Ice
Company
9 documents in the library are about Ice, from writers such as Extra Credits, Game Developers Conference and Deconstructor of Fun. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
Connections
The documents about Ice on the inner ring, the other games and companies they name on the outer one. Select a cover to see it up close and open it in a new tab; drag to move, pinch or Ctrl + scroll to zoom.
Key figures from the reports
The mobile game 'Ice Scream 8' reached #3 in worldwide downloads during the week of December 21, 2023, but exhibited a suspicious download disparity with 3.8 million Google Play installs versus approximately 273,000 on iOS.
GameMakers, 2023 · MarketWire: Ice Scream 8 Success Analysis
The UX redesign resulted in a 300% increase in total event participation for Ice Age Adventures, a mobile title with 5 million daily active users.
Game Developers Conference, 2017 · Ice Age Adventures: UX Diagnosis for a Live-Ops Game, p. 22
Documents about Ice
Surrender
The gaming industry is currently witnessing a significant shift in the identity and strategic direction of Microsoft’s Xbox division.
- Microsoft’s Xbox hardware revenue declined by 29% year-over-year, contributing to a 2% overall decrease in gaming revenue.
- Microsoft is expanding its third-party publishing strategy by bringing a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved to PlayStation 5, signaling a shift away from exclusive console hardware.
- Remedy Entertainment reported a 32% revenue drop and a $16.4 million operating loss, largely attributed to the poor performance of the multiplayer shooter FBC Firebreak.
Funded Companies Announced: UK Games Fund
The UK Games Fund has officially announced the selection of new portfolio companies for Round 17 of its Prototype Fund.
- The UK Games Fund has selected 22 independent studios for Round 17 of its Prototype Fund, providing grants of up to £30,000 per company.
- The program supports the commercial development of original intellectual property, allowing studios to accelerate milestones while retaining full ownership.
- The cohort includes Karno, Nucleolus Software, Observer Interactive, Panda Cat Games, Parable Studios, Paris Media, Party for Introverts, RO Pictures, Secret Level Studios, Silent Games, TurtleFox Games, Wild Man Games, Ant Workshop, Blackstaff Games, Blank Keys, Blue Sight Games, Breaking Change, Bunnyhug, Couchbound Games, Ice BEAM, Infinity Ape, and Jollywise Media.
MarketWire: Ice Scream 8 Success Analysis
The analysis examines the market performance of the mobile title Ice Scream 8, a narrative-driven horror and puzzle game developed by the Spanish studio Keplerians.
- The mobile game 'Ice Scream 8' reached #3 in worldwide downloads during the week of December 21, 2023, but exhibited a suspicious download disparity with 3.8 million Google Play installs versus approximately 273,000 on iOS.
- Netflix’s launch of the 'Grand Theft Auto Trilogy - Definitive Edition' on mobile was highly successful, with 'GTA: San Andreas' reaching the #1 spot for worldwide downloads.
- The mobile gaming market has shifted away from hardcore 4X strategy titles, with current top-revenue charts now dominated by midcore and casual games.
Plus: Here Comes The Day Before, and We're Fascinated!
This analysis examines the state of the global PC and console gaming market during the transition between the 2023 Autumn and Winter sales.
- The Day Before remains a major market focal point with over 255,000 Steam followers despite significant development delays and skepticism.
- Steam's current market landscape is bifurcated between premium niche titles, such as Last Train Home and SteamWorld Build (2,900–4,250 CCU), and low-cost viral hits like HoloParade and My Suika.
- Console markets on PlayStation and Xbox remain dominated by evergreen franchises, specifically EA Sports FC 24, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and NBA 2K24.
2020 Predictions #5: The Clash of Ice and Phasers
The mobile strategy game sector stands as the highest-grossing genre in Western markets, generating approximately $5.5 billion in in-app purchases annually as of early 2020.
- Strategy games are the highest-grossing mobile genre in Western markets, generating $5.5 billion in in-app purchases and growing 25% year-over-year, outpacing puzzle games by nearly $1 billion.
- The 4X sub-genre grew 23% in 2019 to reach $3.2 billion in revenue, driven by new game launches rather than the cannibalization of existing titles.
- Chinese publishers dominate the 4X market, accounting for 76% of all 4X revenue in Western markets despite representing only 7% of the sub-genre's revenue in China.
Ice Age Adventures: UX Diagnosis for a Live-Ops Game
The presentation outlines a UX-driven diagnostic and redesign process for the live-ops game Ice Age Adventures.
- Streamlining the event interface from three drill-down menus to a single view, combined with proactive launch triggers, increased event participation from 20% to 80%.
- The UX redesign resulted in a 300% increase in total event participation for Ice Age Adventures, a mobile title with 5 million daily active users.
- Heuristic diagnosis identified that excessive cognitive load and poor discoverability were the primary drivers behind stagnant event engagement.
The Triple Postmortem - Black Ice, 6180 The Moon, The More You Know (About the Devil)
Independent game development thrives when creators prioritize financial stability and disciplined scoping over the pursuit of industry trends.
- Maintain a day job while developing indie games to ensure financial stability and reduce pressure during the long development cycle.
- Actively identify and reach out to your specific target audience at conventions or online communities, as players will not naturally discover niche titles on their own.
- Establish professional standards and clear expectations with contractors, including firm deadlines, to avoid losing assets or stalling development for years.
Games You Might Not Have Tried - ep 11 - Find New Games - Extra Credits
This analysis highlights a curated selection of underappreciated video games, focusing on titles that offer unique design philosophies, experimental mechanics, or distinct atmospheric qualities.
- Game design innovation often requires prioritizing unique mechanics or atmospheric risks over mainstream polish, even when this leads to unconventional or flawed final products.
- Platform selection significantly impacts user experience, as demonstrated by The Guild of Dungeoneering, which improved its accessibility and flow by transitioning from PC to tablet.
- Niche titles can successfully streamline complex genres by removing secondary elements; for example, Reverse Crawl focuses exclusively on tactical combat by stripping away the exploration typical of the Heroes of Might and Magic formula.
Power Creep in Hearthstone - What It Teaches Us About Games - Extra Credits
Power creep is frequently misunderstood in the context of collectible card games, often being misidentified when developers release cards that are numerically superior to older, underpowered versions.
- True power creep occurs when a card is designed so far above the established power curve that it becomes the new baseline, forcing all future content to compete with that outlier.
- Power creep shrinks the available design space by necessitating a continuous, upward shift in the game's overall power level to keep new content relevant.
- The introduction of a dominant card, such as Hearthstone's Piloted Shredder, forces developers to create specific counters in subsequent sets, which further escalates the game's power requirements.