Xbox's Fallout

?? Hi, Tibi here, hope you're having a great day!

Welcome to the #17 edition of the Game Vibe Weekly Newsletter!

This newsletter is created out of passion for video games and industry news. The intention is to share weekly trends, business insights and top performing games, all in a nice format, and build a vibrant community together.

Happy reading!

?? Vibe of the Day

Let's start the day with a song. My recommendation is Blur - Song 2, on Youtube or Spotify. You know the one, Whoohooo!

This song was featured in at least 20 games, but the one that takes me back is the iconic FIFA: Road to World Cup 98.

Feeling the vibes?

?? Highlights

• The paradox of closing 4 successful studios at Xbox.
• EA wants to put ads into its premium games.
• Netflix and Roblox game experience.
• Warner Bros. lost $200 million to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice.
• Wishlist Truck Parking Simulator VR!
• Dev.Play conference is right around the corner.
• Squad Busters hits 20 million pre-registrations.

?? Interesting

• The paradox of closing successful studios at Xbox. "We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards." – Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios.
• The big news from last week is that Microsoft is shutting down 4 Bethesda studios. Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, Redfall studio Arkane Austin, and Mighty Doom maker Alpha Dog Studios. Also, Roundhouse Studios will cease to exist. These studios have made successful games.
• But that's just it, what is a successful game in today's market? This is the problem that we now face, as Amir Satvat said in his post. We need to redefine what success looks like for a game studio. The old ways are not good enough any more, unfortunately.
• If you're a developer working for Xbox, what can you do to secure your job? as Brendan Sinclair says. Microsoft management says they're focusing their resources on bigger games, then they say they need smaller games. They say they love your games, then they shut your studio down. There's a lot of uncertainty whether the work developers do has any bearing at all on their continued employment.
• Moving on, EA is working on putting in-game advertisements into its games, viewing them as a "meaningful driver of growth". I mean... maybe. Think of watching an Ad on the in-game TV. That wouldn't be that bad, right? I hope EA is thinking at what's best for the player, right? Right??

• Marc Whitten , Chief Product and Technology Officer, will leave Unity at the end of the year. This is after Matthew Bromberg , former COO at Zynga, has been named as Unity's new CEO.
• Fallout is Amazon’s most popular show yet with 2.9 billion viewed minutes during the week it premiered.

• Epic Games was fined €1,125,000 by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets for using "unfair commercial practices" aimed at children in Fortnite.
• Netflix is teaming up with Roblox to launch its own “digital theme park”. Nextworld, will feature characters and content from Netflix, including Stranger Things, One Piece, Cobra Kai and Rebel Moon. How cool is that?
• GameStop wants to start trading with valuable Pokémon cards. The prices for those can run from, $50 for a Raging Bolt Ex from the recent Temporal Forces Pokémon set to over $29,000 for a rarer Charizard from the original base set. I remember collecting Pokémon cards from a chocolate roll when I was 10 years old. ??

?? Business

• Unity posted its financial results for Q1 2024, showing a loss of $291 million and a total revenue of $460 million.
• Warner Bros. cites $400 million+ year-over-year decline due to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice disappointing release sales performance leading to a $200 million loss.
• Steel City Interactive raises ￡15 million in funding round led by Novator Partners and is preparing for the full release of its boxing game Undisputed. Congrats to them!
• Frost Giant Studios, Inc. launched a campaign on StartEngine where players can buy shares in the company with the promise of (hopefully) sharing in its long-term success. CEO Tim Morten aims to raise between $15,000 and $5 million, and it's approaching the $1 million milestone. Go Go!
• Capcom reported net sales of $978 million, up 21% year-on-year, with highlights of Street Fighter 6 and Dragon's Dogma 2. Congrats to them!

?? Game to Wishlist

Do I have simulated delight for you!

Truck Parking Simulator VR is a game made by Sacaci Florin and his twin brother Sacaci Mihai who, under the name Twin Software Studio , made a very interesting truck parking simulator for VR.

In this game you will be put in the shoes of a skilled truck driver tasked with parking trailers at set locations in different environments.

In addition to the levels, the developer has also managed to create a virtual map where you will be able to deliver goods from one company to another.

The game is still in development because the team wants to focus on the stability of the game to provide a pleasant experience.

You can buy the Meta Quest version here and wishlist the Steam version here.

I haven't played it yet, but I might grab it for the Quest, since I want to try something different than Beat Saber.

Have fun and good luck to the twins with their launch! ??

??? Events

• Experience the vibe of Dev.Play Conference 2024! Dev.Play is a conference which takes place annually in Bucharest, being organized and managed by the Romanian Game Developers Association . This year they host some great talks on the state of the industry, leading creative teams, mobile F2P distribution, investments and a great after party. Make sure you grab your ticket. The event takes place June 3-4 in Bucharest, Romania. Don't miss your chance to network. Are you going?

?? P.S. I have a cool surprise for you tomorrow!

• Presenting the 2024 Summer Gaming Showcase schedule made by Marcus Stewart . With events ranging from Guerilla Collective Online Showcase, Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs, Xbox Games Showcase, THQ Nordic Digital Showcase and more.

?? Mobile

• Squad Busters hits 20 million pre-registrations in record time with rewards to be received in other Supercell games as part of the pre-registration.
• Xbox’s mobile game store, rival to Apple and Google’s app stores, is coming in July. They'll start on the web, with games like Candy Crush and Minecraft. Where do the other developers come in?
• ‘Roblox meets TikTok’ as Teemu M?ki-Patola describes HypeHype, a UGC platform home for player-made arcade or hypercasual-style creations.
• A lot of cool new games launching. Sonic Rumble and Nextworld, which is a place for Netflix games inside Roblox.

• Are you looking for alternative mobile UA channels for 2024? Well, Matej ?? Lancaric has 7! From influencer marketing to retail media, this list is comprehensive and might help you in adding new ways of marketing your game.

?? PC & Console

• There's a new indie hit out there, called Animal Well. It's a beautiful, metroidvania puzzle game that’s fun to play around with. Not to mention that it's published by Dunkey. According to Gamalytic, it sold 130k copies in 5 days. That's wow!

• PlayStation April 2024’s top downloads feature Helldivers 2 and Sea of Thieves on PS5 and Fallout 4 on Ps4.
• Have you heard of the new indie game called Little Kitty, Big City? It sold 100,000 copies in 48 hours. Congrats to Double Dagger Studio !

• Steam is banned in Vietnam due to Valve side-stepping government approval for game releases.
• Fallout 4 is the best-selling PC & Console game of April in the UK. I ask again, have you seen the show?!
• Helldivers 2 was delisted from dozens of countries after the disastrous announcement that players would be required to link their Steam account to their PSN to continue playing the game.
• The median conversion rate of wishlists to sales in the first month is 27%. Have you increased your Steam wishlists?

??? Podcasts

Any podcasts lovers here?

• Lets talk about those Xbox studio closures... in this GamesIndustry.Biz microcast with James Batchelor and Christopher Dring on what this means for Microsoft's wider gaming strategy.

• In this Deconstructor of Fun episode Michail Katkoff engages with Ben Porter , NewZoo's Director of Consulting, to delve into the profound shifts within the gaming industry reflected in NewZoo's latest report.?

? Mentions

I want to mention Ali Farha for hosting a live LinkedIn event with Tarek Fouad as guest about Pitching Your Game To Investors and a big Thank You! ??

My key takeaway from this is to build a relationship with the investors 6-12 months before actually needing the money. This is a game changer!

Tarek was very gracious and patient and explained to the audience the difference between pre-seed, seed and series A funding. He gave advice on how to build a relationship with the investors by giving them monthly updates on your game and going to events to network.

Ali Farha we want more events like this! ??

?? Cool Stuff

• Since summer is right around the corner, how about relaxing at a beautiful seaside mansion? It's made in Blender, obviously. ??

• Want to make or renovate your house? Here is how you can create a detailed and precise floor plan with dimensions in Blender done by Ruben Messerschmidt . Hope this will give you a clear budget on how much the renevotion will cost. ??

?? You're Awesome!

Wow, you've made it to the end!

I hope you found this newsletter fun and interesting!

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Reach out if you’d like to collaborate on anything.

Have a great day!

Tibi