This Week In Games

Ubisoft axes 3 more executives. Sony makes a massive investment into Epic. I will be sharing my learnings over the last 2 ½ years. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://ubistatic19-a.akamaihd.net/comsite_common/en-US/images/pressrelease_downloadablemm_20200711_103822_20200711_pressreleaseen_tcm99-362812_tcm99-196733-32.pdf https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-08-manticore-games-launches-usd1m-creator-payout-pilot-program-for-propriety-game-dev-platform https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-09-electronic-arts-addicted-to-overpaying-executives-says-investment-group https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/technology/ninja-fortnite-youtube.html https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/9/21318965/sony-epic-games-investment-fortnite-unreal-engine https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/epic-games-2#section-funding-rounds https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2020/0710/2020071000536.pdf https://www.bloomberg.co

Kongregate effectively ends its web portal. Sexual assault allegations hit the fighting game industry. Amazon Game Studios pulls down it’s only live game. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://gamasutra.com/view/news/365842/COVID19_and_pivot_towards_game_development_lead_to_layoffs_at_Kongregate.php https://gamasutra.com/view/news/365787/Kongregate_shuts_off_game_submissions_as_Flashs_final_days_approach.php https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/2/21311251/nba-2k21-price-ps5-xbox-series-x-cover-athletes-special-editions https://kotaku.com/amazons-crucible-flopped-so-hard-its-being-un-released-1844222299 https://gamasutra.com/view/news/365769/The_Ubisoft_paradox_How_the_publisher_enabled_a_culture_of_abuse_and_control.php https://gamasutra.com/view/news/365922/Ubisoft_exec_Maxime_Beland_has_resigned_after_harassment_and_assault_allegations.php https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-04-ubisofts-maxime-b-land-resigns-amid

A large wave of allegations send ripples through the game industry. Twitch makes sweeping bans including one of their biggest streamers. Facebook acquires another top Oculus developer. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://gamasutra.com/view/news/365581/Report_Ubisoft_has_suspended_two_executives_accused_of_sexual_and_physical_abuse.php https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/365316/Ubisoft_deeply_concerned_with_sexual_assault_allegations_against_multiple_employees.php https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-06-24-ubisoft-and-insomniac-face-dozens-of-allegations-over-mistreatment-of-women https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/24/21302033/assassins-creed-valhalla-creative-director-steps-down-ubisoft https://gamasutra.com/view/news/365416/Insomniac_responds_to_allegations_from_former_staff_about_culture_of_harassment.php https://kotaku.com/multiple-women-accuse-games-writer-chris-avellone-of-se-1844135498 https://kotaku.com/wiza

Apple is in hot water with loot box lawsuits and app store policies. Stadia hopes a reprice reinvigorates Stadia interest. Epic Games is fundraising again but for what? Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/06/13/apple-sued-for-allowing-apps-with-loot-boxes-onto-app-store https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/technology/apple-ios-facebook-gaming-app.html https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/18/21296180/apple-hey-email-app-basecamp-rejection-response-controversy-antitrust-regulation https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/google-stadia-premiere-edition-price-cut/#:~:text=Google%20has%20slashed%20the%20price,online%20in%20Google's%20Chrome%20browser. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-15/fortnite-maker-epic-is-said-to-near-funding-at-17-billion-value https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/epic-games-2#section-funding-rounds https://www.pcgamer.com/star-citizen-has-raised-over-dollar300-mill

Sony drops a massive PS5 reveal. The Last of Us 2 makes us question modern game design. WB Games is reportedly looking for buyers at a pricy $4 billion. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NH4csfipes https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/11/21288494/sony-ps5-playstation-5-hd-camera-dualsense-charging-dock-pulse-accessories https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/6/12/21288535/the-last-of-us-part-2-review-ps4-naughty-dog-ellie-joel-violence https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=468&v=GB20A8CitRU&feature=emb_title https://www.shacknews.com/article/118614/exec-ron-johnson-no-longer-with-riot-games-following-comments-about-george-floyd https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/12/att-seeks-sale-for-warner-gaming-unit-could-fetch-4-billion.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Warner_Bros._Interactive_Entertainment_video_games https://ventur

Director of Product at Jam City Jenny Tai is here to co-host. Zynga acquires Peak Games. Playtika plans a $10 billion IPO. Playrix acquires a PC game studio. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Guest-host Jenny Tai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennywtai/ Show Notes: https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/01/zynga-acquires-turkeys-peak-games-for-1-8b-after-buying-its-card-games-studio-for-100m-in-2017/#:~:text=Social%20gaming%20company%20Zynga%20confirmed,%24900%20million%20in%20Zynga%20shares. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/peak-games#section-funding-rounds https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-playtika-plans-wall-street-ipo-at-10b-valuation-report-1001331200 https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/playtika#section-funding-rounds https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-06-04-playrix-acquires-croatian-pc-developer-cateia-games https://www.cateia.com/games/games.php

Twitch signs more exclusivity deals, but from who. League of Legends is introducing in-game veiwerside advertisements. Tencent takes a large stake in a Japanese publisher. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/05/26/popular-streamers-summit1g-dakotaz-joshog-re-sign-with-twitch/ https://loaded.gg/ https://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-is-about-to-get-in-game-ads-during-official-matches/ https://watch.lolesports.com/article/introducing-summoner%E2%80%99s-rift-arena-banners/bltfed23f2200f71ae7 https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/28/magic-leap-ceo-rony-abovitz-is-stepping-down/ https://www.magicleap.com/en-us/news/news/a-message-from-rony https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/28/21270647/madden-nfl-ea-renew-contract-license-football https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-25/tencent-to-become-largest-shareholder-in-japan-s-marvelous https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/marvelous-j

Amazon Game Studios abruptly releases a game. Take-two claims nearly 100 new game to be released by 2025. Magic Leap somehow raises a $350 million lifeline. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.reuters.com/article/esports-business-amazon-crucible/amazon-launches-first-big-budget-game-title-crucible-idUSFLM13S4tM https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-20-take-two-plans-to-release-93-full-titles-in-the-next-five-years https://igda.org/resources/game-industry-standards/ https://igda.org/resources/event-diversity/ https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2020/05/20/stadia-exclusivity-will-keep-serious-sam-4-off-ps4-and-xbox-until-2021 https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/interviews/interview-platinumgames-on-next-gen-and-its-next-steps/ https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3085074/tencent-hires-big-names-including-ken-ichiro-imaizumi-scott-warner https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/news/development-update-self-

Epic unveils the next generation of their famed game engine. Marking platform AppLovin swoops up mobile. Keywords Studios positions itself discounted acquisitions. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC5KtatMcUw https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/a-first-look-at-unreal-engine-5 https://gadgets.ndtv.com/games/news/gta-v-free-epic-games-store-crashes-upcoming-games-leaked-2229322 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-15/applovin-is-said-to-value-machine-zone-at-around-500-million https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/machine-zone https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/applovin#section-funding-rounds https://www.sumo-digital.com/sumo-group-announces-the-acquisition-of-lab42-limited/ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-15-keywords-eyes-acquisition-of-firms-less-able-to-weather-the-disruption-of-covid-19 https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-13-maze-theory-raise

XBox shows off first gameplay footage of the Series X. YouTube signs one of gaming’s biggest content creators. Sensor Tower gets a massive cash injection from the private equity space. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REwzQraW7K4 https://www.polygon.com/speedrun-quibi/2020/5/8/21252025/inside-xbox-series-x-assassins-creed-valhalla-halo-infinite https://gamasutra.com/view/news/362666/Tokyo_Game_Show_2020_cancelled_amid_coronavirus_pandemic.php https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246658/pewdiepie-youtube-deal-exclusive-streaming-dlive https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-05-rektglobal-launches-talent-agency-for-esports-athletes-and-influencers https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-07-activision-blizzard-brings-in-anti-betting-firm-to-monitor-its-esports https://gamasutra.com/view/news/362588/Capybara_Games_cofounder_Nathan_Vella_is_now_at_Annapurna_Interactive.php https://se

Tencent makes its move to consolidate game streaming in China. A number of major eSports events have been delayed or canceled. Jagex, developers behind the long running MMO Runescape, has a new home. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://twitter.com/EVO/status/1256308529163452416 https://twitter.com/FNCompetitive/status/1255927727141593091 http://blog.dota2.com/2020/04/the-international-2/ https://gdconf.com/ https://www.egx.net/rezzed https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-27-jens-begemann-steps-down-from-wooga-after-11-years https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/04/09/tencent-gains-control-of-huya-what-does-this-mean.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/12/08/which-esports-stock-to-buy-huya-or-douyu.aspx https://gamasutra.com/view/news/361945/Macarthur_Fortune_Holding_acquires_Runescape_dev_Jagex_for_530_million.php https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-28-bohemia-interactive-shuts-down-dayz-studio

Is Nintendo poised to take on Disney or Netflix, one hedge fund seems to think so. Epic concedes to the Google Play Store. Facebook aims at Twitch as it spinoffs Gaming into a separate App. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nintendo-valueact-exclusive/exclusive-valueact-eyes-nintendo-with-stake-of-over-1-1-billion-letter-idUSKCN2232VT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ValueAct_Capital https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/21/21229930/fortnite-available-on-google-play-android-mobile-devices https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-21/epic-games-is-said-to-be-fundraising-at-above-15-billion-value https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/technology/facebook-app-gaming.html https://kotaku.com/wwe-2k-is-skipping-2020-1843032399 https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-23-stillfront-group-acquires-candywriter-for-at-least-usd74m https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/23/transcend-fund-raises-50-million-to-in

ESRB puts a bandaid on loot boxes. Virtual NASCAR turns into XBox Live. Animal Crossing stirs up UGC controversy. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://www.comic-con.org/cci https://twitter.com/gamescom/status/1250815640400773120 https://www.esrb.org/blog/in-game-purchases-includes-random-items/ https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52269671 https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-17-the-curious-case-of-animal-crossing-in-china-opinion https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-17-gaming-platforms-should-take-cues-from-nascars-response-to-kyle-larson-opinion https://beta.playvalorant.com/en-us/news/dev/valorant-esports-and-community-competition/ https://nianticlabs.com/blog/mq/ https://www.princeton.edu/news/2020/04/14/mathematician-john-horton-conway-magical-genius-known-inventing-game-life-dies-age https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-16-riot-acquires-hypixel https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/

Sony unveils a sleek new PS5 controller. Riot breaks Twitch records but with the help of outside forces. Sony drops $400 million for a stake in one of China’s top video platform. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That Show Notes: https://blog.us.playstation.com/2020/04/07/introducing-dualsense-the-new-wireless-game-controller-for-playstation-5/ https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/8/21212567/valorant-riot-games-twitch-record-viewers https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-06-retro-console-amico-receives-10-000-pre-sales-in-one-week https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/04/07/project-xcloud-western-europe/ https://www.pcgamer.com/e3-2021-dates-announced-but-theres-still-no-word-about-the-2020-online-experience/ https://www.reddit.com/r/vainglorygame/comments/fqc2c1/update_from_the_lair/ https://gamasutra.com/view/news/360988/Sony_invests_400_million_in_Chinese_entertainment_platform_Bilibili.php https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-08-n

The BAFTA Awards held its annual award show digitally. E3 sets new dates as IGN tries to fill the 2020 void. Gearbox has been accused of withholding bonuses. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That

Epic makes big waves as it moves into publishing. GameStop continues to its massive decline in sales. Stadia reaches out to the indie community for content. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That

Indies took over the IGF and GDC Awards. Next-gen consoles hold strong to their Q4 2020 release windows. This was a week dominated by fundraising news. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That

E3, the industry’s biggest conference, is officially canceled. GDC Online kicks off today on Twitch. Unity and Unreal both make critical art acquisitions. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That

Google pouches top talent from Sony to lead new LA studio. Australia eyes loot box regulation. GeForce Now loses another top publisher. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That

COVID-19 and its impact on the game industry. An update on GDC. Roblox raises a giant fundraising round from powerful investors. Music by Proviant Audio: http://freemusiarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That