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Gen.G Esports Partners With Crocs for Fortnite Content
Gen.G Esports and footwear brand Crocs have collaborated to expand the reach of the Crocs World gaming property by launching a custom experience within Fortnite.
- Gen.G Esports and Crocs have launched 'Crocs World Tycoon' in Fortnite, a custom experience built using the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).
- The project expands the 'Crocs World' property, which previously launched on Roblox in 2022 and has since reached over 5 million players.
- The launch includes a four-week 'Personalize Your Classics' campaign that challenges players to build beach-themed parks and complete in-game tasks.
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.
100 Thieves Cuts Staff, Spins Off Juvee, Game Development Businesses
In November 2023, Los Angeles-based esports organization 100 Thieves announced a strategic restructuring involving staff layoffs and the spin-off of two non-core business units.
- 100 Thieves is spinning off its beverage brand, Juvee, and its internal game development studio into independent entities.
- The company is implementing staff layoffs as part of a strategic shift to refocus on its core business of esports, content, and apparel.
- President and COO John Robinson stated that the organization grew too large for its current business performance, noting that growth did not keep pace with the company's expansion over the last two years.
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.
Unity Divides: New Fee Structure Sparks Controversy
This analysis examines the shifting economic landscape of the video game industry, focusing on the controversy surrounding Unity’s 2024 "Runtime Fee" structure and the evolving platform strategies of Roblox and Apple.
- Unity’s new 'Runtime Fee' structure, which charges developers based on game installations rather than revenue, has caused its stock price to plummet from a 2021 peak of $197 to approximately $36.
- The shift toward aggressive rent-seeking by platform holders is driving developers toward alternative engines like Unreal, Godot, and GameMaker to avoid being locked into a single provider.
- Roblox is leveraging its 65.5 million daily active users to expand onto Meta Quest and PlayStation while utilizing generative AI to improve user retention.
Enthusiast Gaming and Metavision Collaborate with Netflix to Launch ONE PIECE Fortnite Content
Enthusiast Gaming and Metavision have partnered with Netflix to launch a promotional experience within Fortnite Creative, marking a significant milestone as the first instance of a streaming service utilizing the platform to deliver branded gaming content.
- Enthusiast Gaming and Metavision collaborated with Netflix to launch a custom Fortnite Creative experience promoting the live-action adaptation of the ONE PIECE manga series.
- This project marks the first instance of a streaming service utilizing the Fortnite Creative platform to deliver a promotional gaming experience to its audience.
- The custom map, designed by 3D Lab using the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), features a ship-to-ship combat mode between the Straw Hats and the Marines.
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.
Fortnite Creative 2.0: Battle Stories From Shipping UGC
This analysis explores the evolving landscape of User-Generated Content (UGC) within the Fortnite Creative 2.0 ecosystem, alongside significant shifts in the Unity engine’s business model.
- Epic Games incentivizes Fortnite Creative 2.0 development by pledging 40 percent of net revenue to eligible creators, with top performers earning hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly.
- Professional game developers often struggle in the Fortnite ecosystem because players prioritize viral, meme-driven, and sandbox-style experiences over structured, rule-based design.
- Data from 2023 indicates that rapidly cloning existing trends is currently a more effective discovery strategy for Fortnite creators than implementing traditional, polished game design principles.
#218: Get the Papers
This industry update provides a comprehensive overview of major developments in the gaming sector as of July 2023.
- Microsoft and Activision have extended their merger deadline to October 18, 2023, following the FTC's decision to drop its administrative challenge to the deal.
- Activision Blizzard reported a 34% revenue increase for the first half of 2023, driven by the success of Diablo IV, which helped Blizzard achieve its first billion-dollar quarter.
- Sony has signed a ten-year binding agreement to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation platforms.
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.
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.