Game Awards Stats / VR Struggles / China Regulations / Square Enix Letter

In this week's Roundtable, the squad kicks off with a deep dive into the Game Awards' staggering 118 million viewers, surpassing even the Super Bowl, and what this means for gaming's place in mainstream culture. We then shift gears to a recent Omdia report revealing VR's struggles, debating why it's floundering and what could turn it around by 2026. The conversation turns to China's proposed new regulations for mobile games, examining the immediate impact on industry giants like Tencent and NetEase, and the broader implications for global gaming markets. Finally, we explore Square Enix's new CEO's pivot in his annual public letter, moving away from web3 and towards a strong emphasis on AI, and what this strategic shift signifies for the future of the company. Join us for all the latest games business news with Dave Elton, Matt Dion and host Devin Becker.

We’d like to thank Pragma for making this episode possible! Pragma is a Backend Game Engine that powers services like accounts, matchmaking and player data for the world’s most ambitious live service games. To learn more, head to https://pragma.gg/

We’d also like to thank Dive! Dive is a fully outsourced BI-as-a-Service solution that provides an enterprise-grade data platform and services for gaming studios on all platforms. It also saves studios hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly. To learn more, go to: https://bit.ly/3NRlX3i 

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Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.