Yue Ariel Wu

"Atlus is one of our most successful acquisition deals to date," says Sega Sammy as Metaphor: ReFantazio posts strong sales. Sega Sammy Holdings highlighted the success of Metaphor: ReFantazio and Sonic X Shadow Generations during a Q2 FY2025 earnings Q&A. Atlus, developer of Metaphor: ReFantazio and the Persona series, was praised as one of Sega’s “most successful M&A deals to date.” Acquired in 2013 for about ~$140m, Atlus has benefited from Sega’s global publishing reach, enabling broader multi-platform launches. “By joining forces with Sega, they have gained the capability to expand their targets,” said Sega Sammy, crediting the partnership and Metaphor’s high quality for its strong debut. Sega picking up Atlus has been pretty good for me. Just getting their games on more platforms has been a huge boon. With so many RPGs becoming less RPG and more action, Atlus is one of the only studios consistently putting out great classic-styled JRPGs with good production values. Atlus was also a great acquisition for Sega from a consumer perspective because it meant Sega could work with Atlus to expand to the ever-growing PC market. Sega made some really great decisions, particulary with Metaphor, and I'm glad to see those decisions paying off. - Going multiplatform from the start - Putting out a great demo that let you experience almost an entire in game cycle without time constraints All of that made possible because they trusted that the game was really strong. I hope this leads to more demos like this. Certainly up there for game of the year, and with Infinite Wealth, glad to see Sega supporting their top studios to do their thing.

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Awful news last night with Worlds Untold - which had been backed by NetEase - announced it was "pausing operations" until it can locate further funding. In a statement posted to LinkedIn, Walters said the decision was "heartbreaking", adding he was "deeply grateful" for "the time we've had together" at the studio. "It's hard to find the right words for this, but I wanted to share that we've made the very difficult decision to pause operations at Worlds Untold while we search for a new partner to help bring our vision to life," Walters said. (source: https://lnkd.in/egSZ2Pru) To those impacted please check out the following resources: 🥇First, reach out to us at People Can Fly Studio, we have many roles open right now in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Europe, please check them out here: https://lnkd.in/eWpV5PbA 🥈Next, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past months I have created 10 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines, and I would urge you to check them out, if anything just to see what would be available to you: https://lnkd.in/eGE2vzUt You can find over 5,900 jobs there. 🥉 Third, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ I urge you to check out the areas in particular about CV support and mentoring, as these will help you no matter what industry you are hailing from or are looking into going next. 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #worldsuntold #layoffs

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Not as obvious as it seems. Let’s see how this trend impacts #japan #gameindustry Of course, the older a country get, the older the business leaders will be. But there’s two quotes from the article that really get to the root causes. > Although creating new startups from a young age is becoming a more popular career path in Japan, only 3.1% of business chiefs were under 40 years old with those under 30 standing at just 0.2%. This is potentially concerning for creative industries - especially gaming. Older execs will generally be more conservative and perpetuate IP reuse and sticking to the niche. But why is it that younger people do not make a bigger portion of the business leadership class? This is largely due to a Confucian concept called filial piety, or respect and deference to those senior in age, rank, etc. It was a concept imported from China from 650 (!?), and was a strong focus of general education all the way to the mid Meiji-era (1900 or so). It was seen as the way to ensure social harmony, cohesion, and perhaps most of all stability. Which leads us right into the second quote. > Developing business succession plans to smoothly transition leadership to the next generation has posed a significant challenge in the Japanese business world, particularly for small- and mid-sized firms. Given that approximately 70% of Japanese workers are employed by such firms, the economic repercussions of these companies going bankrupt due to succession issues could be significant. Risk management is at the center of everything in Japan. Now, I am sure there’s some form of mentoring occurring. But I am also relatively certain that the next generation of leader isn’t put in charge of genuinely risky decisions and operations, which will stifle their development. Most importantly, while the previous generations would actively pursue learning through mentorship, this practice is less present (and at lower intensity) in younger ones. This will likely breed generations of even more conservative managers unfortunately, at the time where some risk needs to be taken. Which gets us to the core issue: while Japan excels at managing passive risks (external threats, environmental, etc), it still struggles with active risks such as venture and creative industries. It will be important for future generations to learn how to handle the latter. But this must start with the leaders of today giving the chance to mentoree to take calculated risks, and learning from inevitable mistakes. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! #japan #gameindustry #culture

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Appreciating Carson Taylor for his in-depth insights on SHIFTUP's remarkable IPO journey. The recent public valuation of SHIFTUP at nearly $3 billion is a strong indicator of its focus on strong IPs and diversified platforms. Along with companies like, Krafton and HoYoverse, the South Korean gaming landscape serves as a prime inspiration for India. Currently, Nazara Technologies is the only listed gaming company in India. The next 5 - 10 years, would see many more companies join the ranks. With a rich pool of talent and innovative ideas, there is a promising future for such homegrown firms to thrive on the global stage.

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The Korean music tech scene is experiencing rapid growth, with innovative startups expanding their horizons beyond domestic borders. Companies like BIGC, MODHAUS, and MUZLIVE are leading the charge, aiming to capture a slice of the lucrative US and Japanese music markets. BIGC, a pioneering K-pop live streaming platform, is currently in the process of establishing overseas subsidiaries in the US and Japan after securing a significant investment of ₩5 billion ($3.6 million). The platform's unique selling point lies in its AI-powered MC, which provides real-time translations and enhances the viewer experience. MODHAUS, a fan-centric idol platform, is leveraging blockchain technology to revolutionize fan engagement. The company's COSMO platform empowers fans to participate in decision-making processes, from song selection to fandom naming, through token-based voting. With a recent investment from Japanese venture capital Global Brain, MODHAUS is expanding in the Japanese market. MUZLIVE, a disruptor in the physical album space, has developed a mobile-friendly album using U-NFC technology. The company's innovative product has garnered attention in the US, as evidenced by its membership in the Independent Music Association. Industry experts believe that these startups have a competitive advantage. Despite the US being the world's largest music market, followed by Japan, and Korea ranking seventh, these mature markets have been slower to adopt new technologies. With a strong foundation built in Korea's highly competitive environment, local music tech firms are well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities abroad. However, there are also startups in Korea that are trying out challenging business models overseas. Music Cow, a music copyright investment firm, is facing regulatory hurdles in Korea regarding security token offering (STOs). Undeterred, the company is focusing on the US market, where it plans to launch a beta version of its STO-based service by the end of the year. Source: The Korea Economic Daily #Kpop #MusicTech #StartupKorea #GlobalExpansion #MarketOpportunity #Entertainment #MusicIndustry

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Recaps from my fireside <From Play-to-Earn to Metaverse: The Changing Landscape of Web3 Gaming> yesterday with Kim Bazak from MarketAcross and Justin Kim from Avalanche @ #SEABW 👇 1/ The Asian region is a wonderful place to start web3, as there already are MMORPG users who are familiar with online community, play, and economies 2/ We implement limited supply systems, dynamic pricing of enhancement, and periodic item drops to offer a unique web3 gameplay experience for all 3/ Can AI be a solution for bringing scale in gaming? We believe that AI can be used to power communities in building MapleStory experiences, and also in ensuring that the gameplay environment is as bot-free as possible More in store from #MapleStoryUniverse - we are in exciting times ✨ https://lnkd.in/gKjwfC25

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Episode 3 of The Talent Game podcast is live with Mary Chan (prev. Operations Director at Lightforge Games)! Mary takes us on her inspiring career journey, from her time at JPMorgan to breaking into the gaming industry. She opens up about the challenges she faced along the way—navigating a job market lacking salary transparency and grappling with concerns around cultural fit. At Lightforge Games, Mary made it her mission to improve the candidate experience, and in our conversation, she shares practical insights on how to attract and retain top talent by prioritising transparency, competitive benefits, and a healthy work-life balance. She also reveals the key traits she values in candidates—adaptability, innovation, and collaboration—essential qualities that drive success in today's fast-paced industry. Key Takeaways ✅ Transitioning from one industry to another requires identifying transferable skills and finding a company that values those skills. ✅ Salary transparency is crucial during the job search process to ensure alignment between candidates and companies. ✅ Candidate experience plays a significant role in attracting talent. Transparency, work-life balance, and employee recognition are important for retaining talent. ✅ Personality traits like adaptability, innovation, and collaboration are highly valued in the gaming industry.

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Interesting news about Sony and Bungie this evening, according to Forbes: Sony President, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki has now revealed what exactly is happening with a Bungie restructuring in a recent briefing. Among the details: ▶️ All of what remains of Bungie itself, about 850 people, will be contained and concentrated into Destiny 2 and Marathon development only. ▶️ There are no plans to stop development on Destiny 2 despite recent issues, though as behind the scenes reporting from Forbes has revealed previously, content will shrink in scale for the foreseeable future. ▶️ Everything else besides Marathon and Destiny 2 will move under SIE. ▶️ This includes back office functions at Bungie, including many roles that were hit by layoffs, and also “other title development” at Bungie will move under SIE. ▶️ This includes Bungie’s “Gummi Bears” project which is reported to have 40 people moving to SIE in a new sub-studio, but this is the first Forbes have heard that this will apply to other projects Bungie is incubating, of which there are a few more. ▶️ The briefing also mentioned more general talk about “cost restructuring, portfolio optimization, optimizing studio structure and enhancing efficiency” at Bungie as part of this. Source: https://lnkd.in/eibXUp5w

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Dive into the world of Japanese entertainment—anime, dramas, and movies—without borders! 🌸💻 In 2023, accessing Hulu Japan has never been easier. 🚀 With the right tools, bypass geo-restrictions and enjoy an immersive streaming experience. #HuluJapan #StreamingWithoutLimits #AnimeLovers #JapaneseEntertainment

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📣We are excited to announce #GRAMEcosystem(GRAMPUS°)’s NEW BIG PARTNERSHIP with #Everyworld (Everyrealm Inc.) a #Base-based marketing platform! Appreciate TJ Kawamura Jay Jo Sung Eun (Angela) An Shinhee Lee for leading this partnership :) ✅ EVERYWORLD is not only in the spotlight with their innovative Rewarded Ads Protocol among Web3 marketing platforms, but they are also pioneers drawing the next phases through collaboration with game companies. ✅ It’s undeniable that ad tech has been at the center of the explosive growth of the mobile game industry over the past 10 years. Sophisticated data-driven marketing platforms have enabled game marketers to use their budgets efficiently and scale their games effectively. ✅ The marketing strategy for #Web3gaming, as envisioned by the GRAM Ecosystem, is the harmony of three elements: High-quality products Experience-oriented communities Efficient scaling up EVERYWORLD is poised to play a significant role in this. ✅ Notably, the second flagship title of the GRAM Ecosystem, #JuicyAdventure, is being built on the Base chain. The synergy we can create with EVERYWORLD is boundless. Moving forward, we will work with EVERYWORLD to leverage our Web2 data-driven marketing experiences and take concrete, actionable steps to build the capabilities needed for the upcoming Web3 marketing era!!

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🚀 You have to check out this incredible project update from Mark Tucker at T-Minus Zero Entertainment! The team's passion and dedication are front and center in this milestone. Updates like these are what make #GameDevelopment so exciting. 💪 Curious about the latest progress or craving a behind-the-scenes look at a high-energy, innovative project? Don't miss Mark's full update below - it’s worth every second! 🙌👏 #GameDev #ProjectMilestone #Teamwork #VideoGames

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This is Kwan Cheng, General Manager of Eggy Party at NetEase Games, at ChinaJoy 2024, explaining why they are investing so much in AI-UGC, and how the AI Emote Creator they recently integrated into their flagship game, Eggy Party, allows millions of players to generate custom avatar animations from videos, straight from the game. With this User-Generated Emote technology, Eggy Party players become creators, able to bring and share their identity in the game through custom animations and post amazing content on TikTok, showcasing their creations. This strategy helped NetEase capture hundreds of millions of views on social media and drive great levels of user acquisition! Want to have this technology in your game? 👉 Reach out to Kinetix! #UGC #AI

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New role at Netflix: VP, GenAI for Games At long last, I am ready to talk about what I'm doing next: I am working on driving a "once in a generation" inflection point for game development and player experiences using generative AI. This transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire players. I am focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the center, with AI being a catalyst and an accelerant. AI will enable big game teams to move much faster, and will also put an almost unimaginable collection of new capabilities in the hands of developers in smaller game teams. Over the past 3 years, I worked with an amazing leadership team to build Netflix Games from the ground up, including the creation of a robust internal game studio, establishment of a world class publishing organization, and collaboration with Netflix cross-functional teams to deliver awesome games to Netflix members on mobile and to TVs (and PCs) through the cloud. We've delivered 100+ games, increased game engagement by multiples, and rolled out a test of cloud streaming to TV and PC in several countries. I'm very proud of this! However, after starting and selling 3 start-ups and building 3 new divisions in larger organizations, I readily acknowledge that my strength is 0-1, or 0-1,000 in terms of employees. When Netflix Games hit scale, I knew the time had come to hand off to someone who can take this enterprise to the next level. Alain Tascan is the right choice to do this. He is already in the process of taking Netflix Games in exciting new directions. As for me, I am ready for the next big challenge after the raw primordial act of creation. GenAI is that next challenge. I don't think I've been this excited about an opportunity in this industry since the 90s, when we saw a new game launch every few months that redefined what was possible. It was an incredible time to be making games as talented creators showed all of us what the future looked like. Guess what? We're back to those days of seemingly unlimited potential and the rapid pace of innovation, which resulted in mind-blowing surprises for players every few months. I can't believe how lucky I am to be alive when a wave this big is about to hit the game industry. Many view this technology with fear, but I am a game-maker at heart and I see its potential to unlock all of us, to create mind-blowing new experiences for players, to lift us to new heights. Yes, we'll have to adapt and change, but when have we failed to meet that challenge as an industry? I couldn't be more thrilled to lead this new initiative! Pay no mind to the uninformed speculation in the media about the changes in Netflix Games. What you've seen over the last several months was actually a planned transition. And yes, I am completely delighted to be back out on the frontier, trying to put a dent in the universe :)

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Be there or be square... And if you want to know how you can engage with your fans, just drop a line and we can talk about how Tradable Bits can help you with your marketing, growth and partnerships' goals See you at SportsPro APAC

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For the last trip of what has been a crazy year of travel, it was fun to wrap it up in Los Angeles! I got to see old friends and new ones and hang with some of gaming’s brightest minds.  To start, at Google’s second annual Growth in Gaming Summit, I took the stage with Moonlit W Beshimov and Lauren Luke for a discussion into responsible AI in gaming. We explored how we can harness to build safer and more accessible gaming communities while democratizing tools for creators and players. I’m grateful to Jon Chong, the Google Team, and More in Common for facilitating these conversations. The theme of innovation and collaboration continued, and I had a blast emceeing the  GamesBeat Insider: Hollywood Meets Gaming: Exploring the Intersection conference, which highlighted the convergence of interactive and traditional media. The sessions revealed new possibilities for storytelling and showed how games are reshaping and being integrated into the entire media landscape. A big thank you to Dean Takahashi for giving me the opportunity to host this transformative event. Ending the week at The Game Awards, surrounded by industry pioneers and changemakers, I was reminded yet again why gaming continues to lead the way in both technological innovation and creative storytelling. The achievements celebrated show how far we’ve come and hint at the incredible possibilities of the future. Congratulations to  Geoff Keighley on 10 years of bringing the industry together to celebrate games, the people who make them, and those who play them. These three events highlight one clear message: the future of gaming is collaborative, inclusive, and more innovative than ever. #GamesforChange #GamingIndustry #TheGameAwards2024 #Innovation #ResponsibleAI #VGA2024

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I’ve never suggested a follow on LinkedIn in nearly 20 years of using the platform, but today, I’m making an exception. Please follow Tian Xiao, my leader at Tencent Games, and more importantly, one of my best friends and strongest supporters in the industry - supporting me personally, my family, my career, and my community. Tian has earned my endorsement a hundred times over for how he has changed my family's life and for who he is. I can only imagine how proud his family, especially his parents, must be of the incredible person in their orbit. Read below - I need to share all my thoughts, and they wouldn’t fit in a standard post, so enjoy the 5,405 character long-form version in a picture.

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🏀 Basketball Fever: China's top mobile publishers, Tencent and NetEase Games, are launching new licensed basketball games, reflecting key trends in the gaming market and the global future of licensed sports titles. 📱 Dunk City Dynasty: Also known as Hoop Heroes, this 3v3 street basketball game by NetEase boasts 500K downloads and is gearing up for global launch. It's already outperforming competitors! 🌍 NBA Infinite: Tencent's 3v3 basketball game has seen a global push since the NBA All-Star Game. With unique player abilities and broad international ambitions, it’s set to capture basketball fans worldwide. 🎮 Strategy Shift: Both Tencent and NetEase are diversifying genres and expanding globally. With new regulations stunting growth in traditional genres, they're now focusing on more casual, globally appealing titles. 🏆 Sports Licensing: These new games highlight the evolving landscape of sports IP. NetEase licenses players directly from the NBPA, while Tencent holds an official NBA license, indicating a shift towards more diverse and dynamic licensing opportunities. 🌐 Global Appeal: With basketball’s growing popularity, these games aim to attract new players domestically and internationally. This could be a game-changer in achieving revenue growth through audience diversification. 🕹️ Play Hoop World: For fans of basketball games, don’t miss out on Hoop World from Quiet. Available on iOS, Android, and Online on the web that works without installing, it's a fun and addictive basketball game that's perfect for quick play sessions. Give it a try and see why it's worth the hype! Links in the comments.

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Good news to share with you all: a LinkedIn job seeker I referred has received an offer from a NetEase affiliate today! A few weeks ago, he sent me a job link at NetEase, and I reached out to the recruiter in charge through internal networks to help them connect (yes, we have several talent acquisition teams). Then this happy outcome naturally followed. I know people receive offers every day, but this offer means a lot to me. In an industry where layoffs happen a lot recently, we need to take action and help each other - small gestures like this can make a significant difference. Let's continue to uplift and assist each other in any way we can. On a related note, here's a small job-seeking tip: before applying for a position, research the company's website or LinkedIn job posts. Including the job link in your application enhances the matching efficiency and shows your commitment to the role. Remember, proactive research can set you apart in a competitive job market. #JobSeeking #Networking #CareerAdvice

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