Gaming
Welcome to the inaugural BerlinRosen Gaming Brief, where we’ll dive into the latest happenings in the gaming and digital entertainment space, highlighting the exciting work of our clients.
In this quarterly issue, we focus on some major news from our clients who attended the recent Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Notably, we cover a timely gaming industry report from a thesis-driven venture capital firm, along with initiatives where we supported underrepresented groups in gaming. Additionally, we showcase how we leverage gaming influencers to drive voter education, along with other notable highlights from Q1.
GDC HIGHLIGHT: SPACE NATION, VRAL, KONVOY & WIGI
Exciting news from Space Nation Inc.! The beta trailer for Space Nation Online, an MMORPG set to launch later this year, has been unveiled. This marks the beginning of a thrilling multimedia universe, which will include spinoff games, animated shorts and even a TV series. Co-founded by Hollywood director Roland Emmerich and Blizzard veteran Jerome Wu, the duo shared insights on the development of this transmedia space opera IP during a fireside chat at GDC. Dive deeper into the sprawling sci-fi franchise in Entertainment Weekly.
New VR/XR gaming company VRAL Games also made its grand debut at GDC, where the founders previewed its first published game, VRIDER—the official licensed game of the global racing sensation, FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). With VRIDER, players will be introduced to a proprietary racing engine and intuitive controls that provide a multi-sensorial and realistic riding experience. The game will be available in the Meta Quest store later this summer and on Steam in Q4 2024. Read more about the company launch and its first game title in GamesIndustry.biz, UploadVR and Road to VR.
Konvoy Ventures, a thesis-driven VC firm that specializes in investing in cutting-edge platforms and technologies at the forefront of the gaming industry, appeared on two panels at GDC to speak about venture capital in gaming. The firm publishes quarterly data reports that outline the major trends, shifts and insights at the intersection of gaming and investments. Its latest Q4 2023 Gaming Industry Report (found here) highlights how gaming is a $184B market today, with 3.5% CAGR projected through 2029, with $308M in venture funding seen in Q4 2023. Konvoy’s co-founder, Josh Chapman, shares more on TechCrunch and Bloomberg. Konvoy will release its Q1 2024 report on its website later this month.
Women in Games International (WIGI), the nonprofit organization focused on advancing economic equality and diversity in the global games industry, also returned to the GDC this year with new programming, mentees and support from partners including Oculus Publishing, Amazon Games, Google for Games, Embracer Group, Unity, Savvy Games Group and Xsolla. As the gaming industry continues to undergo layoffs and heightened uncertainty around its future, WIGI has remained steadfast in its mission, as seen in its nearly two decades of providing quality resources, advice and aid to the community. Learn more about WIGI’s ongoing “Get in the Game” initiatives in VentureBeat.
ADVOCACY WORK IN GAMING
United We Dream Action (UWDA) amplified pro-immigrant messaging among Latinx communities vulnerable to misinformation and harmful rhetoric. The organization’s research revealed that young Latino men often encountered a content vacuum, relying heavily on non-traditional platforms like YouTube and Twitch, where they were exposed to immigrant narratives recounted by individuals lacking firsthand experience. In response, UWDA collaborated with our team to engage the gaming audience and offer authentic immigration accounts shared by members of the gaming community. This initiative included streaming partnerships with Andy Cortez, JojothaMofo, Danny Peña and more, reaching a collective audience of 600,000 unique viewers on Twitch.
ADDITIONAL Q1 GAMING HIGHLIGHTS: NEX PLAYGROUND & KRAFTON
As we close out the first quarter of 2024, below are some additional, noteworthy client highlights from earlier in the year.
Since its initial announcement at GDC last year, the Nex Playground active entertainment console has won the attention of parents with young kids, and for good reason. The plug-and-play setup and 100 percent motion-sensored gameplay makes it extremely user friendly, while its growing library includes games for all ages, from sports titles to dance offs and jumping in puddles with Peppa Pig. Read more about Nex’s commitment to active family play in Fast Company, and see why Game Informer named it a top product on its Spring Buying Guide 2024.
Finally, PUBG developer and publisher KRAFTON rounded out a busy Q1 with the launch the 1.0 version of its unit-battler Moonbreaker, an announcement for its plans for PUBG’s 7th year of service and an unveiling of a new, action-roguelike from the developers of The Callisto Protocol. Read more in Kotaku, PC Gamer and Rock Paper Shotgun.
For any questions, feel free to reach out to digitech@berlinrosen.com.