Eric Kress, known for his profane humor, joins the hosts to discuss the future of AAA game studios, Fallout TV show, and binge-watching series. They delve into revenue strategies, gaming trends, web store impact, venture capital updates, game performance metrics, and Disney's investment in gaming. The conversation also explores tipping practices and cultural differences in the gaming industry.
Significant gaming fundings show a thriving industry landscape.
Staff reductions at major companies reflect challenges in the EV and gaming sectors.
Debate on Triple-A studio model's decline raises questions on innovation and industry dominance.
Deep dives
A16Z and Bitcraft Ventures Raise Significant Funds
A16Z raised a massive $7.2 billion across various funds, with a focus on tech and games. Bitcraft Ventures also raised $275 million for gaming and interactive media investments. These substantial fundings indicate a robust investment landscape in the gaming industry.
Layoffs and Reductions in Workforce in Various Companies
Quality laid off 40 employees, while Take-Two announced a 5% staff reduction and project cancellations, potentially impacting games like Bioshock 4. Additionally, Elon Musk's companies are reducing the workforce by 10%, reflecting challenges in the EV industry.
Game Updates and Releases
Slay The Spire 2 has been announced with a departure from Unity. Destiny 2's player count doubled after the Into the Light expansion reveal. Disney Realm Rakers soft launched in Australia, blending Disney IP with Rush Royale mechanics. Power Worlds, despite initial hype, has seen a decline in player numbers.
Trends in Mobile Gaming Market
The podcast delves into the trends in the mobile gaming market, highlighting the performance of various popular titles. It discusses the success of games like Brawl Stars, noting substantial growth in downloads and revenue. Contrasting with this success, the podcast also mentions the struggles faced by other games like Warzone and AFK Journey, which are not experiencing expected growth in daily active users despite initial popularity.
Debating the Role of Triple-A Game Development
The episode covers a debate sparked by a statement suggesting the decline of the Triple-A game studio model. It touches on the opinion that indie and double-A developers might surpass Triple-A studios in innovation due to perceived flaws in the current Triple-A approach. While some argue for a shift towards smaller core teams and player engagement in development, others express skepticism about the feasibility and impact of such changes, emphasizing the dominance and revenue generation of Triple-A titles from established studios.
Who are BIG gaming funds good for? Are the AAA game studios going to extinct? And why is Fallout such a damn good show? This and many more questions were mulled by the TWIG crew.
Oh, and Eric Kress is back. That means that the profanities are flying once again.
Your hosts: Eric Kress, Michail Katkoff, Jen Donahoe, and Phillip Black.
Our partners: Xsolla, AppsFlyer, Heroic Labs, and Sensor Tower.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode