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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

70:14

Building a Sustainable Web3 Game With Sorare

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/07/04

Most Web3 game economies, even the most successful ones from the earliest days of the genre, have struggled in recent quarters, in part due to fundamentally unsustainable economics / tokenomics. But in this episode, we’re discussing one of the more notable exceptions: the France-based fantasy sports game Sorare. Launched on Ethereum in 2019, the game generated nearly $350 million in secondary market volume in 2022, and almost $90 million for the first 5 months of 2023. In this episode, your

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61:28

AAA vs. Gaming Startups

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/07/02

Is greenlighting really that different? Who leads innovation, and who fast follows? Should you accept your gaming startup offer? Lee Reed is Studio Product Lead at Infinity Ward, and Jess Adepoju is a Lead Producer at Bad Robot Games and consultant at The Indie Intellectual. In this episode, we frame gaming studios and incumbents in the Innovator’s Dilemma of “low-end versus new market disruptions;" compare and contrast the differences between production, greenlighting, and hiring between

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68:10

2023 Half-Year Review

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/30

We’re halfway through 2023, so let’s pause, reflect, and think about the future. This episode’s panelists – Aaron Bush, Anil Das-Gupta, Jonathan Anastas, plus host Devin Becker – discuss their standout games of 2023 so far, what trends have defined the industry lately, what’s currently over- and under-hyped, and what they’re watching closely as the rest of the year unfolds. This wide-ranging conversation covers lots of ground and is filled with spicy takes.If you like the episode, please

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64:25

Nexon’s CEO on Leadership, Virtual Worlds, Innovation...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/25

Nexon is one of the largest and best-performing companies in the gaming industry, but too few Western onlookers fully know why the business excels. That changes today. Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney joins Naavik co-founder Aaron Bush to discuss his journey in games, what he’s learned from leading a large global business, and how Nexon builds long-lasting virtual worlds. They also discuss the importance of antifragility, what “weird” new initiatives could define Nexon’s future, and why companies

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69:00

FTC Halts Microsoft’s Acquisition / AI Narrative...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/23

In this week's Roundtable, the crew discusses what M.O.B.A. Network's acquisition of Wargraph for $54 million means for indie Overwolf projects. We also dive into the FTC's temporary restraining order halting Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal in addition to Roblox's new mature content system and whether it might hurt user retention. Also on the agenda: Hidden Door's playtest of a generative AI-driven narrative game using the Wizard of Oz IP and a discussion on what EA splitting up its

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56:22

What’s Next For Move-to-Earn Pioneer Stepn?

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/20

“Move-to-earn” pioneer Stepn exploded in popularity in the first half of 2022, peaking at 3 million MAU and 800,000 DAU while generating $123 million in Q2 2022 profit alone. The mobile app, which rewards users who “wear” the company’s NFT sneakers, was a major driver in onboarding users into web3, but growth has stalled during the current crypto winter. In this episode, host Niko Vuori talks to Stepn COO Shiti Manghani about what’s next for the company, their ambitions to build an entire

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60:12

Games for Good

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/18

Games are a force for fun, but what if they could be a force for good, too? We sit down with Laura Carter, the founder of Longleaf Valley developer TreesPlease Games, and Jenny Xu, founder of Run Legends developer Talofa Games, to discuss launching and fundraising for studios with corporate social responsibility missions. Are green games sustainable, and which business models work when you have a “third” actor sharing the bottom line? STEPN created a craze for running games, but how does

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71:40

Embracer Restructuring / Apple’s AR / Not-E3 Week

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/16

In this week's Roundtable, we discuss the biggest news from the Not-E3 showcases hosted by major game publishers like Microsoft and Ubisoft. We also debate if Embracer’s announced restructuring will help the company in the long run. Other topics on the agenda include whether the FTC can stop Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard at the last second, the gritty details on how hurdle rates could be influencing investments, and what impact Apple’s Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 might

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70:43

Our Most Anticipated Web3 Games

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/11

Piers Kicks, founding partner of Delphi Ventures and venture partner at BITKRAFT, joins host Aaron Bush to discuss their most anticipated web3 games. The duo also discuss the realities of leaving school early to kickstart investing careers and how the best modern-day founders are different from previous eras, followed by a fun game to capture Piers’ pulse on a variety of gaming and web3 topics.To learn more, make sure to check out Piers’ essay Into the Void: Where Crypto Meets the Metaverse

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72:11

MENA Region Growth / Supercell’s Dueling Betas / SEC...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/09

In this week’s Roundtable, Huuuge Games' Q1 results provide us with some insight into the ongoing impact of user acquisition changes on the mobile gaming business. We also tackle the driving force behind the growth surge in the MENA region’s gaming and esports sectors and Supercell's uncharacteristic release strategy with its betas for Flood Rush and Squad Busters. Lastly, we wrap up by discussing the rationale behind EA's decision to integrate Nike NFTs into its sports games, as well as

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61:03

Building an RPG for Web3 With Azra Games

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/06

Azra Games has raised more than just about any other web3 game developer — with a $25 million seed round led by a16z — to build its ambitious vision for what the company is calling a “web3-sensitive” RPG. Founder & CEO Mark Otero joins your host, Niko Vuori, to talk about why he sees RPGs as a good fit for web3, how Azra is incorporating NFTs and web3 elements into their game design, and how they see the current web3 gaming environment evolving.To learn more, make sure to visit

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55:49

Can Esport Leagues Be Profitable?

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/04

The esports world is starting to teeter, the NYT wrote last month. Today, we get perspective on whether that’s true or not. Evil Geniuses is an esports organization with over 14 million followers across the globe, and it harkens back to the 90s when it was known as Quake Clan in Canada. We sit down with Nicole LaPointe Jameson, a CEO with an insatiable consumer passion for gaming but also a background in distressed assets — or in normal person speak, companies that desperately need

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62:32

Sony’s Showcase / Capcom’s Resurgence / NVIDIA’s AI Demo

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/06/02

Sony showcased new games, PSVR 2, and an emphasis on live service games, including Bungie bringing back its original franchise Marathon. We dig into Capcom’s understated recent successes, like the new Street Fighter 6 release. Does Last of Us delaying its multiplayer update mean it might end up scrapped? We take a look into what CD Projekt is up to and what the future of Cyberpunk and The Witcher could be. NVIDIA provided a brief glimpse at AI dialogue in games, but how realistic was it

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69:42

Embracer’s Deal Collapse / Take-Two & Ubisoft...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/26

New regions approve Microsoft’s bid for Activision Blizzard, but the saga isn’t over yet. Another former DICE member starts a studio. How did Axie Infinity finally manage to make it onto iOS, and will it succeed? Embracer loses a huge partnership deal. How will Mortal Kombat 1 fare against the upcoming slate of fighting games? What do the numbers behind Take-Two and Ubisoft’s earnings say about their future plans? Join us for all the latest games business news with Matt Dion, Aaron Bush,

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65:39

What Will the Saga Phone Do For Web3?

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/23

In this episode, we dive into the frustrations of bringing web3 experiences to mobile platforms and explore a unique solution that Solana has taken: building their own phone, the Saga phone.Your host, Niko Vuori, speaks with Laura Shen, the marketing lead for Solana Mobile, to learn more about the Saga phone and its significance. We explore the challenges of mobile-unfriendly web3, including app store restrictions, and the importance of making web3 accessible on mobile devices to drive mass

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65:13

Amazon's New MMO / Google Shows Off AI / Cross...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/19

How did Zelda outsell Harry Potter? Why is Amazon trying another Lord of the Rings MMO? Google shows off new AI tech, and cross-platform gaming shows some interesting trends. Join us for all the latest games business news with Maria Gillies, Dave Elton, Sebastian Park, and host Devin Becker.Also, a big thanks to data.ai for supporting all of Naavik's mobile data needs. If your team requires a market and competitive intelligence tool for tracking the mobile games industry, monitoring KPIs,

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28:54

5 Reflections Since Founding Naavik

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/14

Today’s episode is a bit different. One of our interviews fell through, but instead of skipping an episode Naavik’s co-founder and podcast host, Aaron Bush, decided to pick up the mic and roll solo. Aaron discusses five reflections since founding Naavik – about leadership, learning from other industries, what makes the games industry special, and where we are going next. We also want to learn about what your major reflections have been since joining the games industry, no matter what your

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74:45

Sega + Rovio Plans / Stillfront + Playtika Earnings...

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/12

What is Sega's strategy for Rovio? What do the earnings reports for Playtika and Stillfront say about their acquisition methods and growth? Can TreesPlease build a profitable game around planting real life trees? How can Microsoft compete with Sony's recent console success? Join us for all the latest games business news with Abhimanyu Kumar, Tammy Levy, David Kaye, and host Devin Becker.Also, a big thanks to data.ai for supporting all of Naavik's mobile data needs. If your team requires a

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70:52

How Yuga Labs is Defining the Future of Web3 Gaming

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/09

Q: Where does an 800-pound ape get its game on? A: Anywhere it wants to. Having launched some of the biggest NFT collections (including of course Bored Ape Yacht Club), acquired some of the biggest NFT collections (including CryptoPunks and Meebits), raised $450 million from a16z and broken all kinds of web3 records since inception, Yuga is ready to get its game on. It now wants to show the world what web3 gaming can really be, having hired some of the biggest names from Epic Games,

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61:53

Founding Funds, Paths to Partner, and Glass Ceilings

Naavik Gaming Podcast ·

2023/05/07

Holly Liu is the co-founder of Kabam and now managing partner and co-founder of PKO, a collective investing in tech and entertainment. Phylicia Koh is a partner at Play Ventures, a games VC with ~$250M AUM. Today we learn how these two phenomenal games people founded funds, exited companies, and ascended to partner as well as a definitional layout of the structure of the investing world. Furthermore we shade this all under the fundamental reality that venture capital is still very much a

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413 results

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