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🚀 Exciting news! The PitchBook Q1 2024 Gaming Report is now live on the platform! 🎮 Here are some key highlights: 💰 Funding totaled $1.3 billion across 153 deals, maintaining Q4 levels. 🔍 Noteworthy deals: Rokid Technology and XREAL raised $70.2 million and $60.0 million, respectively. ElevenLabs and Luma AI raised $80.0 million and $42.4 million for Generative AI platforms. 🌐 Web3 ecosystem growth: Gunzilla Games raised $30.0 million, while Monad, a Layer 1 network, secured a massive $200.0 million Series A. 🎉 Disney’s $1.5 billion late-stage investment into Epic Games made headlines. 📉 Exit activity was muted, with $130.0 million in exit value across eight deals. 💼 Late-stage activity contracted, favoring early-stage investments, up by 75.5%. 💡 AI and gaming convergence: Over 30 sessions at GDC 2024 focused on this topic. 🔄 Valuation step-ups remained flat, while median deal sizes increased. Excited to dive into these insights and trends shaping the gaming industry! 🌟 #GamingIndustry #Q12024Report

The latest Gaming Industry Report from Konvoy is out, and it was an interesting, and encouraging read. TL;DR: The gaming market is projected to reach $189.3 billion in 2024, showing a solid growth of 2.9% YoY. Venture capital is fueling innovation with $594 million invested across 124 rounds, marking significant increases from the previous quarter. 🔍 Key Highlights: Public gaming ETFs experienced gains of 4-12% YTD, outperforming the S&P 500. Major funding highlights include Disney’s strategic $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games. A surge in indie developer popularity is reshaping game creation, backed by the democratization of development tools and increased consumer engagement. 🌍 Regional Snapshots: North America and Europe witnessed robust investment activities with several large VC deals. The Asia-Pacific region remains a dominant player with continued high deal counts. 📈 Trends to Watch: Potential IPOs as market conditions evolve. Regulatory changes, particularly concerning app stores and digital marketplaces, could redefine distribution strategies. The growing influence of VR and alternative gaming platforms challenges traditional gaming ecosystems. Recommended read with some interesting call outs for some European based companies such as W4 Games and other alternative engines investments. https://lnkd.in/eEPqp3_x

🌟 A Journey of Firsts 🌟 As a founder, my journey has been a whirlwind of exhilarating firsts…  🚀 - The first time we crafted a professional's profile on TheXPlace… I was moved to tears. 😂 - The first company profile we built was a defining moment, a testament to the vision we're shaping within the gaming realm. 🎮 - The first match between talent and a job opportunity was a thrilling milestone, had me buzzing for more than 24 hours 🤩 - The first live game jam we hosted, we couldn’t contain our excitement as our community came together to forge connections and creations 🤗 - The first time TheXPlace made the headlines in a national newspaper and my mom accepted that it’s a “REAL” job I’m working on (she’s framed the hard copy… for real! 🖼️ ) And now, a new FIRST…  🥁 A heartfelt thank you to PitchBook Data for featuring TheXPlace in their Q2 Gaming Industry report. Yes, we've grown to thousands of professionals and hundreds of companies within TheXPlace. Yet, even as I flipped through those pages and saw TheXPlace recognized as a key component of the videogame ecosystem, side by side with industry giants like Epic Games, Niantic, Inc. Discord – it brought me joy. I felt a sense of validation and appreciation that our journey is having an impact on people and the grand tapestry of this massive and complex industry. 🚀 A big thank you to those who have supported us and continue to help us shape a better gaming industry. and a big thank you to TheXPlace team that makes all of this magic -- a reality! You are da bomb! 🔥 #Founders #Entrepreneurship #GamingIndustry #Milestones #TheXPlace #womeningames #gamedevjobs https://lnkd.in/g_iJ4k-w

I'm seeing more and more startups put user generated content at the heart of their strategy. But what's the right way to succeed? I've seen a lot of different approaches from companies that aim to take on incumbents like Roblox: AI-first, mobile-first, blockchain-enabled and so on. But Roblox and other platforms have incredibly strong moats. How do you compete with a category leader once its moats have been established and its advantages are entrenched? In this essay, I look to the history of gaming and technology for answers, and argue for building what I call vertical worlds: https://lnkd.in/gZWYxf2c

Super solid article on how to build around UGC value and design vertical solutions that have staying power against horizontal ones. For me, the desire to build vertically comes mostly from development pragmatism, it's a cleaner problem space to solve, and if you come from and know the market intuitively you have huge advantages over folks trying to build do-it-all uber-games.

1 Day Challenge alarm: Last Friday at Bizzlogic was anything but ordinary. We plunged into our monthly Fun and Work day with a One Day Challenge that was all about pushing limits and sprinkling a little Christmas magic into our metaverse. 🎄💫 Picture this: a bunch of tech nerds racing against the clock to cook up a festive virtual wonderland from scratch. Spoiler alert: it was epic. 👀 Wanna see how we made magic happen in 8 hours? Check out our adventure here: https://lnkd.in/ezeGwHW7 And hey, why just watch when you can join the party? 🎉 Hop into our digital realm of holiday cheer right here: https://lnkd.in/gyJuiDXY For the curious minds wondering how we turned a wild idea into a virtual journey – we’ve got the lowdown. Grab a coffee and read our story: https://lnkd.in/eJ9HBinB Let's chat in the comments! What would you build if you had a day at Bizzlogic? Annabelle, Pascal, Fatih, Jörg, Sheldon, Dennis #ChallengeAccepted #MeadowMagic #BizzlogicLife #EnterMeadow #MeadowByBizzlogic #Meadow #immersiveexperiences #metaverse

"Our vision is simple – we’re not just broadening our platform beyond the digital gaming realm, but we’re also unlocking doors to new adventures." Hear from Bartosz Skwarczek, Founder of G2A.COM, as he shares how an unexpected email from an ambitious 18-year-old sparked the company's journey. Discover his inspiring story and how his drive stems from a desire to inspire others. Access full article below: #IntelligentCXO #CXO #G2A #DigitalTechnology #DigitalGaming #BusinessGoal #BusinessVision #BusinessAdvice #ExpertInsight #Management #Investment

🚀 Exciting News for Fans and Creators! 🚀 We're thrilled to introduce V3RIFIED, a revolutionary platform transforming the fan experience. At V3RIFIED, we believe that incohesive operations and disorganized communities shouldn't hinder true fans from enjoying the best experiences. Our platform merges offline and online fan engagement through a social platform and exclusive events. ✨ Dynamic NFTs for Enhanced Fan Interaction: Your ticket, your ID, and your key to a world of perks! Our Dynamic NFTs empower fans to unlock exclusive benefits by actively participating in the community. 🌐 Our Mission: We're on a mission to empower fans with immersive co-created experiences, making collective action enjoyable, and providing a voice to millions of unheard fans making valuable contributions. 💡 Inspiration Behind V3RIFIED: As fans ourselves, we've faced the frustration of limited access to our favorite creators. Monthly subscriptions, long waits, and inflated prices – we've been there. V3RIFIED is the solution we wished for! 🔄 Breaking the Scalper Cycle: Scarcity was designed for exclusivity, but scalpers and bots have made access harder for genuine fans. V3RIFIED is here to break that cycle, ensuring true fans get the experiences and merchandise they deserve. Join us in revolutionizing the fan experience. Let's create a world where being a fan is a rewarding and exhilarating journey! 🚀 #FanExperience #DynamicNFTs #TrueFans #Ticketing #Web3 #FanEngagement https://lnkd.in/grc7DC-3

5 Benefits to Securing a Product-to-Market Fit with Community-Driven Development In the dynamic landscape of product development, community-driven development stands out as a game-changing approach. This paradigm shift from the traditional top-down model has the potential to redefine how we conceive and deliver products. Historically, companies often operated under the assumption that they knew precisely what consumers wanted. This assumption, however, frequently led to misaligned products and overlooked opportunities. Community-driven development flips this narrative, placing the consumer front and center right from the start, ensuring immediacy and alignment with consumers needs. Effectively ensuring and maintaining a tight product-to-market-fit. Check out our carousel for 5 key insights as to why! #business #innovation #gaming #community #productdevelopment #traction

Quintar, Inc's goal is to use AR to enable folks to see more data superimposed on the real world and dive deeper in stats, create sports content, or provide other quality-of-life improvements to the live-game experience. #AR #AugmentedReality https://hubs.li/Q02s4hx90