It’s our 100th episode! Thank you to everyone who has listened and supported us! This week: The graded collectible game bubble, the scar of Cyberpunk 2077’s failed launch, China’s tightened youth gaming restrictions, and more.
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TIME STAMPS
- [00:07:05] – What the heck is going on with video game auctions?
- [00:36:11] – Apple makes more concessions for App Store payment processing
- [00:39:36] – Paradox CEO Ebba Ljungerud steps down over corporate strategy differences
- [00:46:05] – Investment Interlude
- [00:57:37] – Quick Hits
- [01:14:38] – CDProjekt Half-Year earnings stumble on Cyberpunk 2077 failure
- [01:24:35] – Game company charged with running a Ponzi scheme
- [01:31:07] – China’s new gaming regulations limit minors to three hours or play per week
- [01:39:25] – How did #ADayOffTwitch impact the streaming platform?
SOURCES
- Video Game Grading House WATA Told the New York Times That Its Employees Can’t Sell WATA-Graded Games Due to Conflicts of Interest… (Proof / Seth Abramson)
- South Korea law forces Google and Apple to open up app store payments (Ars Technica)
- Japan Fair Trade Commission closes App Store investigation
- Paradox Interactive AB (publ) changes CEO and Chairman of the Board
- CDProjekt H1 2021 Financial Statement
- SEC Accuses Game Studio Owner Of Operating A Ponzi Scheme (TheGamer)
- China restricts young people to playing video games three hours a week (Washington Post)
- A Day Off Twitch by the numbers (CreatorHype)
INVESTMENT INTERLUDE
- Playtika enters Design Entertainment market through acquisition of Reworks, maker of Redecor
- MyGames grabs minority stake in Spanish dev The Breach Studios for $4.1 million (Game Developer)
- Clockwork Labs Raises $4.3M To Create Ambitious Community Sandbox MMORPG
- Studio Sirah raises $830k in seed funding to fuel debut mobile game (GamesIndustry)
- Gigantic Duck raises SEK 10m (GamesIndustry)
- ProbablyMonsters Raises $200M in Largest Series A Round for Videogame Development
- Azerion increases European advertising offering with the acquisition of Sublime