TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Ubisoft’s Maxime Béland resigns; Animoca Brands raises USD$4.1m (£3.3m); and Rockstar and VGD partner for AAA VR title. Ubisoft’s Maxime Béland resigns Ubisoft Vice President of Editorial Maxime Béland has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment and abusive behaviour. As well as Béland, Ubisoft has placed fellow editorial lead Tommy François on disciplinary leave pending further investigation, and has fired an unnamed individual from the company’s Toronto office [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Starbreeze to raise SEK250m (£21.8m); GP Bullhound closes €125m (£114m) fund; KAT VR passes £1m crowdfunding for Walk C treadmill. Starbreeze to raise SEK250m Stockholm-based developer Starbreeze AB has announced that it intends to raise SEK250m (£21.8m) in a new issuance of class A and B shares, as a result of delays in finding a publishing partner for its upcoming Payday 3 title due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [...]

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: Bloober Team in M&A discussions; Absolutely Games founded; and Oculus Go shuttered. Bloober Team in M&A discussions Kraków-based developer Bloober Team SA is to enter second-stage talks with six companies over a potential merger or sale of the company, according to document filings submitted to the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Of the prospective partners, three are headquartered within the United States, two in Poland, and one in the United [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Microsoft to shutter Mixer; Facebook acquires Ready at Dawn Studios; and Overwolf acquires CurseForge assets from Twitch. Microsoft to shutter Mixer Microsoft has announced that it will shutter its Mixer streaming platform as of 22nd July 2020, with current viewer and streamer accounts to be transitioned to the Facebook Gaming service as part of a new strategic partnership. In return, Facebook Gaming will be used to promote and [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Wave raises USD$30m (£24m); Baidu acquires Redfinger; and UK to launch APAC Digital Trade Network. Wave raises USD$30m (£24m) Los Angeles-based digital concert broadcaster Wave has raised USD$30m (£24m) in Series B funding in a round led by Maveron, with support from a host of 15 VC and angel investors, including Upfront Ventures, Raised in Space Enterprises, RRE Ventures, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, and GFR Fund. [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Magic Leap raises USD$350m (£286m); McLaren Racing partners with Veloce Esports; and MyGamez closes funding round. Magic Leap raises USD$350m (£286m) Magic Leap has raised USD$350m (£286m) from a series of new and existing investors, according to an internal memo circulated by CEO Rony Abovitz obtained by Business Insider. At this stage the augmented reality startup has not confirmed which of its previous investors, which include Alibaba, AT&T, [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: XR to generate USD$6.3bn (£5.1bn) in 2020; Raven raises USD$1.4m (£1.1m); and demand for Chinese localisation falls. XR to generate USD$6.3bn (£5.1bn) in 2020 The global extended reality (XR) hardware and software market is expected to generate revenue of USD$6.3bn (£5.1bn) in 2020, according to projections released by SuperData. This figure is a downward revision from the USD$7.7bn (£6.2bn) estimate published in January this year by the Nielsen-owned [...]

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 [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Samsung Ventures ups DigiLens investment; Nintendo to boost Switch production; and Unruly partners with Ampverse for esports video investment programme. Samsung Ventures ups DigiLens investment Samsung Venture Investment Corporation has announced that it has increased its investment in extended reality (XR) hardware manufacturer DigiLens through the issuance of convertible bonds. DigiLens specialises in the production of its waveguide display components, which purportedly can be produced at a significantly [...]