Troy Dunniway

Friends, In an effort to adapt and grow with our ever-changing community, I have realized that we can do better in supporting those struggling to find their place in games. Together with Hailey Rojas and Desirée R., we have refined what is to become our brand new, 16th resource on AmirSatvat.com: Hailey Rojas' #opentonetwork, her amazing passion project. This is different from our community coaching. It is meant to be our lightest touch and easiest access peer-to-peer connection point within the community. There is no expectation of a coaching conversation, but simply that you want to connect with someone and get to know them better on whatever terms you want. As a student herself, Hailey has experienced firsthand how intimidating building connections can be when starting out. This has been a passion project for Hailey, and she has already enrolled hundreds of people. Therefore, if you are currently #OpenToNetwork, I encourage you to join the nearly 400 individuals who are actively looking to strengthen their networks. This will go on AmirSatvat.com under Category 6: Community Voice. https://lnkd.in/dynRXCV9 This is not community coaching. For those formalized programs, please enjoy the four resources under category 2 at amirsatvat.com: https://lnkd.in/dQVT4U4y These resources are not mutually exclusive and I encourage you to explore both #opentonetwork and our community coaching. If you want to sign up, you can do that here: https://lnkd.in/e4X92puw To view the list of people #opentonetwork, please go here: https://lnkd.in/e9AvBNJx In a world where the power of connections is more potent than ever, it is never too late to introduce yourself and share who you are, without fear of being judged. Once again, I would like to thank our community for their constant support as we continue to improve the quality of resources offered. Finally, I would like to offer a huge thanks again, and again, and again, and again to Desirée R., Amir Satvat's Games Community's Head of Design and my dear friend, for another masterpiece - god I love this one and isn't she just crazy talented? Hire this amazing human being please - you can ping her directly on LinkedIn! All the best, Amir

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It’s fantastic to see another major player in the gaming industry, Atari’s Infogrames, placing game preservation at the heart of its business strategy. As highlighted in a recent article, Atari CEO Wade Rosen is committed to preserving and re-releasing classic games in ways that respect their original integrity while making them accessible to modern audiences. This move further underscores the increasing importance of game preservation, not just as a cultural necessity but as a viable business opportunity. Recent reports, such as the 2023 Video Games Europe Key Facts and Newzoo’s insights, have highlighted the growing significance of preserving our gaming heritage. Initiatives like #StopKillingVideoGames, which has gained record popularity, are part of a broader trend recognizing the need to safeguard video games' cultural and historical value. With GOG already making game preservation a core aspect of its business model, it’s encouraging to see this movement gain more momentum across the industry. As more companies and initiatives join forces, the preservation of gaming history is becoming an essential focus that will benefit both the industry and players alike. https://lnkd.in/d_Mz8NM5

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Sumo Digital announced a 15% cut in its workforce, roughly impacting 250 individuals. Among these 250 individuals was the team of Timbre Games, which also confirmed that the studio was being shut down. Timbre Games was founded in 2021 and made a part of Pipework Studios. Although Timbre had yet to launch any games, its website indicates that it was in the middle of two game projects. Unfortunately, game developers face more loss than the parent company when something like this happens. Who knows how Timbre's team might be coping after putting in millions of efforts to build the games and losing everything in a single blink? In their support, this is list 2 of some of the Timbreeos who were impacted by the closure. Every bit from the community counts, so requesting you all to help this reach recruiters and game studios currently hiring. Sophie Mallinson — In 2017, she was Arkane Studios' (Lyon) Narrative Designer who worked on Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. By 2019, she had become a Principal Narrative Designer for Arkane's Deathloop. It is quite interesting to note that after Arkane, she went on to work for EA on Star Wars and later for EA's own studio - Maxis Studios on The Sims Series. Nadia Lohan — With over a decade's worth of experience in Production, before Timbre, Nadia was a Producer at Blackbird Interactive and worked on Minecraft Legends. Notably, she has experience in the VFX industry and coordinated for blockbusters like Mulan, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Maleficent. Vivek Ramkumar — Here's a talented Game Designer who has worked on titles like Sleeping Dogs and Tryst, built his own first-person indie game, and has experience in LiveOps Design. Prior to Timbre, he was a senior Technical Designer for Relic Entertainment. Gerritt Turner — Before Timbre, Gerritt worked at Wizards of the Coast on a lot of Magic: The Gathering's writing, designing and overall creative. They even have an experience in Brand Writing for Hasbro. Yuliia Bocharova — Prior to Timbre, she was a Lead 3D Artist for Blackbird Interactive and worked there for 3+ years. You should check out her ArtStation portfolio: https://lnkd.in/gKEwykG5 Vincent-Gabriel Canadian — A talented VFX Artist who has worked for Studios like Frima, Behaviour Interactive, and Nesting Games. Vincent specializes in real-time VFX for video games! #layoffsupport

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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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🌟 Over 20 Years of Game Award Winning Industry Leadership – Now Seeking New Opportunities! 🌟 With over two decades of crafting engaging game experiences across mobile, PC, console, and MMO platforms, I'm excited to explore new opportunities, either through my LLC, FrostFire Games, or direct hire opportunities. My career has focused on leading teams, developing live service features, and implementing ethical monetization strategies, always keeping the player at the front of our minds. 🚀 What I Bring to the Table: ♦ Live Service Design & Operations: Expertise in designing and managing live service features, including seasonal content, meta systems, and monetization strategies. ♦ Team Leadership & Management: Proven ability to build and mentor high-performing design teams, fostering collaboration and driving successful outcomes. ♦ System Design & Balancing: Experience in developing and balancing complex game systems to ensure player retention and satisfaction. ♦ Monetization Strategy: Skilled in creating ethical monetization models for F2P and Premium games, aligned with player engagement goals. ♦ Cross-Platform Experience: Versatility across mobile, PC, console, AR/VR, and social games, with a keen understanding of each platform's challenges. ♦ Product Vision & Roadmap Development: Adept at crafting and aligning teams around clear product visions and roadmaps for long-term success. ♦ Pitching & Business Development: Strong track record in pitching game concepts and securing partnerships. 🎮 Key Roles: ♦ CEO / Design Director, FrostFire Games: Leading vision, design, and business models for multiple successful games. ♦ Director of Live Service, Final Strike Games: Driving live service design for unannounced AAA titles. ♦ Design Director / Lead Designer, Apex Legends Mobile: Leading design and live ops, earning multiple Game of the Year awards. ♦ Lead Product Manager / Design Manager, Wargaming: Overseeing publishing, progression, monetization, and social systems for PC and console games. ♦ Design Director / Co-Founder, Apella Games: Creating and leading the design and early access launch of an innovative action arena game. 🏆 Achievements: ♦ Successfully launching and sustaining live service games with high retention and monetization. ♦ Leading the transformation of a AAA game to a F2P model, boosting its market presence. ♦ Receiving multiple Game of the Year awards for Apex Legends Mobile on both iOS and Android platforms. ♦ Developing training programs that have advanced the careers of numerous designers. ♦ Consistently delivering game designs that resonate with players and meet market demands. I'm eager to collaborate with new partners or join a forward-thinking team to create the next big success. If you’re looking for someone with a deep understanding of the game industry, proven leadership, and a passion for innovative design, let’s connect! #GameDesign #LiveService #Monetization #Leadership #GameIndustry #Hiring

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

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Stoked to reach the milestone of 50+ player reviews on Hive Jump 2: Survivors, just a day after 1.0 launch. https://lnkd.in/g2yMxnDa That "Very Positive" review label matters a lot to Steam when deciding how "valid" our game is (not to mention impacting customer perceptions). It's a hard label to achieve. It has to come from paying players. It excludes any players who received a promotional key (hence the two numbers in the GIF). It also filters by your languages preferences and region, to some extent, too. So, yes, stoked to say the least that our team at Graphite Lab has met this mark with our first sequel. Of course, if you want to add to the good vibes with your own review, all you have to do is pop over to Steam and for the price of a latte you too can see what all the fuss is about. https://lnkd.in/g2yMxnDa If you are curious about the impact reviews have on games released through Steam, take a look through this 2022 article. It gets right to the point and (for the most part) is still valid today. https://lnkd.in/g9D5feGC

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Another stack of resources and layoff support compiled by the incredible Mayank Grover! If you need support or have some to offer, connect and boost that vis so every ship can benefit from the tide. 🙌🌊🙌 #gamedev #games #layoff #support #job #resources #mentors

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Gamified Apps appear to be the future, and generally hold my interest longer than most f2p games today. Has anyone tried or interested to try and build something new, specifically around gamified health & fitness apps? Would love to hear your experience or interest to explore something. Drop me a DM. #gamifiedapplications

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Field Day Lab is compiling an exhaustive list of classroom-ready learning games and could use your help in finding them. Specifically we need to find every game that meets the following requirements: - Grade 3 through 20 - Free or at least a demo - Playable on a chromebook - Designed to teach a specific subject, or has materials that translate the game into classroom subjects We’ve found all the games that used to be on gameUP, and some of the bigger collections like icivics. Do you have any other lists or game titles we should include?

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Very interesting. Is Valve following in the footsteps of Riot, or is this a step towards a more organized ecosystem. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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I just left a video call with yet another game studio executive trying to navigate having secured initial funding and now running out of cash with a potential closure of their studio looming. In addition to sadness, I can’t help feeling as though both the investors and the studio headed down an unnecessarily dangerous path from the start. Investors can play a critical role in the success of a game studio by providing capital and expertise. However, applying traditional investment models may cause developers to pivot from best practices in order to secure the investment. The unintended consequence is that risks can be added instead of mitigated, and it is important for both parties to navigate together carefully to avoid common pitfalls. Examples of these risks include making a game larger to increase potential returns, hiring a big internal team to maximize enterprise value, setting unmovable deadlines to keep the dates of future returns in place and, as faced by the studio I just spoke with, providing only initial funding. These decisions may lead to a riskier project to manage and one that is not attuned to the challenging reality that finding fun cannot be promised by a given date. Starting full production too soon is a recipe for the studio to risk cost overruns while piloting a battleship when the agility of a speedboat is still required. Without a clear funding path, a studio can end up burning investment capital intended for development on pitching and demos. Games are not well suited to ‘build ten things fast, expect nine to fail and one to skyrocket’. They need to be nurtured by oversight which advances step by step towards success. This doesn’t mean a game should be finished at all costs, it just allows the investor and developer to pull the plug on a project that is not coming together before full production, so that the team can focus on the next opportunity while there is money left in the bank. The good news is that digital games sell forever, and game franchises are strong platforms to build upon with sequels and additional content. For investors open to long term cash generation, games are a great match. If a fund has a maturation date, successful IP can be sold based on future revenues. Fundamentally, rather than pressing for a quick home run, the most consistent returns come from supporting quality studios making games iterated through feedback from the team, testing with consumers and learnings from the industry. This approach lays the groundwork for developing “singles and doubles” into powerhouse franchises. The greatest investor impact comes from adapting fund structures and return models to account for development best practices. Success hinges on a strong partnership of developers and investors together forging new ground that is aligned to the unique dynamics of the game industry.

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What I found out after a long-night-hunt for investment and finally closing a deal. Here are a few insights for upcoming indies looking for investment. ➡ AA games must have either: a high amount of wishlists, a nice trailer, or a strong build, bonus points if you have all of those. ➡ Desrisk your project as much as you can to make it more appealing: reduce the game scope, reduce the game budget, or take all the decisions that facilitate the production. ➡ But be ambitious and keep dreaming big for your company. A strong vision is important. ➡ Prepare the following in advance before pitching: a pitch deck, a roadmap, a budget with your anticipated burn-rate, a market analysis. ➡ Feedback is free: some investors may be critical, and say things you don't want to hear, but feedback is always valuable. ➡ Don't take it personal. If it doesn't work, just focus on your goal, and things that you can make better. You are enough. Work around your ideas. ➡ Be yourself. Authenticity is key, you don't need to mimic somebody else. ➡ The market is tough, but there is always potential for new projects to get funding. Just keep reaching out and networking. ➡ Be adaptable. Pivot your concept slightly if necessary in-order to get funding. ➡ Be resilient. Reduce your costs as much as possible, and stay focused on your goal. Survival is essential. ➡ Don't just sit and wait. Ironically our lead investor TGF is the only VC that I have reached out that had not contacted us in the first place, and I did that by filing their online form. ➡ Never surrender. Sometimes it may feel like pushing a rock up the hill, but you're never too far from hitting gold. So keep pushing. ➡ Don't rush. Take some time to evaluate your options, you don't need to sign the first thing that you receive, no matter the pressure that a partner may put on you, you are also the decision maker. ➡ Be humble. You may think that you're one in a million. And maybe you do! But always approach partners with a humble mindset, they can teach you a lot and be real mentors. I still have a lot to learn, but my experience for the past year and a half was consequential, so if you are an indie studio that needs some advice, just reach out! #Gaming #VideoGames #Indies #GameIndustry #Funding #VC #VentureCapital #Startup

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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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Late Stage Gaming VCs: "We would be interested in companies generating $100M+ in annual revenue that are profitable." Early Stage Gaming VCs: "We would be interested in companies generating $100M+ in annual revenue that are profitable." #vctalk #joke

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Interesting analysis. “We expect that fundraising in gaming will remain challenging for the next 12 months for most companies. We believe that the broader macro environment around rates, elections, IPO markets, and lack of liquidity are putting broader pressure on the entire market around private investments. Within gaming, valuations will likely remain lower for longer yet after a few marginal rate cuts, we expect growth equity checks to unlock in 2025 (which will be welcomed news for the best operators of the trailing 24 months).”

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TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM join us for an improvised version of PVP Circuit and help us rebuild our local community brick by brick. I still can't believe I get to work in the video game industry. My 6-year-old would laugh, and then cry once she realized what it means to work in the creative technology sector. That's why IMO everyone could use some levity during these unprecedented times. Join us for a fun evening to raise funds for the Trevor Project. Event link >>> https://lnkd.in/g7tBuP6d Frequently Asked Questions: What if I can't attend the event? - If you can't make it, please consider purchasing a ticket to help us raise money for charity or get one on behalf of someone impacted by layoffs. What if I want to join but can't justify the cost? - If you want to join but find the cost prohibitive, DM me and we'll make it happen (see point above). Do I have to pitch at the event? - No, you don't have to pitch if you prefer to observe. It’s a great way to see how it's done. Will there be another event like this? - We plan to host our community again, but I can't specify if this event will be the focus. #gamesindustry #event #comedy <3

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Today I want to tell a story. I've been holding onto it for a specific circumstance, but in case that doesn't happen, forgive the rough edges. For the longest time, I wanted to be a games journalist. I've known how to play games and deconstruct their mechanics ever since I spent many school summer holidays playing the same Playstation games over and over. I would be the kid that would read games magazines, mostly for the cheat codes, on occasion spotting an article about the next Pokemon game that I just had to tell my friends about. I was never taught or told that being a "critic" or "journalist" was a career, let alone in games. Media Studies wasn't even a subject my high school taught until sixth form options, so I'd have to get by with learning how to deconstruct the written word - often Shakespeare or "Of Mice and Men" - in English Literature class. Jump forward to 2014/5. I was in University, with the freedom to learn about "the media" and online video (YouTube) as I had experienced through college. Despite being on a TV Production course, and though we students all knew the influence social media was going to play in our careers, games were still part of my plan. Through friendships and unsuccessfully trying out for the Student Union's monthly news series as a "games correspondent", I was able to work on a project with a criminology student who also liked games. He ran his own YouTube channel, as I had done under many brands and guises over the years, but he was more consistent. I came on board as his camera operator during EGX Rezzed and we made a few interview videos together. One of which I want to bring to the attention of Hyper Luminal Games. Yes, happy birthday Hyper Luminal! 🎉 We've both changed since this video about Big Crown Showdown! Congrats on releasing Pine Hearts - a wholesome cosy game that is a love letter to the simple life in Scotland. I can't wait to play the full thing - Melissa kindly showed me it at WASD this year, it really was charming! Things have a weird way of coming back around. I don't believe in karma, but I've been watching the work of many studios that I admire and wondered where I fit, thinking maybe there are some answers in my previous work. So, this little story is tale of never forgetting your roots, and celebrating them where you can! Also, if I may be a bit cheeky: If you ever have the availability Hyper Luminal, I would love the chance to join your team! I can assure you my on-screen presence and ability to manage events & communities is far better than what I could manage 10 years ago. I'm happy to work on a relocation plan up to Dundee, be that to work for the core studio under Melissa's expert & bubbly guidance, or having the opportunity to scout for Little Nook's next great wholesome story to share. Here's to both our next chapters! Video:

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Last week, we hosted an Economy Roundtable featuring industry expert Phillip Black, focusing on the mechanics behind Jackpot Party's remarkable success in the competitive casino app market. The discussion produced several key insights on the app's sustained growth and innovative monetization strategies. Phillip Black highlighted a particularly interesting aspect of the app's economy: the use of safety net in-app purchases (IAPs) that encourage players to spend to zero frequently, creating a cycle of engagement and monetization. We also discussed the challenges of implementing battle passes in casino apps. While popular in other genres, battle passes in casino games require careful balancing to avoid cannibalizing IAP spend. Lastly, Phillip educated us on how mature casino apps like Jackpot Party can leverage multi-armed bandit algorithms to continuously test and optimize IAPs. This data-driven approach allows developers to identify and promote the most successful offerings, ensuring the game's economy remains dynamic and responsive to player preferences. For subscribing members, this discussion was recorded and our next one is already schedule for later this month. DM for details. #GameEconomics #MobileGaming #CasinoApps #MonetizationStrategy

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