The studio Byterunners and publisher Movie Games reported that Drug Dealer Simulator 2 has been purchased by over 200,000 people worldwide. This milestone was achieved in just over five months since the game’s release.

We continue to wrap up the year 2024 by focusing on teams in the gaming and gaming-related businesses. Today, we have an interview with Roman Lukyanov, managing partner of the law firm Semenov&Pevzner.

Marketing expert Raj Patel has calculated that since the beginning of the year, gaming companies have announced layoffs of nearly 17,000 people. This number significantly exceeds the figures from the past several years.

The marketing company AppsFlyer published a report on mobile app monetization for the third quarter of 2024.

Torn Banner Studios has announced a restructuring. As part of this, the studio laid off an unspecified number of employees.

We continue to review the results of 2024 with gaming (or gaming business-related) teams. Next in line is an interview with Dmitry Svetlov, head of the studio Odd Meter, which made a mark this year with the adventure game INDIKA.

The South Korean company Smilegate, known for Lost Ark and Crossfire, has made strategic investments. It has invested in Absurd Ventures — the studio of Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser.

Another game development studio has closed down. The Canadian indie collective Sweet Bandits Studios announced its shutdown after eight years in operation.