiz Avail Raises $27 Million for Web3 Infrastructure | Gam3s.gg 👾 Game & Stats Releases 🎮 Nvidia’s free-tier GeForce Now will soon show ads while you’re waiting to play | The Verge Balatro grossed $1m in eight hours | GamesIndustry.biz ----- Drop a gg!