In this Metacast episode, Anil Das-Gupta, Abhimanyu Kumar and Tom Hammond, join your host Maria Gillies to discuss transmedia as a Game Dev Strategy, and why numerous IPs are going from games to the big screen, and vice-vera. The team also discusses Xbox’s newest play for in-game F2P Ads, and Coda Payment’s recent $690M fundraise. The group also chats about Fortnite’s new Zero Build Mode, and how removing one of the game’s fundamental mechanics is actually revitalizing the title in a whole new way,

Trans Media: The Evolution from Cross Platform?

Context

  • Transmedia refers to using the same intellectual property (IP) across different medias. E.g. League of Legends is originally a game, but recently a Netflix series, Arcane, has been created using the same IP.
  • Transmedia creates an eco-system that pulls consumers into the IP through different channels. It opens creative ways to reach new consumers and adds depth to an IP.
  • Transmedia seems to have become more popular in recent years because:
    • Big players have become more consolidated and hence even larger. Therefore, the quality of adaptations is increasing.
    • Modern consumers have short attention spans, which means companies will have to create more content and of greater variety to keep them engaged.
  • A strong IP may be the most valuable thing a game could create.
    • It enables a company to sell the same story over and over, only through different medias, hence increasing profitability.
    • It gives players a stronger emotional attachment to the story, creating nostalgia value and ensuring the longevity of the IP.
      • Companies may leverage on this to encourage consumers to share an IP from their childhood with their children, further ensuring the IP’s longevity.
      • E.g. the Ghostbusters 2016 movie was strategically timed such that the original generation of Ghostbusters fans may have children to show the movie to.
  • Some feel that transmedia is not the evolution of cross platform, but something entirely different

Microsoft’s Advertisements in Free to Play Titles

Context

  • Could be intended as a means to offset forced purchases.
  • Could possibly permeate to the XBox game pass games if the programme is successful.
  • However, the speculation is that the programme would not succeed
    • Billboards, even in real life, fail to grab audience’s attentions
      • On the other hand, thanks to a billboard’s non-intrusive nature, players generally have not had negative reactions to the announcement
    • It‘s very difficult to track how much profit is being directly contributed to by a billboard
  • As many consumers spend a lot of time on video games, this could allow brands to advertise in a manner more relevant to modern consumers.

The Rise of Third Party Transactions

Context

  • Coda Payments, a major Fintech company based in Singapore that offers third-party payment services for apps and games, raised $690 million in funding that they intend to use for international expansion. This could indicate the rise of third party based transactions.
  • Currently, users are generally restricted to making game-based purchases through major platforms like Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store, who take a sizeable commission of revenue for each purchase. Companies like Coda offer to take a smaller commission.
  • Regulations seem to be moving in the favour of third party platforms.
    • For example, the EU is exploring a Digital Markets Act (DMA) which would force Apple to allow users to download apps from outside the app store.
    • However, this is thought to become a long, drawn out legal battle as a long of money is at stake for Google and Apple.
  • These third party transaction platforms are popular in less developed countries, where many do not own credit cards and are hence unable to make direct in-game purchases.
    • In some parts of Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, it is common to make in-game purchases using vouchers bought at convenience stores or through platforms like Garena.
    • As the populations of such countries are often huge, third party platforms represent a very lucrative opportunity for game developers.

Fortnite’s Zero Build Mode

Context

  • Epic Games announced that they would introduce a Fortnite game mode without building, a core and iconic mechanic of Fortnite, garnering mixed reactions online.
  • As it lessens the skill gap between more casual and serious players, it has encouraged many players to return. This has prompted speculation on whether building could be entirely removed from Fortnite.
  • Epic Games has not specified if they will keep the change.
  • Has raised questions about the relevance of and balance between skill and luck in games.
    • Currently, the most popular games are skill based with an element of luck. For example, in traditional card games, luck determines how good a player’s hand is, but skill determines how that hand is used.