Only one month into 2022 and we have already witnessed one of the biggest acquisitions in the history of video games. Newzoo has shared some insights into the latest M&A activity, explaining how acquisitions of Bungie, Activision Blizzard, and Zynga will influence the market.

The most ambitious gaming companies focus on the biggest genres — in terms of their audience and their cumulative revenue. Here is where the money lies, at least for those who dare play big. AppMagic founder Max Samorukov shared handy conclusions based on the most important changes that happened in the Western mobile games market in 2021.

Analytics platform BuzzGuru has analyzed the influencer marketing strategy for RAID: Shadow Legends, finding how much money Plarium pays YouTube creators on average. According to the report, the company has spent $8.66 on this type of ads over the last six months.

Discoverability expert Simon Carless has shared his thoughts on how developers can quantify their game’s success on Steam based on the number of user reviews. According to his calculations, only 1.5% of new titles released in October 2021 sold at least 40k units in week one.

PickFu and Utopia Analytics have shared a report on toxicity, misogyny, and missing moderation in online games. According to the data, most online gamers experienced or witnessed different forms of harassment from other players.

SocialPeta has published a report of market features and preferred game types in different regional markets in Asia. Here are the key takeaways from the study.

Officially launched worldwide on 25 August 2021, Marvel Future Revolution has generated approximately 50 million downloads and over $30 million in revenue. This is according to marketing intelligence firm SocialPeta, which has analyzed the title’s marketing campaign.

Just over a month ago, Unity bought AI-driven audio analysis platform OTO to fight toxic behavior in multiplayer games. A month before that, Discord acquired Sentropy, a company behind AI-powered software to detect and remove online harassment. We sat down with Utopia Analytics‘ Sharon Fisher, a veteran in the games moderation space, to discuss the challenges the industry is facing in its quest to make the gaming environment safer.

Unprecedented consolidation of the games market continues. According to the latest report by Drake Star Partners, game companies have already raised $71 billion in 844 deals so far this year, which is double the full dollar amount from 2020.

Strategy is now the third biggest genre in the US, according to the latest report by GameRefinery. This category accounts for 17% of the US iOS market’s revenues, with developers implementing more genre-blending mechanics.

Earlier this year, Apple made a few changes to Apple Arcade, bringing more successful iOS titles to its subscription service. Discoverability expert Simon Carless tried to break down the reasons behind the company’s new strategy.

Genshin Impact remains one of the highest-grossing games globally. According to Sensor Tower, miHoYo’s title has generated $2 billion in the first year since its launch, and it is on iOS and Android alone.

When it comes to publishing their mobile games, Western developers prioritise two main app stores: the Apple AppStore and the Google Play Store. Why? They’re familiar platforms with low barriers to entry. And most developers are either unaware of wider global opportunities or assume that distributing and monetising their games on other platforms is too difficult.

Discoverability expert Simon Carless has shared his thoughts on the problem of indie games selling poorly on consoles.

Mobile game advertising is evolving in the face of today’s consumer privacy initiatives and changing media consumption habits. However, mobile gaming developers are doing everything they can to protect their revenue sources instead of looking for growth opportunities due to these developments. Fortunately, none are happening overnight, offering developers some time to chart a path forward.

Canada is home to the third-largest game development workforce in the world, following the U.S. and Japan. We caught up with Pierre Moisan, Senior Advisor New Media, CEIM, to discuss the country’s gamedev scene and the opportunities and challenges it offers.

According to Niko Partners, in 2021, Tencent has already closed over 50 deals by May. It makes the Chinese company the absolute leader in the gaming investment market. But what makes it act so actively?