August
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Documents about August
Two & a Half Gamers Session #26: Unpacking Google Ads Disaster and ASA Today
This podcast episode serves as an industry discussion focused on the evolving landscape of mobile user acquisition, game design, and advertising monetization.
- Google has joined the bidder pool for AppLovin’s MAX mediation platform, a move that significantly alters the competitive landscape for publishers managing ad-monetization stacks.
- Apple has introduced new advertising placements within the App Store’s 'Today' tab, creating a new channel for mobile user acquisition.
- Google’s 'Better Ads Experiences' initiative is actively reshaping the Android developer ecosystem by imposing new standards for ad-related user experiences.
Who Are the Top YouTube Influencers for Indie Game Discovery?
Securing influencer coverage is a critical driver for the success of independent video games, as organic reach often spreads through a delicate network of content creators.
- Influencer coverage is the primary driver for indie game commercial success, as demonstrated by the performance of titles like The Mortuary Assistant and PlateUp! in August 2022.
- Developers should prioritize 'streamability' in game design to effectively leverage the four key influencer archetypes: variety streamers, long-term engagement streamers, genre specialists, and emerging diverse content creators.
- To avoid being overshadowed by discounted AAA titles, developers should strategically schedule game launches to avoid dates immediately preceding major Steam seasonal sales.
Blockchain Industry Report: August 2022
This analysis examines the state of the decentralized application (dapp) and blockchain industry during August 2022.
- Daily Unique Active Wallets (UAW) across the blockchain industry fell 14.73% year-over-year to a yearly low of 1.67 million in August 2022.
- The gaming sector remains the primary driver of blockchain activity, accounting for 51% of industry usage with over 847,000 daily UAW.
- Total Value Locked (TVL) in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) contracted by 10.47% to $74.21 billion, impacted by market volatility and U.S. sanctions against Tornado Cash.
June 2022: Monthly Market Update
The June 2022 market update provides an analytical overview of the blockchain gaming sector, characterizing the period as a challenging transition defined by a significant bear market.
- Blockchain gaming is experiencing a significant market downturn, characterized by declining unique active wallets (UAW), volatile NFT transaction volumes, and a slowdown in fundraising as unsustainable play-to-earn models deteriorate.
- Top blockchain games, including Alien Worlds and Splinterlands, saw substantial player churn in June, with Splinterlands experiencing a sharp decline in active wallets following major reward structure changes.
- Casual and puzzle games are emerging as a resilient sub-sector, with Solitaire Blitz debuting in the top five and other titles like Arc8 and Gameta maintaining steady engagement despite broader market weakness.
Free Fire: Bringing Battle Royale to the World
Free Fire, a mobile battle royale title developed by Garena and 111dots, achieved significant global success by prioritizing accessibility and regional localization over the high-end hardware requirements favored by its competitors.
- Free Fire reached 1 billion downloads, becoming the most downloaded battle royale game ever and surpassing PUBG Mobile.
- Garena’s strategy focused on accessibility by optimizing Free Fire to run on low-end smartphones and data-constrained environments where competitors like Fortnite and PUBG could not operate.
- Free Fire serves as the primary profit engine for parent company Sea Limited, with its gaming division generating $715.1 million in adjusted EBITDA in Q3 2021 to subsidize the expansion of the e-commerce unit, Shopee.
Raport Bieżący Nr 18/2022
Square Enix Limited has exercised its right to acquire the fourth tranche of Series A subscription warrants in PCF Group S.A., the parent company of the game development studio People Can Fly.
- Square Enix acquired its fourth tranche of 90,000 subscription warrants in PCF Group S.A. on June 30, 2022, at an issue price of 50 PLN per share.
- The issuance was triggered after PCF Group’s revenue from agreements with Square Enix surpassed the 180 million PLN threshold.
- Square Enix now holds a total of 360,000 warrants, which equates to approximately 1.2% of PCF Group’s total share capital and voting rights.
Current Report No. 15/2022
The Ordinary General Meeting of PCF Group S.A., the Warsaw-based parent company of the People Can Fly development studio, finalized the allocation of its net financial results for the 2021 fiscal year on June 28, 2022.
- PCF Group S.A. allocated 8,086,561.02 PLN of its 2021 net profit for distribution to shareholders.
- The dividend payout is set at 0.27 PLN per share for the 29,950,226 eligible shares.
- Shareholder eligibility for the dividend was determined by the official record date of July 8, 2022.
Uchwała Numer 5/2022 Zarządu PCF Group S.A. w Sprawie Podziału Zysku Spółki za Rok Obrotowy 2021
The Management Board of PCF Group S.A., operating under the People Can Fly brand, formalizes a proposal for the distribution of net profit generated during the 2021 fiscal year.
- PCF Group S.A. reported a total net profit of 41,751,983.35 PLN for the 2021 fiscal year.
- The company will distribute 8,086,561.02 PLN as a dividend to shareholders, amounting to 0.27 PLN per share.
- Approximately 80% of the 2021 net profit, totaling 33,665,422.33 PLN, will be transferred to the company’s supplementary capital to support future operations.
Tencent Employees Facing Mass Layoffs as Latest Lockdowns Affect Chinese Tech Giants' Earnings
The provided text covers two distinct developments regarding Tencent’s operations within the Chinese and global technology sectors.
- In May 2022, Tencent experienced its first period of zero revenue growth in 18 years, leading to widespread layoffs across its cloud, content, and sports divisions.
- Tencent’s 2022 workforce reductions were part of a strategic shift to streamline operations and exit non-core business segments in response to regulatory pressure and COVID-19 lockdowns.
- By August 2026, Tencent shifted to an expansionary strategy, leading an $18 million investment round in W4 Games to scale the Godot engine within Asian markets.
Loot: The Epitome of Composability
The Loot project serves as a case study in decentralized, bottom-up, community-driven development within the blockchain gaming sector.
- The Loot project represents a bottom-up, community-driven approach to blockchain gaming that contrasts with the centralized, VC-funded models of projects like Axie Infinity and The Sandbox.
- Loot assets consist of simple, text-based lists of RPG-style items, with no canonical visual representation, leaving the interpretation and development of the game world entirely to the community.
- The market capitalization for original Loot bags peaked at approximately $293 million on August 6, 2021, before declining to $35 million, representing a nearly 90% loss in value.
PlayStation Acquires Haven Studios Led by Games Industry Veteran Jade Raymond
Sony’s strategic expansion of its internal development capabilities is highlighted by two distinct developments: the 2022 acquisition of Haven Studios and a 2026 legal challenge regarding its digital storefront practices.
- In March 2022, Sony acquired Montreal-based Haven Studios, founded by Jade Raymond, to develop an original AAA multiplayer live-service title for the PlayStation 5.
- The Stop Killing Games initiative has joined a class-action lawsuit filed by the Dutch consumer rights group Stichting Massaschade & Consument against Sony regarding PlayStation Store pricing.
- Plaintiffs allege that Sony artificially inflated digital game prices, resulting in an estimated 435 million euros in consumer overpayments in the Netherlands since 2013.
Shooter Games
Shooter games represent the fifth highest-revenue generating genre globally as of 2022.
- Shooter games are the fifth highest-revenue generating genre globally, maintaining a massive footprint across PC, console, and mobile platforms as of 2022.
- Monetization is heavily driven by microtransactions, with 97% of players engaging in titles that feature in-app purchases.
- The player base is predominantly male (63%) and young, with 38% of players falling within the 10 to 20 age demographic.