Benjamin Webley

Come learn about Xsolla's strategies to improve your mobile games revenue.

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During my time at Zynga from 2011-13, cross-promotion on Facebook was a key competitive advantage that basically ensured the successful launch of new games. However, as players shifted to mobile, that advantage significantly diminished. Squad Busters’ impressive 8.8M downloads and $1.1M in revenue on launch day—Supercell’s highest-ever—make me wonder if cross-promotion is back. Despite post-launch retention challenges, Squad Busters attracted 40 million sign-ups in just five weeks. Join us for a Growth Marketing roundtable discussion on Squad Busters’ launch success and hear expert insights from industry leaders Jen Donahoe and Gavin Leung as we explore Supercell’s strategies. Key topics include: • The impact of big-budget ad campaigns • The successful preregistration drive • Launch day results Date: Thursday, September 5th, 2024 (tomorrow) Time: 9 - 10 AM PST Type: Open to anyone Sign-Up Here: https://lnkd.in/gg9Y9CGu

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Match3 is not the best game economy. I know some who would say it’s not even economy! Also, digital board games are just video games with terrible UX. Listen to the episode for more on these hot takes from me and the fellas.

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Business of games: 5 biggest funding rounds, partnerships, and trends from the last week 🕹️ Investment round-up details from Sept 3rd week 1. Nazara secures $108m to fuel further M&A 2. Gamebeast raises $3.7 million in pre-seed funding 3. Nazara Technologies to raise Rs 900 Cr, increase stake in Sportskeeda 4. Playtika to acquire Dice Dreams developer SuperPlay for up to $1.95 billion 5. Dirt raises $2M from Mark Cuban and others for sensor-based measurement of player attention Top trending news from last week: TouchArcade is Shutting Down :(    #gamingindustry #gamedesign #mobilegames #gamedevelopment #gamedev #videogames #gaming #useracquisition #growth #UA #revenue #data #icartic #gamedeveloper #indiedev #unity3d #madewithunity #businessofgames

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Calling Investors: Invest in the original Xbox “Duke” controller… I am working with a new gaming peripherals company set to take the world by storm and they are looking for investors to join the team. Founded by Duke Schnepf, son of gaming visionary, and Xbox founder, Brett Schnepf, backed by multiple founding fathers of the Xbox, this company is pushing the boundaries of the gaming peripherals sector. Their journey began with Brett Schnepf, a luminary whose contributions to gaming history are etched in stone. As a founding member of the Xbox console team, Brett's design prowess shaped modern gaming, with iconic creations like the Sidewinder PC controller and the legendary Duke controller. Today, Duke Schnepf carries forth his father's legacy. Upside and a half! In late 2024, a major streaming platform will release a series chronicling the founding of a pioneering gaming console (can you guess which one) and the launch of Duke's ground-breaking products, offering an intimate look at the visionary minds behind this revolution. Looking for investments of $10K, $20K, $50K, $100K, $250, $500K, and $1M. Higher investments with equity shares are available for discussion. We foresee full returns and profits delivered within 1 year. If you're interested in being part of this exciting journey, please get in touch to set up a call ASAP. #Gaming #InvestmentOpportunity #Innovation #GamingPeripherals #TechInvestments #gamedev #investors #angelinvestors #gameinvestor #PEinvestment #AngelInvestment

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Fascinating - Jeffrey Katzenberg was almost right with Quibi. Vertical short-form episodic video is the right format for a mobile generation. TikTok has made this obvious. But he didn’t it with big names and big budgets - you can’t do that, at least yet. ReelShorts and Dramabox are doing 3 min episodic soap operas - a genre Hollywood has largely forgotten about. But they are doing it with non-union talent, short shoots and tight budgets. They are also foregoing woke formulations and being data-driven about casting and plots. The article spends a fair amount of time handwringing over this but if Hollywood is too good to make content people want to see, someone will. There’s really a huge opportunity for professionally made content in the vertical episodic format. Already analysts are predicting it will be a billion dollar market. Hollywood is broken and disrupting means going outside the system…and being less pretentious. “Sooner or later, vertical video streaming will become the next film industry in parallel,” claims Joey Jia, the CEO of Crazy Maple Studios, which operates the biggest of the platforms, ReelShort. “Hollywood is arrogant,” he says. “Unfortunately, their production structures, their content delivery methods, and content selection process are in the Stone Age.” The reason why some people make a [film] is because it’s a director’s dream, or someone else’s dream,” he says. “For us, the purpose of designing a story is promotion. So if a story cannot be promoted, that’s trash.” He compares watching ReelShort to “reading USA Today, not The Wall Street Journal.”

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Transmedia Evolution! "Secret Level," coming December 10th from Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, is the newest anthology series from the creators of "Love, Death + Robots." ⬇ If you watched LD+R on Netflix - you loved it. I can't imagine any other reaction, frankly ("When The Yogurt Took Over" [S1E6] is Ai-allegory gold - highly, highly recommended. #Ohio). Season One of Secret Level will have 15 episodes, all based on and celebrating video games and gaming culture...including stories inspired by D&D, Honor of Kings, PAC-MAN (...?...lulz...ok - no wait, yes. YES.), New World, Sifu, Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament, and Warhammer 40K. The VO talent list includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, and Kevin Hart. Clearly Arnold is the light blue ghost...a self-homage to Mr. Freeze. I could be wrong about that. Watch the trailer...good stuff. Watch Love, Death + Robots on Netflix...get your hopes up for Secret Level. Have some yogurt.

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Big bet. Disney is banking on the bundle reducing churn considerably and making them into the next Netflix. But they will also have to deploy a ton of capital into sports and content to make that happen. Is a $41b valuation a good deal for DIS shareholders? "According to the Disney filing, if NBCU’s appraisal were “deemed to be valid” and a third appraiser’s equity fair-value determination “were consistent with the NBCU’s appraiser’s valuation,” Disney would be required to pay NBCU an additional amount of approximately $5 billion as its share of the difference between the equity fair value and the guaranteed floor value. That suggests that Comcast’s third-party appraisal valued Hulu in the neighborhood of $40.8 billion."

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PGA Tour Tasked Freshcut with enhancing its presence in Roblox. So, we implemented three fundamental changes: — Forge a strategic partnership to understand key goals — Leverage Freshcut's innovative UGC Community and Tools — Capitalize on PGA Tour major events for campaign timing This partnership lead to groundbreaking results: — A 108% increase in game plays, exceeding goals — 17,000+ new members in the PGA TOUR Roblox group — Game favorability jumps from 68% to 93% These strategic moves reshape engagement: — PGA TOUR Scramble becomes a community favorite on Roblox — Your brand establishes new digital engagement benchmarks How I guide you to similar success: — Cultivate powerful partnerships like with FreshCut — Utilize peak events for maximum impact — Continuously innovate to stay ahead in digital spaces Are you looking for a game-changing strategy? DM me to enhance your Roblox engagement dramatically. #Roblox #Brandpartnerships #Innovation #Metaverse

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Voodoo's Cup Heroes already scaled to $60K a day 🤑 in IAP only and 100K downloads a day. The game has been constantly growing from its soft-launch in February making probably more than $3 Mil. in last 30 days altogether. This seems as another major Hybridcasual hit for Voodoo, as it already overtook Block Jam 3D and its on its way to catch up to Mob Control. Ironically it has the Mob Control math gates ➗ core built into it, which seems as an obvious choice to iterate upon. 2 months before its launch there was Bag Fight in Voodoo's portfolio, a game that iterated upon the Backpack hero successful Steam game. Cup Heroes took its top visualization and 2 phase core setup and replaced the inventory merging mechanic with the tried and tested Mob Control gates. But don't be fooled, the biggest and the most important iteration is actually the rogue lite skill randomizer. Here skills are picked at the end of each wave as there is no level in the game. You also need to pay the balls currency to get them, in contrast to the usual setup, where these are given for free, each time you level up. This offers a lot of places for ad placements, and I mean a lot 😅, with possibilities to refresh the skills, get a specific skill for and ad, get all 3 skills for an ad, revive, etc. On top of it you also have interstitials popping in your face. The core gameplay itself is also very interesting as the combat happens automatically on top of the screen with no player input. After you kill the enemies and they drop some balls you need to select where do you want to drop them, so that mathematically, they will multiply as much as possible, so you can then buy skills with them in the last 3rd step, then the core repeats. Join us as we talk about all of this with Felix & Matej 🦩 😎. Data based on Sensor Tower, thanks for the support 🤗 📺 Watch on YouTube: Link in the comments 🎧 Listen on Spotify: Link in the comments 🗣 Join the discussion on our slack channel: https://lnkd.in/eZXJ2Une #gamedev #gameindustry #mobilegames #gamedesign  #mobilegaming #mobilegamedevelopment #useracquisition #gameproduction #games #gamedevelopment #mobiledeveloper  #userexperience #hypercasual #hybridcasual

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Exciting news from Runway! They've just introduced Advanced Camera Control for their Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model, enhancing our ability to direct AI-generated videos with greater precision. 🎥✨ This new feature allows creators to specify both the direction and intensity of camera movements within their scenes, enabling more intentional and dynamic shots. Whether you want to execute horizontal pans to arc around subjects or apply zoom effects to unveil new contexts or narratives, the control is now in your hands. Plus, you can combine various camera movements and adjust speeds to create truly engaging and customized video outputs. Keep in mind, Advanced Camera Control is exclusive to the Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model. To access this feature, you'll need a subscription to Runway's Standard plan, priced at $12 per month. This is a game-changer for anyone looking to elevate their AI-generated content! 🚀

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I am thrilled about this year's RDC and the surge in brand interest in Roblox. The UGC gaming market is truly dynamic, with platforms like Roblox, UEFN, and Sandbox leading the way in innovation. As a veteran with over 20 years in the industry, I find it fascinating to witness the creativity emerging from UGC platforms. Brands are leveraging these platforms to engage with audiences in unique ways. I see three key pillars in how brands are interacting in this space: 1. The Canvas: UGC platforms offer a versatile canvas where brands can unleash their creativity, enabling groundbreaking game mechanics and reimagining the gaming landscape. 2. The Paint: Brands can introduce themselves to new audiences, creating experiences that bridge virtual and real-world engagement, such as the "Games to life" concept. 3. The Artist: By fostering interactive relationships among brands, gamers, and platforms, developers can seamlessly merge the virtual and real worlds, creating immersive experiences. In 2024, Atlas Creative achieved significant milestones: - Average game session length: 27 minutes - Total lifetime game sessions: 3.5 Billion - Players spent approximately 91 Billion minutes playing our games. If you'll be at RDC next month and want to connect, feel free to reach out. Let's schedule a meeting! #RDC #Roblox #UEFN #UGC #UGCGAMING #ATLASCREATIVE

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part 1 and 2 is out john has summed the things that game publisher need to take note. the need to understand the player behavior, player motivations and game economy is crucial in crafting the revenue path and strategies for each segment or group. there is no 1 size fits all strategy. not just on monetization, before that, acquistion and retention would be the initial steps to work on and follow by monetization. Just working monetization alone will see repercussions. Players have too many options to choose, how to keep them to the game and keeping them long will be one of the core to successful monetization.

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Horrible news today about layoffs at Traega Entertainment, with 19 employees being laid off. Game Director Tony Mann shared their details here, if you are in the market for some amazing talent: https://lnkd.in/eJDgas_5 To those affected, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 8 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,200 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eu2bjadW ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,800 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/eYdxANFM 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 450 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/dwwVjZuc 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/gxDvFM-Z 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/e5MuViug 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 190 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSkPSsWf 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev: This resource lists around 290 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePG57_7v ⚙ IT, Helpdesk and DevOps: This resource lists around 140 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/e8ZsuiZh 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, If you have worked in publishing, please message me. I am looking for quite a few roles right now! ⬅ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #traega

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Are gamers willing to pay $100 for 3 days of early access to a game? Over 2.2 million people were willing to pay the 60% higher price for College Football 2025 Kamila Gora, head of marketing and community with ZTX, said “I actually don't mind this. I think out of all the quote unquote extractionary accusatory systems that we've seen and are seeing, this is actually a really good compromise because to be frank, you're just extending the ability to the true fans to dive in earlier. I'm getting a finalized, polished product and I'm happy to jump in earlier, versus [beta] participation in unfinished testing which usually goes the other way around where people are sometimes incentivized. So I think this is fair.” Wills Spangler, who manages user acquisition at Stardust, stated that “releasing a game 3 days early is not innovation. That's not like a revolutionary thing that nobody's tried. The only reason it works is because not everybody does it and it's capitalizing on the market hype for these games. Where we want to see innovation is how funds from an event like this are actually benefiting the community and the people who built the game. I think that's where real innovation is, not in releasing it 3 days early.” What’s your opinion?

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Q3 2024 Video Game Confidence Survey Summary is Now Live! Curious about the latest trends shaping the video game industry? Dive into our Q3 2024 Game Confidence Index, where we unpack the highs, lows, and everything in between from July to September. Key Insights: Shifts in economic sentiment and profitability expectations Rising development costs and intensified market competition Evolving funding strategies amid a tightening financial landscape Read the full analysis to see how industry leaders are responding to these trends and positioning for Q4: Q3 2024... Stay ahead with the insights that matter for navigating this rapidly changing industry! #VideoGames #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #MarketInsights #Q32024

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BR1: INFINITE is a real money shooting game based in USD. Pay $1 to spawn and earn $1 for every elimination in-game, servers range from $0 - $10, (i.e. if you play in the $0.25 game mode it costs $0.25 per spawn and you earn $0.25 per elimination). Think about it as the overlap of the 'ante up' nature of poker, crossed with traditional shooting games. Functions are designed not just for gamers, but for game investors who will never play the game but instead manage athletes. - Stake athletes entries in games and automatically get a fixed % of their earnings. - Rent out in-game assets that give players an increased earnings bonus in-game. Here's a sneak peak from the beta, what do you think? 👇

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Business of games: 14 biggest funding rounds, partnerships, and trends from the last 2 weeks 🕹️ Investment round-up details from Sept last and Oct 1st week: 1. No Time To Relax dev Porcelain Fortress raises $3M 2. Darkbright raises $6M to build life-sim RPG Smolbound 3. Future Trash raises $5M to build its IP within Fortnite’s platform 4. Remedy enters into €15 million loan agreement with Tencent 5. Nitro Games expands Warframe mobile partnership with €5 million deal 6. Behaviour Interactive acquires Darkest Dungeon dev Red Hook Studios 7. EdVentures invests in Egyptian education and interactive games startup Saikoro 8. Indian game streaming startup Loco sells majority stake to Redwood at $65M 9. Distance Technologies raises $11.2M for glasses-free mixed reality for enterprises 10. Vivid Games secures $1.36 million strategic investor deal to grow Real Boxing brand 11. French publisher RIVRS raises €4m to "professionalise and industrialise" user-generated content (UGC) 12. New development studio The Three Thousands has opened in Melbourne, led by EA veterans Joseph Donoghue, Nikhil Kurian, and Benjamin Dawe 13. Finnish developer Future Run secures second round of investment led by Supercell. The funds will go towards the continued development of the studio's cross-platform title Riot Ball 14. The developers behind Awesomenauts have formed a new studio Rangatang and are reviving the unfinished game - cartoon brawler Nubs - they had been working on at their previous company Ronimo Top trending news from the last 2 weeks: 1. Krafton and Pocketpair partner to bring Palworld to mobile platforms 2. Guillemot Brothers and Tencent reportedly considering Ubisoft buyout 3. 343 rebrands as Halo Studios, working on multiple Unreal Engine 5 games 4. MagicBlock Has Raised $3M to Enable Real-Time Onchain Games and Applications 5. Unreal Engine royalty fee reduced to 3.5% for games landing on Epic Games Store on launch day 6. Synnax has announced a $1.1 million strategic funding round, in which Wintermute Ventures and TON Ventures both invested $550,000    #gamingindustry #gamedesign #mobilegames #gamedevelopment #gamedev #videogames #gaming #useracquisition #growth #UA #revenue #data #icartic #gamedeveloper #indiedev #unity3d #madewithunity #businessofgames

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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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