With Q3 wrapping up, we figured it would be a great time to highlight some of our best and most popular content from the past quarter.

We’ve covered all sorts of fascinating games, companies, and trends – and can’t list them all – so think of this issue as a chance to take in anything you may have missed.

Our 10 BestArticles:

Our 10 Best Podcasts:

Lastly, we’d love your feedback. If there’s anything you want to hear more or less about, please let us know by replying to this email.

A Word from Our Sponsor: HEROIC LABS

The Heroic Game Stack – Powering the World's Best Games

Heroic Labs builds the Heroic Game Stack, an integrated platform consisting of Nakama, Hiro, Satori, and Heroic Cloud.

Nakama, the globally recognized open-source game server, enables scalable, robust multiplayer, real-time, and social gaming experiences.

Hiro, the advanced Game Development Framework, is engineered to enhance game design with sophisticated metagame features including economy, retention, and progression systems.

Satori, the cutting-edge LiveOps platform, offers a suite of tools for personalizing player experiences, conducting real-time experiments, and orchestrating live events, thereby maximizing engagement and retention through tailored, dynamic content.

This is all supported via Heroic Cloud for massive scale.

Heroic Labs is always happy to chat to game teams, so don't hesitate to reach out.

Learn More

In Other News

💸 Funding & Acquisitions:

📊 Business & Products:

👾 Miscellaneous:

Content Worth Consuming

Rapid Response: EA’s March to 1B Gamers, with CEO Andrew Wilson (Masters of Scales): “While EA’s pursuit of 1B users may sound ambitious at first, once you hear CEO Andrew Wilson explain the developers’ strategy to get there, the 1 billion mark starts to almost sound conservative. Wilson returns to Rapid Response to shed light on EA’s recent announcements around a community-driven app, and plans to unleash new AI tools for creators and gamers alike. Wilson also shares the inside story behind the company’s high-stakes FIFA rebrand, how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shapes his business leadership, and more.”

The Business Romance of Mihai Pohontu (The Fourth Curtain): “This week on The Fourth Curtain, we’re joined by Mihai Pohontu, CEO and Chairman of Amber Studio, a distinguished figure in the gaming industry. Mihai, who was recently named Romanian Entrepreneur of the Year, shares his fascinating journey from the upheaval of post-revolution Romania to becoming a leader in global game development. A self-described business romantic, Mihai offers insightful perspectives on the role of capitalism and entrepreneurship in shaping a better society.”

"We Don't Want to Just Replicate Successful Games": Behind Krafton's Acquisition of Tango Gameworks (gamesindustry.biz): “South Korean publisher Krafton became the unlikely saviour of Japanese developer Tango Gameworks in August, following Microsoft's sudden decision to shutter the studio a few months earlier. The integration of Tango Gameworks includes the acquisition of breakout hit Hi-Fi Rush, a BAFTA-winning rhythm action game that reached three million players. In an industry where layoffs and closures can sometimes feel like a daily occurrence, it's rare to see a studio brought back from the dead, and even rarer to see the same employees re-hired.”

You Don’t Need to Be an Extrovert to Be Good at Marketing (howtomarketagame.com): “I hear this all the time from indie developers: “I love the game making part of being a game developer, but absolutely suck at the marketing part because I have crippling social anxiety.” Somewhere around the social media boom of the 2010s people started concluding that social media = marketing. Like they are the same thing. For many, when people say “do marketing” they mean, “fire up TikTok and post about your game.” Therefore many assume that the best marketers are the people who are the best “influencers.” If you aren’t a bubbly social media influencer, you are a bad marketer. ”

What Basic Photography Tips Can Teach Us About Making Better Photo Modes (gamedeveloper.com):“Before I worked in games, I was in TV and film production. Before I was in TV and Film production, I was in film school. Before I ever shot a moving picture, I took a photography course, and before I took that photography course, my Grandfather, Larry S. Cohan, taught me how to shoot photos. Grandpa also taught everyone in our family how to use computers. He should know, he'd been working on them since the 1960s. (Yes, the '60s. The reel-to-reel ones being installed on Navy Ships.) I heard opinions about the difference between Mac and PC devices long before John Hodgman and Justin Long made it a TV campaign. He fell in love with photography later in life and approached it like a programmer, thinking very hard about the inputs of shots, and what kind of outcomes they'd produce.”

Our Gamification Consulting Services

Today, we’re highlighting our gamification consulting services! Applying game mechanics to all sorts of applications has proven to boost retention, engagement, and revenue – but doing it right can be harder than it seems.

Naavik offers constructive gamification deconstructions, gamification workshops, and ongoing flexible support. Here is what one of our clients had to say.

“I highly recommend Naavik’s two-day workshop on gaming mechanics. Their AMA provided valuable insights on the fundamentals of gaming mechanics, and the hands-on session was very engaging. The knowledge gained from this workshop has helped our team think more intentionally about how we leverage gaming mechanics for growth at Grammarly.”

– Shane Fontane, Senior Manager of Growth Design, Grammarly

If you’d like to learn more, reach out here! Also check out our expanded consulting service portfolio here.

Work With Us