Kliuless? Gaming Industry ICYMI #2

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.

Kenneth Liu, Blogger

September 10, 2018

4 Min Read

Hi there, my name is Kenny, 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

Kliu's Corner: First =/= Winner

Benedict Evans: Tesla, software and disruption
- "But the history of the tech industry is full of companies where having a lovely product, or being the first to see or build the future, were not enough. Indeed, the car industry is the same - a great, innovative car and a great car company are not the same thing. Tesla owners love their cars. I loved my Palm V, and my Nokia Lumia, and my father loved his Saab 9000. But being first isn’t enough and having a great product isn’t enough - you have to try to think about how this fits into all the broader systems."
Though this post is primarily focused on Tesla, the takeaways ring true for gaming as well, e.g.: PUBG vs. Fortnite, HoN vs. LoL, EverQuest vs. WoW, etc.
Unfortunately, with such fierce competition globally, today it is not enough for developers to simply design, build, and ship a great idea. They must also think ahead beyond release as to how they can capture and, more importantly, keep as much of the market as possible. (For example, see my discussion last week on Epic's continual fortifications of Fortnite's competitive moat)

Business Strategy & Insights

HBR: Why We Procrastinate When We Have Long Deadlines
Revenue Strategy
- Valve: Creating Artifact is not a "zero-sum game"
- Rocket League takes a page from Fortnite with new limited-time Rocket Pass
Player Growth
- a16z Podcast: Why paid marketing sucks, network effects, viral growth, and more
- Android Developers Blog: Exclusive new organic acquisition insights on the Google Play Console
- KIWI.COM Case Study: Achieving 66% growth through app store optimization
SuperData acquired by Nielsen Holdings

Design

World of Warcraft Developer Insights: Warfronts
Genetic Algorithms in Games

PC/Console(/Mobile)

Eve Online maker CCP Games sells to Black Desert Online’s Pearl Abyss for $425 million
- CEO Robin Jung tells why Pearl Abyss bought Eve Online maker
- Hilmar Veigar Pétursson interview: Why CCP thinks Iceland and South Korea are a good mix
Roblox raises $150M, now valued at >$2.5B, and sets sights on China
New LA Times owner makes strategic investment into Daybreak Games
The Lord of the Rings universe is getting a free-to-play online game from Athlon Games
WildStar Developer Carbine Studios Shuts Down
Civilization VI hits console for first time with November 16 Switch launch
Dota2: Understanding OpenAI Five
Overwatch League adds six more teams
Green Man Gaming's £100m IPO: “We've grown between 25 to 30% every year”
Barron's: The Videogame Industry Reaches for the Cloud

Mobile

France bans mobile phones during school
Razer is taking a second shot at developing a gaming phone
15 Types of Hyper Casual and Arbitrage Games

XR: AR/MR/VR

Apple’s Akonia Holographics deal will redefine the weak AR market
Haptic armband lets you feel the sensation of stroking in VR
Jaunt shows off new augmented reality 360-degree full body selfies
Everything We Know About Oculus Santa Cruz (so far)

China

Tencent launches strictest verification system yet to detect minors after Beijing’s call for action on gaming
From Douyin to Kuaishou: A visual look at China’s hottest short video apps

Tech/Entertainment

21st Century Fox invests $100m into streaming startup Caffeine
As Chrome turns 10, Google bets on AI and AR
Snap across the map: addressable reach around the globe
Instagram is building a standalone app for shopping
NYTimes: India Pushes Back Against Tech ‘Colonization’ by Internet Giants

Overtime

New Yorker: The Twenty-Five-Year Journey of Magic: The Gathering
No Olympic future for esports until 'violence' removed
Dyson is building a £2bn facility to build and test electric cars: it's a motor and battery company, not a vacuum cleaner company
Lego made a full-sized Bugatti that actually drives, entirely out of Lego (except for the wheels)