Kliuless? Gaming Industry ICYMI #26
Hi, my name is Kenny Liu, and I work in Revenue Strategy at Riot Games. Each week I compile a gaming industry insights newsletter that I share with other Rioters, including Riot’s senior leadership. This edition is the public version that I publish broadly every week as well. Opinions are mine.
See more or subscribe at: https://tinyletter.com/kliuless
Business & Revenue Strategy
- Aligning Business Models to Markets: Why Shake Shack & Super Duper have great service, and what that means for tech [KL: includes Fortnite case study too]
- Amy Hennig: "Things are clearly not working the way they used to"... ​Uncharted creative director says mass layoffs a red flag that AAA development must change, shift to outsourcing "feels inevitable"
- HBR: Netflix and the Economics of Bundling
- Epic Games sued over ‘predatory’ Llama loot boxes
- WSJ: Nintendo to Smartphone Gamers: Don’t Spend Too Much on Us
- Top 10 influencers account for 84% of yearly view growth, but a spot in that list is not secure year-on-year
Design
- On Reaction Times
- Battle royale: the design secrets behind gaming's biggest genre
- Jon Shafer interview: At the Gates shows an emotional 6-year journey
PC/Console
- Apex Legends passes 50mm players in a month
- Beyond the console: Xbox leaders detail Microsoft’s gaming future, led by xCloud streaming service
- Related: Microsoft's disc-less Xbox experiment aims to open preorders in April 2019
- Paradox opens new California studio, Paradox Tectonic
- SpatialOS dev Improbable is setting up its own game development studios
Mobile
- Dota Auto Chess maker hints at a mobile release
- Activision & Newzoo Report: Betting on Billions: Unlocking the Power of Mobile Gamers
- Related: a16z interview with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick
- Latest Android devices now let you log into apps without requiring a password
- Folding iPhone patent application shows how Apple might solve one problem
- Related: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak worries company is falling behind on foldable phones
XR: AR/MR/VR
- Apple might be developing an AR headset for iPhones
- Quantic Foundry: Older Gamers Who Can Afford VR Tend to Care Less About the Gaming Motivations Linked to VR Adoption
Asia
- Tencent adds "digital lock" to certain games in China
- Podcast: Gaming regulation rectification with Niko Partners' Daniel Ahmad
- Tencent, Kakao among shortlisted bidders for South Korean gaming firm Nexon
Overtime
- The Top 25 RPGs of All Time #6: Ultima 7
- The story behind Dead Cells - Motion Twin
- Valve removes rape fantasy game from Steam
- Related: U.K. Politician Calls for Review of Steam, Controversial ‘Rape Day’ Game
- Sid Meier at the End of History: the Philosophy and Politics of Alpha Centauri
- Nintendo stats and salary revealed for Japan employees
- Here are where 209 jobs were cut in Blizzard's US business
- Vivendi sells its remaining shares in video games group Ubisoft
- China’s biggest shopping app Taobao now offers “game companions,” gamers you can pay to play with you
- Twitter VP Bruce Daisley: "We're killing our capacity for creativity" with emails and open plan offices
See more or subscribe at: https://tinyletter.com/kliuless
Twitter: @kliuless
LinkedIn: @kliuless