Fabien-Pierre Nicolas-Kim

🔋⚡️Calling all gaming & entertainment website owners! Big news at Overwolf today as we announce the acquisition of industry-leading gaming ad tech company Nitro (formally Nitropay), bringing unprecedented net-7 payouts to all website publishers on our platform. As part of our aligned vision with the Nitro team to revolutionize the ad tech industry, we’re offering website publishers unparalleled opportunities for monetization including: 🏆Net-7 payouts ⚡️Lightning fast ad loading ☎️Same-day support 📈More demand for ad inventory Prior to the acquisition, Overwolf was already ranked by Comscore, Inc. as a Top 10 US Game Publisher, with our unique proprietary solution allowing advertisers to reach over 45 million monthly gamers across premium game titles like Minecraft, Fortnite and League of Legends. Our partners include global powerhouse brands and media agencies such as P&G, Pringles, KFC, Intel, Monster Energy, Dentsu, WPP, Havas and more. Today, we more than double our reach to 100M unique gamers monthly across a rich ecosystem of desktop apps, mods, private servers and now over 500 premium websites - becoming a simple marketing buy for anyone looking to advertise to gamers at scale. A big welcome to Cody Bye and the Nitro team joining our growing pack of wolves. Read more about the acquisition here: https://lnkd.in/dRs_MzKN If you’re a gaming/entertainment website owner interested in net-7 payouts and increased demand for your ad inventory reach out to our Nitro team via the website: https://lnkd.in/dAxtkU5V #Publishers | #GamingIndustry | #GamingAds | #Monetization | #AdTech

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🙏 A Big Thank You to Our Friends at Tekkie Pinas! 🙏 Grateful to Mark Anthony Wagan for this fantastic article on the recent launch of the Kaia Mainnet. 🎉 It’s exciting to see our efforts being recognized as we continue to push the boundaries of Web3 with LINE’s NEXT WEB SDK. Check out the full article to learn more about how Kaia is set to reshape the future of blockchain. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSKQMyDu #JBlaze #KaiaBlockchain #MainnetLaunch #Web3 #TekkiePinas #Innovation #Blockchain

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More layoffs... Hi-Rez Ventures, developers of Smite 2, has laid off an undisclosed number of employees. CEO Stewart Chisam announced the layoffs on X/Twitter alongside a shift in strategy for Smite 2. "We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez's long-term success, with a specific focus on positioning Smite 2 for a long and sustainable future," Chisam said. (source: https://lnkd.in/e3mwdJYP) To those impacted please check them out here: 🥇First, reach out to us at People Can Fly Studio, we have many roles open right now in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Europe, please check them out here: https://lnkd.in/eWpV5PbA 🥈Next, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past months I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines, and I would urge you to check them out, if anything just to see what would be available to you: https://lnkd.in/ePywd2kq You can find over 6,000 jobs there. 🥉 Third, 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/ I urge you to check out the areas in particular about CV support and mentoring, as these will help you no matter what industry you are hailing from or are looking into going next. 🎖 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 ❤️ #hirezstudios #layoffs

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Sorry I missed this one last night: Tilting Point is laying off 20 percent of its workforce to "continue operating a healthy ongoing company." Confirming the news in a statement sent to MobileGamer.biz, the company said the cuts were made in response to "tough" market conditions. (source and more detail: https://lnkd.in/eWPyhDhg) Those of you who are affected by this, please make use of my resources below: 🥇First, reach out to us at People Can Fly Studio, we have many roles open right now in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Europe, please check them out here: https://lnkd.in/eWpV5PbA 🥈Next, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past months I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines, and I would urge you to check them out, if anything just to see what would be available to you: https://lnkd.in/e2qSeKk6 You can find over 5,600 jobs there. 🥉 Third, 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/ I urge you to check out the areas in particular about CV support and mentoring, as these will help you no matter what industry you are hailing from or are looking into going next. 🎖 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 ❤️ #tiltingpoint #layoffs

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Silicon Valley pickup lines: 😂😆🤣 "Hey baby, I'll show you my slide deck ANY time." "I specialize in handling big funds." "Can I see your cap table tonight?" "Wanna come back to my place and...play with my demo?" "I need your hot startup in my investment portfolio." "I'm the best around at raising seed funds." #FridayFun #investing #startups

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Apple is up to their monopolistic tricks again. I have no idea how this isn’t anticompetitive. More importantly, why does Apple continue to penalize mobile app advertisers by making iOS advertising even more inefficient. Why don’t they launch a functional and scalable ad network that is advertiser friendly and double blind to protect consumer’s privacy while allowing for robust tracking and targeting? As of July 1st, when businesses use the Facebook or Instagram app on their iPhone or iPad to boost a post, advertisers will have to pay a 30% additional fee that goes to Apple. This fee isn't charged by Meta, but by Apple due to their in-app payment rules.

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A good economic analogy to think of platform taxes is by referencing them to deadweight loss. eg. if Apple takes 30% of the game's revenue and AWS takes another 10-15% (or whatever) for server costs, it inhibits a studio from doing things because it's just not profitable. Apple and Amazon keep getting rich, but for every dollar they make, many other dollars of potential economic value get annihilated.

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Dude Perfect raised $100M for global biz expansion. The deal is getting lots of buzz, but our team’s math signals challenges ahead. Let’s break it down… DEAL DETAILS • $100 - 300M growth capital investment • Led by Highmount Capital • Unclear if 100% invested upfront OR draw down of commitment over time • No previous capital raised USE OF FUNDS • Hire mgmt team to expand biz • More live experiences incl int’l tour, consumer products • Grow content formats, frequency, channels, global localization e.g. animation, TV, movies, streaming • Extend brand beyond 5 founders by building talent network • New HQ in Frisco, TX as prod facility and “family-friendly entertainment destination”: – Retail store, podcasts / gaming / fan UGC spaces, trick shot tower, DP museum, mini golf, restaurants – Original plans for 3-story, 30 acre facility est to cost $100M+, 2 yrs to build COMPANY OVERVIEW: Dude Perfect • Digital-native comedy and sports media brand • Faith-based mission: “We’re about giving back, spreading joy and glorifying Jesus Christ”  • Other YouTube franchises: “Stereotypes,” “Overtime”, “Bucket List”  • Media brand also incl books, mobile games, board games and toys, and merch / retail / food and beverage partnerships • 25 current team members PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS • 60M YouTube Followers, 17B views • Est 2024 revenue: $50M per DP • Est 2023 and 2022 revenue: $25M and $20M per WSJ  • Consumer product partnerships incl Nerf toy line, Columbia Sportswear • Partnered with A Parent Media co to launch a streaming service • ESPN “30 for 30” doc premiering at Dallas Int’l film festival • TV series on CMT in 2016, later aired on Nickelodeon • Alternate broadcasts for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football • 4 live nationwide tours as of 2023 ORIGIN STORY • Founded 2009 by 5 friends at Texas A&M • Cofounders = twins Coby Cotton and Cory Cotton, Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert • Started as YT channel featuring trick shot videos INVESTOR OVERVIEW: Highmount Capital • Growth stage and middle mkt PE fund for tech, media, healthcare • Founded in 2023 by jason illian and David Hawkins • 4 team members on website + advisor • 3 team members have faith-based ties per bios • No other investments listed on website other than DP My takeaway... I really like and support the trend of increased investment into YouTubers and digital-native media brands. But as I wrote about in my 2024 State of Creator x Media capital markets reports (will link them below), investment must match market and opportunity size. To ensure good ROI, and to set good precedent for future investment into our space. The DP bet is exciting, but could be overly optimistic based on our prelim math. My colleague Michael Booth's post breaks the math down (link below). More analysis to come in my Friday newsletter. —- I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do m&a and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My dm’s are open. #media #agency #creatoreconomy

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The potential U.S. ban on TikTok, following Senate approval to force a sale by ByteDance, echoes India's earlier ban and could significantly impact Gen Z and the gaming community: -Community Disruption: TikTok is not just a platform but a vital part of Gen Z's social connections and creative expression. A ban could push them to platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, significantly altering their digital interactions and potentially stifling their creativity. -Content Shifts: TikTok's short-form content style shapes Gen Z's media consumption. Its absence could lead to changes in how this demographic engages with digital media. -Economic Impact: Many young creators, often from marginalized communities, rely on TikTok for income. A ban could disrupt their economic opportunities, forcing them to seek alternative platforms and potentially pushing them further into financial instability. -Gaming Influence: TikTok promotes games and gaming content, playing a crucial role in the marketing and trendsetting within the gaming industry. A ban could reshape these dynamics. -Reduced Political Engagement: TikTok also serves as a platform for political discourse and activism among young users. A ban could lessen their exposure to diverse perspectives and facilitate their participation in activism. #news #currentevents #gamingindustry https://lnkd.in/eujPVvaY

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The streaming industry is undergoing a significant transformation. - Executive predictions indicate an increase in ads, higher subscription prices, and a shift towards ad-supported models. - The focus on profitability could influence content production, favoring broad appeal over niche or prestige shows. - The industry may invest more in live sports and experience mergers or shutdowns among existing services. - Despite advancements like on-demand viewing, streaming might start to resemble the traditional cable TV model. What do you think about these changes in the streaming industry? #streamingindustry #adsupported

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This is a MUST READ article on how Meta is leveraging Generative AI. Apple's removal of IDFA devastated mobile gaming profitability and dismantled deterministic mobile app advertising. Apple's draconian ATT solution seemed custom designed to punish Facebook for user privacy concerns - but did it punish Facebook? This article offers a compelling view on how Meta has turned the tables and regained profitability leveraging Generative AI and aggressive cost cutting. Meta's advertising business is powered by personalizing content from over 3.07 billion users’ consumption. Clearly Meta has a tremendous amount to gain by offering easy-to-use Generative AI advertising tools and content generation. Here is ChatGPT's summary of key points from this long and interesting article. - Meta's advertising business faced significant negative impacts due to Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policies. - ATT limited Meta's ability to track user activity across apps, reducing the effectiveness of ad targeting and measurement. - In response, Meta began leveraging Generative AI and probabilistic modeling to mitigate the effects of ATT on its ad revenue. - Meta now uses AI to improve ad measurement and attribution in a privacy-compliant manner, addressing ATT challenges. - Short-term strategies include using AI to enhance contextual advertising based on in-app user behavior. - Mid-term plans involve developing AI models that generate synthetic data to compensate for the loss of third-party tracking data. - Long-term goals focus on integrating Generative AI into ad creation tools, allowing for personalized and dynamic ad content. - Meta released open-source AI models like LLaMA and LLaMA 2 to accelerate AI innovation and collaboration. - Collaboration with Microsoft enables the distribution of LLaMA 2 through Azure, expanding access to AI tools. - Generative AI helps Meta improve ad targeting by creating richer data models without infringing on user privacy. - AI-driven enhancements in natural language processing allow for better understanding of user intent and preferences. - Investment in computer vision AI aids in analyzing visual content, improving ad relevance and engagement. - AI-powered recommendation systems enhance the personalization of content and ads on Meta's platforms. - The company utilizes AI for content creation to customize and personalize a user's experience - potentially incorporating pictures of the users in Generative AI ads and experiences. - Ethical considerations in AI development are emphasized, focusing on privacy, bias reduction, and transparency. - Integration of AI into augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) opens new avenues for immersive advertising. - Meta develops AI tools to assist advertisers in creating more effective and engaging ad campaigns. - Specialized AI infrastructure investments ensure scalability and efficiency for advanced AI operations.

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Measure What Matters: Tracking Digital Promotion Success Your digital promotions are working hard, but are they paying off? Learn how to track & measure: * Conversion rates, click-through rates & engagement * Customer acquisition cost (CAC) & return on investment (ROI) * Advanced techniques like multi-touch attribution & cohort analysis Read here: https://lnkd.in/dSYQKhnk #DigitalPromotions #Marketing #ROI #Analytics #Promocious #Gamecloud

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So we all know #Roblox didn't invent #ugc in gaming. However, I do believe that they are the lead market maker when it comes to defining the #creatoreconomy. I believe that in 2025, we will see the fruits of these efforts beyond the Roblox sandbox when traditional games publishers and UGC creators share revenues and unlock a new era in gaming. And it won't be driven by an ad-supported model. https://lnkd.in/gRvncRJQ

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Rebuilding a brand in the eyes of marketers and kickstarting sales motion can be tricky. I was fortunate to have received a masterclass during my almost three years at the music app Shazam from my former boss and CRO Greg Glenday in the art of manifestation. For context, Shazam was one of the most downloaded apps in the world reaching hundreds of millions of users but had prior hiccups on scaling advertiser revenue. A bulk of the revenue came from the affiliate business from the streaming services. We needed marketers to rethink how they viewed Shazam and Greg launched the Shazam for Brands concept. It was a simple yet consistent messaging across all of our sales marketing efforts and how we spoke to brands + promoted at all of our B2B efforts. * We showed up in mass at Cannes and in high profile places under Shazam for Brands. We built buzz with products that weren't necessary ad related but allowed us to show innovation and get marketers excited again. * We launched an integration with Snapchat where you could Shazam within their app environment. We demoed this product in every meeting under Shazam for Brands. * We launched a TV show on Fox TV with Mark Burnett and Jamie Foxx called "Beat Shazam." We sold advertiser integrations under the Shazam for Brands banner. * We partnered with AR company Zappar and released AR within the app under the Shazam for Brand moniker. Once we had created market buzz, we introduced a takeover unit and within a matter of months we went from selling banner ad units to high impact takeovers. The business was starting to scale right when we were acquired by Apple. Greg Glenday was relentless in his pursuit of reframing the company as an ad supported marketing leader. I learned a ton about the importance of manifesting the direction you want to take a company. The irony that the Shazam app is now ad free is not lost on me 😁

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Everyone loves a comeback story. A year ago, I boomeranged back to FaZe Clan to help operationalize the business on behalf of the founders who were returning to run the brand and to help support GameSquare CEO Justin Kenna with a revised GTM, cost reduction strategy, and expansion of content IP. This was always going to be a tough transition rebuilding the brand that had undergone a challenging two year period but seeing the numbers from the September Subathon where the new featured talent streamed for 24 hours a day for 30 days straight demonstrates we are on the right path. The scale of the numbers are staggering and highlights of the September 2024 subathon include: Unprecedented Social Reach: 1.1B+ impressions, 760M+ video views, and 47M+ engagements-setting new records as FaZe Clan's biggest event to date Dominating Streaming Numbers: Averaged 52.6K concurrent viewers, peaked at 132.2K, and garnered 2.2B minutes watched - with 257M total views Twitch Channel Surge: 300K+ new Twitch subscribers, 710K+ follower growth, 350K total subscribers across all participating channels, and FaZe was the #1 brand by minutes watched on Twitch during September Community Impact: 79% positive sentiment, strengthening audience connection and transforming the brand's perception Breaking Records: Everyone was ranked in the top 20 most-subscribed on Twitch in September, with Ron becoming the most-watched streamer in the world and Jason the most-subscribed Asian streamer ever with 100K+ subs Massive Market Share: FaZe Clan's Subathon accounted for 13% of Just Chatting hours watched and 2% of ALL hours watched on Twitch in September We can't wait to share what is coming next. FaZe is back.

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A fun story about how poor interpretation of metrics (and ignoring common sense) can really bite you in the ass... Years ago at a game company (I won't say which one - you can figure it out if you want), some very smart people decided to A/B test whether customer service was worth it for anyone but the top spenders. A-group stopped getting customer service for anyone less than $X, where X was a number with 3 zeros. B-group still got their tickets answered. A-group and B-group ended up with the same longterm retention and ARPU. Very smart people concluded, "customer service costs a lot and offers us no value!" All CS folks working on anything other than mega-spender CS were re-deployed as live-ops people. Less than a year later, the top spenders in the game rebelled because the members of their alliances who hadn't spent $X (where X has 3 zeros) were not getting any of their issues handled by the game, leading to the alliances losing events, making everyone in the alliance very cranky. They issued a "spending strike" and banded together to stop buying things in the game until their issues were resolved (company could see, though, that some of them used this to their advantage to buy things while no one else did, but that's a different story). Did the spending strike cost the company more than they would have spent on customer service? Yes. Was it a bad decisions in the first place, though? Yes. But could anyone really have known that? Also yes. Service games are an ecosystem, often built around team dynamics. Your community feeling good about each other and about how the game is treating not just them, but other players, has long-term implications no short-term A/B test can reveal. This is a matter of common sense for anyone who has ever been a part of a community or team. When you find yourself or your team ignoring common sense because "that's what the metrics say," take a beat. Do the metrics really say that? Results that defy all logic do happen, but they should be held to a much more rigorous standard. In the above case, the allure of sweet, sweet cost-cutting enabled a lot of very smart people to implement a change that was absolutely bananas. You owe it to yourself and to your players to really interrogate those kinds of decisions.

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Developing games for PC and looking for the most effective way to run playtests? This is for you. 👋 We were lucky to be among the first to use the PC game testing suite from PlaytestCloud for our game Bella Wants Blood and I have a hard time imagining doing it differently in the future. There are many tools you can use to set up and run a playtest or in-person events you can join, but finding committed testers, who follow instructions and give critical feedback is the tricky and time consuming part. Using PlaytestCloud and in less than 48h for each of the tests we ran, we got extensive and well documented feedback (video recordings, transcripts, surveys) from players within our target audience. It was already a great product for mobile, getting that for PC is amazing. If you want an intro to their team or just curious about the product, send me a pm! 🚀

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