Mike Morhaime

Attention investors, investor groups, trade/corp investment teams, and tech visionaries (global and $10M+). If you are looking to invest and work with gaming’s elite, this is your opportunity. I am representing a games peripherals company poised to redefine the future of gaming. Here's the skinny... Team and notoriety - the founding team boasts a who's who of high-profile games, IP, and platform executives. In addition, a top streaming service is not only chronicling the founders' legacy in games and the launch of this new venture but creating a star-studded series to launch late ‘24. The product is set to revolutionise cross-platform gaming and VR/AR interactions within games and our everyday interactions across smart devices, streaming, TV/Film, and more. The innovative approach centres around high-quality, cross-platform peripherals seamlessly integrating with all your favourite platforms, games, apps, and more. Funding-wise, investment has been made to make initial prototypes, and they're now seeking investment to accelerate the development and launch of V2 prototyped peripheral set. Launch expedited for summer '24. This isn’t just a gaming product company — It's a revolution that seamlessly creates a connected ecosystem across games, TV, smart devices, and more. I invite you to explore this transformative investment opportunity further. Let's discuss how you can be part of shaping the future. Reach out to me at [email protected] or DM here to book in. #investment #gamesinvestments #techinvestor #gamedev #funding #gamesfunding #gaming

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🚨 We're thrilled to welcome Jason Fung, former Global Head of Gaming at TikTok, as our new CMO at Everreach Labs! 🚨 Jason is joining our stellar team, which includes: - Phil O'Connor (Design Director), previously Lead Game Designer at Ubisoft (Far Cry III) - Ramin Shokrizade (CRO), previously Meta Game Designer at Wargaming (World of Tanks) - Aurélien P. (CTO), previously Head of Innovation at Nintendo Just three months ago, we launched our project to the public and in another three months, REVENGE pre-alpha will be live ; here’s a glimpse of our recent milestones: - 💰 Raised over $3 million in funding. - 👥 Assembled a powerhouse team of 45 full-time members from Ubisoft, Tencent, Nintendo, Wargaming, and Gameloft. - 🌐 Gained more than 260,000 followers across social channels. - 🤝 Partnered with over 50 industry giants, including Epic Games Store, Steam, Twitch, Loaded, AWS, Crypto.com, Gate.io, MEXC… - 🧠 Onboarded visionary advisors and business angels like Dingaling (THE GOAT), Sky Wee, Shan, 0xSun, and Jeff Nowak from Binance, Maven Capital… - Listed on Epic Games Store and Steam. In fact, we’re not just listed—we’re trending! We’ve broken into the TOP 60 Most Wishlisted games worldwide. Our upcoming game, REVENGE, promises to revolutionize the gaming experience... Imagine live stream spectators actively interacting with streamers in real-time, influencing almost every aspect of the game. So what's coming next? - 🎥 A trailer release this month ; get ready for the first gameplay footages. - 💸 Additional funding rounds in progress. - 🎮 Early testing with streamers and partnerships with creators, working hand in hand with Loaded the most hyped talent agency at the moment, which recently launched Helldivers II. - 🚀 REVENGE release and our $EVER token launch in September. Our roadmap is packed. 📥 Stay tuned, because you won’t want to miss what’s coming next! https://lnkd.in/eSqPiG_6 Ethan Cohen Phil O'Connor Jason Fung Aurélien P. Ramin Shokrizade Quentin GABRIEL Mike Maksim Quyet Ha Chase Marotz Shelby S. Ryan Teo Jia How Lee Nevzat Aydin Philipp Dobrusin Cloé Gabriel

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🌲 I'm extremely excited to announce Redwood's Indie Program! 🌲 💰 Accepted studios only pay $295 initially (~90% off) 🔓 Get the full benefits of our Standard License 🚀 You only pay the remaining balance when/if you launch with Redwood 📋 Find the application form linked in the comments and on our landing page As an indie game dev ourselves, we know how hard it is to do more with less because of budget. We know that capital is currently limited across the industry, and indies always struggle with the uncertainty of whether they'll even release their game. We're introducing this program because we truly believe that small studios can make big hits, but the best tools are often out of reach. This program will elevate the studios that need it the most, bringing their dream game to reality. Redwood is a professional-grade backend made for indies by indies to level the playing field; what will you build with it? #gamedev #UE5 #multiplayer #backend

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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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Update 4 The response to my last post was amazing—thank you for the love! I’ll be starting to work with founders next quarter, and I’m super excited about it. In the meantime, I’m kicking off Level Zero: Founder Network. Gaming and interactive media come with their own set of unique challenges, and I feel we need all the support we can get to push forward. This is meant to be a space for founders to connect, share, and grow together. If you’re into gaming or interactive media, The Link for the community is in the comments. Let’s go! 🚀 #LevelZero #FounderNetwork #Gaming #InteractiveMedia

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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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Adding engagement to our Roblox x Goblintown game lobby changed everything for our game. The lobby is where players hang out until the next game begins. We thought it was great. The data told us otherwise. We were losing players because it was too long. Players were getting bored. This was not good. Except, it actually was great: as a game development studio, we've learned that every detail matters and therefore this was good news because we knew we could change it. Here's how we transformed the game lobby from a basic waiting room to a mini-game experience: 🎮 Where we started: Our original lobby had the essentials - UGC store, character selections, and spectator mode. 🔧 What we changed:  1. Added a climbable structures for parkour-style action 2. A coin collection system tied to climbing 3. Free loot boxes to boost retention 4. Expanded coin-earning opportunities 🎰 The results:  1. Overall game rating up by 10% 2. Increased player engagement between matches 3. Higher satisfaction and retention rates 4. Boosted investment in the game's economy This experience taught us that even small changes can have a massive impact. It's not just about the main game - every aspect of the player experience matters. What do you think? Have you seen similar improvements in your experiences and games by focusing on often-overlooked areas? Share your experiences below! 👇 #robloxdev #ugc #playerengagement #roblox #mobilegames

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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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20 hours in and Hoyo's formidable craftsmanship is on full display with ZZZ. ⭐1.0 release pool of 16 characters. Hoyo games have always prioritized quality over quantity, leaning instead on deep systems to enable diverse team comps / fun theorycrafting. Interestingly, Wuthering Waves also launched with the same # of characters in its 1.0 pool. I'm personally a big fan of this approach, and hope to see more games adopt it going forward. ⭐Female to male character ratio of 3:1. HSR currently stands at ~2:1 and Genshin at ~1.7:1. Every faction shown so far has only 1 male char. Surprising given Hoyo's recent titles have focused more on the "mainstream anime" audience instead of catering only to the core otaku audience. Very happy to see Hoyo honoring its roots here. They cooked and core fans are going to be very pleased with all of the fanservice (e.g. cinema artwork, main menu char selection, etc.). ⭐C6 / Cinema artwork is... IYKYK. They clearly tested it with HSR and are fully leaning into it with ZZZ. Congrats to all you Grace C6 havers. They knew exactly what they were doing. ⭐First Hoyo game with dedicated furries / anthropomorphic races. Ellen, Ben, and Von Lycaon are all very compelling characters. Wakayama Shion does such a fantastic job as Ellen's VA. Hoyo absolutely nailed the launch banner here. ⭐Just like other Hoyo games, ZZZ is more "casual" than it is "core." It doesn't demand much of your time as a single player live service title. For me it's the perfect side game that I can see myself spending 1-2 hours per week on. I don't expect everyone to like it (might be too "easy" for core gamers), but it's a winning formula that Hoyo has perfected for its target audience. ⭐One of Hoyo's underrated special talents is making "core" genres widely accessible from a gameplay standpoint across all platforms. ZZZ plays flawlessly on mobile, PC, and console without diluting the experience at all. Everything from the simplified switching system to the flat level design was intentional to make it incredibly accessible even for someone who has never played action games before. This is something really only Hoyo is capable of pulling off with such finesse. ⭐Really digging the comic / manga style storytelling. Glad to see Hoyo continue to innovate on how it delivers its stories and really looking forward to seeing more of this. ⭐Hoyo's investments into its music / animation departments are really paying off. The release trailer for ZZZ is Hoyo's best yet and their character drip marketing is perfected to the point where I'm basically forced to pull on every banner. In many ways, Hoyo is slowly becoming the Apple of the gaming industry, and their IPs are rapidly expanding the audience for gacha and anime on a global scale. I'm honestly humbled. Shut up and take my money... #zenlesszonezero

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I couldn't be more thrilled to share the launch of UFD Studios with you all! This is a huge milestone for us, and I'm incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished. In case you missed it, we just made our official launch announcement! 🎉 Check out the full post below to learn about our mission, offerings, and commitment to excellence in the mobile gaming industry. 🌟 About UFD Studios: Our mission is to transform innovative ideas into immersive games that captivate and inspire players worldwide. From 2D & 3D game development to AR & VR experiences and data-driven marketing, we're here to make your gaming projects a success. 🎮 Why Choose Us? With a focus on high user retention rates and impressive download numbers, we ensure that your games stand out in a competitive market. Our dedicated team of experts is here to push the boundaries of what's possible in mobile gaming. ✨ Join Us on This Journey: Whether you're in the gaming industry or just a fan of innovative technology, we'd love to connect with you. Thank you for being part of our journey. Here's to creating games that entertain and inspire! 📢 Check out the full announcement and learn more about UFD Studios here: [UFD Studios] Let's connect and collaborate! 🚀 #UFDStudios #MobileGaming #GameDevelopment #AR #VR #P2EGames #NewBeginnings #LaunchAnnouncement #GamingIndustry #ASOExpert #3D #2D #GameProgramming #ExcitingNews #BusinessGrowth #Opportunities #Collaborations

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Y'all are sleeping on Capybara Go, which has quietly scaled to $800K PER DAY in revenue Habby is the modern Zynga and here's how they do it 👇 1. The IP is cute and meme-able as hell This seems obvious but I bet you that Habby's CACs are lower compared to the average game. Just look at all the Tiktoks about Capybaras. There's a reason many of the top memecoins are animal related. https://lnkd.in/gAKDhxzD Habby ran the same playbook with survivor.io back in the day, using a channel like Tiktok that has notably lower UAs that more saturated ones like Unity or Facebook https://lnkd.in/gz97G9NB 2. The game is super simple It's basically a social casino RPG. There's very little skill involved, and there's no moment-to-moment actions needed. It's all automated. But you feel great about the progression and you do very little work to advance! A core thesis I have is that progression is a very human behavior, which is why RPG games work. However, RPGs tend to be very inaccessible to non-hardcore players with complex skill trees, strict skill curves, niche fantasy concepts, etc. Just take one look at the POE skill tree for instance Capybara Go strips it down to the core components, and gives a lot of dopamine through all of its gacha (coins spins, tile reveals, roguelike upgrades, etc.) 3. Everything feels great Simplicity is not a crutch, it's a challenging design feat. Brevity is the soul of wit. Each little button press and coin collection and upgrade animation feels really good. They take a lot of great lessons from MGO on just how good it feels to roll. 4. Proven, better, new metagame Habby takes a lot of similar principles from their past games and other RPGs like Legend of Mushroom. You have a very simple coin --> power loop, armor, pets, and mounts.  They streamlined the system. You have some more depth for folks that want to create their own builds but for players that just want to tap you can just upgrade things to higher levels and get along just fine. 5. Rinse and repeat monetization The metagame system gives enough incentive to spend and have pretty deep spend depth. Habby again uses similar principles to their previous games.  They throw the kitchen sink at you and it works. Don't fix what ain't broken Looks like Habby's at $30M+ monthly revenues now based off SensorTower. If the trend continues I'm sure they can break $1B+ run rate per year. 

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Painfully long is right. 😲 It look 8 years to build Concord and about 2 weeks for Sony to axe it. This is a strong example of what's wrong with the games industry, especially in the AAA space. How can a game remain relevant and feel innovative to audiences when it takes that many years to develop? And exactly how high of a bar do you have to hit in terms of quality and scope to meet player expectations after that length of time?! Indie studios can continue to lead the way in demonstrating 'what good looks like' for an industry that desperately needs a re-write. I firmly believe we can deliver outstanding experiences for our audiences by combining sustainable development with scalable growth strategies. In summary, we need to be embracing shorter, iterative and more cost effective development times, and identify scalable strategies to maintain Live Services. #indiegames #gamedevelopment #gamedev #innovation Sony Simply Sweet Games #gameindustry #videogames

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Supercell's Squad Busters is off to a great start, topping the charts across Android and iOS stores. The game leans heavily into a particular system more than any other Supercell game before: RNG, or randomness, which I tend to refer to as variable rewards. RNG, or Random Number Generation, in gaming refers to a system or algorithm that generates random values to introduce an element of unpredictability and variety into the game. It is a fundamental feature and mechanic used in many video games to determine various outcomes, such as loot drops, enemy spawns, and procedural generation of game worlds. How this factors into the core moment-to-moment gameplay for Squad Busters Throughout a session in Squad Busters, players build and add to their army through chests they come across. These chests spawn heroes to select from during the match. RNG plays a big role in determining how powerful or weak your army becomes. It also streamlines the gameplay and overall balance, so it is not strictly pay-to-win. Players are always given the choice: run or fight. Variable rewards and a degree of randomness add spice to the moment-to-moment gameplay, enhancing replayability and keeping the experience fresh and new. It ensures that no two playthroughs are exactly the same, which is particularly important in games focused on exploration and discovery, such as Minecraft or Diablo. One of the biggest cons when it comes to a game's reliance on RNG mechanics is evident in competitive games. RNG can sometimes overshadow player skill, leading to frustration among players who feel that luck plays too significant a role in determining outcomes. The higher the randomness, the higher the potential for fun, and it serves an even greater purpose: the dream run, and trying to replicate it. We have all played a game on Call of Duty or perhaps Hades, where everything went our way, and we keep playing those games for the chance get another experience just like it.

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When I started Combat Waffle Studios I didn’t have a roadmap, just a vision and a relentless drive to make it a reality. I raised $1.2M from a single investor—non-ownership shares—and got to work. Two years later, we’ve turned that into $20M in sales, and I still own 100% of my company. Call this cliche; but success isn’t about taking the easiest route. It’s about betting on yourself when no one else will. It’s about refusing to sell your soul for the promise of “easy money.” Stop taking “dumb money” from investors looking for a quick buck in a rising industry. I’ve turned down two acquisition offers for insane amounts of money because I refuse to let someone else dictate my future. I didn’t work this hard to build someone else’s dream—I built mine. If you’re grinding right now, wondering if you’ll ever break through, let me tell you this: keep going. The path isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. The reward isn’t just in the money or the numbers; it’s in knowing you stayed true to yourself, your vision, and your values. Be your own boss. Write your own story. Take the risks that matter and stop selling your soul to people who don’t understand your worth. Whether you succeed or fail, make sure the story is yours. No one else can live your dream but you. You’ve got this. Keep pushing. #Motivation #BetOnYourself #Entrepreneurship #BeYourOwnBoss

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We have 39 tickets left for Gametalk Unlocked San Francisco on 9/14 @ 6-9p @ SPARK Social SF and Parklab Gardens. More than half the tickets are gone. What is it? It’s a hangout for folks in and around the gaming industry to kick back and enjoy a meal and conversation together. We represent all disciplines, companies, and levels. Our events are affordable and we are a non-profit. Here, you’re not seen as just what you do - you’re seen as someone with interesting ideas and a lover of the craft. Come as you are. Marie Benigno Ablaza, SHRM-TA and I will both be there! Tickets: https://lnkd.in/dY-UqCvQ P.S. 10 points to Ravenclaw if you can tell me who the kiddo in the back is. #game #gameindustry #games #gamesindustry #gaming #gamingindustry #events #gametalkunlocked #meetups #cofounder #nonprofit #sanfrancisco

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Live service updates in a narrative driven expansion? Now I’ve seen it all. The Elden Ring DLC, "Shadow of the Erdtree," received a "Calibration Update" to balance its difficulty. - Despite positive critic reviews, some players found it too difficult, resulting in mixed reviews on Steam. - The new update strengthens early upgrades in the Shadow Realm Blessings system, providing more damage and damage negation earlier on. - The final upgrades in the system are also slightly more impactful. - Future patches will include further balance adjustments and bug fixes. These changes should make the DLC's early stages less challenging.

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The rumor of a DLC for Black Myth: Wukong by February was based off of a combination of "confirmed” statements that have proven unfounded. Per Game Science founder, it will (thankfully) take time. Most core gamers and industry developers cheer leadership when decisions are made to develop with care and intentionality (aka usually taking more time). One of the articles in the comment's title is "brothers worry not, the Black Myth DLC will not be rushed out," so it seems Chinese BMW fans in the mainstream are also of this mindset. Most publicly traded game companies are under pressure to develop and publish games quicker to maximize quarterly / annual cash flow, project NPV / IRR, etc. etc. Game Science doesn't have to care about such pressures. In an interview today, Feng Ji stated "说我们什么春节就会发这个新的DLC," which roughly translates to "who said we were going to publish a DLC at Chinese New Year?" More of the interview revealed Feng Ji and Game Science's philosophy that they wish to bide time taking in user feedback, discern new directions, and implement new tech before significant content production toward DLC. This seems to follow in the vein of From Software and its reaction to the success of Elden Ring, waiting 2.25 years before releasing Shadow of the Erdtree, which was received with high acclaim. The studio's massive successes and its ownership under the Kadokawa Corporation also enables them to operate thusly. Seems to be a lesson that extremely talented studios with ownership structures and power dynamics that favor intentional development generally publish higher quality offerings, but it takes time. Links in the comments. #china #us #rpg #gameindustry #gaming #gamedev

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Rambling late night thoughts... Questions I'm often asked as someone that runs an esports team: "What is esports?" "How do you make money from esports as an Org?" The second question is a popular topic at nearly every networking event I've attended over the last three years I think the answer to the second question, depends on how you answer the first question. From a team/organisation's perspective, you'd think that chasing glory, trophies, prize money, travelling the world and making content about the 'behind the scenes' trips are what makes esports... I think it's actually much simpler... Esports is content. Team's are Content Channels. Content Channels have ad space to be monetised Teams that make great content, generate more views. More views = the potential to sell more ads/products/my spare kidney if the money was right 😂 The thing is, the audience for esports compared with the audience for the overall gaming community is rather small (by small I mean TINY). Teams have become to focused on the small niche esports audience rather than focus on the wider gaming community. Switch up your content, make it more appealing to the wider gaming communities, increase viewership outside of LAN Tournaments and on your own team channels, the money will follow the views, as it always does.

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Governments Target Gaming Addiction with Time Limits & Spend Curbs Is gaming getting out of hand? Governments are exploring: * Time caps to limit gaming sessions (like China's 1 hour rule for minors) * Spend restrictions to curb in-game purchases Read here: https://lnkd.in/dPeGfejh #GamingAddiction #DigitalWellness #GameCloud #LolzSoft

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