Naavik

Discord: The Mobile Third Space We Never Expected - Been digging into Discord data lately and found something wild: Some 20-30%+ (seemingly mostly GenZ) of Discord users are mobile-first and generally only. That's... not what I as an oldhead millennial would've predicted. The interesting part isn't the platform shift - it's what this tells us about digital spaces. While we were all focused on Discord as the "gaming chat app," Gen Z turned it into their always-on pocket community. With Discord Activities rolling out publicly and new games dropping, we're about to see an entirely different type of social space emerge. One that's built for actual community-first behavior patterns rather than just gaming side-chat. Most product teams are still building for how millennials use Discord. They're playing the wrong game entirely. The real question is - what does it mean when your third space fits in your pocket? What happens when your community is always-on, always-accessible, and completely untethered from desktop behavior patterns? Curious to hear your thoughts. Clip from the lovely Naavik Aaron Bush (https://lnkd.in/gEQmSUnf) #Gaming #Community #ProductStrategy #FutureOfSocial

🎮 Papergames: Infinity Nikki and Beyond Infinity Nikki is a new cozy open-world, dress-up gacha game developed by Chinese developer Papergames and released through its publishing label, Infold. The game launched with over 30M pre-registrations across mobile, PC, and PS5, and marks Papergames’ first major global push. Released on December 5th, Infinity Nikki is an ambitious cross-platform title that took a team of over a thousand developers just under five years to make, paralleling the high production values of games like HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact. This is yet another big step for Chinese developers looking out to the global market for growth, which we have covered previously here. If you want to take a closer look at Papergames, its profitable Nikki IP, and how the company is expanding beyond its mostly female demographic with its next games, keep on reading here: https://lnkd.in/eVVYgVUW Thanks for writing, Harshal Karvande! And a very special thanks to our sponsor nSure.ai for making this digest issue possible. Learn more about how to keep your players in the game and your revenue protected with its help here: https://lnkd.in/eBdt8guX #gamesindustry #gamingnews #mobilegames

💰 Web3 Gaming’s 2024 in Review As 2024 draws to a close, web3 gaming continues to evolve with advancements in technology, adoption, and regulatory clarity shaping the year’s trajectory. Today, we’re highlighting some of 2024’s most impactful developments and looking ahead to 2025’s emerging trends and innovations. Don't miss out on the full piece! Keep on reading here: https://lnkd.in/dhjFAejw Thanks for writing, Devin Becker! And a very special thanks to our sponsor Neon for making this digest issue possible. You can learn more about their D2C platform built for games here: https://lnkd.in/guaMsPTb #gamesindustry #gamingnews #web3

🛍️ 2024’s New Line of Fashion Games Fashion, beauty, and luxury goods are some of the biggest categories in other parts of the attention economy, yet have not intersected with games in the same way the likes of sports or automotive have. This has begun to change slowly over the past decade, and most recently, two new mobile games emerged with even bigger ambitions for this category. The launch of Muus Collective’s Bellemint in October and the relaunch of DREST in November prompt an examination of where the intersection of fashion and gaming is heading. During COVID, luxury fashion fell hard for gaming — what has happened in the years since to change or grow this market, and where is it heading in the future? To find out, keep on reading here: https://lnkd.in/eERv_fNP Thanks for writing, Carson Taylor! We'd also like to thank our sponsor Lightspeed for making this digest issue possible. You can learn more about them here: http://gaming.lsvp.com/ #gamesindustry #gamingnews #mobilegames

🎙️ Transforming UA Creatives Through AI It's no secret that successful user acquisition requires significant investment in creatives. In this episode, host Aaron Bush sits down with Robert Huynh, co-founder and CEO of Reforged Labs (YC W22), to discuss how AI is reshaping gaming creatives, marketing experimentation, and consumer conversion. 💡 Key topics covered: - Robert’s journey - Learnings as a two-time founder - How marketing will evolve with AI - All about Reforged Labs 🎧 Listen now: Apple: https://lnkd.in/gPRMya7V Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g_QpjzZ5 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gpPKxFP8 🙏 Thanks to our sponsor: We’d like to thank Neon – a merchant of record with customizable webshops optimized for conversion – for making this episode possible! Neon is trusted by some of the biggest names in gaming and can help you sell direct without the typical overhead. To learn more, visit https://lnkd.in/guaMsPTb.

🎙️ "Direct-to-fan", a new payment system for creators in music & gaming. Today, host Devin Becker is joined by Sam Means, Founder of Wavlake, and Ben Cousens, Chief Strategy Officer of ZBD, to explore groundbreaking changes in creator payment systems. We explore how Wavlake, along with its partnership with ZBD, uses Bitcoin to revolutionize artist payments, reshaping the interaction between music artists and gamers, with applications for UGC platforms, music in games, and live-streaming environments. 💡 Key topics covered: - Bitcoin & Music - Tipping vs. Royalties - Streaming Comparison - Music & Games Interaction /UGC & Music Integration - Broadcast Rights - Profit Splitting in Games - AI Music Policies - Genre Preferences - Future of Music Distribution 🎧 Listen now: Apple: https://lnkd.in/gAmniRTS Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gCmT7AEK YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gAV4rHSJ 🙏 Thanks to our sponsor: We’d like to thank TikTok for making this episode possible. TikTok helps games achieve long-term player retention and revenue growth in a competitive market. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ghg2r6KQ.

🤖 AI NPCs: The Future of Game Characters The gaming industry has always been a pioneer in emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence is no exception. One of the most exciting breakthroughs for gaming has been AI-enabled nonplayable characters. By leveraging generative AI models, NPCs gain depth and dynamism that enable lifelike personalities and interactions — imagine an NPC that remembers past decisions, learns over time, and has its own goals and motivations. Giving new life to previously static characters, AI NPCs can enable more immersive experiences, deeper storytelling, and stronger player engagement. Let’s take a closer look at how AI NPCs work, where they’re heading, and whether they truly have disruptive potential here: https://lnkd.in/ePR3WA-5 Thanks for writing, Eric Duan! We'd also like to thank our sponsor, Heroic Labs for making this digest issue possible. You can learn more about their integrated platform here: https://lnkd.in/esXzez_4 #gamingnews #gamesinsdustry #AI

🎙️ Alternative App Stores and the Evolution of App Distribution Aptoide is an independent app store with over 430 million users and 10 billion downloads. In this episode, host Niko Vuori sits down with Alvaro Pinto, co-founder and COO of Aptoide, to explore the evolution of app distribution and the push for alternatives to the Apple-Google app store duopoly. If you're curious about how app markets are changing and what lies ahead, don't miss this episode! 🔍 What’s covered: - Alvaro's background / Journey into gaming - Why Aptoide? - How has Aptoide developed over the years? - User Aquisition - Web3 influence - Revenue Model - Why Blockchain? - Aptoide's role in opening up the markets - Where is the market going? - Geo Restriction / Privacy - What's Aptoide like? - New inititives - T.V, Automobile - Plan for the future 🎧 Listen to the full episode: Apple: https://lnkd.in/gFGcP6xy Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gQz5wKKD YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gvR7pDme 🙏 We’d also like to thank Reforged Labs (YC W22) for making this episode possible. This YC startup automates the traditionally costly and time-consuming ad production process, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video ads in under 24 hours – and it’s all powered by a proprietary AI engine trained on thousands of successful game ads. Learn more: https://reforgedlabs.com/ And as always, don’t forget to subscribe, like, or leave a comment!

Our final OGRI partner for the current cohort is none other Reforged Labs (YC W22), and we couldn't be more excited! 🥳

💰 M&A in 2024 and Beyond Through the first nine months of 2024, it’s been clear the M&A market is beginning to recover. According to the Q3 2024 Drake Star Global Gaming Report, there were 56 announced M&A deals totaling $2.5B in deal value in Q3 (where the terms of the deal is disclosed). This is up 70% year-over-year and represents the fourth straight quarter of increasing deal counts. For the first nine months of 2024, there have been 156 deals, compared to 164 deals in all of 2023. Assuming 42 deals in Q4 of this year (a similar seasonal drop from last year), we’ll have just shy of 200 deals for the calendar year. Want to read our dive into three notable M&A transactions through November 2024, and have a look at our predictions for deal-making in 2025? Keep on reading here: https://lnkd.in/eVmsktA6 Thanks for writing, Mario Stefanidis, CFA! And a special thanks to Reforged Labs (YC W22) for making this digest issue possible. You can read more about them here: https://lnkd.in/eEnw3ytD #gamesindustry #gamingnews