Episode 31: Another Chat About Broken Executive Compensation (News Show)
Release Date: 07/11/2020
Virtual Economy
Lucasfilm Games is back, and we’re discussing what it all means. We also chat about GameStop’s holiday sales, December 2020 NPD, Steam’s year in review, Riot and Bungie going for the jugular in a lawsuit against a cheat app maker, the Moonrise Fund, 2020’s huge year of investment deals, and more Cyberpunk drama.
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New year. New season. Virtual Economy is back with a news-filled show covering more Cyberpunk 2077, Raw Fury dropping lots of business documents, our trends predictions for the year, Tencent’s takeover of Leyou, Nintendo’s Next Level Games purchase, and more.
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CD Projekt has botched Cyberpunk’s launch to get it out the door in 2020. The follow-up has included empty refund promises and throwing platform partners under the bus. We discuss the financial reasons behind the rush and the impact the failures have had on the share price and company value.
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GameStop’s Earnings Saved By COVID Tax Credits (News Show): GameStop reports stronger earnings, but has a one-time tax credit to thank. We also discuss, Cyberpunk’s launch, Twitch’s new safety rules, Activision suing Netflix, and more. We’ll be listing timestamps for each topic moving forward for ease of listening! Enjoy!
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Event company ReedPop has announced ambitious dates for next year’s PAX shows. In an original report, we discuss exhibitor reactions to PAX Online, what went right and wrong, the price of exhibiting at PAX events, and what developers and publishers should consider when choosing which of the many events to allocate.
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Consultant, critic, and host Steve Saylor joins us to discuss the current state of accessibility in gaming and what the console launches got right (and wrong).
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In this bonus episode, we discuss the emerging trends from the console launch and what we’re watching as the generation gets underway. How will the industry evolve around these consoles? Join us and find out what we’re paying attention to.
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This terribly named episode is full of Capcom’s ransomware calamity, Apple’s scheming, and Embracer Group’s acquisition spree. Also: Paradox earnings, EA’s Impact Report, another Joy-Con lawsuit, and So. Much. News.
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In our first episode looking at the impact of the new console launches, we welcome But Why Tho's Kate Sanchez and Matt Donahue to discuss the intersection of hardware and game pricing and inclusion. We also have news, including Take-Two’s acquisition of Codemasters and a big chat about the Twitch/DMCA mess.
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In our second big earnings show of the reporting period, we break down what went right at Nintendo, EA, and Take-Two, and what went… not so well at Sega and Square Enix. EA is about to make bank on its EA Play service thanks to its Game Pass partnership, while Take-Two continues to dismiss subscription as a viable piece of gaming’s future.
info_outlineEA is the latest game publisher under fire for excessive executive equity bonuses. We dive into a watchdog investment group’s complaints. We also discuss Microsoft’s rules for selling next-gen upgrades and Smart Delivery, the Atari VCS’ hefty price tag, Sony’s $250m investment in Epic, Pokemon Go’s success during the quarantine, 11bit Publishing’s increased investments, and Manticore’s $1m pilot program for game creators.
- Report: Microsoft eyeing purchase of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (Gamasutra): https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/365980/Report_Microsoft_eyeing_purchase_of_Warner_Bros_Interactive_Entertainment.php
- Next-gen game upgrades should be free, Xbox tells developers (VGC): https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/next-gen-game-upgrades-should-be-free-xbox-tells-developers/
- The long-overdue AMD Ryzen-powered Atari VCS console will begin shipping in October (PC Gamer): https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-vcs-console-shipping-date/
- We sent a vulture to find the relaunched Atari box – and all he got was this lousy baseball cap (The Register): https://www.theregister.com/2018/03/22/atari_lempty_box/
- Ubisoft Forward – Everything You Need To Know (Ubisoft): https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/41nS5f7EjNSB9Hi7CwSuVz/ubisoft-forward-everything-you-need-to-know
- Pokémon Go is breaking records despite coronavirus limitations (Polygon): https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/6/21314911/pokemon-go-coronavirus-record-player-spending-niantic-raids-fest-microtransactions-passes
- Niantic’s Greg Borrud: From falling into games to making games for the real world (GamesBeat): https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/29/niantics-greg-borrud-from-falling-into-games-to-making-games-for-the-real-world/
- Launching Core’s Creator Economy — $1 Million is Just the Start (Manticore): https://medium.com/core-games/launching-cores-creator-economy-1-million-is-just-the-start-6a116a78c06
- Sony invests $250 million in ‘Fortnite’ developer Epic Games (Engadget): https://www.engadget.com/sony-invests-250-million-fortnite-developer-epic-games-184430527.html
- CtW SEC submission asking shareholders to vote no on Say on Pay (SEC): https://sec.report/Document/0001377739-20-000042/