industry trends Archives

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

Entertainment Marketing Summit to Gather Major Industry Leaders, Lessons Learned From ‘A Minecraft Movie’ and ‘Longlegs’

Variety’s Entertainment Marketing Summit will be held on April 24 at NeueHouse Hollywood in Los Angeles, sponsored by Deloitte. The event will feature in-person panels discussing topics such as impact marketing, the gaming economy, artificial intelligence, and sports fandom, with speakers including Issa Rae and Nicholas Sparks. Cameron Curtis from Warner Bros will present on leveraging social media content creators for marketing, while Christian Parkes from Neon aims to learn about innovative strategies from major studios. This is the eighth year Deloitte has sponsored the summit, emphasizing the importance of research and industry discussions. China Widener from Deloitte highlights the growing influence of Gen Z consumers. Warner Bros is focusing on enhancing its social media presence for upcoming films. Parkes expresses a desire for studios to present more unique and engaging marketing strategies.

AppWizard

April 18, 2025

Rokky interview: tapping global PC markets

PC game publishers are seeking innovative revenue enhancement methods and new audience engagement. Rokky, founded in 2009, has grown from five to around 60 employees and offers a distribution platform that connects game publishers with various digital storefronts, focusing on markets outside Europe. The company collaborates with publishers for content and engages stores for sales, easing the burden on publishers managing multiple relationships. Rokky highlights the potential of untapped markets in China and Asia, where traditional advertising is restricted. They have established connections with local marketing agencies and influencers to navigate these challenges. Andreev advises leveraging influencer partnerships for marketing in China, emphasizing the importance of social media. The grey market poses challenges for publishers, where game keys are resold at inflated prices across regions. Rokky suggests region-locking keys and adjusting pricing strategies based on local economic conditions to mitigate revenue loss from cross-border sales. Andreev envisions a future shift towards seamless activation processes, moving away from traditional key-selling methods to instant activation upon purchase, enhancing the user experience.

AppWizard

March 13, 2025

Pocket Gamer Connects offers complimentary tickets to job seekers for San Francisco 2025 conference

Pocket Gamer Connects (PGC) is offering a limited number of complimentary tickets to job seekers for its conference in San Francisco on March 17 - 18, 2025. The initiative aims to support both experienced professionals and newcomers in the gaming industry by facilitating networking and career development opportunities. The event will feature talks, panels, roundtable discussions, networking with over 750 professionals, an indie pitching competition, and other activities. Interested candidates should complete the application form promptly due to the limited availability of tickets.

AppWizard

March 11, 2025

Nintendo is the only company in games that doesn’t have to worry about PC

Nintendo has established a unique position in the gaming industry by focusing on its legacy and the joy it brings to players, rather than competing directly with advancements in PC gaming. The success of the Nintendo Switch has reinforced its status as a leading gaming company, akin to Disney in the film industry. Nintendo's characters, like Mario, have become iconic and are recognized across generations, contributing to the company's sustained success. The company has produced influential games that have shaped the industry, and its characters are integrated into everyday life through various merchandise and experiences. Nintendo prioritizes creating engaging gameplay over cutting-edge hardware, as demonstrated by the innovative motion controls of the Wii. The company's commitment to its unique vision and individuality has allowed it to thrive without conforming to industry trends, maintaining strong consumer loyalty and anticipation for future releases.

AppWizard

March 6, 2025

Final Fantasy 16 is the latest game to be freed from the shackles of Denuvo, though its 7-year-old predecessor still remains in DRM jail

Square Enix has removed Denuvo anti-tamper software from Final Fantasy 16, confirmed by SteamDB on March 4, just under six months after its release. This decision has been positively received by players, who often link Denuvo to performance issues. Publishers typically phase out Denuvo when sales decline and piracy threats lessen, which contrasts with Final Fantasy 15, still using Denuvo after seven years. The transition to a subscription model for Denuvo may have influenced Square Enix's decision. Denuvo's attempts to improve its image, including a Discord server, faced backlash and was locked due to negative feedback. Product manager Andreas Ullman noted the lack of evidence supporting claims that preventing piracy directly increases revenue. The impact of Denuvo's removal on Final Fantasy 16's sales remains uncertain.

AppWizard

February 18, 2025

Liquid Swords latest NetEase-backed studio to lay off staff

Sweden's Liquid Swords is reducing its workforce due to challenges in the gaming industry, as stated by CEO Christofer Sundberg. The studio, founded in 2020 and backed by NetEase, has not disclosed the number of layoffs but expressed regret over the impact on employees. Sundberg noted that shifting market conditions have hindered the studio's ability to meet its success timeline, leading to the difficult decision to part ways with talented individuals. Liquid Swords is part of a trend among NetEase-backed ventures facing similar struggles, including Worlds Untold and Jar of Sparks, highlighting the volatility in the gaming industry.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

Slotegrator: “Online casino integrated in a popular mobile messenger app is a must-have in 2025”

The ICE 2025 event will be held in Barcelona, focusing on emerging trends, regulatory changes, and technologies in the gaming industry. Slotegrator will showcase innovations such as Bitcoin casino solutions, AI-driven analytics, and market strategies. Their offerings include a Bitcoin casino software, Moneygrator that integrates over 150 payment options, and a Telegram casino for mobile engagement. Kirichenko noted trends like stricter gambling advertising regulations, new market emergence, and a shift towards social interaction in online casinos. In 2024, Slotegrator achieved significant milestones, including obtaining a license from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, a 76% growth in total bets, a 79% increase in gross gaming revenue, multiple nominations, and the launch of over 250 projects with 60 new partners. The company is preparing to address upcoming regulatory changes and technological advancements in 2025.

AppWizard

December 12, 2024

Gearbox, Id and Warner vets found new publisher Cooldown

A group of former industry veterans has launched Cooldown Games, a new publishing venture led by CEO Steve Gibson, who was previously president at Gearbox Publishing. The founding team includes Matt Charles (Chief Product Officer), Erick Cobbs (Chief Business Officer), Jackson Hardesty (Chief Operating Officer), Brad Schliesser (Chief Revenue Officer), Jimmy Sieben (Chief Technology Officer), and Jeff Skal (Chief Marketing Officer). Collectively, they have generated over a billion in revenue and contributed to the success of eight titles that have sold over one million copies each. Gibson expressed confidence in the company's rational business models and commitment to supporting game developers. The team aims to discover and promote games that fit into the busy lives of gamers, influenced by their own gaming preferences over the past five years.

AppWizard

December 4, 2024

Intel unleashes XeSS 2 for Arc GPUs with huge changes to speed up PC games, borrowing a few pages from Nvidia’s DLSS playbook

Intel has introduced XeSS 2, an advanced graphics technology aimed at competing with Nvidia's DLSS and AMD's FSR. It features two main components: XeSS Frame Generation for adding frames to enhance gameplay smoothness, and XeSS Super Resolution. Additionally, Intel has launched Xe Low Latency to reduce input lag, similar to Nvidia's Reflex. XeSS 2 is exclusive to Intel's Alchemist and Battlemage GPUs, requiring developers to integrate support for these technologies into their games. Intel has also released a new control panel called 'Intel Graphics Software' for its Arc GPUs, which centralizes driver updates, game optimization, and performance monitoring. The new XeSS 2 technology is designed to work only with Intel hardware, marking a shift from previous compatibility with AMD and Nvidia GPUs.

Winsage

November 26, 2024

Valve’s latest Steam client update no longer support Windows 7 and Window 8 systems

As of November 2024, Valve has discontinued compatibility for the Steam PC client with Windows 7 and Windows 8, meaning users on these systems will no longer receive automatic updates. Official support for these operating systems ceased on January 1, 2024. While Steam may still function on these platforms, Valve cannot guarantee continued functionality without updates. This decision is influenced by the reliance on an embedded version of Google Chrome that is incompatible with older Windows versions and the need for OS features and security enhancements exclusive to Windows 10 and later. According to Valve's October 2024 Steam Hardware & Software Survey, 96.26% of PC gamers are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, with only 0.28% on Windows 7. Windows 7 and 8 users will miss out on new features like the Steam Game Recording capability. The move aligns with industry trends, as Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 in 2020 and Windows 8 in 2023, highlighting the security risks of outdated operating systems.