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PODCAST

Naavik Gaming Podcast

The Naavik Gaming Podcast is a business-focused exploration of the companies, trends, strategies and leaders that are defining the future of games. To learn more and see other great content visit www.naavik.co.

business video games

All Episodes

61:48

XR: X-plore, X-plain, X-amine

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/25

Do you believe that XR is the future of modern entertainment? Composed of a blend of AR, MR, VR, and spatial computing, XR is a major frontier for big tech. Meta has spent $40B on Reality Labs, and Apple has launched the world’s first “spatial computer” this past month. But is it a fit for entertainment and games? Join your host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, Taylor Hurst, Principal at Konvoy Ventures, and Julian Park, CEO and Co-Founder of Bezi, in an exhaustive discussion

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69:57

Helldivers 2 Invades Steam / Xbox’s Big Non-Event /...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/23

In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the unexpected success of Helldivers 2, PlayStation Studios' first game to launch simultaneously on PlayStation and PC. We then shift gears to Microsoft's Xbox Business Event, which, despite its brevity, sparked a flurry of speculation regarding the company's strategy for porting "exclusives" to PlayStation. The conversation takes a critical turn as we examine the Epic Game Store's 2023 performance review, alongside Epic's maneuver to

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59:54

Midnight, the AA Web 3 Games Consolidator

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/20

It is no secret that web3 gaming had bit of a down year in 2023. Many studios had to shut down, and venture funding was hard to come by. But where some see a valley of despair, others see opportunity.Midnight is scooping up talented web3 studios that have run out of funding in order to go after multiple opportunities at the same time with double AA games. To get a sense of the ambitious plans Midnight has for moving web3 gaming forward, your host, Niko Vuori, sat down with Steve Wade, the

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52:47

Decoding Success: From Operator to Venture Capitalist

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/18

Today’s guest is Shanti Bergel, Founding General Partner and Managing Director of Transcend Fund, which has been a top decile performer since the firm was founded in 2020.Shanti is not just on the cutting edge of where the games industry is headed, but he’s also a veteran operator across much of the industry’s decades-long dynamism. In this episode, Shanti and host, Aaron Bush, chat through Shanti’s career at companies like EA, Gree, and FunPlus, pull out evergreen lessons learned, and then

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55:06

Games: Once Upon Now in Hollywood

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/11

The Super Mario Brothers Movie made $1.36B at the box office, shattering records and solidifying the power of gaming IP on the big screen. Transmedia across TV and Film is an active growth strategy for many gaming companies, and a high number of works are in the pipeline as Hollywood looks towards games as a fertile ground for untold stories. Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, hosts Roy Lee, producer of films like the LEGO Movie, IT, and LEGO Batman. He is slated to produce

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69:29

Disney x Fortnite / Heroes of Mavia Launch / WB Live...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/09

In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into Disney's $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, aiming to create custom Fortnite-related experiences. We speculate on what Disney's persistent world might look like, especially in light of its potential connections to Fortnite and the recent Lego collaboration. Then, we shift gears to discuss Mythical Games' settlement of its lawsuit against Fenix Games, concerning a significant $150 million investment debacle. The conversation takes an

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50:29

Parallel, the $500 Million Web3 TCG

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/06

Trading card games (TCGs) have always been the most natural fit for web3. Their real-world analog cousins are inherently collectible, generally have a notion of rarity, and have a thriving secondary market. So it is no surprise that some of the earliest and most hyped entrants into web3 gaming have been TCGs, and perhaps none more so than Parallel, the Toronto-based company building an ambitious sci-fi themed game. To realize its ambitions, the team raised $50 million at a $500 million

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63:52

The State of UGC Gaming in 2024

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/04

User-generated content (UGC) in games continues to grow in scale and impact, and staying on top of this dynamic market has never been more important. In this episode, Naavik analyst and consultant David Taylor joins Aaron Bush to discuss the most important trends and developments on Roblox, UEFN, and beyond. We discuss emerging patterns that make successful UGC experiences, game-changing roadmap features, how studios should approach this market, the possible eventual scales on these

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62:02

China's Regulations / Microsoft & EA Earnings /...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/02/02

In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the public reversal of China's proposed bans on game monetization tactics, plus ponders the future of these regulations and their impact on Chinese game stocks. We then shift focus to Tencent's CEO's candid reflections on the company's 2023 gaming performance and its hopeful outlook on AI for 2024. The conversation heats up with a detailed analysis of EA's and Microsoft's earnings reports, highlighting the boost from the Activision Blizzard

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53:08

Between the Lines: Eastern Europe’s Gaming Market

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/28

It is known that the gaming scene in CIS has political, legal, and regulatory challenges that make it hard to develop games or deploy investments into the region. But if you do it right, my guests, Maria Kochmola, Managing Partner at The Games Fund, and Arseny Lebedev, CEO and Co-Founder at Original Games, think it’s worth it. Today they both sit down with your host, Alexandra Takei, Director at Ruckus Games, and we discuss why going through the hurdles of employee relocation and

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66:33

Palworld Explodes / Riot Scales Back / Newzoo’s 2024...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/26

In this week's Roundtable, the squad dives into the booming success of Palworld, a game that's been dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and explores why it's capturing everyone's curiosity. We then shift gears to discuss Riot's recent pullback (layoffs and game pivots) and what this could mean for other projects in the works. The conversation then heats up as we dissect Newzoo's 2024 market predictions, sparking a fierce debate about the accuracy and implications of these forecasts. Finally, we

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45:51

Immutable’s Web3 Roadmap for 2024

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/23

Immutable is one of the leaders in the web3 gaming space, as well as one of Australia’s fastest-growing companies. The business has raised AUD$400 million dollars and was most recently valued at AUD$3.5 billion (about US$2.5 billion). The company was founded by brothers Robbie and James Ferguson in 2018 when it was called Fuel Games, and they developed and published the blockchain trading card game Gods Unchained. The company then rebranded as Immutable in 2019, added an NFT trading

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63:43

The State of Gaming VC in 2024

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/21

Venture markets – within and beyond gaming – soared in 2020-2021 and fell back to earth over the past couple of years, but what should we expect in 2024? And what may change about gaming VC longer-term?To answer these questions and more, host Aaron Bush is joined by Moritz Baier-Lentz, Partner and Head of Gaming at Lightspeed. Moritz shares his thoughts on the state of venture capital, lessons learned as an investor, why he’s targeting increased exposure to growth-stage deals and

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62:31

Valve's Daily Deals / Activision Blizzard & NetEase...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/19

In this week's Roundtable, the squad begins by discussing Stumble Guys' move to Xbox, which will now compete head-to-head with Fall Guys. We then shift gears to Valve's new initiative, testing an invite-only system that empowers developers to schedule their own daily deals, alongside a reverse in policy that now allows AI-utilizing games (given certain assurances). We also dive into the reconciliation between Activision Blizzard and NetEase, paving the way for Diablo 4's much-anticipated

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60:54

CES Takeaways / Subscription Strategy Changes /...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/12

In this week's Roundtable, we explore the gaming highlights from the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show and joke about what trends are peaking in ridiculous ways (AI-powered egg cartons, anyone?). We then dive into a couple strategy changes being discussed by leading subscription businesses: first, how Netflix is reportedly rethinking ways to monetize games, and, second, what Xbox (with Game Pass) may be planning in bringing previous exclusives to the PlayStation 5. We then discuss Unity's and

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60:29

The State of Web3 Trading Card Games

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/09

Trading Card Games (TCGs) have always been a natural fit for Web3. Their real-world analog cousins are inherently collectible, generally have a notion of rarity, and have a thriving secondary market. For instance, the infamous Black Lotus card from Magic: The Gathering earlier in 2023 broke its own sales record at $540,000, and there is a long history of high-value cards changing hands. So it is no surprise that some of the earliest entrants into Web3 gaming were TCGs. But how are these

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49:45

Nexon’s CEO on Leaving a Legacy, Fostering Talent, &...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/07

Owen Mahoney, CEO of Nexon, is back for another phenomenal conversation – this time on the heels of the announcement that Owen is soon stepping down from the CEO role after a decade of market-beating performance. He and host, Aaron Bush, discuss Owen’s legacy at Nexon, what he wished he knew about being CEO when he started, what goes into great succession planning, and more about Nexon’s next CEO, Junghun Lee. Then the duo discusses how AI-driven software is already enabling AAA games to be

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67:52

Game Awards Stats / VR Struggles / China Regulations...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2024/01/05

In this week's Roundtable, the squad kicks off with a deep dive into the Game Awards' staggering 118 million viewers, surpassing even the Super Bowl, and what this means for gaming's place in mainstream culture. We then shift gears to a recent Omdia report revealing VR's struggles, debating why it's floundering and what could turn it around by 2026. The conversation turns to China's proposed new regulations for mobile games, examining the immediate impact on industry giants like Tencent and

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73:04

Our Games Industry Predictions for 2024

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/12/22

In this week's Roundtable, we follow up on the previous episode with this week’s Epic Games Store policy shift, highlighting the decision to create an Adults Only exception for web3 games, notably reinstating titles like Gods Unchained. The conversation then pivots to our final episode of the year celebration, packed with bold predictions and in-depth discussions for 2024. We delve into the evolving landscape of consoles, subscription models, and the burgeoning role of AI in gaming. Our

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53:43

The Advent of AI Analytics

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/12/20

Together with Dive, one of our Open Gaming Research Initiative partners, we’re exploring the topic of data and games through a limited podcast series called “Data Corner.” This episode is the final segment of this mini-series, so we decided to focus it on a fascinating future-facing topic — AI Analytics.According to Gartner’s Analytics Ascendancy Model, there are four types of analytics that sharpen hindsight, reveal insight, and create foresight:1. Descriptive analytics, which explain what

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413 results

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