Michail Katkoff

Interesting report from VG Insights giving some hard numbers on the extra opportunity for building and growing game IPs through other types of media, be they TV, movies, books and more. Too often, game companies are only looking at the direct business opportunities of transmedia projects to determine whether they want to engage into it or not, but the real opportunity is indirect, it is through the engagement of new and existing players, and extra sales of existing games, even with very little is done on older titles. We've seen this on The Witcher, on The Last of Us, now on Fallout, and many more.

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#Gamescom24 Why should we meet at Gamescom? - Come see me on stage on Gamescom Congress talking about AI, Games and Propaganda in the new age - You are an investor, Angel, VC, or a Publisher that can help us with our games and Transmedia ongoing projects (Games, TV, Toys) - You are an event organizer / speakers scout, that want an experienced speaker on stage talking about AI, Mental Health, Social impact and how we can fix our potentially great world (currently kinda sick world) - You are an indie in need of an advice, BizDev help, Game design insights - You are one of my close Gaming family, which i always love to meet everywhere in this world, sharing battle stories and development scars over a cup of coffee, beer or fresh juice! Peace and Love, Live long and prosper! here is a link to Meet2Match, send me an invite there (or just DM) https://lnkd.in/d9w26Xxz #AI #mentalhealth #gamedesign #gamedev #socialimpact #propaganda

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Adding a few more points: 1. The core goal of cross-platform from game apps to H5 mini-games is to reduce UA (User Acquisition) costs. In the past two years, Tencent’s H5 mini-games have brought significant benefits by lowering UA costs, while user payment and retention rates are not worse than those of client-based games. (For Mini Games on iOS, Tencent won’t charge developers; for Android, they charge 40% of revenue, rebate 10% for UA, so it’s a 30% cut of the revenue goes to Tencent, which is lower than Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo’s 50% cut - pathetic right? lol) 2. From a cross-PC and mobile perspective, directing users to make purchases on PC is also aimed at increasing profits by secretly pocketing the 30% share that would otherwise go to Apple and Google. (PayPal only charges up to around 5%, which is significantly less than 30%) 3. The strategy of cross-platform development for consoles, PC, and mobile, combined with global multi-language and cross-platform simultaneous releases, aims to outcompete and bankrupt rivals who try to follow suit. (It’s a trap, but some CEOs love to be “brain washed”. They are fascinated by this global multiplatforms multi-languange regions launch thing, aiming 1 month ROI positive goal. (Copying Genshin Impact) Good luck!!

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Some news about Crevoid and its why. Read the Article here https://lnkd.in/dVnDT2dY

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Dear Stretch Network Partners, Please allow me to inform you about additional changes that will take place in the global network on July 8. 🍀 All Heads-up tables will be removed 🍀 Badugi cash tables will be removed 🍀 Sonic cash tables will become 6-max 🍀 The minimum buy-in for Sonic Omaha cash tables will be 20 BB 🍀 Sonic Omaha 7 card cash tables will be added These changes apply only to cash tables and only to our Global Network. In your local networks, you decide your product strategy, but we would be happy to assist you in managing your local networks as well. If you need our help, please contact us. The above-mentioned changes are part of the new strategy for the Stretch Network Global Network, which prioritizes the comfort of novice players and casual traffic to maintain the proper balance of our ecosystem between amateurs and professionals. Caring for the ecosystem of the Global Network is our priority. The changes we are implementing now and will continue to implement will significantly improve the user experience for your players, extend their LTV, ARPU, and, of course, Revenue.

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In the latest Elite Game Developers newsletter Edvard Groundstroem, co-founder of Flowstate Games, which shut down recently, shares his learnings. In a typical 🇫🇮 Finnish way, there's zero sugar coating. I recommend everyone to read it. Here are my three key takeaways from the interview: 1️⃣ Have a compelling strategy and adjust your work inside of it rather than pivoting to the new and shiny thing when the going gets rough. Without a strategy, you're making MVPs that lead to failing fast and pivoting too soon into the unknown. While we hear stories of pivots leading to ultimate success, the vast majority of startups (and not only startups...) pivoted themselves to death without ever building any expertise in anything. I've made this mistake multiple times before and only in my startup was I adamant never to switch genres. 2️⃣ Listen to VCs but don't take orders from them. Chasing "product-VC" fit and trying to hit their "flavor of the week KPIs" means that you've handed control of the direction of your company to an external party. I was there too thinking that VCs know it all. It wasn't until I understood that VCs give a perspective not a direction that our execution improved. Listen to VCs but remember that the ultimate decision is on you. 3️⃣ Complacency is the death of execution. Startups should be in code red until they start generating sufficient revenue. Getting funded doesn't mean you're good. It means that you have limited runway to prove you can execute. Edvard Groundstroem put it better than I ever could "Making great commercial products that can scale as a business is hard. Understanding how a game goes from good to great is instrumental, and the only way to gain insight into that is to study games that made it, as well as the ones that seemed liked they would but didn’t." This is painful to read. I've failed at instilling product expertise within everyone in the studio multiple times before thinking that if just a few key people have it, it's enough. I highly recommend Joakim Achren's Elite Game Developers newsletter to everyone working in games. 🙏 thank you Eddie for the public post-mortem! #gameindustry #gamedevelopment

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Game Industry Ecosystem ♻️ Yesterday, during dinner with three remarkable individuals from the Swedish game industry in Stockholm, we sparked a discussion about the current challenges in game industry education. We talked about how there are currently too many educational programs, and that many game industry teachers end up getting jobs themselves instead of helping students secure employment, leaving their teaching roles. Additionally, we highlighted the significant gap in the ecosystem—soon, we'll have an influx of newly graduated students who lack the necessary experience to be fully prepared and responsible candidates for companies. This is where organizations like Spelkollektivet and initiatives similar to game jams, summer game camps play a crucial role. They function like boot camps, where students can acquire practical skills necessary to become game developers, regardless of the category. I believe we will soon need more places like Spelkollektivet, where students can learn teamwork, hone their skills, and work on several actual projects. These experiences will help them build real portfolios and sharpen their raw talents. Moreover, such environments enable students to form valuable relationships, potentially leading to the creation of their own companies/startups/consult and freelance. Here are some suggested solutions to help solve this issue: 1. Enhanced internships and apprenticeships 2. Project-based learning 3. Industry-driven curriculum 4. Boot camps and workshops 5. Portfolio development 6. Networking opportunities 7. Career services 8. Soft skills training 9. Continuous learning 10. Entrepreneurial support #gameindustrysweden #gameindustry #gamedev #gameindustryeducation #gameindustrycommunity #futuregames

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All 3 of us in action at gamescom soon! Yesterday we discussed some quick tips on meeting times... Well today let's talk about slides! If you're attending gamescom and doing a live pitch, it's okay to have more visuals, and a slightly longer deck than normal (But remember, 10-15 minutes tops for a 30-minute meeting). As in an "oral pitch" compared to an "email pitch". But it's important that post-gamescom for your follow ups you keep your deck small and concise. Generally speaking 10 - 15 slides tops outlining the opportunity. I highly recommend my podcast/talk with Jay Powell & IndieGameBusiness®. I talk about gamescom around 21:00 time stamp. A lot of the times Developers forget about the "Ask" slide. This is one of the most important one there is. What are you actually looking for and what's the timeline? Be as upfront as possible about what you have and what's missing. * Budget * Porting cabilities (if you're doing multi-platform) and if you need help in getting dev kits. * Production timeline * Marketing, PR, Asset Creation * Community management.. etc. If you have a "Tier 1 List" or "Top Publishers" you want to work with, spend some extra time to prepare custom-slides for them. Show them why they are the right fit for your product. Why their previous launches/audience matches your game and so forth. It's really tough for investors and publishers to dig through 30+ slide decks just to evaluate whether or not they want to proceed further. The ask slide will instantly remove potential partners and avoid wasting both of your time. Agora Gaming Partners #bizdev #gamescom

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I am lucky to be surrounded by great and talented professionals, that’s a blessing and a curse at the same time! 😇😈 Managing high performers comes with its own set of challenge. In today’s blog entry I am sharing some thoughts about the topic. #talent #retention #peoplemanagement https://lnkd.in/ebZ4R6FB

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How I became both a producer and a CEO: (And I love every inch of it) At my previous job at LoadMe I did: - Project production - Partner collabs - Client relations Doing both the work of the CEO while being Head of Studio. At UGI being both a producer and CEO helps me: 1/ Be the bridge between business & creative So that I bring my clients’ visions to life. 2/ Understand the core product Having product knowledge helps make decisions that benefit clients. 3/ High standards Being actively involved in the game production cycle allows me to hold high standards. Leadership is one thing. But what drives me is connecting to gamers and games which I love. And switching hats isn’t a problem. It makes the journey fascinating. PS. Do you think a CEO should be involved in game production?

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So here at LKHE we make games for gamers, and we support our devs fully. We are also about teaching and innovation, and will be opensourcing our games eventually, as well as the behind the scenes. This also means we don’t hide our code in a vault. It insures you guys get to bring your cool ideas to life, and it makes sure we’re always ready to take that extra step further into innovation. I noticed a lot of people are looking for this, and there isnt really a source out there that shows you how to do it. SOOOOoooo here it is (a Sin City Filter) for UE5. You can also use this for any post process, and bring an object, or character out and separate it from the post processing! Give us that Like and subscribe on the channel, and stay tuned. Out Pitch Demo is almost done for Project Kianna, and we'll be pumping out content via Discord, Facebook, LinkdIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and have our own fully operational Website! Once were up on social media, we will be releasing the official "Prototype: Kianna" which is the free (player built demo) where your input matters on how we proceed with our game! it will have 6 upgrades, based on player input, and will slowly uncover the origin story of Kianna. but for now, check it out my dudes https://lnkd.in/gPSUfjkh

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Yesterday, I wrote about the access to talent. Now, it is time to focus on access to funding and support for IP creation. Let's start on building a digital-ready copyright framework. The regulatory fragmentation of the European digital single market area is one of the key market access barriers for European game developers. Consequently, we need a fully harmonised copyright framework. AI-ready copyright framework will be one of the critical debates of the next Commission term. The EU needs a legal framework that keeps human-created copyright-protected content competitive. On the one hand, we need a copyright framework that protects artistic authors. However, the EU must widen its focus to protecting trademark and design rights holders in a digital environment, as these rights are likely to become much more important in the AI-driven world. On the other hand, we need a copyright framework that ensures contractual freedom and freedom to conduct business. These two perspective must be carefully balanced against each other. Lastly, the commission needs to create a specific legal framework for unfair, non-negotiable standard contracts used by AI tool developers. When it comes to funding, the EU needs to increase Creative Europe Media funding for video game development. Furthermore, digital games are an under-exploited driver of innovation. Therefore, the Union should give them a clear cross-cutting role in the new framework programme for research and innovation and introduce a specific R&D funding instrument targeting the games industry. The Union must require member states to introduce specific measures to support new emerging industrial sectors, like the game industry, in their regional smart specialisation strategies. Unlike any other cultural industry, public support for the game industry must currently be notified in Brussels. The Union must make it easier for member states to introduce public support for their local game industry ecosystem. Thus, the Union should broaden the audiovisual state aid exemption under the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) to include video games. If you have not done so already, vote! Vote for someone who continues the European support for Ukraine. For more information on the EGDF EP election manifesto, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eXYzVDHv

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I more or less started this series of posts with what I called Dansky's First Rule of Game Writing, namely, that words are always the cheapest fix until suddenly they are the most expensive. That line got a lot of rueful laughter and a lot of agreement, but today I want to dive a little deeper into it and talk about what it means. First of all, I absolutely believe this is true. When something gets cut or changed or added, it is much easier and faster to add, edit, or cut dialog around it, or rewrite backstory (assuming it hasn't already been put in a player-facing format) than it is to change a character model or a map or an animation, at least early in the project. Narrative folks should understand this and be flexible, because it comes with the territory and pushing back against a solution that saves time and money is not a good look. But. Too often this gets taken to extremes. When narrative is constantly called on to paper over the cracks caused by others' decisions, certain things happen. One is that as a solution, it is easy to overuse. Yes, it may be less work for narrative than for other teams, but it's still work, and it still involves throwing out work that has been already done. That comes with multiple costs, not the least of which is a morale hit. Constantly asking one team to be the only ones who bend can feel a little like they're being picked on, or worse, taken for granted. And that's a great way to demotivate people. Because with that comes an inevitable devaluing of narrative work. I've heard "It's just words" too many times in my career. Nobody says "It's just pixels" or "It's just lines of code" to other departments. The assumption that rewrites are a cheap and easy fix is incorrect; it is cheap, not easy. It takes craft and skill to seamlessly close the gap in a narrative when an entire level gets cut. It takes craft and skill to turn around a rewrite immediately because a recording session is coming up and another department failed to read a character design doc so the character details have to change. And on it goes, and on and on. The other half of the statement is that words suddenly get expensive, which is also true. Once you record dialog, once you put stuff into localization, all of a sudden changing those words gets pricey. Want to make a tweak to a level that contradicts a line that's already been recorded? That means hiring back the actor, plus the studio, plus the director. plus plus plus. And while pickup sessions are a thing, there is not infinite time or money to keep going back to the well every time someone wants to fiddle with something that was supposed to be nailed down for script lock. "It's just words" isn't true any more at this point, and other departments need to be cognizant of upcoming recording session dates and script deadlines in order take their requests timely. Otherwise, everyone's going to be unhappy.

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FYP! Here’s your insights to the early days of the Necesse franchise and Fair Games by Founder and CEO Mads Skovgaard 🙏

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🚀 A new monetization method for mobile? 🤞 We all know that the main pillars of mobile monetization methods are IAPs, Subscriptions, Ads, and Offerwalls. The issue is that IAPs and subscriptions are difficult to master, and Offerwalls and ads require many users to engage heavily with ads. BrightSDK is a new method to monetize your users via their bandwidth. ⚙️ How does it work? Bright SDK works with the largest e-commerce, travel, and social companies in the world to help them make decisions about products and pricing by analyzing Public Web Data. Turns out that large companies are willing to pay to know for example the average review score of a product in different geos and how an airline ticket between London and New York is priced in different geos. To do this at a large scale you need crawlers to get the data that the companies need. But as the web is built for people most of these programs are blocked. By using some of your users' bandwidth Bright SDK can get the data. 👏 How does it look in an app or game? Users can’t share their bandwidth without giving consent on iOS or Android to stay compliant—but incentivizing users to opt in is fair game. In Outlets Rush by Supercent, for example, players see a tempting pile of gems (premium currency) on the floor, which they receive if they agree to share a bit of their phone’s bandwidth while playing. Other approaches include offering fewer ads to users who opt-in or gifting a bundle of “skip” tickets as a reward for their consent. 💸 What’s the revenue potential? As Bright SDK is only active while users are playing a game thus earning potential depends on your session lengths, sessions per day, and the location of your users. If we take an app that has 50k DAU with 40% in the USA and 30% in T1 geos and around 10-minute session lengths per day this app would earn about $720/day or $21,600/month. 🧨 Keen to learn more about this new monetization method tune in to my conversation with Ofir Meir on two & a half gamers. 🎥 Youtube: https://lnkd.in/eZyaQMC3  ✉️ Ad Monetization Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eRWRFiGf #MobileMonetization #BrightSDK #AdMonetization #MobileGames #growth #GameDev #RevenueGrowth #MobileGaming #AppGrowth Matej 🦩Jakub #monetization #mobilegames #mobileapps #new

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96 days ago I started taking LinkedIn seriously, did my first post and I just hit 8000 followers! I did not have any specific goal in regards of followers but wanted to share this success and also reintroduce myself! I am Kristian and I am working as a bizdev person in Games Industry. I am from Eastern Slovakia but live in Prague and work full remote. My career so far looks like this: manual labor → streamer (failed) → recruitment → bizdev (outside of gaming) → partnership/bizdev in games (now) Since the beginning, I posted 57 times and: ➣ I gained 3702 followers ➣ 339k impressions ➣ 3200 reactions ➣ 658 comments ➣ 404 shares I never actively used any other social network like facebook, twitter, instagram, tiktok or others. Which is weird as I really enjoy being on LinkedIn. I made tons of friends, helped few ppl, engaged with other cool creators and loved every second. If you continue to follow me, you'll see more of: ⇢ bizdev/networking tips and jobs in our industry ⇢ bizdev resources (helpful from juniors to CEO's) ⇢ sharing must-follow ppl who add value ⇢ my journey, challenges, wins and fails ⇢ other helpful or entertainment content I would love you to introduce yourself and connect with similar minded people here.

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Hi friends, Recently, I came across a tool for developers that supports their everyday tasks. As someone with many years in Product Management, I often have repetitive tasks myself. What if there was an all-in-one toolbox for Product Managers, personalized to your needs? Are you using any tools for these tasks? What pain points do you face? For example, while using ChatGPT, it often requires a lot of time to craft the right prompts. #ProductManagement #ProductivityTools #PMTools

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Sustainable Game Growth and Revenue Optimization. (Sounds pretty easy!) 1. Growth: • Increase Daily Active Users (DAU): Focus on boosting your DAU as it’s directly tied to your game’s daily revenue. • Optimize Acquisition Channels: Regularly monitor your acquisition sources and refine your strategies to reduce Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) while maximizing your marketing budget efficiency. 2. Retention: • Prioritize Retention Rates: High retention rates are essential for the long-term success of your game. • Measure at Key Intervals: Track user retention at critical points (e.g., Day 1, Day 7, Day 30) to identify trends and areas for improvement. • Enhance New User Retention: Develop strategies to keep new players engaged and coming back, building a loyal player base. 3. Engagement: • Track Monthly Active Days: Monitor how many days per month your players are active to gauge overall engagement levels. • Foster Core User Engagement: Ensure your core players are deeply engaged, as they are more likely to make repeated transactions and contribute to higher Lifetime Value (LTV). 4. Monetization: • Focus on Conversions: Work on converting new players into paying users and encourage existing users to make repeated purchases. • Optimize Transaction Values: Increase the average value of each transaction and boost the number of transactions to maximize revenue. 5. Comprehensive Metrics: • Combine DAU with ARPU: Track both DAU and Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) to understand your game’s revenue potential and make data-driven decisions. • Focus on LTV: Use Lifetime Value (LTV) as your guiding metric for long-term planning, ensuring each player brings maximum value over their lifecycle. By balancing efforts across acquisition, retention, engagement, and monetization, you can ensure your game achieves sustainable growth and reaches its full revenue potential.

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Status check of the Swedish games industry Do we still need people? Look, it’s me! I had the honor of giving my view on the current staffing landscape in Swedish Games Industry 2024: Game Developer Index So, even after a few tough years, do we still need people? Short answer: yes, we do! As I shared in a previous post, the Swedish games industry is still growing And studios will always need seniors and specialists. In fact, the demand has increased significantly after the summer this year If you are looking for your next gig in games, you should definitely consider Sweden! Here’s what I’ve seen since starting Game Boost: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 2021: There has been a significant shift in mindset around contractors → Initially, consultants were rare and mainly used during time-pressured periods. → Now, studios incorporate more consultants into their general staffing strategy. → New studios keep their core team small and back up with external help. My observation is that things are finally starting to happen in the staffing area After 10 years of “this is how it’s always been done” New ways to staff for efficient productions are emerging. Exciting times! 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: We are seeing a split in how studios handle contractors → Some studios cut back on consultants to reduce direct costs. → Others bring in consultants to minimize long-term risks and costs. My observation is that contractors are crucial in unstable times. They provide access to specialists you need for shorter periods You get a game that can compete in the market out without a massive long-term cost. 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Specialities vary, Unreal stays a must have → Previously people mostly requested Unreal programmers (they are still in demand) → Now they also look for animators, producers, and UI/UX designers. → You need field experience to hit the ground running. → Important traits: self-motivation, good team player, not afraid to ask questions, proficiency in English. My observation is that to be successful in contracting you need to bring more to the table than your hard skills. A good consultant is both productive and shares their knowledge to strengthen the team. To sum it up: The Swedish games industry is thriving and modernizing staffing - it’s a great market for developers with professional experience and unreal competence. PS Swedish Games Industry 2024: Game Developer Index is a yearly report produced by the Dataspelsbranschen / Swedish Games Industry. (Link to English and Swedish versions of the full report in the comments) As a loyal reader and someone who looks forward to the report every year, I was excited to be part of it. Thank you Johanna Nylander and Elin Carlsson for letting me share my perspectives ❤️

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