In this special exclusive contributed piece, Dimoso CEO Jacki Vause considers the fine art of publishing mobile games to China. Vause is a widely respected veteran of the tech, mobile and PR space, has been named one of PCR’s Top-30 Women in Mobile, and is an experienced entrepreneur and founder. — China should be considered by all mobile games developers who are looking to take their games global. Over the years I have represented many developers and publishers both from the East [...]

As part of the recent UK budget, the government confirmed that it is pressing ahead with its somewhat controversial Digital Services Tax. As reported by the Financial times, the UK plans to raise £500m a year by applying the tax primarily to large US tech companies. It is being seen as a means to secure money in relation to allegations that many large tech outfits are not paying enough tax in the areas in which they operate, instead using low tax [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Sony gaming revenue declines; 1570 game approvals by China in 2019; and Supercell invests €1m (£846,000) in Wild Games. Sony gaming revenue declines Sony gaming and network services revenue for the third quarter of the financial year has fallen by 20% year-on-year to JP¥632.1bn (£4.451bn), with operating income declining by 36.6% to JP¥53.5bn (£367m), according to the Japanese conglomerate’s published results. The decline has been attributed to foreign [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: UK trade bodies respond to immigration proposals; Animoca Brands reports AUD$25.1m (£12.7m) receipts from customers; Barclays to offer VGTR loans; and Ubisoft acquires Kolibri Games. UK trade bodies respond to immigration proposals Video game industry bodies The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) and The Independent Game Developers’ Association (TIGA) has issued responses to the report released by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) examining the potential implementation of [...]

In the second of this two-part interview series, TheGamingEconomy speaks with Yat Siu (pictured), founder and non-executive chairman of Animoca Brands, following its acquisition of nWay, Inc. in December 2019. In part two: the evolution of in-game advertising, the growth of gaming, and the value of true digital ownership. How do you see in-game advertising evolving over the course of the next decade? Do you see it continue to grow in importance as it has done over the previous few years? I [...]

TheGamingEconomy Daily Digest brings you the trending business stories in gaming. In today’s edition: NHS calls for loot box ban; Ubisoft to restructure editorial team; and NetEase Tom and Jerry title reaches 100m users. NHS calls for loot box ban NHS mental health director Claire Murdoch has issued a statement calling for a ban on loot boxes and limitations to in-game spending, in efforts to combat persistent gambling and compulsive behaviours in children. The health body is also supporting the UK parliamentary [...]

TheGamingEconomy Daily Digest brings you the trending business stories in gaming. In today’s edition: Facebook Gaming increases audience share; China regulators launch mental health initiative targeting gaming; Pokemon GO generated USD$894m (£684m) in 2019; and Hamburg launches €2.08m (£1.77m) developer fund. Facebook Gaming increases audience share Facebook Gaming increased its audience share of its streaming market by 210% year-on-year during 2019, reaching 102 million total hours watched in December alone, according to figures released in the Q4 State of Streaming report by [...]

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, [...]

If you’ve browsed the mainstream press recently – and read beyond the news of the new UK Prime Minister – you may have noticed a story ripe with controversy. The perennially popular Grand Theft Auto Online has recently enabled the ability to spend real money in a fictional casino. Grand Theft Auto, of course, has always courted controversy. Many will even tell you it does so deliberately. Gambling, rightly so, is a pastime that is closely regulated. And through recent scandals [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s news: Harry Potter Wizards Unite due to gross USD£10m (£7.85m) in first month; Nintendo opens second retail store; and US government blocks League of Legends in Iran and Syria. Harry Potter Wizards Unite due to gross USD£10m in first month Mobile AR title Harry Potter Wizards Unite is due to take in USD$10m (£7.85m) in its first month, according to data from analytics body Sensor Tower. The title shifted 400,000 [...]