Platforms September 6, 2021

Microsoft has denied rumors about the support of Android applications on Xbox

Android apps won’t appear on Xbox. Microsoft‘s plans to add their support to the console were discussed at the end of last week. But now the company’s representatives have said that this is not true.

Industry September 6, 2021

Case study: how trailers of non-existent games made the Polish PlayWay the most “desirable” publisher on Steam

Polish PlayWay has collected more vishlists on Steam than any other publisher, leaving Square Enix, SEGA and Electronic Arts far behind. A controversial marketing strategy helped her in this. The company made trailers for hundreds of games, but brought only single titles to release.

Games September 6, 2021

Battlefield V topped the Steam bestseller chart. The second place went to Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Last week, the best-selling game on Steam was Battlefield V. Thanks for this, you need a 90% discount. As for new products, the best sales were shown by the Russian Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. She entered the chart twice, taking second and fourth places with the help of different publications.

Industry September 3, 2021

Wargaming has opened a new studio in Moscow. It is managed by the former PR manager of 101XP and Ice-Pick Lodge

Wargaming has announced the opening of Wargaming RED, a new studio located in Moscow. Its employees will be engaged in the development of an as yet unannounced cross-platform free-play game and support for old franchises.

Platforms September 3, 2021

Valve has started accepting developer applications for Steam Deck devkits

Valve has announced that Steam Deck devkits are ready to ship. The company started accepting applications from developers and clarified that the number of devkits is limited.

Analytics September 3, 2021

The most popular engine on Steam is Unity. But Unreal Engine makes the most expensive games

Developer Lars Doucet presented a detailed analysis of the most common game engines on Steam. To do this, together with the SteamDB website, he collected a large amount of data about the titles in the Valve store and the tools with which they were made.

Platforms September 3, 2021

Rumor: Microsoft will add support for Android apps on the Xbox console

At the end of June, Microsoft announced that it would add native support for Android apps to Windows 11. But it looks like they can also be launched on Xbox consoles.

Platforms September 3, 2021

Apple will start requesting permission for targeted advertising in its services on iOS 15

Apple has decided to equalize itself with other developers. In iOS 15, it will ask users for permission to access personal data that is used for targeted advertising in the App Store and Apple News.

Industry September 2, 2021

What challenges await Netflix in the video game market: competition with Fortnite and the race for technology

With the help of video games, Netflix will fight for the attention and free time of users. However, the company will inevitably face a number of challenges along the way. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball analyzed Netflix’s strategy in detail, and also talked about possible pitfalls and competition with other services. We present the key points from the material.

Platforms September 2, 2021

Apple faces antitrust proceedings in India due to the rules for accepting payments in the App Store

In India, a lawsuit has been filed against Apple, which threatens the company with a new antitrust trial. We are talking about the lack of alternative payment methods in the App Store. The plaintiffs believe that the company destroys competition by prohibiting developers from using third-party payment systems.

Analytics September 2, 2021

In the first half of 2021, the revenue of games about “traitors” increased 26 times. All thanks to Among Us

Sensor Tower analysts spoke about the fastest growing themes, settings and artistic styles in mobile games in the USA. For example, projects about “traitors” were included in the list of leaders — only Among Us American gamers spent almost $8 million in the first half of 2021.

Money September 2, 2021

CD Projekt Semi-annual report: revenue growth by 29% and no data on Cyberpunk 2077 sales

CD Projekt has published a financial report for the first half of 2021 (ended June 30). Revenue grew by almost 30%, but the company still does not disclose data on sales of specific games. CD Projekt also shared information about the next generation versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, refusing to name the exact release dates.

Investments and transactions September 2, 2021

MY.GAMES Venture Capital invested €3.5 million in Ghost Recon and Assassin’s Creed developers

MY.GAMES company has become a partner of the Spanish The Breach Studios, which was founded by veterans of Ubisoft, 4A Games and Take-Two Interactive. She invested €3.5 million in the studio, in return receiving a minority stake and a control option.

Vacancies September 1, 2021

Vacancies of the week (September 1)

Wanted: a leading game designer at Playrix, an art manager at Friday’s Games and a user engagement manager at Melsoft.

Investments and transactions September 1, 2021

Playtika buys the Finnish studio Reworks. The amount of the transaction can reach up to $ 600 million.

Mobile publisher Playtika makes its first purchase since entering the stock exchange. He announced an agreement with the Finnish studio Reworks, which developed a simulator of the designer Redecor. The maximum amount of the transaction may approach $600 million.

Money September 1, 2021

App Annie: Asphalt 9: Legends revenue has exceeded $100 million since release

In July 2018, the French publisher Gameloft released a new part of its racing franchise. She became Asphalt 9: Legends. The analytical company App Annie has estimated that to date mobile gamers have spent over $100 million in this game.

Industry September 1, 2021

The second book by Jason Schreier will appear on Russian shelves on September 28

The sequel to “Blood, Sweat and Pixels” by Jason Schreier is being prepared for publication in Russia. A new book about the dark side of video game development will go on sale on September 28.

Laws August 31, 2021

South Korea has adopted a “Law against Google”. It will allow mobile developers to use third-party payment systems

South Korea has become the first country to legislatively limit the power of Apple and Google over mobile app stores. According to analysts, this could set a precedent.

Games August 31, 2021

The Russian game Black Book sold 100 thousand copies in 20 days — faster than Desolate, but slower than Loop Hero

Another project of Russian developers is conquering the world. The adventure card game Black Book has surpassed the mark of 100 thousand copies sold in 20 days since its release. Four times faster than the Desolate survival at the time, but still not as fast as some other domestic titles.

Industry August 31, 2021

Naughty Dog Presidents Criticized for Justifying Crunches by Employees’ Desire to Work Hard

Neil Druckmann and Evan Wells, presidents of Naughty Dog, shared their opinions on the problem of crunches in the gaming industry. According to them, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions — including not prohibiting “passionate” developers from voluntarily working overtime to improve the project. However, studio bosses were criticized by industry colleagues for their position.

All publications of the author

Microsoft has denied rumors about the support of Android applications on Xbox

Case study: how trailers of non-existent games made the Polish PlayWay the most “desirable” publisher on Steam

Battlefield V topped the Steam bestseller chart. The second place went to Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Wargaming has opened a new studio in Moscow. It is managed by the former PR manager of 101XP and Ice-Pick Lodge

Valve has started accepting developer applications for Steam Deck devkits

The most popular engine on Steam is Unity. But Unreal Engine makes the most expensive games

Rumor: Microsoft will add support for Android apps on the Xbox console

Apple will start requesting permission for targeted advertising in its services on iOS 15

What challenges await Netflix in the video game market: competition with Fortnite and the race for technology

Apple faces antitrust proceedings in India due to the rules for accepting payments in the App Store

In the first half of 2021, the revenue of games about “traitors” increased 26 times. All thanks to Among Us

CD Projekt Semi-annual report: revenue growth by 29% and no data on Cyberpunk 2077 sales

MY.GAMES Venture Capital invested €3.5 million in Ghost Recon and Assassin’s Creed developers

Vacancies of the week (September 1)

Playtika buys the Finnish studio Reworks. The amount of the transaction can reach up to $ 600 million.

App Annie: Asphalt 9: Legends revenue has exceeded $100 million since release

The second book by Jason Schreier will appear on Russian shelves on September 28

South Korea has adopted a “Law against Google”. It will allow mobile developers to use third-party payment systems

The Russian game Black Book sold 100 thousand copies in 20 days — faster than Desolate, but slower than Loop Hero

Naughty Dog Presidents Criticized for Justifying Crunches by Employees’ Desire to Work Hard