August
Company
Documents about August
CD Projekt Valuation and Sales Forecast
Financial analysis from DM BOŚ provides a longitudinal perspective on the market performance and valuation of the Polish game developer CD Projekt.
- Analysts at DM BOŚ projected that the upcoming 'Songs of the Past' expansion for The Witcher 3 will generate approximately $187.9 million (700 million PLN) in revenue during its first 12 months.
- The 'Songs of the Past' expansion is expected to sell 11.4 million copies in its first year, with a projected release by the end of Q1 2027.
- Following the problematic launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2021, DM BOŚ downgraded CD Projekt's share valuation from $117 to $58.
Electronic Arts’ Earnings From Star Wars Games Top $3 Billion
Electronic Arts has undergone a significant corporate transformation, transitioning from a publicly traded entity to a private company following a $55 billion acquisition.
- Electronic Arts has been acquired by an investor group led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a $55 billion deal, marking the largest leveraged buyout in gaming history.
- As part of the acquisition, EA has delisted from the NASDAQ and returned to being a private company after nearly 40 years of public trading.
- The ownership structure of the newly private EA consists of 93.4% held by the PIF, 5.5% by Silver Lake, and 1.1% by Affinity Partners.
Cyberpunk 2077 Had the Biggest Launch Month Ever in Terms of Digital Sales
The release of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020 established a new industry benchmark, achieving the highest digital launch month in history.
- Cyberpunk 2077 achieved the highest digital launch month in history, selling 10.2 million digital copies in December 2020.
- The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was a primary driver for a 40% year-over-year increase in PC digital gaming revenue.
- PC platforms accounted for 80% of Cyberpunk 2077's total digital sales, though it still ranked as the third best-selling console title despite technical issues and its removal from the PlayStation Store.
Silent Hill Creator Teams Up with Other Industry Legends to Form Bokeh Game Studio
Bokeh Game Studio was established in Tokyo on August 13, 2020, by a trio of prominent industry veterans: Keiichiro Toyama, known for his work on the Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush franchises; Junya Okura; and Kazunobu Sato.
- Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill, has founded an independent studio called Bokeh Game Studio alongside former colleagues Junya Okura and Kazunobu Sato.
- The studio was officially established on August 13, 2020, following Toyama's departure from Sony’s Japan Studio.
- The founding team consists of CEO and Creative Director Keiichiro Toyama, COO Kazunobu Sato, and CTO Junya Okura, all of whom previously worked on titles such as Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush.
Gaming Advertising Strategies: PlayStation, Xbox & Nintendo
This analysis examines the digital advertising strategies of PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo during the late 2020 period, a time characterized by increased gaming consumption due to pandemic-related lockdowns and the launch of next-generation hardware.
- Xbox prioritized desktop video advertising, allocating 76% of its $4.3M budget to YouTube to promote the Series X and Game Pass.
- Nintendo spent $5.4M on digital advertising for the Switch, focusing heavily on family-oriented creative and social media, with 61% of its budget directed toward Facebook.
- PlayStation maintained a more conservative spend of $1.2M for PS5-specific ads, focusing 60% of its budget on desktop display advertising and avoiding Facebook and Instagram entirely.
iOS/Android Sales Deep Dive: Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale
This analysis examines the mobile performance of the premium deckbuilding roguelike Meteorfall: Krumit’s Tale following its August 2020 launch on iOS and Android.
- Meteorfall: Krumit’s Tale generated $92,300 in net revenue across iOS and Android within its first two months of release.
- The revenue split favored iOS at 57%, largely driven by prominent Apple App Store editorial featuring that propelled the game to the number two spot in the US Card category.
- Mobile revenue significantly outperformed the game's Steam performance, indicating a strong preference for mobile play among the existing fan base.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide: September 2020
The mobile gaming landscape in September 2020 was defined by the rapid ascent of Among Us, which claimed the top spot globally with 83.8 million installs.
- Among Us was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in September 2020 with 83.8 million installs, representing a 40-fold increase compared to September 2019.
- Among Us experienced a 356% month-on-month growth in downloads, rising from the No. 9 spot in August to No. 1 in September.
- Scribble Rider by Voodoo ranked as the second most installed mobile game globally in September 2020, reaching 22.7 million downloads.
Friday Plus Newsletter: Baldur's Gate 3 Gets 1.0 Huge, Assaults Steam Servers
This analysis examines the commercial performance and market trends of the global video game industry during the first week of August 2023.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 achieved over 570,000 concurrent users on Steam at launch, triggering one of the largest bandwidth spikes in the platform's history due to a 122GB download size.
- The video game market is experiencing a 'hollowing out' of the middle, where consumer interest is concentrated in either massive, high-quality blockbusters or focused, systems-driven indie titles.
- Minimalist indie games priced under $10, such as Thronefall and Pseudoregalia, are successfully capturing market share by prioritizing tight mechanics and 'game feel'.
German Games Market Grows by 27 Per Cent in the First Six Months of 2020
The German games market experienced significant growth during the first half of 2020, driven largely by the social and behavioral shifts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The German games market generated 3.7 billion euros in total revenue during the first half of 2020, representing a 27 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2019.
- Revenue from in-game purchases grew by 35 per cent, rising from approximately 1.1 billion euros in the first half of 2019 to nearly 1.5 billion euros in the first six months of 2020.
- Games hardware revenue in Germany increased by 21 per cent, reaching 1.3 billion euros in the first half of 2020 compared to 1.1 billion euros during the same period in 2019.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide for August 2020: Downloads
The mobile gaming landscape in August 2020 was characterized by high-volume installs led by hyper-casual titles.
- Voodoo’s Scribble Rider was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in August 2020, reaching 44.6 million installs.
- Brain Wash by SayGames secured the second position with approximately 30 million downloads during the same period.
- Among Us experienced a significant surge in popularity, with downloads increasing 661% month-over-month to reach 18.4 million, ranking it ninth globally.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: August 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue growth in August 2020, driven by seasonal trends and the ongoing impact of global pandemic-related lockdowns.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in August 2020, generating $221 million in revenue, a 25.5% increase year-over-year.
- Honor of Kings ranked second globally with $204.8 million in revenue, also achieving 25.5% year-over-year growth, with 95% of its earnings originating from China.
- Fate/Grand Order and Knives Out both reached record-high monthly revenues in August 2020, earning $163 million and $79.5 million respectively.
Sales of Game Apps Grow by 23 Per Cent in the First Six Months of 2020: Germany
The German games industry experienced significant growth in the mobile sector during the first half of 2020, driven largely by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Sales of game apps in Germany grew by 23% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
- Revenue from game apps and in-app purchases reached 1.1 billion euros in the first six months of 2020, marking the first time the sector surpassed the one-billion-euro threshold in a half-year period.
- In-app purchases, primarily driven by free-to-play titles, accounted for nearly all of the total revenue generated by game apps.