A Game Economist Attends the Eras Tour At the Eras Tour in Stockholm, my thoughts naturally turned to Ms. Swift’s untapped monetization potential. Despite her billionaire status, she’s barely scratched the surface. By embracing “Taylor’s Version” labeling, Era-specific merch, and friendship bracelet culture, Swift could double her “extras” ARPPU from $50 to $100.
Thanks to Laura Taranto and Matthew Emery for the feedback and editing! Verdict & Prospects As it stands, Squad Busters is not a game players will remember forever. But it can be one. Squad Busters demonstrates Supercell’s world-class ability to broaden the accessibility of midcore mechanics, in this case, roguelikes and MOBAs, while weaving an…
The Fallout TV series has received widespread critical and audience acclaim, with 65M viewers and Amazon Prime’s 2nd most-watched show of all time. The show appears to have cracked the secret transmedia success formula: top-tier IP, backed by a six-figure budget, distribution through a 200M MAU network, and widespread critical acclaim. Consistent with the transmedia thesis, engagement with Fallout games…
Inflation, ads, and webstores reverse nearly every trend in gaming—and then reverse it again. These aren’t rounding errors either—they’re GDP-level phenomena (literally), and the inability to account for them is warping our perception of reality in the gaming industry.
Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) provided a watershed moment for mobile, proving Western gamers are ready for virtual dual analog stick controls and heralding a wave of Eastern titles to the West. Or did it?
1. It’s Distribution or Bust, and No One Cares IDFA is gone; how is your game designed to maximize distribution? Game designers, not marketing managers, need to start building for *sustained* user acquisition. Adding an influencer as a cosmetic is a nice stunt, but it’s not fundamental to the game loop. I was surprised at…
More of the event here, and my talk should be live soon… 1. Cultural Norms Matter There’s far less “sharing” in Turkey than in Finland or Sweden. Anyone with a Finnish ID number seems to have access to Supercell’s dashboards! Turkey has largely avoided non-competes, and it must stay that way. King single-handedly has hamstrung…
Matthew Ball’s excellent piece, The Tremendous Yet Troubled State of Gaming in 2024, unpacks a paradox: gaming seems prosperous yet is marred by unprecedented industry layoffs. Ball’s findings reveal a simple reality: playtime is down over 20% (3.5 hours per week) from its COVID peak. This decline, further seen in declining inflation-adjusted spending, cements gaming…
Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO, named Johanna Faries the new president of Blizzard, closing a pivotal moment in the ATVI-Microsoft merger. Faries faces the challenge of revitalizing Blizzard amidst declining revenue and engagement across its franchises. The situation is dire enough that Faries inherits a needed rebirth of Blizzard. The Blizzard of old is dead, and several…
Ah, web3: a past marked by rug pulls, North Korean heists, and prices more volatile than Gamestop shares. However, for all its misgivings, audiences still capitalize web3, with prices far from zero. Parallel, a new web3 CCG hit a half-billion market cap considering token and NFT prices, and yes, it’s pre-launch. Despite flaws, Parallel looks…