Live music, film, TV, health, and social networking. Once distinct sectors with limited overlap with the video games sector, in recent months we have seen increased crossover between each of these and gaming, fuelled by the ever-increasing adoption of digital, the persistent engagement of video game audiences, and the temporary halt of physical events in the wake of Covid-19. While music festivals have faced postponement, in-game concerts in multiplayer platforms such as Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, are thriving. After a [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Bublar Group to acquire Goodbye Kansas; Xbox Game Pass reaches 10 million subscribers; and majority of genres seeing player increases. Bublar Group to acquire Goodbye Kansas Swedish XR technology and visualisation firm Bublar Group AB has reached an agreement to acquire visual effects services company Goodbye Kansas for approximately SEK56m (£4.6m) through the direct issuance of 16.4 million shares at a fixed purchase price. The announcement notes that [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Tencent takes over China’s streaming market with USD$262m Huya stake; Around 160,000 Nintendo accounts comprised in data beach; and Google abandons Stadia Base branding as it launches free tier. Tencent takes over China’s streaming market with USD$262m Huya stake Chinese technology giant Tencent has purchased a controlling stake in the Twitch-like streaming service Huya – and as a result a dominant position in the market. Earlier this month, Tencent [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Digital games spend hits record USD$10bn (£8.1bn); Epic targets new funding; and Magic Leap lays off approximately 1000 staff. Digital games spend hits record USD$10bn (£8.1bn) Global digital games revenue reached USD$10.0bn (£8.11bn) in March according to estimates released by SuperData, the highest monthly total ever recorded by the firm and a 11% increase from the USD$9.0bn (£7.3bn) observed in 2019. Lockdown measures imposed as a result of [...]

Like the vast majority of industries across the globe, the ongoing outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus has had a monumental impact upon the video games sector. TheGamingEconomy has invited thought leaders from across gaming to share their insight on the opportunities, and challenges, the industry faces, and what the long-term reverberations may entail. A double-edged sword for video games The COVID-19 crisis is a double-edged sword for the games industry. On the one hand, more people are staying at home and playing [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: US gaming time up 45%; SteelSeries acquires A-Volute; and Torque Esports partners with Blake Broadcasting. US gaming time up 45% Time spent gaming in the United States has increased markedly during movement restrictions imposed as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the monthly Video Game Tracking survey by Nielsen Games suggesting an increase of 45%. Significant rises were observed in each of the other surveyed countries, [...]

[LATEST UPDATE: 3rd April] As the COVID-19 novel coronavirus continues its spread and has hit pandemic level, there has been a growing impact on the game industry. The game sector’s problems, of course, are trivial compared to the millions impacted and the potential danger to millions more across the world.  However, the earlier Taipei Game Show and Mobile World Congress were previously cancelled amidst concerns around the virus, the potential arrival of the next-generation consoles may – or may not – [...]

Fortnite outfit Epic Games has launched a new multi-platform publishing initiative that promises to be ‘developer-first’ in its make-up and delivery. A number of high-profile game studios are already on board with the Epic Games Publishing effort, with Playdead, Remedy Entertainment and gen DESIGN announced as early partners. “We’re building the publishing model we always wanted for ourselves when we worked with publishers,” said Tim Sweeney, Epic Games founder and CEO. “gen DESIGN, Remedy, and Playdead are among the most innovative and talented [...]

Audio-first and audio-only games have to-date offered a fascinating micro niche within the gaming medium. In the late 1990s the visionary musician and game designer Kenji Eno released a game with very few visuals at all for the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast called Real Sound: Kaze no Regret. The idea was that blind and sighted players could enjoy the same experience. A few years later Nintendo debuted SoundVoyager for the GameBoy Advance, which challenged you not to look at the screen [...]

TheGamingEconomy Daily Digest brings you the trending business stories in gaming. In today’s edition: Google opens Playa Vista Stadia studio; Esports Players League completes USD$1m seed round; and Phoenix Games acquires Studio Firefly. Google opens Playa Vista Stadia studio Google has opened its second studio specifically focused on making games and entertainment content for the Stadia cloud platform. The studio will be based in Playa Vista, California, joining the existing operation in Montreal, Canada. Former Sony Santa Monica lead Shannon Studstill is to [...]