In The News
COME BACK! YouTube is implementing a “video upload flow to help facilitate monetisation on the platform” and hopefully lure back advertisers, GamesIndustry.biz’s Haydn Taylor reports. “Self certification will allow YouTube content creators to provide specific information about what’s in their video as it relates to the advertiser-friendly guidelines.”
Deadmau5 is making “a first-person shooter game, but it will be ‘a year at least’ before release,” IGN’s Jordan Oloman writes. “The game is being developed in the Unreal Engine and is currently in the early alpha stage.”
Spending news:
Taylor reports “US iPhone owners are spending record amounts with the average spend in games more than double the four other main categories combined … Spending in mobile games increased by 13 per cent in 2017 over the year prior.”
Mobile Fortnite has “grossed more than $25 million in its first 30 days—and it has only been available to all iOS gamers since April 1,” SensorTower reports.
GamesIndustry.biz’s Brendan Sinclair writes that “loot boxes and skins gambling will generate $50 billion in worldwide consumer spending by 2022, up from under $30 billion this year.”
AntVR is debuting “Mix, its first augmented reality headset, through a Kickstarter campaign in May. The company will start pricing at $500, and pitch Mix as a superior yet less expensive alternative to Microsoft’s $3,000 HoloLens,” Venture Beat’s Jeremy Horwitz writes.
A leaked video reportedly shows Microsoft’s new Xbox avatars are extremely customizable. “The new Xbox Avatar Editor lets you customize body, face, hair, makeup and limbs with color pickers across all features and the option to purchase additional items from the avatar store,” Engadget’s Rachel England reports.
Partnership news:
Immortals and Mountain Dew are partnering for “an unscripted esports series offering fans a behind the scenes look at Immortals and its players,” Unikrn’s Dustin Steiner reports.
The Esports Observer’s Trent Murray reports RFRSH Entertainment and TV 2 Denmark are partnering for “the national broadcast rights to all BLAST Pro Series events this year.”
Splyce extended its partnership with Turtle Beach, according to a press release.
Panda Global CEO Alan Bunney did an interview with Murray. Here’s a snippet: “He explained, ‘On busy days I’ll literally be tweeting between patient rooms, and sometimes I can’t report on stream matches because I’ll be called away for an emergency in the middle of them.’”
Keaton “Chakki” Gill joined Hearthstone’s team as a “final balance designer,” Dot Esports’ Callum Leslie.