Edition #5: Deadlock's Launch, Love Letters from Cologne, and Protecting IP in the Age of AI

It’s been a busy month for game publishers and developers. To those of you still sleep-deprived from Cologne: we understand. ??

In this edition of the Games Media Digest:

?? Hasbro's ideal licensee partner

?? Is Nvidia in ‘bubble land’??

?? The cleverness of Valve's not-so-secret Deadlock launch

Stories, Commentary, & Analysis

• [Game Developer ] War never changes: Why innovation in game development is (still) vital. Writing for GD, Benjamin Paquette, our Head of Creative, gives the business case for creative freedom.?
• [Mubi ] In the flesh: Esports as spectacle. An ode to esports for those who were inspired by live competition at IEM Cologne this month.?
• [GameDiscoverCo ] Steam’s big changes. Steam has removed free demos from its ‘New & Trending’ tab after complaints they were “stomping on paid games .”
• [PocketGamer biz ] 5 takeaways from devcom and gamescom 2024. In mobile, web shops are on the rise, and Apple is the name on everyone’s lips—though Epic might take a big bite out of its app store business.?
• [Tech Crunch ] Virtuix’s VR treadmill is finally launching in September. It’ll cost $2,595 a pop and launches September 10.
• [A16Z GAMES ] How NASA’s using Unreal Engine 5 to prep for its next moonshot. A recent report also found that many non-gaming companies are moving to powerful game engines as they consolidate tech tools to save money.?
• [Financial Times ] Fortnite returns to iPhone and Android in EU after antitrust fight. Epic has opened things up for mobile game devs, but might several marketplaces divide the market too much long-term??

AI News to Consider

• Nvidia is in a ‘bubble’ and AI is ‘overhyped’ (Financial Times). The mammoth organization, central to the global games industry, is in bubble land, according to Elliott Management. Many of the uses for AI are “never going to be cost-efficient, are never going to actually work right, will take up too much energy, or will prove to be untrustworthy," Elliott said. This echoes a Goldman Sachs report from July, which questioned the productivity benefits of AI.?
• Story raises $80m to build a blockchain for content IP (Tech Crunch). All companies, including game-makers, should be vigilant about IP protection in the age of AI. Story is a company looking to address the issue.?
• Anysphere, a GitHub Copilot rival, has raised $60m (Tech Crunch). Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital co-led the round.?
• What are the legal risks of using generative AI in games development? (GamesIndustry biz). “When employing [generative AI used in game development], game developers need to be active participants in directing (if not also in training) the GenAI model if they would like to be able to protect the outputs produced by the model,” writes lawyer Andrew Velzen. Read the piece for more legal insights around AI in game dev.?

Game Launches & Marketing

Go-to-market breakdown: Another Crab’s Treasure

Here are three things bigger publishers and developers can learn from Another Crab's Treasure’s launch, according to Ryan Rigney:

?? Rock-solid positioning as a quirky, genuinely funny take on soulslikes

?? It was "designed for marketing" from the beginning

?? Masterful TikTok strategy which made its audience feel part of the journey the whole way

Read Rigney’s newsletter for more excellent insight.?

Valve's not-so-secret game Deadlock is a bold experiment in soft-launching

If [Valve] really wanted to keep Deadlock a secret, I'm pretty sure they know how to do that.”

Similar games to Deadlock, Rob Fahey writes for GamesIndustry biz, need a few patches before they hit their stride. By soft-launching Deadlock (and by manufacturing scarcity, subtly building hype), Valve has the opportunity to iron out wrinkles before pressure mounts.

"If Valve can make a success out of this approach … perhaps it'll push us towards better ways of handling launches and managing risk for online games."

Read the piece here .?

Interview you Shouldn’t Miss

Naavik / Hasbro: How to make games using legendary IP

What does Hasbro like to see in game development partners??

1. Confidence. You should have conviction in your knowledge of your target market and platform.?
2. Boldness. Have the courage to follow your creative instincts—as long as your communication with the IP holder is open and your visions are aligned.?
3. Deep understanding of the IP. You must know the essence of the IP beyond platforms. What makes it unique? How will you make a recognizable game even if it is necessarily different from the IP’s roots (like Scopely did with Monopoly Go!)?

Hasbro was confident that one of Larian Studios’ strengths was its relationship with its community. It therefore trusted Larian to give Baldur’s Gate III an early-access launch: Larian got tons of useful feedback from a passionate fanbase.?

As a licensor of IP, Hasbro knows it’s important to be patient. Guide your partner, but trust that they will make the right decision for the target market.

"When somebody opens [the Monopoly Go!] app on their phone, and hits the big 'GO' button, and the dice roll, and the token moves around the board, and they purchase that real-estate ... they immediately know what the game is. You're obviously … not literally playing Monopoly, but people are immediately familiar and get very comfortable with the game." - Eugene Evans, Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy and Licensing, Hasbro

Listen to or watch Naavik’s full interview with Evans.?

Room 8 Group News

We won “Best Service Provider” at the Mobile Games Awards 2024!

Winning at the Mobile Games Awards is a huge honor for us. Matthew Zoern, Head of Studio for our Mobile Development solution, accepted the award—watch that here .?

We Announced a strategic partnership with Audiogroup

We’ll work with Audiogroup to offer our partners unparalleled music and sound services. ??

Thanks for reading the Games Media Digest by Room 8 Group —we’re an external game developer providing end-to-end, strategic solutions for the world’s biggest developers and publishers.