Rise
Company
Documents about Rise
CS2 Esports Q1 2026 Review: Vitality Dominance & PARIVISION Rise
The Counter-Strike 2 esports landscape experienced significant growth during the first quarter of 2026, characterized by intensified competitive rivalries and substantial gains in audience engagement.
- Counter-Strike 2 esports viewership grew to 159 million hours watched in Q1 2026, an increase of 17 million hours compared to the same period in 2025.
- IEM Kraków 2026 was the quarter's marquee event, generating 40.2 million hours watched and reaching a peak of 1.19 million concurrent viewers.
- Team Vitality dominated the competitive landscape by securing three major titles during the first quarter of 2026.
March PlayStation Plus Essential Tier Performance
This analysis evaluates the performance of March 2026 PlayStation Plus (PS+) Essential tier additions, specifically examining how titles like PGA Tour 2K25, Slime Rancher 2, Monster Hunter Rise, and Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road Collection converted subscribers into new players.
- PGA Tour 2K25 led March 2026 PlayStation Plus Essential additions with 914,000 new players, nearly tripling its pre-existing PlayStation footprint.
- Slime Rancher 2 secured the second spot with 750,000 new players, benefiting from a large pool of untapped users compared to established AAA titles.
- Monster Hunter Rise saw a diminished impact on its Essential-tier debut in March 2026, generating 115,000 new players compared to the 1.3 million it acquired during its prior year-long stint on the Extra tier.
Short Drama Weekly Ranking: AI Live-Action Dramas Rise
The short drama market experienced notable growth during the week of March 16–22, 2026, with approximately 17,600 dramas actively promoted—a 14.7% increase from the previous week.
- The short drama market grew to approximately 17,600 actively promoted titles during the week of March 16–22, 2026, marking a 14.7% increase from the previous week.
- AI-generated live-action content is successfully competing with traditional productions, as evidenced by the top-ranked title 'TOO LATE! THE DAUGHTER OF OLYMPUS FORSAKES YOU'.
- New releases accounted for 3,030 titles during the week, representing 33.8% of total market activity.
Southeast Asia Esports: Market Maturity, New Contenders, and the Rise of Tactical Shooters
The Southeast Asian esports landscape in 2025 and early 2026 reflects a maturing market characterized by the dominance of established mobile titles and the emergence of high-potential cross-platform shooters.
- Garena Free Fire leads Southeast Asia in mobile esports downloads, while Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) remains the top title for engagement and revenue.
- Honor of Kings has emerged as a significant growth driver in the region, bolstered by its global expansion and high-profile presence in events like the Esports World Cup.
- Shooter games dominate the PC esports market in Southeast Asia, generating nearly double the unit sales of RPG, Action, and Strategy genres combined.
Apps and Trends to Watch: Engagement Strategies Fueling Learna and Pengu’s Rise
Breakout growth in the mobile app ecosystem is increasingly driven by the strategic application of proven engagement mechanics to new categories rather than the invention of entirely novel systems.
- Sustainable growth in the mobile app market is driven by applying proven behavioral mechanics—such as habit loops and social accountability—to new categories rather than inventing novel systems.
- Learna has scaled in the U.S. iOS education market by integrating AI-powered tutoring with visible streak systems and granular progress tracking to convert solitary learning into a daily habit.
- Pengu drives user retention in the social networking category by utilizing a digital pet co-parenting model that leverages social accountability as a primary engagement hook.
What Game Descriptions Tell Us About the Rise of Co-op
An analysis of Steam capsule descriptions from 2020 to 2025 reveals shifting trends in game development and market positioning.
- Only 6.5% of games released on Steam in 2025 achieved the $100,000 lifetime revenue threshold, highlighting the high barrier to commercial success.
- The use of the term 'co-op' in descriptions for successful games nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, rising from 3.2% to 5.8%.
- The descriptor 'cozy' experienced a 700% increase in usage across new game descriptions between 2020 and 2025.
Second Time Lucky: Rise of the Steam Machines?
The recent announcement of new hardware from Valve—specifically a second-generation Steam Machine, a new Steam controller, and the Steam Frame VR device—marks a significant evolution in the company’s strategy to expand its PC-centric ecosystem into the living room.
- Valve is launching a second-generation Steam Machine, a new controller, and the Steam Frame VR device to extend its PC ecosystem into the living room.
- Unlike the 2013 launch, the new hardware leverages the maturity of Proton to solve previous Linux emulation issues and build on the success of the Steam Deck.
- Valve projects sales of 7–10 million units for the new Steam Machines over the next five years, targeting its existing base of 170–200 million monthly active Steam users.
The Rise of Sophisticated Onboarding Funnels
Mobile game development is undergoing a fundamental transformation as studios abandon deceptive advertising practices in favor of sophisticated, integrated onboarding funnels.
- Mobile studios are shifting from deceptive advertising to 'Trojan Horse' onboarding funnels that embed hyper-casual mini-games into complex titles like 4X strategy and social casino games.
- This creative-first approach integrates marketing concepts directly into core game design to lower customer acquisition costs and increase long-term player lifetime value.
- The adoption of integrated onboarding is a strategic response to the post-IDFA landscape, where precise user targeting is restricted and revenue must be driven by tighter alignment between ad monetization and in-app purchases.
Global Mobile Apps in September: September 2025 Market Trends
The September 2025 snapshot of the global mobile app market highlights a sharp rise in AI-driven content and continued dominance of micro-drama platforms.
- Gemini’s 'Nano Banana' image-generation model became the top-downloaded app in September 2025, driven by over 200 million user edits.
- Micro-drama platforms remain a dominant advertising force, with NetShort maintaining a top-five position through 270,000 deduplicated creatives and FlareFlow reaching the top-ten by launching 193,000 new ads across 79 regions.
- NetShort’s Spanish-dubbed drama 'Camino de Gloria Celestial' led the market with 150 million impressions, highlighting the effectiveness of localized content in the micro-drama sector.
SEA of Opportunities: Exploring the Rise of Southeast Asia Video Games Market
The video game market in Southeast Asia represents a significant, albeit complex, growth opportunity for industry stakeholders.
- The Southeast Asia video game market is projected to reach $6.47 billion by 2029, growing from $5.37 billion in 2024 (5.2% YoY growth) and an estimated $5.47 billion in 2025 (1.8% growth).
- The number of gamers in Southeast Asia is expected to grow from 285.82 million in 2024 to 324.4 million in 2029, with an annual ARPU projected to reach $19.96 by 2029 from $18.80 in 2024.
- Southeast Asian gamers are highly social, with over 45% desiring in-game chat and ranking features, and 52% watching game livestreams, which is higher than the Asia-MENA average of 45%.
The Rise of the First-Person Sim: How Roadside Research Hit 250k Wishlists, Fast
The first-person simulator genre has emerged as a significant growth area within the PC gaming market, characterized by accessible gameplay loops and high streamer compatibility.
- Streamer-centric design is now a primary driver for commercial success, evidenced by Waterpark Simulator generating approximately $2.3 million in gross revenue and 250,000 units sold in its first month through influencer coverage.
- High-concept, genre-blending titles are achieving rapid market traction, with Roadside Research securing 250,000 Steam wishlists by pairing standard gas station management mechanics with a supernatural alien narrative.
- The simulator market is highly saturated, with 38 titles containing 'Simulator' in the name launching in August 2025 alone, necessitating unique hooks to stand out.
“It was a bad publishing contract”: The Creators of Rise of Industry Earned Almost Nothing
The case of Rise of Industry highlights the significant financial risks independent developers face when entering into publishing agreements that fail to account for operational overhead.
- Alex Mochi, founder of Dapper Penguin Studios, claims he was forced to sell the IP for 'Rise of Industry' to publisher Kalypso Media for $5,000 to avoid bankruptcy despite the game generating millions in revenue.
- The original 2016 contract provided a $75,000 advance and a 50/50 revenue split, which increased to 60% for the developer after the publisher recouped $100,000.
- By 2021, Dapper Penguin Studios had accumulated $140,000 in debt, as the revenue figures did not account for Steam commissions, taxes, and internal development costs.