2015
Company
Documents about 2015
Essential Video Game News: Market, Consumption, Uses (October 2016)
The French video game market demonstrated robust growth and significant cultural integration as of October 2016.
- By 2016, the French video game market reached a valuation of 3.4 billion euros following a decade of consistent growth.
- The gamer population expanded to include 70 percent of the French public, with the average player age surpassing 30 and gender parity becoming a defining demographic characteristic.
- The industry established a formal professional framework for competitive gaming through the creation of the France eSports association.
Best Fiends developer Seriously on the evolution of a mobile brand
Seriously, the developer behind the mobile game Best Fiends, employs a brand-centric marketing strategy that prioritizes influencer partnerships to build long-term intellectual property.
- Seriously scaled Best Fiends to over 35 million downloads and 2.1 million daily active users by 2016 by prioritizing long-term brand building over traditional performance-based user acquisition.
- The developer leverages influencer partnerships with a collective reach of over 150 million YouTube subscribers to drive both immediate download spikes and long-term organic user retention.
- Marketing campaigns are designed to integrate game content directly into influencer-led programming, such as the 'Race Against Slime' charity event and 'Mobile Egg Hunt', to maintain audience authenticity.
Libro Blanco del Desarrollo Español de Videojuegos 2016
The "Libro Blanco del Desarrollo Español de Videojuegos 2016" (White Paper on Spanish Video Game Development 2016) details the presentation and media impact of its findings on the Spanish video game industry.
- The Spanish video game industry generated 510 million euros in revenue in 2015, marking a 24% year-over-year increase with projections to reach 1.14 billion euros by 2019.
- The sector supported nearly 8,000 jobs in 2015, establishing itself as a significant contributor to national employment.
- The industry is highly atomized, with 71% of companies employing fewer than 10 people and a significant portion of these firms reporting zero revenue.
White Paper on Video Game Development in Spain: 2016
The "White Paper on Video Game Development in Spain 2016" provides a comprehensive overview of the Spanish video game industry, highlighting its growth, economic impact, and future potential.
- The Spanish video game industry generated 510.7 million euros in 2015, representing a 24% year-over-year growth with projections to reach 1.14 billion euros by 2019.
- As of 2016, there were 480 active development companies in Spain, a 20% increase from the previous year, with 85% of these firms established within the last decade.
- Direct employment in the sector grew by 32% to 4,460 professionals, yet 55% of companies report significant difficulties in recruiting appropriately skilled staff.
Gardenscapes: A Case Study in Incremental Growth
Playrix's Gardenscapes – New Acres, a Match 3 and city-building hybrid released globally on August 25, 2016, serves as a case study challenging the claim that incremental growth is dead in a mobile market dominated by paid user acquisition.
- Playrix’s Gardenscapes achieved a Top 50 Grossing position on the US iPhone charts without relying on high-volume user acquisition or a top-tier download ranking.
- The game demonstrated that strong retention metrics can drive significant revenue growth, allowing for success without competing directly with larger, better-funded rivals on marketing spend.
- Data from September 2015 to August 2016 shows that only 21% of the 175 apps that reached a Top 50 Grossing position also spent time in the Top 50 Downloaded chart, highlighting that high download volume is not a prerequisite for sustained financial performance.
How Rovio spent five years making The Angry Birds Movie
The Angry Birds Movie represents a significant milestone in Rovio’s strategy to expand its intellectual property beyond mobile gaming.
- Rovio successfully transitioned its business model from premium games to a free-to-play, service-oriented approach between 2014 and 2015.
- The Angry Birds Movie, developed over five years with expertise from Marvel Studios veterans, opened at number one in 52 countries and became the third-highest-grossing imported animated film in China at the time.
- The company now utilizes a data-driven strategy for live operations, prioritizing key performance indicators and rigorous soft-launch processes to refine gameplay before global releases.
Bandai Namco Group Annual Report 2016
Bandai Namco Holdings presented its FY 2015-16 performance to underscore an IP-centric growth model that integrates toys, network entertainment and visual-music production across global markets.
- Bandai Namco recorded ¥575.5 billion in net sales for FY 2015-16, a 1.8% year-on-year increase, while operating income declined by 8% to ¥49.6 billion.
- The Network Entertainment segment was the primary revenue driver at ¥320.9 billion, followed by Toys & Hobby at ¥206.4 billion and Visual-Music at ¥52.0 billion.
- The company’s 'IP axis' strategy relies on core franchises including Mobile Suit Gundam, Dragon Ball, Super Sentai, and Yo-kai Watch to integrate toys, network entertainment, and media production.
IGG Interim Report: August 2016
IGG Inc.’s interim report for the first half of 2016 outlines the company’s financial performance and strategic trajectory as a global mobile gaming developer and operator.
- IGG generated $126 million in revenue for the first half of 2016, representing a 21.4% increase over the same period in 2015.
- Mobile games now account for 97% of total revenue, confirming the company's successful transition to a mobile-first business model.
- The legacy title Castle Clash remains the primary revenue driver, contributing 56% of total income, while the new title Lords Mobile accounted for 14% by mid-2016.
Will mobile eSports be a hit? Twitch and Super Evil Megacorp discuss
This discussion from the 2016 Pocket Gamer Connects conference explores the emergence and rapid professionalization of mobile esports, specifically focusing on the partnership between the streaming platform Twitch and Super Evil Megacorp, the developer of the mobile MOBA Vainglory.
- The massive disparity between the 3 billion mobile device install base and the 800 million PC install base makes the expansion of mobile esports an inevitable industry trajectory.
- Mobile content viewership is a significant driver for Twitch, accounting for 38% of total traffic and reaching 64 million unique users.
- In 2015, the mobile MOBA Vainglory generated 155 million minutes of watched content on Twitch, with major seasonal championships drawing 1.5 million unique viewers per weekend.
Faith: Investeringar i globala digitala innehållsproducenter
"Faith: Investments in Global Digital Content Producers" examines the critical role of Intellectual Property (IP) in driving investment within the Swedish game industry, particularly between 2015 and 2017.
- Intellectual property is the primary driver of industry transactions, accounting for 68 to 77 percent of all analyzed deals between 2015 and 2017.
- The core value of gaming companies has shifted from technical infrastructure to intangible assets, specifically creative content, brand equity, and proprietary game design.
- Long-term commercial viability for studios now depends on the rigorous legal protection and active management of copyright and trademark assets to prevent cloning and unauthorized distribution.
Stillfront Q2 2016 Presentation
Stillfront Group’s Q2 2016 presentation outlines a growth strategy centered on a diversified portfolio of long-lifecycle games, scalable development engines, and a mix of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
- Stillfront's net revenue for H1 2016 rose 114% versus H1 2015, reaching record levels, with an EBITDA margin of 44.5% excluding investments.
- By Q2 2016 the company had doubled its core brand portfolio to six, which it credits with improving profitability and reducing risk.
- Its central thesis is that a diversified portfolio of long-lifecycle games, built on scalable development engines, low marginal costs and cross-platform capability, stabilizes revenue while capturing high-margin growth.
CD PROJEKT Capital Group Financial Results: H1 2016
The CD PROJEKT Capital Group’s financial results for the first half of 2016 demonstrate a period of sustained profitability and strategic expansion following the success of The Witcher franchise.
- CD PROJEKT reported a net profit of 134.68 million PLN for H1 2016, maintaining a strong net profitability margin of 42%.
- The company held 504.32 million PLN in cash and cash equivalents as of mid-2016, providing a stable foundation for the development of Cyberpunk 2077 and Gwent.
- GOG.com generated 69.26 million PLN in sales revenue during the first half of 2016, supported by the integration of additional international currencies.