Author: Tim Rogers

Krafton, the publisher of PUBG, experienced a highly successful year in 2023. They achieved record-breaking revenue, improved monetization from both in-game and out-game content, and significantly bolstered their net profits for the year, reaching ₩594 billion ($446 million). Notably, growth on PC and console doubled since 2020, but mobile continued to lead in revenues by a wide margin. Mobile Domination Of Krafton’s record-breaking ₩1.9 trillion ($1.4 billion) in revenue last year, ₩1.25 trillion ($939 million) or 66% came from mobile alone. Revenue from PC was the second most impactful, bringing in ₩584 billion ($439 million), while console brought in ₩55.7…

Razer Upon the release of Tekken 8, I found myself uncertain about which controller to use to enhance my competitive edge. I contemplated the use of a standard Xbox controller, PlayStation’s DualSense, a fightstick, or perhaps trying a hitbox controller. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Razer Kitsune. Released last year, the Razer Kitsune is a hitbox-style fighting gamepad with no joystick. Its main selling point is its sleek design, high-quality buttons, and compact size, making it a desirable option for those who favor this style of control but prefer a more portable gamepad. To determine whether I would…

Square Enix Introducing a new multiplayer game: Foamstars. This latest game from Square Enix is a variation of Splatoon, replacing ink with suds. Anticipated as a quirky arena shooter, Foamstars turned out to be an overwhelming experience with legibility issues that made it difficult to play. The concept of Foamstars centers around blasting the arena and opponents with foam in a neon-tinted style similar to Hatsune Miku. While it offers a fun experience reminiscent of Splatoon, Foamstars becomes an overwhelming explosion of shapes and colors. Avoiding Visual Overload My first Foamstars match replicated the feeling of getting foam in my…

Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industry’s top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here. A quick quiz. What place in the world has a 10-year plan for esports? If you answered the United Arab Emirates and Dubai in particular, you would be right. Such visions aren’t new to this place. Dubai started as a fishing village in the 18th century. It got its first airport in 1960 and it started dredging its port in 1963. Dubai publicist Tony Lewis remembers coming over to visit when the first golf course was just…

Netmarble, the creator of Seven Knights, has revealed its fourth-quarter results alongside a summary of its 2023 fiscal year. The company disclosed a 65% decline in net loss from ₩886 billion ($668 million) to ₩313 billion ($236 million) year-on-year. Despite the challenges of 2023, Netmarble saw a stronger performance in Q4. The quarter alone brought in more than half of its 2023 total with ₩195 billion ($147 million) in net loss, showing financial improvement with a positive operating income. Financial Recovery Q4 proved to be the most lucrative quarter of the year for Netmarble, yielding ₩665 billion ($502 million) in…

Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industry’s top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here. Ginger Joy, the web3 spinoff of U.K.-based mobile developer Matchingham Games, has raised £1 million ($1.26 million) to develop an ecosystem of interoperable blockchain-based mobile games. Instead of exporting browser-based games onto mobile platforms, Ginger Joy plans to build interconnected web3 games native to mobile. The studio aims for their titles to grow into a mass-market web3 mobile gaming ecosystem. Russell Brown, CBDO at Matchingham Games, said, “To be at the forefront of integrating sophisticated blockchain technologies…

Many people believe that Apple has fallen behind in the field of artificial intelligence. While Microsoft has established a significant partnership with Chat GPT, Nvidia has rebranded itself as THE AI enabler, and Google is aggressively pursuing ways to reduce human interaction, Apple has remained conspicuously silent on this topic. At first glance, it seems that Apple’s only venture into AI was with the introduction of Siri, their digital assistant that has remained active and functional since its debut during the iPhone 4S launch in 2011. However, Siri often speaks when not prompted or misunderstands requests. But recent findings from…

Sony Update: The PlayStation Portal sold out at Best Buy Best Buy has just restocked the PlayStation Portal, a handheld PlayStation 5 console that allows you to play your PS5 remotely, giving you access to all your favorite games wherever you are. Grab one quickly, as these PlayStation Portal restocks have been few and far between. They’re currently $200 with free shipping. The PlayStation Portal serves as a handheld streaming device for the PlayStation 5, allowing you to stream games from your PS5 to the handheld device so you can play PS5 games on the go. Although you need Wi-Fi…

More than two years have passed since Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard, but the deal continues to be mired in controversy, with Microsoft facing regulatory opposition. The $69 billion deal was finalized in October 2023 after Microsoft navigated regulatory hurdles in the UK, but now the US regulators are raising concerns post-acquisition. Prior to the acquisition, Microsoft assured the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the merging companies would remain largely independent and “maintain the pre-merger status quo.” However, just three months after the acquisition, Microsoft announced 1,900 layoffs across Xbox, Zenimax and Activision Blizzard, accounting for approximately…

According to a recent report, US spending on video games continues to increase significantly every year. A collaborative report by the Entertainment Software Association and Circana revealed that US gaming consumers spent a whopping $57.2 billion on gaming in 2023, including expenses on hardware, software, downloadable content, subscriptions, and peripherals. The report also highlighted a noticeable increase in digital-based spending, signaling a shift away from physical software. The report also unveiled the highest-grossing games in the United States in 2023. Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 were the best-selling titles on PC and console, while MONOPOLY GO!,…