Market Analysis reports and market data
Documents
Live Q&A: Steam Next Fest, AI Slop, Getitng wishlists
The independent game development landscape currently offers a unique window of opportunity, characterized by a high demand for quality titles that prioritize gameplay depth over excessive production values.
- The most critical marketing decision for Steam success is genre selection, as Steam's PC-centric player base generally under-indexes on fast-twitch, arcade-style shooters in favor of deep, slow-paced, or management-heavy titles.
- Steam players prioritize original visual experiences; using store-bought assets is a significant deterrent in genres like Metroidvanias, RPGs, or Souls-likes where exploration of a unique world is a core expectation.
- Avoid launching immediately after Steam Next Fest, as the high volume of developers attempting this strategy creates excessive competition that diminishes individual visibility.
💀 Pokémon Champions is already DEAD: here's what went wrong
Pokémon Champions, a mobile battler based on the Pokémon franchise, has experienced a rapid decline in performance following its launch.
- Pokémon Champions experienced a 'shark fin' revenue collapse, dropping from $300,000–$400,000 in daily earnings to $80,000 within just two days of launch.
- The integration of Pokémon Home allows players to import existing collections, which bypasses progression and destroys the game's monetization economy.
- The game lacks core franchise pillars such as exploration, breeding, and wild-catching, resulting in a simplified battler experience that fails to compete with successful titles like Pokémon TCG Pocket, which generates $15 million monthly.
Gamescom Awesome Indies Show: 2025 by the Numbers
The Gamescom Awesome Indies Show serves as a premier international platform for independent developers, studios, and publishers to debut new titles, gameplay, and trailers.
- The 2025 Gamescom Awesome Indies Show featured 24 independent titles and reached a peak of 44,000 concurrent viewers during its live broadcast.
- The event generated 36,500 hours of live watch time and secured 57,800 views on video-on-demand platforms, indicating strong sustained interest.
- The broadcast achieved significant distribution through 116 co-streams, amplifying the reach of the indie-focused content.
EA wants console game makers to consider in-game ads during development
Electronic Arts is actively pursuing the integration of in-game advertising within console and PC titles to establish a sustainable revenue stream capable of offsetting the escalating costs of modern game development.
- Electronic Arts is integrating in-game advertising into console and PC titles to offset the rising costs of modern game development.
- The company is deploying a proprietary ad platform directly into the Frostbite engine to enable dynamic, standardized, and targetable ad placements.
- EA aims to shift away from intrusive ads in favor of organic, design-led placements, such as stadium signage in sports games or branded cosmetic items.
What Game Studios Still Get Wrong About DTC
The mobile gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental shift toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) monetization, a sector that has already reached a $17 billion valuation.
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) monetization in mobile gaming has grown into a $17 billion market, yet 52% of studios have not made significant changes to their existing monetization strategies.
- Successful DTC implementation requires studios to build dedicated, cross-functional teams that blend marketing, product, and user acquisition expertise rather than relying on traditional app store-focused workflows.
- Moving players to web stores allows developers to capture higher net revenue by bypassing platform fees while simultaneously gaining direct access to player data for better segmentation and personalized offers.
Panel: The Current State Of AI In Games.
Artificial intelligence functions primarily as a transformative tool designed to augment human creativity and operational efficiency within the gaming industry rather than serving as a replacement for developers.
- AI is currently in a testing and prototyping phase for game development, with the technology evolving so rapidly that tools are being superseded by competitors in less than a month.
- Mobile gaming is adopting generative AI more aggressively than the console and PC sectors, primarily driven by the need for rapid experimentation in ad networks and monetization models.
- AI tools are effectively streamlining development workflows by removing repetitive tasks, with industry leaders calculating ROI based on the ability of tools like Claude to save significant developer hours.
Panel: The 2026 D2C Playbook: Unlocking One Of The Biggest Revenue Drivers In Games.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies have emerged as a critical imperative for game publishers aiming to reclaim revenue and cultivate deeper, more resilient relationships with their player bases.
- Direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies are essential for publishers to reduce reliance on platform-controlled ecosystems, thereby mitigating risks from sudden policy shifts and high platform fees.
- The gold standard for monetization is a hybrid approach that combines immediate direct-payment links for quick conversion with robust, dedicated web shops for long-term player habituation.
- Studios should avoid the resource-intensive process of building D2C infrastructure in-house, opting instead for specialized third-party providers to facilitate rapid iteration and optimization.
Panel: Browser Renaissance: Can Web Games Be The Driver For Growth?
The browser gaming sector is undergoing a significant renaissance, driven by the strategic necessity for mobile publishers to diversify distribution channels and circumvent the restrictive policies of mobile app store ecosystems.
- Web gaming is evolving into a critical distribution channel for mobile publishers to reach new audiences, particularly younger demographics, without the friction of app store installs.
- Third-party platforms like Crazy Games allow mobile developers to validate game performance and audience interest on the web before investing in proprietary web-based infrastructure or marketing.
- Modern web gaming infrastructure has matured significantly, with reliable payment providers like Xsolla enabling secure in-app purchases that build user trust comparable to mobile environments.
Panel: Direct-To-Consumer In Games: Promise vs. Reality.
Direct-to-consumer strategies in the gaming industry represent a fundamental shift toward owning player relationships rather than relying exclusively on traditional platform ecosystems.
- Direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies are not a simple alternative to platform fees, as bypassing Apple and Google stores involves processing costs of 3% to 7%, plus additional expenses for tax compliance, cross-border regulation, and user acquisition.
- Successful D2C implementation requires partnering with a Merchant of Record or payment service provider to manage the high complexity of global tax laws and regional payment regulations, rather than attempting to build these capabilities in-house.
- Large-scale publishers are seeing significant financial returns from D2C, with Playtika reaching an annual run rate of $1.2 billion and Modern Times Group reporting that D2C accounted for 39% of group revenue in Q1 2026.
Panel: Barcelona Rising: Emergence of A Global Hub For The Games Industry.
Barcelona has established itself as a premier European gaming hub, characterized by a sophisticated ecosystem that integrates technical expertise with a rich cultural heritage in audiovisual arts.
- Barcelona has developed into a comprehensive gaming ecosystem by integrating a robust talent pipeline from local universities, a diverse mix of indie and multinational studios, and strong support from the Catalan government.
- The city’s industry benefits from a high degree of professional mobility, where talent frequently moves between companies, enriching the ecosystem with varied experiences across mobile, PC, and console development.
- Barcelona’s creative sector is bolstered by a deep-rooted cultural background in audiovisuals and narrative arts, which helps studios differentiate their products in a crowded market that saw 15,000 games published last year.
King dodges Xbox cuts, Destiny Rising, Google's store fees, Ustwo slams platforms, more
The mobile games industry is currently navigating a period of significant structural adjustment, characterized by platform-level policy shifts, studio restructuring, and evolving monetization strategies.
- King has largely avoided the recent Xbox layoffs, with the studio now reporting directly to Xbox leadership due to its high monthly active player counts, though internal uncertainty remains regarding future financial performance.
- Destiny Rising appears to be in a 'death spiral' with declining revenue, dropping from $6 million in its launch month to approximately $300,000 in monthly in-app purchase revenue over the last three to four months.
- Ustwo Games has shifted its focus away from mobile platforms like Apple Arcade and Netflix, citing the inability to make their single-player titles profitable on mobile and criticizing platform holders for failing to solve game discoverability issues.
In the Hot Seat: Stefan Lampinen on how Chinese publishers are outpacing the West
Stefan Lampinen, founder of Game Advisor Ltd and a veteran of the global gaming industry, provides a strategic analysis of the evolving dynamics between Western and Chinese game markets.
- European markets should not be treated as a single entity; successful expansion requires a granular approach that accounts for distinct legal, cultural, and regional differences, such as the specific nuances between cities like Berlin, Munich, and Cologne.
- Chinese publishers like Tencent and NetEase are demonstrating high levels of sophistication by conducting deep-dive research into specific European micro-markets, including identifying individual studios in cities with populations over 100,000.
- Entering the European market requires rigorous preparation and strategic planning rather than rushed execution, as historical data shows that many large companies have failed due to a lack of localized positioning and messaging.