Engine
Company
Documents about Engine
John DeHart Officially Announces Role at Allstar.gg
John DeHart has officially transitioned into the role of director of business development at Allstar.gg, a New York City-based cloud-based content creation platform.
- John DeHart has been appointed as the director of business development for the cloud-based content creation platform Allstar.gg, having served in the role in a stealth capacity since October 2023.
- Allstar.gg recently secured $12 million in a Series A funding round led by the venture capital firm Drive Capital.
- Since its inception in 2018, Allstar.gg has raised a total of $18 million from investors including Mark Cuban, Studio VC, J-Ventures, and Overwolf.
Garena's Black Clover M Bursts to #1 WW Downloads
Garena’s mobile title, Black Clover M, achieved significant market penetration immediately following its global launch on November 29 and 30, 2023.
- Garena's 'Black Clover M' achieved #1 in worldwide downloads during its first week of global release (Nov 29/30, 2023), reaching 16 million downloads and approximately $3 million in net revenue.
- Brazil is the leading market for 'Black Clover M' downloads, generating nearly three times the volume of the United States, which ranks second.
- Developed by VIC Game Studios using Unreal Engine 4, 'Black Clover M' reflects a broader industry trend of Korean developers prioritizing high-fidelity graphics over support for lower-end devices.
How This Solo-Dev Incremental Game Hit 100k+ Sales
The emergence of niche breakout hits and shifting developer sentiments define the current landscape of the PC and console gaming markets.
- The incremental strategy game 'Gnorp Apologue' sold over 120,000 units in its first month despite launching with only 1,700 wishlists, driven by YouTube coverage and Steam's discovery algorithms.
- The industry is experiencing a polarization where mid-market titles struggle to compete, leading analysts to predict a wave of studio and publisher closures in 2024 following 2023's widespread layoffs.
- PC remains the primary development platform for 66% of professionals, while the engine market is split evenly between Unity and Unreal Engine at 33% each, with one-third of developers considering switching engines due to recent controversies.
Plus: ARK Survival Ascended's Stealth Drop Surprise
This analysis examines the performance of recent video game releases on Steam and other major platforms during late October 2023.
- Cities: Skylines II debuted with 105,000 concurrent users (CCU) but received 'Mixed' reviews due to severe optimization and frame-rate issues.
- ARK: Survival Ascended launched with 62,000 CCU, but faced a 42% positive review rating driven by technical performance complaints and a controversial exclusive server hosting deal with Nitrado.
- The co-op shooter Ripout underperformed significantly, failing to convert high wishlist numbers into active players with a peak of only 222 CCU.
AppLovin May Try to Buy Unity Again: Engine Maker’s Shares Fell 40% Since Last Year’s Offer
Market analysts are speculating that AppLovin may revisit a potential acquisition of Unity, driven by significant shifts in the engine maker’s market valuation and leadership.
- Market analysts speculate that AppLovin may renew acquisition efforts for Unity, which is now valued at approximately $11.43 billion, down significantly from the $17.5 billion offer rejected in August 2022.
- Unity’s share price has fallen roughly 40% since the initial 2022 acquisition attempt, driven by developer backlash over new runtime fees and the resignation of CEO John Riccitiello.
- AppLovin has seen its own stock price surge nearly 270% year-to-date, providing it with a stronger financial position to potentially pursue a merger compared to its previous attempt.
Unity Introduces Per-Install Engine Fees
Unity Technologies, the developer of the widely used Unity3D game engine, announced a significant shift in its monetization strategy on September 12, 2023.
- On September 12, 2023, Unity announced the introduction of a new 'Runtime Fee' for developers using its game engine.
- The new pricing model mandates that developers pay a fee based on the number of times a qualifying game is installed by users.
CD Projekt H1 2023 Financial Results
CD Projekt’s financial results for the first half of 2023 reflect a period of transition and significant investment in future development.
- CD Projekt reported H1 2023 revenue of PLN 325.2 million and a net profit of PLN 91.2 million, representing year-over-year declines of 14% and 19.8%, respectively.
- Operational expenditures reached PLN 160 million, primarily driven by the final development of the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion and scaling the team for the next Witcher game, Project Polaris.
- Project Polaris is the company's primary development focus, with 260 developers assigned to the project as of July 2023 and a strategic shift toward Unreal Engine 5.
GameSquare Q2 2023 Financial Results
GameSquare’s financial results for the second quarter of 2023 reflect a period of significant transition following the company’s April merger with Engine Gaming.
- GameSquare reported Q2 2023 revenue of $14.23 million, a significant increase from $6.65 million in the same period of 2022.
- The company narrowed its net loss to $4.09 million in Q2 2023, down from a $12.25 million net loss in Q1 2023.
- Management has removed $5 million in annualized operating costs during the quarter and expects to reach a total of $8 million in annualized cost savings by the end of 2023.
Major Layoffs Hit Esports Engine
Esports Engine, a turnkey esports solutions company and subsidiary of Vindex, implemented a significant workforce reduction in July 2023.
- Esports Engine, a subsidiary of Vindex, laid off approximately 65 employees in July 2023.
- Affected employees reported that the layoffs were implemented immediately and without prior warning.
- The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), which is backed by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund, acquired Vindex and its subsidiaries in March 2023.
100 Thieves to Launch Bank Heist for Fortnite
The Los Angeles-based esports organization 100 Thieves expanded its digital footprint in July 2023 by launching a custom game mode titled Bank Heist within the Fortnite ecosystem.
- 100 Thieves is launching a new competitive game mode called 'Bank Heist' for Fortnite on July 11, 2023.
- The 'Bank Heist' mode was built using Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and features original art, environments, and themes developed in-house.
- The project was developed with direct input from 100 Thieves creators, including Matthew 'Nadeshot' Haag, Rachell 'Valkyrae' Hofstetter, and Jack 'CouRage' Dunlop.
Exclusive: Belong Gaming Arenas Ceases U.S. Operations
Belong Gaming Arenas has officially suspended its operations within the United States, resulting in the layoff of a majority of its American workforce.
- Belong Gaming Arenas has officially suspended its U.S. operations and laid off the majority of its domestic staff.
- The company confirmed the shutdown on July 3, 2023, citing a thorough evaluation of its current business operations and strategic alternatives.
- Belong Gaming Arenas was excluded from the March 2023 acquisition of its parent company, Vindex, by the ESL FACEIT Group.
LVMH Partners With Epic Games to Create Digital Experiences
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has entered into a strategic partnership with Epic Games to integrate advanced 3D technology into its luxury brand experiences.
- LVMH has entered a strategic partnership with Epic Games to utilize 3D creation tools, including Unreal Engine 5, Reality Capture, Twinmotion, and MetaHuman technology, for digital customer experiences.
- The collaboration aims to develop virtual fitting rooms, 360-degree product carousels, augmented reality, and digital twins for LVMH brands.
- Louis Vuitton debuted a 'Digital Show Experience' at the 2023 Viva Technology show in Paris, featuring an interactive recreation of its 2023 Fall-Winter Men’s fashion show.