In this special contributed piece, Erick Fang, CEO of AI-driven ad platform Mintegral, considers the need for the programmatic sector to make the case for its responsibility, or risk imprecise regulation becoming the dominant governing force.   From time to time, I hear about a revolution in the online advertising business. Occasionally, I’ll listen in to conversations talking about how programmatic is up-ending the industry – changing ad buying habits, how consumers interact with adverts and transforming the industry with it. I do, [...]

DeltaDNA is well known throughout the games industry. It’s core offering combines data, analytics and marketing technology to serve engagement and monetisation. But the company is equally famed for its oft-quoted reports and presentations, which commonly found or buoy up gaming headlines across the globe. And now deltaDNA has launched a new ad management service called AdVantage. The platform promises to grant access to user-level ad revenue, as well as real-time player ‘lifetime value’ (LTV) calculations that purport to be more [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s edition: Final Oculus VR founder leaves company; Stillfront Group net revenue increases by 46%; and Echo Fox expelled from LCS. Final Oculus VR founder leaves company Nate Mitchell, the final founding member remaining at Oculus VR, has left the company. Five out of six of the firm’s co-founders have now left since Oculus was acquired by Facebook for USD$2bn (£1.66bn) in 2014. The sixth, Andrew Reisse, was tragically killed in [...]

A new solution named Prize Payments has been released, offering publishers and tournament organisers a way to manage and process money esports. Esports is a famously vast and growing part of the games industry today, and the prize pools available are increasing at a striking rate. Last year global gaming insights outfit Newzoo predicted that by 2021 “a mobile esports athlete will become a millionaire by winning one event“. In July this year a US teenager took home USD$3m (£2.4m) for [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s edition: THQ Nordic sales increase by 36%, announces multiple acquisitions; Loot Crate files for bankruptcy; and US delays tariffs on China-made games consoles. THQ Nordic sales increase by 36%, announces multiple acquisitions THQ Nordic AB has released its interim report for Q1 FY 2019-2020, announcing that net sales have increased during this period by 36% year-on-year to SEK1.142bn (£99m). The growth has largely been attributed to strong sales on its [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s edition: Unknown Worlds demands USD$300,000 (£249,000) from G2A; Borderlands 3 will not be preloadable on Epic Games Store; and casual games studio JaffaJam launches. Unknown Worlds demands USD$300,000 (£249,000) from G2A Controversial key reselling marketplace G2A, which has previously come under fire for their advertising, publisher payment, and customer support practices, has announced that only 19 developers have signed up for it’s proposed key blocking tool. G2A previously stated that [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s edition: PUBG Mobile now the highest grossing battle royale title; Annapurna Interactive parent company exploring bankruptcy protection; and Discord launches Go Live streaming service. PUBG Mobile now the highest grossing battle royale title Tencent’s battle royale title PUBG Mobile has grossed USD$860m (£714.6m) since launch, overtaking competitors such as Fortnite (USD$725m/£602.4m) and Knives Out (USD$771/£640.6m) to become the leading title within the genre, according to data from analytics firm Sensor [...]

In the wake of the tragic mass shootings in the US, video games have near-inevitably been blamed, even by the US president himself. The two shootings came withing 24 hours of each other, collectively claiming 31 lives. At least part of the cause, Trump offered, might be “gruesome and grisly video games”. That was understandably seen as a distraction technique. Surely – many observers offered – the US’s seemingly lax gun control and over-the-counter assault weapons were a more immediate problem. [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending business stories in gaming. In today’s edition: Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony to force publishers to disclose loot box drop rates; TaxWatch alleges Activision Blizzard moves €5bn (£4.61bn) to avoid tax; and Animoca Brands posts record quarterly revenue of AUD$8.7m (£4.82m). Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony to force publishers to disclose loot box drop rates Leading console makers Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have announced that publishers releasing games on their platforms will be forced to disclose drop [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s edition: NetEase targets Tencent with CH¥5bn (£584m) e-sports stadium; Rocket League removing loot crates; and E3 attendee details leaked in 2019, 2018, 2006, and 2004. NetEase targets Tencent with CH¥5bn (£584m) e-sports stadium Chinese internet giant NetEase has announced plans to build a CH¥5bn (£584m) e-sports park in the Qingpu District of Shanghai. The move is seemingly in response to fellow Chinese e-sports heavyweight Tencent signing a deal with the [...]