IN THE LOOP with kapital k // W40 of 2023
The only gaming newsletter you need. I curate and aggregate content from across web2 & web3 to deliver it straight to your inbox.
Week 40 of 2023. Here are the top five headlines and fundraising announcements + a collection of content from independent creators that you missed this week!
Samsung // Releasing Streaming Service Next Week — link
THOUGHTS: On October 5th, Samsung will launch its Game Launcher on Galaxy phones. This cloud gaming service isn't like the one that's on the Samsung TVs. The Game Launcher app on the TV is an aggregation of all the different cloud gaming service providers like Amazon Luna, Xbox Cloud, Amazon Luna, etc..
The Game Launcher on Galaxy phones will be entirely operated by Samsung. Another difference is that instead of offering PC/Console titles, Samsung is optimizing for mobile titles. Why?
If you've ran UA before then you know that even after a user clicks on your ad, there's a high chance they might not even make it to your game. The Game Launcher eliminates the need for an app store, therefore reducing friction of installing and registering.
The player is launched directly into the game.
Guess that's why it's called Game Launcher.
Epic Games // In-Game Age Ratings for Player-Made Content — link
THOUGHTS: E, T, M, A, and ESRB. You may not be familiar with these letters but I'm sure you can hear that voice that says, "Rated E for Everyone."
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a nonprofit established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association to set a standard on gaming content in the US. This association comprises of all the big names such as EA, Epic Games, Konami, Krafton, and from Tencent to Take-Two. The ESRB is essentially a Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO). It has the power to create and enforce industry standards and professional regulations.
Why am I talking about these boring ratings?
Epic Games is introducing an Age and Content ratings system to Fortnite next month.
As Fortnite transforms from a game to an ecosystem, third-party creators are required to complete a questionnaire about their game's content and accessibility. The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) — effectively the global counterpart of the ESRB — will lead this effort. The rating will be submitted and reviewed by Epic Games moderators then clearly display prior to accessing the Fortnite Islands.
This has huge implications. As more games opt for this UGC platformatization route, there will be hundreds of thousands if not millions of these UGC experiences. Roblox alone has like 40 million experiences.
I remember when I built Roblox games back in 2020, there were TONS of IP Infringements but Apple (or any platform for that matter) couldn't implement its policies since it was impossible to enforce. But with this "regulated" policy by a global and industry-wide organization, these UGC platforms will be placed under extra scrutiny.
Niantic // In-Game Rewarded AR Ads on Pokémon Go — link
THOUGHTS: Pokémon Go creator, Niantic, launched in-game rewarded AR ads for Lunchables. This new ad format was announced earlier this year but this would be its first brand campaign.
Lunchables are kid's meal sets that includes things like crackers, cheese, ham, and a Capri Sun juice. So to stay on brand, these Lunchable AR ads depicts cute-looking objects like a ham boat and a pretzel helicopter.
Niantic says that 80% of their gamers are excited about these types of Ad experiences as their a whole new way to interact with brands but let's see what the data says.
Though these in-game AR ads are new, the idea of using Pokémon Go to drive brand awareness isn't. For example, Starbucks could sponsor Pokestop, gyms, etc in front of their stores to attract gamers.
A few months ago, Roblox released in-game ad billboards on its own platform. Data around these new ad mediums aren't indicative of their effectiveness yet but it definitely is something different.
GamesIndustry.biz // What The Wave of Layoffs Means — link
THOUGHTS: These waves of layoffs aren’t exclusive to the gaming industry. We saw them across all of big tech. But most notable is of course Elon Musk’s culling of 50% of the staff at Twitter (now X). Musk’s actions set off a trend that is believed to be one of the undercurrents of the sequential layoffs. Another driver of layoffs is the natural retraction of the games industry. During COVID, many game companies hired quickly to meet the boom in gaming. Fueled by cheap capital, these companies were able to raise more and hire more. Now the tides are turning due to higher interest rates and general malaise in the economy. Diving a bit deeper, we see the more common reasons for layoffs such as restructuring, which we see in the case of Embracer Group, as well as cyclical ending or termination of work service contracts. Looking ahead, we have the largest quarter for the games industry. We shall see what sales numbers we get from Q4 to see how game companies recalibrate post-Holiday season.
X (Twitter) // New Live-streaming Feature Released On X — link
THOUGHTS: The live-streaming landscape was hit with a shocker this week when Elon announced that he was streaming Diablo IV on X. The folks over at thecoreloop also broadcasted live on X this weekend. It took us a bit to get set up on OBS and such but the actual casting to X could be accomplished within minutes. Overall, the experience was quite seamless and we believe this is a birth of a whole new vertical for X. Though we’ve seen new streaming platform come to market before and things didn’t go so well (RIP Mixer and Ninja’s multi-million dollar deal). Fortunately, X has its own superstar called Elon Musk so it doesn’t have to spend millions to convince a streamer to try X. As for all the streamers reading the newsletter, I’m curious if you’ll also cast your streams onto X. Let me know in the comments!
Don’t miss out on next week’s IN THE LOOP w/ kapital k.
@0xAikoDai // Framework For Explaining Web3 In-Game Economy — link
@WolvesDAO // On-Chain Reputation Coming To Gaming — link
@Pet3rpan_ // Thesis: Dynamic NFTs — link
@JACL_e9 // Asia Will Lead Growth in Web3 Gaming — link
@Akiii345 // Japan Web3 Games Twitter List — link
@Max_Hatesuer // Conversation With David Amor from Playmint — link
thecoreloop // Is Web3 Gaming Dead Or Not? — link
thecoreloop // WAGME #21 | 6th October 2023 — link
GameMakers // Wild Rift Hits $1B and China loves MOBAs — link
GameMakers // Unity: Change or Die! — link
Kevuru Games // Gaming Forecast: Trends — link
Kevuru Games // Best Selling Video Game Of All Time — link
GameDiscoverCo // Most PC Games Gross <$1,000 — link
GameDiscoverCo // How Thronefall hit 300k sales — link
Deconstructor of Fun // Tile Match: The New Match-3 or The New Merge? — link
MobileDevMemo // The Best & Highest Use Of Customer Attention — link
MobileDevMemo // Search Defaults & Economics of Search Advertising Rev Share — link
SystemTalk // Discoverability as a Productivity Problem — link
Konvoy Ventures // Haptic Technology — link
Konvoy Ventures // The Complexity of Game Engines — link
Gamalytic // 67% of Games On Steam Earned <$5k — link
GameDev Reports // data.ai State of The Mobile Market in Q3 2023 — link
GameStuff // Why Investors Hate Content Risk & How to Overcome It — link
Brutally Honest // Fake Mobile Game Ads — Annoying But Effective — link
/all Podcast // Venture Investing in Games
Deconstructor of Fun // TWiG #252 — Unity’s CEO Speak Out
UNBOXING // Epic layoffs, EA’s FIFA Fallout, Future of Gaming Haptics
two & a half gamers // How to pick Ad Network Partners
GameMakers // Unity Software: Huge Problems, Negative Outlook, Big Changes
Sad Cat // $5.0M // Web2 // Action — Developing retro-style action-platformer Replaced
Investors: GEM Capital
Studio Sai // $7.0M // Web2 // Action — Creator of Eternights, a dating simulation action RPG. New funding will go into their next game.
Investors: Krafton, Hypergryph
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h/t to thecoreloop contributors: @0xkapital_k @chng_raymond @cloudxgmf @wassiecapital @iandaog @playtern @friandoteth @0xconglomerate @itsbambam
