Creative

• GDC Day Four Roundup: Microsoft's Stadia Response, Steam Store Redesign & Overwatch's Well-Behaved Players

  3 days ago News

  

  As the Game Developers Conference 2019 nears its end, the news continues to flow. The most interesting story related to the show in this roundup doesn’t come from the GDC floor itself, though. Instead, it’s from within a reported internal Microsoft email. Specifically, in an email handed to tech site Thurrott (thanks GamesIndustry.biz), Microsoft’s head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, apparently contacted colleagues to assure them that the reveal of Google’s game-streaming platform Stadia validated Microsoft’s efforts in the same space. The Google [...]

• GDC Day Two Roundup: Google Enters Gaming Market with Stadia

  5 days ago News

  

  Google has made its move on gaming with the announcement of streaming platform Stadia.  The news came on the second day of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco; and it surely stands as one of the most significant gaming reveals in the industry’s history. Such a major player moving in with such an ambitious platform could radically impact the broad ecosystem of the industry, the makeup of audiences playing games, and the way the medium is consumed and designed. However, Stadia’s [...]

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• Humanity, Breadth & Institutional Sponsorship: Mike Murphy O'Reilly on the Evolving Brand Opportunities in Esports

  1 month ago News

  

  For all its snowballing success, esports arguably has a perception problem. Say ‘esports’ to those both inside and beyond the worlds of games, brands, and marketing, and they will perhaps imagine something like a vast arena with sweeping spotlights passing over 20,000 cheering fans, as pro players in heavily branded athletics jerseys do battle in a game like League of Legends. Perhaps a commentator will be unleashing flurries of jargon as a team manager nervously paces back and forth near the [...]

• Analysis: Launching Apex Legends. Fortnite's greatest contender yet?

  2 months ago News

  

  A lot of businesses in the global game industry would like a slice of the ‘battle royale’ pie. And it’s no surprise. Fortnite is a battle royale game – sometimes called a ‘BR’ title – and we all know how well it has done. The shooter hit 200 million players in November last year. According to a source speaking to Tech Crunch, its creator Epic banked USD$3bn (£2.3bn) in revenue through 2018. But, more than all of that, the free-to-play competitive online [...]

• Ad Tech Spotlight: Synative Playable Studio

  2 months ago News

  

  There are two main reasons playable ads offer a beguiling option for game developers, publishers, and marketing teams. Primarily, of course, they give a player a chance to try a game without having to spend a penny or download a kilobyte. Equally, there’s a good chance that those who do click through and download the game are likely to be readily engaged, retained users who are more willing to spend money. After all, if they like the playable demo enough to step [...]

• CrossInstall Debuts Download-Free Playable Game Demos on Google Play

  3 months ago News

  

  Interactive mobile ads specialist CrossInstall has secured a deal with Google that will see its Instant Playables platform offer game demos within the Google Play store. Instant Playables lets developers offer interactive demos of their games without the end-user needing to download a game, accessible via a ‘Try Now’ button on app store product pages. The approach has already proven popular with games makers and distributors on platforms including Facebook, Google UAC, and Snap. ‘Lite’ versions of games have long been popular [...]

• 'Tis the Season... to Get Your Game Ready for Christmas 2019

  4 months ago News

  

  It’s easy to be ambitious when Christmas is a few months away. You tell yourself that you’ll get all the Christmas shopping done by mid-November, and have the decorations up on the first day of Advent. Then suddenly it’s December 24th and you’re scouring an all-night garage for passable gifts, low-quality wrapping paper, and spare bulbs for the fairy lights. TheGamingEconomy can’t help you make your own Christmas a meticulously organised triumph, but we are here to share insights on making a [...]

• How Pokémon Won Over the United Nations

  4 months ago News

  

  This week, developer Niantic revealed that it has partnered with the United Nations to create ‘tourism experiences’ delivered as ‘real-world games’. The AR specialist studio will build titles specifically with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with a view to work enhancing global tourism. Niantic, of course, created the global phenomenon that is Pokémon GO. In May 2018 alone, almost two years after the AR title’s launch, 147 million people played the game, according to Superdata. The data outfit also reported [...]

• Q&A: Reality Clash & the Arrival of Blockchain-Powered AR

  4 months ago News

  

  Reality Clash is an in-development mobile AR shooter that integrates blockchain, cryptocurrencies, dynamic in-game advertising, and geo-mapping technology into the gameplay experience it offers. Yes… there are a lot of tech buzzwords in that opening line. We’d only need to throw in AI and VR and it might seem like a parody of contemporary marketing parlance. But in truth, there’s often a meaningful reality hidden somewhere behind the hype of headline-grabbing tech trends. And it just so happens that Reality Clash [...]

• Many Indie Game Developers Lack Resources to Monetise Apps: Q&A with Rafael Vivas, Lion Studios

  8 months ago News

  

  Opportunity in the hyper-casual gaming space is burgeoning. Independent game developers need support in many areas to be able to maximise this opportunity. For this reason, AppLovin recently announced the launch of Lion Studios – a media devision to help indie game developers in a number of different areas. TheGamingEconomy speaks with Lion Studios’ president, Rafael Vivas (pictured below) about how Lion Studios intends to support them. TheGamingEconomy: Why has AppLovin launched its own media division, Lion Studios? Rafael Vivas: We saw the [...]