Shilpa Gaur’s Post

Are Loot Boxes Worth the M-Rating? 🤔⭕️ Having worked in game development for years, I’ve seen firsthand how monetization strategies like loot boxes can either build player engagement — or erode trust. ☹️ The recent decision to give games with paid loot boxes an “M” rating in Australia highlights a growing global trend: more scrutiny on monetization mechanics in gaming. For developers, this move is significant — it means we’ll need to reconsider how we approach in-game economies, especially in regions with increasingly strict regulations. The core issue, as I see it, is player trust. 👉 Loot boxes have long been controversial, often perceived as predatory or exploitative, particularly when targeted toward younger audiences. It makes sense that regulators are stepping in to ensure transparency and protect players. But is an “M” rating the right solution? While it addresses concerns about underage spending, I worry that this broad stroke might miss the nuance of how loot boxes are implemented. Not all are created equal, and some can enhance gameplay in meaningful, non-predatory ways. 📍For developers, it’s a wake-up call: if we don’t police ourselves and build fair, transparent systems, regulators will — and their approach may not always align with our creative vision. #GameDev #Gaming #Tech #Monetization #Australia

🚀 Big news in gaming! Ubisoft is scaling up with Zuora to enhance Ubisoft+ and Rocksmith+ subscriptions. The global gaming industry is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% reaching $583bn by 2030. With Zuora's tech, Ubisoft is navigating massive online traffic spikes—up to 200% during new game releases! 🎮 Key Highlights: 👉 Personalized Billing: Custom solutions for every subscriber, ensuring an unmatched gaming experience. 👉 Global Reach: Ubisoft+ is now in 184 countries, thanks to Zuora's robust payment and tax management. 👉 Future Growth: Plans to expand further, leveraging Zuora's agility. Stay ahead of the curve in the ultra-competitive gaming market. Learn more about this powerful partnership in the full press release. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eMgSqKvw #Ubisoft #Zuora #GamingInnovation #TechNews #GlobalGaming

Finding success monetizing a mobile game with ads isn't a simple "should we?" or "shouldn't we?" proposition. The right in-game advertising strategy must be formulated based on your game's genre, your player base, and their specific preferences for ad quality and frequency. The best way to devise your strategy is to study the data. But not just any data: your data must be transparent. It's the only way to truly know if your assumptions are valid or whether you need to adjust your strategy. Watch and learn how the top mobile gaming studios — including Zynga, Rollic, and Socialpoint — are navigating these complex issues: https://buff.ly/46kXaL5 #admonetization #admediation #inappadvertising #IAA #ingameadvertising #adquality #adfrequency #mobilegames #mobilegamemonetization #adtech #mobileadtech #webinar #programmaticadvertising

The linked article is excellent and I subscribed to the substack.

Navigating the Digital Wonderland : Exploring the All-New Google Play in 2024 Navigating the Digital Wonderland : Exploring the All-New Google Play in 2024 - In the ever-evolving landscape of digital entertainment, Google Play stands tall as a beacon of convenience, offering a myriad of applications, games, and media content. #CanweinstallGooglePlay #googleplayapp #googleplayconsole #googleplaycustomernumber #googleplaygames #googleplayinstallation #googleplayservices #googleplaystoreupdate #HowoldisGooglePlayStore #IsGooglePlayforPC #playstoredownload #WhatisGooglePlaydownload

GDC this year? Absolutely epic! It was awesome catching up with my SF crew and meeting some stellar new faces in the gaming world. It's clear we're all riding out a pretty bumpy industry shift, and it's a huge challenge to be constantly adjusting to the resulting rise in UA costs. It'll take a hot minute for the market to sort itself out, but nobody's hitting pause – it's super motivating to see everyone hustling for that next big thing, swapping tips, and gunning for new chances to level up gaming. It's got me pumped – we're right where we need to be, right when we need to be here. I'm betting UA costs won't be taking a dive anytime soon... making bank on games is only gonna get tougher. But hey, marketing's gotta roll with the punches, right? And top-notch games? They're not just gonna make themselves. So here's the scoop on us at Plunge Games : we're all about zeroing in on crafting methods and products that amp up games with killer hybrid monetization strategies. Stay in the loop for the deets we'll be dropping. Got a gaming project? Slide into our DMs, and let's chat about how we can boost your game to the next level. In the picture- my fav place for food in SF! I’m not only advising on games :)

Have you ever had a revelation that looks obvious in hindsight? I just had one of these. We often say that gaming is the most promising segment of media, and yet we rarely talk about what inspiration it can draw from media in general. But it can, as HypeHype Inc. shows us. It is in beta, so still in hypothesis validation stage, but still. I would personally describe it as Roblox + TikTok. So now it looks like a mobile app with a game engine that will allow creators develop their own games, while consumers can just swipe up/down to find the game they would like to play. There are many aspects that can be debated, but I would focus on 3. 1. There is a viable market HypeHype covers mobile games, but I would argue that its main focus is on games that have simple gameplay and catered for short engagements. So hypercasual and casual (action, match, puzzle...) will likely be the core, while more hardcore (RPG, strategy) or engaging (simulation) genres are likely less relevant. The good news is that it represents 34% of mobile game app downloads (~30 out of 88 billion). The bad news is that revenue share is ~20%, though still sizeable (20-25$B). I do not have a hardcore math, but I assume it captures 80% of IAG (in-game-ads) at ~6 $B (thanks to hypercasual), and 15-20% of IAP (in-app-purchase) at 15-18 $B (thanks to match and action). 2. UGC potential can be unlocked Gaming is special as most innovation is driven by players. Counter Strike was once a mod to Half Life. Dota (and the whole MOBA genre) started as a mod to Warcraft III game. Battle Royale genre was created as a mod to Arma 2. And so on. Allowing players to create game experiences is a major trend today. Fortnite and Roblox are the best examples that cater for that. And HypeHype goes the same route, which I personally believe is the right move. It solves the challenge with supply that is critical for TikTok-like platform, it supports players in unleashing their creativity , and it fosters innovation in gameplay. 3. Monetization is a key challenge to address Mobile games market is very different from PC/console games. Some argue that it is more data than gaming already with retention and ARPU be key KPIs. And both will have issues at TikTok-like platform. Retention can be viewed as an increase in playtime, which is hard to achieve when there is no friction in switching (like find & download a new game). Even with "For You" page. ARPU is a challenge of its own as even TikTok and YouTube did not figure it out. Ads create frictions, subscriptions reduce reach, donations are good but not enough. So it means that HypeHype will have to innovate (at least once the platform is scaled). How will new monetization look like? Maybe it will be like a loyalty program - you get virtual currency for time spent at platform that can be exchange for game boosts, and if it is not enough, you can buy more. Maybe not. I guess we will have to wait and see;) WDYT? https://hypehype.com/en

Heading to Gamesforum Vietnam? Check out this article where Boram Ku, Head of AppLovin APAC, shares her insights on the future of mobile gaming.  Be sure to connect with her while you're there. https://lnkd.in/evp2ArKU

🎮 From Alpha to Whale: Your Go-To Glossary of Gaming Terms 🎮 Game Design & Mechanics: NPCs (Non-Player Characters), Sandbox, Open World, Buff/Debuff, Skill Tree. Player Interaction: PvE (Player vs. Environment), PvP (Player vs. Player), Guilds/Clans, Co-op Play, Matchmaking. Monetization & Business Models: F2P (Free-to-Play), IAP (In-App Purchases), Gacha Mechanics, Pay-to-Win, Whales. User Acquisition & Analytics: Retention Rate (D1/D7/D30), Churn Rate, LTV (Lifetime Value), ARPU (Average Revenue Per User), DAU/MAU. Technical Terms & Platforms: Cross-Platform, Cloud Gaming, Console, Server, PC Gaming. Game Release & Development: Alpha/Beta Testing, Soft Launch, Patch/Update, QA (Quality Assurance), Localization. These terms encompass core aspects of the gaming industry, from game design and player interaction to monetization strategies, technical requirements, and the development process. Understanding these concepts is essential for navigating the game development landscape, optimizing user engagement, and achieving commercial success in a competitive market. 👇 Scroll down for a closer look at each term and why they’re key to understanding game success and player engagement! 🎮📊 #GameDev #GamingMetrics #PlayerEngagement #Retention #UserAcquisition #GameDesign #MobileGaming #GameAnalytics #GamingIndustry #Monetization #GamingInsights #LTV #ARPU #DAU #GameSuccess

Monetization perspective: why did CoD: Warzone Mobile bring in less money than CoD: Mobile? I've been a loyal player since 2002, and new CoD: Warzone Mobile couldn’t go unnoticed by me. Its launch was a financial success, but it was much smaller than its predecessor's. The game hit the market on March 21st and in just two weeks, it was downloaded 15 million times and brought in $2.7 million. In contrast, Call of Duty: Mobile generated $14 million from 68 million downloads in that same period. But there's more to this story! New CoD has a cool feature where you can share progression with the PC/console version. This means that users can swap skins, weapon blueprints, cosmetics, and battle passes between versions, which might lessen the need for additional purchases on mobile. This could be the key to why this game’s earnings seem lower than the previous one from Tencent's TiMi Studio Group. And what's really cool is that this CoD is an in-house project by Activision, including contributions from studios involved with the full version. #callofdutywarzonemobile #Activision #mobilegaming #monetizationstrategy