Global Video Games Spending
According to a new report by Newzoo, the world is expected to spend $91.5 billion on video games this year - a 9.4 percent increase year-over-year. So what exactly are consumers spending their hard earned cash on?
Apr 24, 2015 12:29:00 PM
According to a new report by Newzoo, the world is expected to spend $91.5 billion on video games this year - a 9.4 percent increase year-over-year. So what exactly are consumers spending their hard earned cash on?
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry, Apple Watch
Apr 9, 2015 8:31:00 AM
As the mobile apps market continues to grow, developers’ chances of becoming successful decrease with stiffer competition. And the growth is not letting up anytime soon - by 2017, the number of app downloads is expected to reach 269 billion (that’s almost 40 app downloads per person in the world!).
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry, Mobile Games
Mar 27, 2015 7:57:00 AM
If it’s your first time doing so, speaking to the media during an interview can be an extremely nerve-wracking experience - especially if you haven’t properly prepared for the interview. Your composure and responses to the media can have a huge impact on how the public perceives you, the company, and your video game.
Media relations is a very important part of your video game business that shouldn’t be overlooked, since it allows you an opportunity to influence the public and gain exposure for your game. Fortunately, if you prepare beforehand with enough practice, media relations can be easy and stress free.
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry, Mobile Game Industry
Feb 26, 2015 9:29:38 AM
Surviving a Game Conference
GDC, the largest conference for game developers, is less than a week away. As the event quickly approaches, it’s important to be prepared so that you can get the best possible experience.
For a first time attendee, conferences can be overwhelming due to confusing floor plans and large crowds. Study the floor plan and map beforehand to plan out where you want to be during a specific time.
You’ll also want to make the most out of networking opportunities during the event. Try and book meetings with potential clients and the press before the event to save you time and help organize. When meeting someone new, it helps to have a mutual contact present to introduce you to one another.
Most importantly, attend as many keynotes and tracks as you can, to take all of the information in and get the most out of the conference experience. There’s a lot to learn from fellow game developers and industry leaders.
For more tips on surviving at game conferences (and learning how to party at them), take a look at this article on PocketGamer.
A new report by research firms App Annie and IDC has discovered that the world is using more than 1 billion smartphone and tablets for gaming, which is roughly 15% of the world’s current population.
Making up 75% of the smartphone and tablet gaming market is Android, whose use has grown 5.2% over a year. Apple lost 2.3% smartphone and tablet gaming year over year, and other mobile OS’s (such as Windows Phone) lost 2.8%.
Head to VentureBeat’s article here for more findings from the report.
Making video games doesn’t have to be hard for the average indie developer, thanks to a large variety of free tools. From game engines, to graphics, to sound and video editing, there are many platforms to choose from.
You can take a look at indie game developer E. Zachary Knight’s personal suggestions here on Gamasutra. For a few other tools, check out one of our older blog posts free game dev tools here.
Topics: Game Analytics, Game Development, Game Industry
Feb 5, 2015 11:22:00 AM
Being an indie developer is not easy, since many indie studios are a one or two-man operation, usually funded straight out of pocket. Adding on a part or full time job to the side can make things even more difficult. How can an indie developer avoid pitfalls and come out on top?
Nick Hatter used to be your average indie game developer who started making games for fun at a young age, but is now a full time developer and entrepreneur, known for creating a startup called giftgaming. Along the way, Nick has learned many things you should and shouldn’t do as a game developer - and he recently put together a top 10 guide of pitfalls you should avoid.
You can read the guide here on GamaSutra, as Nick covers everything from funding, to management to customer feedback.
We’ve come a long way in the last decade or so with the evolution of gaming platforms starting with home consoles, the boom of PC gaming, the rise of handhelds like the Nintendo DS, and finally mobile gaming on iOS and Android devices.
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry
Jan 29, 2015 9:08:00 AM
A new study by market research company NPD has revealed how much time each person spent playing mobile games daily, in 2014. Surprisingly, that number has increased by 57% since 2012. The answer? The average person spends just over two hours a day playing mobile games.
This news is great for F2P game developers, since longer play sessions can increase the likelihood of spending. “Continued mobile growth will stem from existing customers paying more to play, especially in the free-to-play portion of the market,” said Liam Callahan, the NPD's industry analyst.
Check out NPD’s full findings here, for more insight.
For many indie game developers, the whole game promotion process can be a one-man band. Fortunately, there are a bunch of tools to help you schedule your social media content (such as Buffer) and engage with your Facebook and Twitter fans all in one place (i.e. HootSuite), which help ease the whole process a bit.
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry, Mobile Game Industry
Dec 11, 2014 1:31:00 PM
Facebook’s & Apple’s Games of the YearOn Wednesday, Facebook announced their favorite Facebook and mobile games of the year for 2014. Facebook chose Cookie Jam as their top game of the year, a puzzle-based game where players try to match ingredients and complete recipes. As for mobile games, take a look at Facebook’s top picks below - most of which were dominated by the base-building strategy (think Clash of Clans) type of games:
Earlier this week, Apple released their mobile picks of the year (including both apps and games). Apple’s favorite mobile games included the wildly popular Monument Valley, Threes!, Device 6, Blek and Leo’s Fortune - all games that we love here at Ninja Metrics. What are your favorite mobile games from 2014? Share your picks in the comments below.
Topics: Game Analytics, Game Development, Game Industry, Mobile Game Industry
Dec 5, 2014 11:34:23 AM
Black Friday: Consoles Dominated but Online and Mobile on the RiseThis year’s Black Friday was a huge success for the gaming community, as the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ranked video games as the 5th top tech product among consumers between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.
Furthermore, research firm Newzoo estimated that as much as $20B in video game sales are expected to be made in the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, with most of the revenue coming from Black Friday events.
What were the most popular Black Friday deals in gaming? According to Larry Plotnick, category leader for Amazon Games, hardware and console bundles took the lead in Black Friday games sales, with big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy offering the best deals.
But online and mobile are changing the Black Friday landscape as well - CEA estimated a record breaking 103.3 million U.S. consumers (42% of the american population) shopped online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. A recent article on Fortune highlighted the topic, and asked our CEO Dmitri Williams about the influence of online and digital on Black Friday sales. He said “As we advance towards a focus on digital distribution and mobile games, the social impact of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is becoming more important than ever. Mobile and digital developers are using the holiday sales opportunity to leverage their most influential players to increase spending. Social influence during Black Friday and Cyber Monday can account for up to 40% of all spending within games.”
Topics: Game Development, Game News, Mobile Game Industry
Nov 13, 2014 3:56:38 PM
Games Industry GrowthESA, known as the Entertainment Software Association, released a report earlier this week in partnership with Economists Incorporated, about the impact of the video games industry on economy in the United States.
Surprisingly, the key takeaway from the study found that the video games industry is growing 4 times faster than the U.S. economy.
Other interesting statistics from the study revealed that from 2009 to 2012, video game industry job growth increased 13 times the rate of the U.S. labor market - and the average annual salary of someone directly employed in the video games industry is $95,000.
You can take a look at more of the report’s findings here on GamesIndustry.
Because video games have a relatively short life cycle and highly competitive nature compared to other industries, it can be difficult to create a long-term and sustainable business out of them.
Topics: Game Development, Game News, Game Industry, Mobile Games, Mobile Game Industry
Nov 7, 2014 7:33:00 AM
Increasing Player Retention with Predictive AnalyticsIn just a little over two years, the value of mobile game players has skyrocketed - in 2012, 1 million users were worth just $1.3M, and now they’re worth nearly $3.4M.
Since the value of mobile gamers is on the rise, it’s important to keep them coming back for more. Why? The market is becoming increasingly flooded, and more competition means that you’re at a higher risk of losing loyal players. It’s also more difficult and costly than ever to acquire new players.
One way to increase customer retention is by providing a solid customer relationship management (CRM) foundation - which includes customer support and overall community management. Couple that with a predictive analytics platform, and you’ll be able to analyze how it affects your bottom line, over time.
Topics: Game Analytics, Game Development, Video Game Marketing, Mobile Game Analytics
Oct 16, 2014 3:37:00 PM
Mobile SpendingEarlier this week, a new study by mobile gaming firm Everyplay (owned by Unity) revealed some surprising statistics about mobile spending habits. The study, which surveyed over 3,000 people, found that 35-44 year-olds are the biggest spenders in mobile games - spending up to $6.07 per month. Contrastingly, the 18-24 year-old demographic was found to onlyspend up to $3.73 per month.
What about gender? According to the study, males spend an average of $5.63 per month on mobile games, $2 more than females do. Moving up to the highest-spending whales (which Everyplay defines as players who spend $50+ per month), the study found that while whales are less than 1% of your user population, they can make up 29% of your total revenue.
One of the biggest reasons why whales contribute so much to your bottom line is because of their social influence among peers – these types are called “Social Whales”. Social whales are the most influential players that cause other people to play because of their social connectedness, charisma and positive effect on others.
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry, Video Game Marketing, Mobile Game Industry
Jul 31, 2014 1:55:25 PM
Game Development Audio ToolsWhile story, graphics and gameplay are all necessary components to the success of a video game, audio is just as important, giving the user a fully immersive experience.
Whether you’re working on an indie or AAA title, there’s an overwhelming amount of audio development options to choose from. To help you decide, Develop-Online has recently put together a list of the top 9 tools you should consider when working on the audio portion of your video game.
You can take a look at the article here, which offers solutions such as FMOD, Wwise and AstoundSound.
According to the Electronic Software Association, 48% of women play video games around the world.
Topics: Game Development, Game Industry
If you have a social game or application, we can help you learn who matters most in your network and what features are affecting the health of your community