August
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Documents about August
Mobile Game Market Review: August 2021
The mobile gaming landscape in August 2021 was defined by a strategic shift toward sophisticated live operations and high-profile intellectual property collaborations.
- In the US market, Project Makeover introduced a Battle Pass with a premium tier that removes 5-hour wait timers for challenge progression, incentivizing monetization through time-gating.
- New mobile titles saw significant traction in August 2021, with Marvel Future Revolution debuting in the top 30 grossing US charts and NetEase’s Infinite Lagrange entering the top 20 grossing in China.
- Collaboration events remain a primary engagement strategy, exemplified by PUBG Mobile’s Tesla partnership, Roblox’s physical-to-digital Nerf gun integration, and various anime-themed events in the Japanese market.
Shooter Genre Snapshot: September 2021
The mobile shooter genre in the United States iOS market currently occupies the sixth-largest position by revenue, accounting for approximately 6% of total market earnings.
- The shooter genre on US iOS is highly concentrated, with the 'Big Three'—Garena Free Fire, Call of Duty: Mobile, and PUBG Mobile—collectively generating over 84% of total genre revenue.
- Garena Free Fire experienced significant growth in 2021, doubling its iOS revenue and capturing approximately 30% of the market share to rival Call of Duty: Mobile for the top position as of Q2 2021.
- The shooter genre accounts for roughly 6% of total US iOS revenue, currently ranking as the platform's 6th largest mobile genre.
What Drives Success in 4X Strategy/SLG Games: Part 2
This analysis explores the primary drivers of success for 4X strategy and simulation (SLG) games, focusing on social engagement, retention mechanics, audiovisual design, and monetization strategies.
- Social features, particularly guild systems, are critical to 4X success by providing mutual assistance, shared goals like 'Kingdom vs. Kingdom' events, and defensive benefits that incentivize long-term player retention.
- Successful 4X games maintain player engagement through a constant stream of recurring and non-recurring live events, such as 5v5 PvP modes, which provide diverse activities beyond traditional base-building.
- Modern 4X titles are shifting from traditional grim 2D aesthetics toward more colorful, high-fidelity art styles and improved user interfaces to increase accessibility for a broader, non-hardcore audience.
Does Imgur Still Work?
This analysis evaluates the declining efficacy of Imgur as a marketing channel for independent video games.
- Imgur has significantly declined as a marketing channel for indie games, with data from April 2020 to August 2021 showing a clear downward trend in both 'most viral' placements and total view counts.
- The Imgur algorithm requires a post to reach 100 upvotes within four hours to achieve 'most viral' status, which typically results in 1,000+ upvotes; otherwise, posts generally fail to gain traction.
- Successful Imgur posts are now rare and primarily limited to high-production-value 3D games or major marketing beats, such as launch date announcements or 'I quit my job' personal narratives.
Current Report No. 41/2021
The executive leadership of PCF Group S.A. issued a formal notification on August 30, 2021, regarding a correction to a previous disclosure involving the acquisition of company shares by a high-ranking official.
- PCF Group S.A. issued a formal correction on August 30, 2021, regarding a previous August 18, 2021, disclosure concerning share acquisitions by the President of the Management Board.
- The amendment was filed to ensure compliance with Article 19, Paragraph 3 of the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), which mandates transparency for financial transactions by managerial personnel.
- The President of the Management Board increased their equity position in PCF Group S.A. during the third quarter of 2021.
Raport Bieżący Nr 42/2021
The executive leadership of PCF Group S.A. disclosed a series of insider trading activities involving the acquisition of company shares by the President of the Management Board.
- The President of the Management Board of PCF Group S.A. increased their personal equity stake in the company through a series of share acquisitions.
- The insider trading transactions occurred over a three-day period in late August 2021, specifically on August 26, August 27, and August 30.
- PCF Group S.A. issued this disclosure to comply with Article 19, Paragraph 3 of the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) regarding transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities.
Raport Bieżący Nr 40/2021
On August 29, 2021, PCF Group S.A. entered into a strategic investment agreement with London-based Square Enix Limited regarding the issuance of subscription warrants.
- PCF Group S.A. and Square Enix Limited formalized a long-term strategic partnership in August 2021, allowing the publisher to acquire equity in the developer based on commercial performance.
- The agreement grants Square Enix the right to acquire up to 1,555,922 Series C shares, representing approximately 1.8% of PCF Group’s total share capital.
- Warrants are issued in six tranches valued at 4.5 million PLN each, triggered every time PCF Group generates 45 million PLN in revenue from Square Enix projects like Outriders and Project Gemini.
We're Having a Total War With Pathfinder?
This market analysis examines the performance and anticipation of premium PC and console games during late August 2021.
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous entered its late August 2021 launch week with 250,000 to 300,000 wishlists and a #33 Hype ranking, highlighting strong demand for deep fantasy CRPGs.
- Aliens: Fireteam Elite led Steam global top sellers with 15,000 peak concurrent users, while Psychonauts 2 achieved 7,000 peak concurrent users despite being available day-one on Xbox Game Pass.
- A Total War Saga: Troy transitioned to Steam following a successful Epic Games Store promotion that saw 7.5 million redemptions.
Creator of Horror Game Summer of ’58 Leaves Games Industry Due to Steam Refund Policy
The independent developer behind the horror title Summer of ’58, Aleksandr Reshetnikov of Emika Games, announced an indefinite hiatus from game development in August 2021.
- Aleksandr Reshetnikov of Emika Games announced an indefinite retirement from game development due to financial losses caused by Steam’s refund policy.
- Steam’s policy allows users to refund games if they have played for less than two hours, which negatively impacts short-form games like the 90-minute horror title Summer of ’58.
- Despite receiving positive reviews, the developer reported that many players completed the entire game and then requested a refund, preventing the studio from generating sufficient revenue to fund future projects.
Everywhere
This analysis examines the state of the video game industry as of August 2021, focusing on the centralization of influence, shifting release schedules, and significant corporate developments.
- Apple settled a 2019 class-action lawsuit allowing developers to communicate alternative payment methods to users via email, bypassing the standard 30% App Store commission for those transactions.
- Geoff Keighley has achieved significant industry centralization by managing major events including E3 Judges Week, the Game Critics Awards, The Game Awards, and headline roles at Gamescom.
- The first quarter of 2022 is heavily congested with major releases, including Horizon Forbidden West, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Sifu, and Saints Row all debuting within a single week in February.
GDev Form 20-F: FY 2021
Nexters Inc. transitioned into a publicly traded entity on August 26, 2021, following a strategic business combination with Kismet Acquisition One Corp and Nexters Global Ltd.
- Nexters Inc. completed a business combination on August 26, 2021, resulting in its ordinary shares and warrants being listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols GDEV and GDEVW.
- The transaction involved a $50 million private placement (PIPE) of 5,000,000 ordinary shares at $10.00 per share to institutional investors.
- As of the August 26, 2021 closing date, Nexters Inc. had 196,523,101 ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
Undead: Live-Service Game Analysis
The proliferation of live-service games is fundamentally altering the nature of major industry events and consumer expectations.
- Live-service games are increasingly dominating major industry showcases, often at the expense of new announcements, which risks alienating audiences seeking fresh content.
- Microsoft is expanding its xCloud streaming service to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles by the end of 2021, with over 100 titles available at launch.
- California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has expanded its lawsuit against Activision Blizzard to include testimony from temporary workers and allegations of document destruction.