Monthly Games Industry Report: September 2023

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
The document says Unity's new pricing changes have set the industry in an uproar, and its table lists per-install runtime fees above install thresholds.See it on page 6
02
Fancensus measured Starfield's total PR coverage across a window running from 14 days before launch to 4 days after launch.See it on page 7
03
Proof of Play raised $33 million to develop fully onchain games for autonomous worlds.See it on page 12
04
Series AI raised $7.9 million in a seed round, and will use the funds to develop a game-authoring platform combining generative AI with a game editor and toolset.See it on page 14
05
The volume of coverage about Gamescom 2023 and the games on show increased by 10% over 2022, according to the document.See it on page 18
06
The TIGA Games Industry Awards 2023 ceremony takes place on the evening of Thursday, November 16th at the Troxy venue in London.See it on page 8

Summary

The September 2023 Monthly Games Industry Report, which features Mobidictum interviews, compiles game-industry news, market research, articles and interviews. Its index groups items into games and apps, acquisitions, mergers and investments, market research, and articles and interviews. Contributors listed include Microsoft, Tenjin, Unity, Xsolla and TIGA.

The lead item covers Unity's new pricing changes, which the document says set the industry in an uproar, and reproduces a table of Unity Runtime Fee thresholds and per-install rates. Tenjin says it introduced initiatives for indie developers, including an "All Inclusive" package with clear, transparent pricing. Fancensus measured Starfield's total PR coverage from 14 days before to 4 days after launch.

Among funding items, Proof of Play raised $33 million to develop fully onchain games for autonomous worlds. Series AI raised $7.9 million in a seed round to develop its Rho Engine game-authoring platform, and Spectarium secured €5 million to develop its AI-supported RPG Myths. The index lists Beat the Bomb as raising $15 million in Series B funding.

In market news, Xbox boss Phil Spencer describes Nintendo as the prime asset to acquire. The volume of coverage about Gamescom 2023 and the games on show increased by 10% over 2022.

The TIGA Games Industry Awards 2023 ceremony is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, November 16th at the Troxy venue in London.