Arguments justifying Arcane on the grounds that “Riot can afford it” are already lost. This framing positions Arcane as a cost center. Marketing heads are commonly called “Heads of Growth” because marketing isn’t supposed to be a cost center; instead, it ought to be a profit center. It’s a beautiful show (I loved it! Thank…
Famed Music Producer Rick Rubin said, “The audience comes last [in the creative process].” Game developers should heed this advice and avoid a “player-first” mentality. Creators must act in the best long-term interest of the game.
When I wrote, Economics of Battle Pass Are Broken. Let’s Fix It in 2021; I argued that designers needed to play with ADMC (average daily monetization cap) to transform the pass from an engagement to a monetization vertical. Since then, every subsequent “innovation” has been a creative exercise in price increases. Fortnite realized this long…
Does a new Call of Duty map generate superior engagement compared to a new weapon? Which drives higher retentive effects: a new Magic The Gathering or Marvel Snap card?
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 achieved the strongest paid Steam launch in franchise history. The franchise’s metamorphosis—from a modest war game that moved 5M units in 2003 to a cultural juggernaut shipping 20-30M copies yearly—is far more fascinating than marketing prowess—it’s a masterclass in industrial execution. Like a Robber Baron Industrialist who strikes oil,…
1. Distribution The mobile “meta” is getting games in players’ hands post-ATT. The unintended consequences of Apple’s destruction of mobile acquisitions haven’t been to regain distribution control but for firms to find alternatives. “Content Fortress” ad networks, messenger apps, fake ads becoming white-lie ads, web stores, a return to brand marketing angles, and yes, web3,…
In tech writer Ben Thompson’s infamous aggregation theory, economic power derives from supply ownership—train barons owned the track and leveraged that power up and down the supply chain. The internet flipped the relationship: with near zero switching and distribution costs, suppliers instead aggregated user demand to leverage suppliers. Consider Amazon: aggregating millions of customers gained…
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…