Kliuless? Gaming Industry ICYMI #20
Hi, my name is Kenny Liu, and I work in Revenue Strategy at Riot Games. Each week I compile a gaming industry insights newsletter that I share with other Rioters, including Riot’s senior leadership. This edition is the public version that I publish broadly every week as well. Opinions are mine.
See more or subscribe at: https://tinyletter.com/kliuless
Netflix vs. Fortnite: Competitors in Content & Influence
Context
Netflix: "We compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than HBO"
Director Steven Sonderbergh has made a film for Netflix shot entirely on iPhone
Commentary
The tools now readily available to everyone make it easier than ever before for individuals to create and broadcast personalized content. No longer does one need a fancy camera nor even an attractive appearance to be an overnight star
From a reach perspective, Netflix of course eclipses Fortnite or any other entertainment service. However, its business model, predicated on persistent expenditures to continually create content, results in poor profitability
With a close eye already on Fortnite's success, perhaps Netflix will choose to experiment with similar "Support-A-Creator" partnerships to evolve its content engine into a more financially sustainable form
Further reading
HBR: Why Some Platforms Thrive and Others Don’t
Stratechery: Netflix Flexes
Design
Richard Garfield interview on Keyforge
Thoughts on Detroit: Become Human
Mark Brown: Should Roguelikes Have Persistent Upgrades?
Splash Damage has released the full game design document for Dirty Bomb
PC/Console
After a long back and forth, Improbable confirms future Unity support for SpatialOS
Microsoft CEO laid out company's vision for its 'Netflix for games'
Opinion: Changing industry economics let Bungie forge a new destiny
NPD 2018: The 20 best-selling games of the year
Mobile
App Annie's State of Mobile 2019: TL;DR and full report
Data is so cheap in India that smartphone users average over 8 GB/month, and binge on video
