Philosophy #7: PM Planning & Prioritization in the Games Industry

We compare two major gaming companies, Embracer and Ubisoft, on this episode of Pixels and Profits. ✅ Business performance ✅ Valuation ✅ Future outlook of both companies We analyze their strategies, financials, and potential for growth. Timeline Summary: 00:00 - Introduction to the topic and overview of Embracer's business 03:00 - Discussion of Embracer's financials and debt situation 10:15 - Embracer's restructuring efforts and asset sales 13:45 - Embracer's tabletop gaming business and profitability 16:20 - Outlook for Embracer's PC and console division 21:20 - Embracer's mobile gaming business and challenges 24:25 - Valuation and investment potential for Embracer 26:45 - Introduction to Ubisoft's business and strategy 29:55 - Ubisoft's financials and revenue per employee issues 37:10 - Ubisoft's upcoming titles for fiscal year 2024 42:40 - Ubisoft's future outlook and titles for fiscal year 2025 49:50 - Valuation and investment potential for Ubisoft 52:05 - Concerns about Ubisoft's development strategies and efficiency 56:10 - Ubisoft's mobile gaming efforts and challenges 58:30 - Closing thoughts on Embracer and Ubisoft's future prospects SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS: - Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i - Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/ 😃 —CONNECT WITH ME! — • MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1 • TWITTER → @jokim1 • LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/ — POPULAR CONTENT — 🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney https://youtu.be/h6ClJxjuRvw ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies https://youtu.be/bkd2TOpKt4I 🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021 https://youtu.be/NejFzHtpiZI 🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming https://youtu.be/_QT7O3Wxi2s 🔴 Games Industry M&A https://youtu.be/65nyPk6WNrs 🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games https://youtu.be/tHq3PzmjhLw 🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact https://youtu.be/Ojec4wGKpso 🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score https://youtu.be/5egTSQ6AiRA 🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices https://youtu.be/tmzqqnYbjNY --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

We discuss key themes & trends, critical takeaways, GDC panels/talks, and rumors from GDC 2024. OUTLINE: 0:00 Intro 2:35 VC, publisher investment in gaming is down 3:50 Moving to tighter efficiency in game development 7:05 More pain coming, 3-6 more months of industry rationalization 15:30 UA deterioriation since beginning of year 17:17 AI & Liveops key areas of focus 21:40 Importance of marketing and UA for mobile game success 23:45 Sensor Tower acquisition of data.ai 30:45 GDC Talks 37:10 Frank + Frank Supercell Brawlstars talk 41:20 King’s AI Talk - how they improve liveops on Candy Crush Soda Saga 43:15 Epic’s UEFN talks 49:05 Ken’s GDC tips 55:10 Key takeaways 1:05:40 GDC rumors SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS: - Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i - Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

Ludovic Bodin is an entrepreneur, investor, and now author of the book Atomic Scaling. Ludovic has learned lessons from the titans of the games industry and created a framework he believes can be applied to any other industry. Learn more about the lessons from Supercell, Valve, Zynga, and others and how they can apply to your games studio or company outside of games. OUTLINE: 0:00 Intro 1:20 How Ilkka Paananen, CEO of Supercell inspired Atomic Scaling - Keeping teams small for as long as possible 7:08 How Gabe Newell, CEO of Valve, further inspired Atomic Scaling - Lessons from the games industry are widely applicable 9:35 Ludovic’s great book endorsements, learning from game industry experts, and the sharing culture in gaming 12:21 Motivation to write Atomic Scaling 14:10 3Ps 3Rs framework explanation- People, Prediction, Playbook and Revenue, Reach, Retention 14:52 People principle 22:00 Prediction principle: prediction vs. prophecy - hypothesis, measurement, then change 34:22 Playbook principle - getting the team on the same page 42:13 Revenue, Reach, and Retention 44:05 LiveOps and the LOVE framework - Live product development, Organized event calendar, Very special sales & offers, Engagement and re-engagement 47:10 What should readers take away? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

Eve Chang shares her invaluable experiences and lessons from working on iconic mobile games like Temple Run and Bejeweled Blitz. Get ready for a session full of actionable insights and strategies that could redefine your approach to game development and live operations. Outline: [00:00] Introduction to Eve Chang and Overview [01:10] Eve Chang's Journey in Game Development [02:10] Eve's Approach to LiveOps [06:55] Designing and Product Decisions for Live Games [13:45] Biggest Lessons Learned from LiveOps [22:55] Eve's Take on the Current Market Environment [26:35] Final Thoughts and Where to Find Eve Online Key Highlights: 🔑 Eve reveals her strategic framework for LiveOps, emphasizing market analysis, player desires, and aligning game objectives. 🔑 Insights on making design and product decisions that resonate with players while enhancing game longevity. 🔑 Eve shares candid lessons from her extensive career, including successes and missteps that have shaped her approach to LiveOps. 🔑 A look into the current state of the mobile gaming market and advice for developers navigating these challenging times. Links: Eve Chang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evechang/ Subscribe to our channel for more insights from industry leaders and game development veterans. Don't forget to like, share, and comment below with your thoughts or questions for Eve! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

Matthew Kanterman, Joseph Kim, and Brian Peganoff discuss Nvidia as well as gaming related offerings from the company: Nvidia business overview Future growth drivers Valuation Competitive landscape Future outlook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

We are seeing severe impacts around privacy and the ability to measure any post-device ID kind of fingerprinting world. So, we wanted to put together a five-part series helping advertisers understand the measurement crisis and the different tools and measurement signals available. #1. The first podcast in the series will be the overview of the measurement crisis. #2. The second podcast will be the actual state of last touch and the real value that last touch is bringing you. #3. The third podcast will educate on incrementality testing and how it can be leveraged in a privacy-first world. #4. The fourth one will be the promise of MTA 2. 0 and data clean rooms. So you understand some of the more fringe benefits of tools coming to you that may impact last touch. #5. The last podcast is a summary roadmap to measurement success, helping you, the advertiser, take everything you've been educated on, turn it into action and succeed. OUTLINE: 0:00 New series: State of Measurement in a Privacy-first World introduction 2:24 Intro to the Measurement Crisis in mobile user acquisition (UA) 4:30 Recap on why we have problems attributing installs today 8:17 How incentives exacerbate the measurement problem 11:42 What is the actual impact of IDFA deprecation to UA? 16:43 Andrew believes that incrementality shows that the impact of IDFA may be a perceived rather than actual problem 22:12 Warren's dynamic polling approach, how to make goal based buying work, and overview of IDFA workarounds 31:16 What does Kwalee and other game studios do for UA now? 33:30 How to react to loss of fingerprinting 40:00 What are limitations of MMM or incrementality? 46:35 Who will be impacted most by loss of fingerprinting? 47:40 What does the future state of measurement look like? SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS: - Newsletter: https://gamemakers.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

Doom loops are a cycle of self reinforcing negative decisions and behaviors that lead to bad outcomes. In this episode I talk about my own experience trying to break my doom loop impacting both my professional and personal life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

At most companies doing the hard thing is uncomfortable and we avoid addressing some of the most critical issues that can mean the difference between success and failure. This is an audio read of my Philosophy Monday newsletter post. If you want to hear an audio version of those posts, let me know! Go to gamemakers.substack.com and comment there and I'll do more of these in the future. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

Dive into the future of game development with Joseph Kim as he interviews Ben James, CEO of Atlas, a groundbreaking company at the forefront of integrating AI into the creative process of game design. In this exclusive interview, discover how Atlas's cutting-edge technology is transforming 2D reference images into fully-realized 3D models, propelling the development of immersive 3D MMO worlds into new realms of efficiency and creativity. What You'll Learn: ✔️ The innovative AI technology behind Atlas and its ability to revolutionize the creation of 3D assets. ✔️ How Atlas's platform is making the game development process faster, more efficient, and boundlessly creative. ✔️ The practical applications of Atlas technology in early game concept testing and beyond. ✔️ Ben James's insights on the potential for AI to augment rather than replace human creativity in game development. ✔️ The future of game design and how Atlas is positioning itself to empower developers with new tools for creative expression. Key Takeaways: 🔑 Understand the capabilities and advantages of using AI in game design and asset creation. 🔑 Discover how Atlas is enhancing the workflow of game developers and artists with its AI-driven platform. 🔑 Explore the ethical and practical considerations of AI in creative industries, with a focus on collaboration between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Whether you're a game developer, artist, or enthusiast excited about the future of game creation, this interview offers valuable insights into how AI technology is set to redefine the landscape of game development. Join us as we explore the cutting edge of gaming innovation with Joseph Kim and Ben James. 🎮 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:30 Atlas's Mission and Technology 05:00 Transforming 2D Images into 3D Worlds 10:00 The Impact on Game Development Workflows 15:00 AI's Role in Creative Processes 20:00 Future Possibilities and Ethical Considerations 25:00 Q&A with Viewers Subscribe to our channel for more insights into game development, interviews with industry leaders, and the latest trends in game technology. Don't forget to hit the like button and share this video with fellow gaming aficionados. Your support helps us bring more exciting content your way! #GameDevelopment #AIInGaming #AtlasTech #3DModeling #GameDesignInnovation --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message

Supercell's Brawl Stars recently had a huge surge in downloads and daily revenue. How did they do it? We discuss with Matej Lancaric and Jakub Reimar from 2.5 Gamers and Ken Landen (former Kongregate, Scopely, Blizzard, and Hit Factor PM). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gamemakers/message