Ryan Evans

🎙 Episode 15: Arthur Baker - Founder - Bloxd Arthur is the founder of Bloxd. With the help of a close-knit team Arthur has bootstrapped his multiplayer game creation engine to over 8 million monthly players. They’re profitable and growing with concurrent player counts regularly peaking in excess of 17k. I’ve been helping Arthur with hiring over the last few months so I sat down with him to talk about the journey so far and his hiring philosophy as he looks to expand their founding team. Studio Vision Podcast - Full episode link in comments. Available on all major podcast platforms.

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Every NFL home game is a marketing machine. On average, there’s $8–9 million worth of sponsorship value riding on a single game—from ribbon boards and end-zone signage to concourse activations and naming rights. That breaks down to roughly $132 of sponsor value per fan in the stands. But here’s the kicker: while your logo is lighting up the stadium, 82% of those fans are also glued to their phones. Stadium data usage is surging year-over-year, meaning the “second screen” is just as powerful as the first. So if you’re already spending on in-stadium signage… 👉 Why not geofence the stadium and extend your reach directly into the pockets of your target audience? A simple geofence campaign layered on top of your signage: • Captures device IDs inside the stadium • Retargets fans for 30–60 days post-game • Turns fleeting impressions into measurable clicks, leads, and conversions • Costs just $3.50–$15 CPM, often cheaper than adding another static sign Case in point: A $50K geofence campaign at $10 CPM = 5 million impressions targeted directly at fans who already saw your in-stadium assets. That delivers 17,000 clicks and hundreds of measurable actions—something a ribbon board can’t do on its own. ⚡️ Bottom line: If your brand is already investing in signage, you’re halfway there. Pair it with geofencing, and you don’t just own the stadium—you own the follow-up. #geofencing #ingame

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Looking for esports work right now? Start with the EBN Careers page 🎯 We built EBN Careers for creators, founders, operators, recruiters, and teams who want more opportunities and fewer dead ends. If you are trying to break in (or level up), this is a cleaner path to discover relevant roles, spot where your skills fit, and move faster with less noise. And if you are hiring, it is a straightforward place to point candidates when you need esports fluent talent, not random applicants. ✅ Discover esports and gaming career opportunities in one place 🚀 Spend less time searching and more time getting replies 📊 Get clearer direction on what roles actually match your experience https://lnkd.in/diCMAFaA #Esports #Gaming #Careers #CreatorEconomy #Networking

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🎮 Worker Rights Crisis: Rockstar Layoffs & the Esports Labor Challenge The gaming world is reeling from sudden layoffs at Rockstar Games, a move that has sparked allegations of "union busting" and even reached the floor of the UK Parliament. This controversy highlights a critical structural flaw: the lack of formal labor protections in gaming and esports. As the industry matures, the question of collective bargaining is no longer a "maybe", it's a necessity for stability. Key Highlights from our latest analysis: ✅ The Rockstar Dispute: Inside the legal battle over "gross misconduct" vs. union organization at Rockstar North. ✅ Political Pressure: Why UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has labeled the situation "deeply concerning." ✅ The FIFPro Model: Can esports adopt a global representative framework similar to professional football to protect its talent? ✅ The Publisher Barrier: Navigating the "three-party system" (Publisher-Team-Player) that makes traditional unionization difficult. While player associations exist, they lack the formal bargaining power needed to challenge the proprietary control of publishers. Is a unified labor model the only way to end the cycle of job instability and "crunch" culture? 👇 Read the full breakdown by Daniel Goldstein on the legal precedents and the path toward an "Esports FIFPro" here: https://lnkd.in/ezmsReW7 #EsportsLaw #EsportsBusiness #RockstarGames #LaborRights #GamingIndustry #Unionization #LegalNews

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One thing I learned quickly after moving into the US sweepstakes casino space: Traffic volume means nothing without compliance. In traditional iGaming, you can sometimes scale first and clean up later. In sweepstakes...it’s the opposite. A few early lessons from working with affiliates: • Clean creatives > aggressive promises • Fewer partners, but aligned long-term • Compliance issues kill brands faster than low traffic • “Quick wins” often turn into chargebacks & account blocks The biggest shift for me has been thinking long-term brand survival, not just short-term FTDs. Curious to hear from others in sweeps ... what was your biggest adjustment?

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𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 📊🚀 How to test, tune, and kill games like a PRO. The Framework that decides if your game 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 👇 Soft launch isn’t a marketing checkbox; it’s your game’s survival test. If your LTV isn’t higher than CPI by day 30, stop burning cash. Three months isn’t enough! You need six to see the real retention curve. Kill it with fire if it doesn’t move the needle; your studio will thank you. Philippines for crashes, Poland for retention, Germany for whales. Creative fatigue hits faster in small geos - refresh or die. Event-optimized UA is the bridge between installs and revenue. A bad D1/D7 ratio is a red flag you can’t ignore. If you can’t scale your UA mix in soft launch, you won’t survive global. No fake ads! Misleading retention data will sink your launch. Too many studios treat soft launch as a quick marketing step. In reality, it’s the most important survival phase your game will ever face. Here’s the 3-stage framework I’ve used to take dozens of games from idea to profitable global launch live on two & a half gamers: https://lnkd.in/dMU5VrDC Full Bible: https://lnkd.in/d36pENMT

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$25M+ in gaming deals, studio launches, and major market updates this week Covering new studios, funding updates, acquisitions, publishing programs, and platform expansion [First Week of Nov 2025] Funding & Investments: 1. Arcadia Gaming Partners invests $4M in Iron Games, led by former Gram Games executives. 2. VaultN raises $3.5M from Sony Innovation Fund and London Venture Partners to innovate digital publishing workflows. 3. Hoora Games secures $1.3M to accelerate its mobile gaming portfolio. 4. Game State Labs raises $2M to build AI-powered data infrastructure for studios. 5. Eneba secures a €10M loan to develop its AI-driven mobile games platform. 6. Bucked Games raises $500K led by Insha GSYF. M&A & Strategic Moves: 7. Zupee acquires Australian startup Nucanon to strengthen its RMG tech capabilities. 8. Nazara, Mixi, and ChimeraVC launch LVL Zero, an India-focused gaming accelerator. 9. Animoca Brands plans a Nasdaq listing via reverse merger, marking a major capital markets milestone. 10. Yodo1 takes over Transformers: Earth Wars under license from Hasbro. 11. MyGames extends its publishing program to the MENA region as part of its global expansion. New Studios & Leadership Announcements: 12. Multiversus veterans found Airlock Games to develop multiplayer-driven experiences. 13. Ubisoft veteran Johannes Thimme launches Quality Time Studio in Lower Saxony. 14. Industry veteran Leah Hoyer announces her new venture, Level Headed Games, teasing a co-op multiplayer title. Industry & Platform Updates: 15. TikTok to host its first-ever awards show in the United States. 16. ByteDance is reportedly developing a PC gaming platform, signaling deeper gaming ambitions. 17. Discord expands Family Center features to improve parental insights. 18. CWA President calls for regulatory scrutiny on the EA–Saudi deal. 19. Grand Theft Auto VI delayed again — now slated for November 19, 2026. #gameinvestment #gamedev #gameindustry #GameFunding #GamingStartups #MobileGaming

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There are common mistakes I see new esports organizers repeat. Most early failures in esports are not caused by lack of passion or intent. They are caused by misaligned priorities. Common patterns include: 🔸️ Scaling formats before stabilizing operations 🔸️ Prioritizing visibility over reliability 🔸️ Treating documentation as an afterthought 🔸️ Underestimating the complexity of people management These mistakes compound quickly at scale. The irony is that many of them are preventable, not through innovation, but through discipline. Esports rewards creativity, but it demands structure. Ignoring that balance is where many promising initiatives collapse.

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Hathora is sunsetting game hosting, my thoughts. Many of you will have seen the news that Hathora has sold its game infrastructure business and is transitioning customers over to Nitrado’s GameFabric platform. Coming so soon after Unity’s decision to wind down its own Multiplay Game Server Hosting service and transition customers towards Multiplay by Rocket Science, it’s clear there is a lot of movement in the multiplayer infrastructure space right now. For teams running live multiplayer games on Hathora today, this kind of change can feel unsettling – especially when you’re balancing roadmaps, live ops, and player expectations all at once. My thoughts are with the Hathora folks affected by this move (I will miss your posts Gabi), and with the studios now figuring out what this means for their games, just as many Multiplay customers have been doing over the last few months. I’ve spent years around Multiplay and similar platforms, and I know how much invisible work goes into keeping sessions stable, scaling capacity, and quietly firefighting issues so players never notice. One thing I do want to stress is that a lot of this capacity is landing in good hands. I know people at both Rocket Science and Nitrado, and they’re folks who genuinely care about keeping games online and doing right by developers, not just ticking boxes on an MSA. That doesn’t magically make these transitions easy, but it does mean there are teams on the other side who understand what’s at stake for your players and your studio. The good news is that there are viable paths forward. Hathora and Nitrado are collaborating on a structured migration to GameFabric, with the goal of continuity for existing titles rather than a rushed lift-and-shift. In the Multiplay case, Unity is keeping the hosting service running through March 31, 2026 while Rocket Science ramps up, again with a clear transition window rather than an overnight shutdown. Across both situations, the pattern is the same: if you start planning early, you can shield your players from most of the pain. If you’re a Hathora or Multiplay customer and you’re unsure about timelines, risk, or alternatives, I’m always happy to be a sounding board – whether you end up working with Code Wizards or not. We care deeply about this corner of the industry, and if a quick chat helps you navigate the change with a bit less stress, that’s a win in my book. If you’d like to talk through your options, feel free to DM me here on LinkedIn. I did a post last year on the options available. https://lnkd.in/gfRDSM8j This makes me think I should do an updated version to reflect the rapidly changing landscape.

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🎯💸 FaZe Clan lands $3.25M sponsorship deal with Rollbit. GameSquare Holdings Inc. has announced an expanded, multi-million-dollar sponsorship between FaZe Clan and Rollbit. The deal increases Rollbit’s annual support from $1.75M to $3.25M. The new agreement also boosts visibility: the Rollbit logo now features on the central patch of FaZe Clan’s CS2 jerseys. 🗨️ Sam Norman, Head of Partnerships at Rollbit, commented: "FaZe Clan has consistently delivered unmatched reach and engagement, helping Rollbit connect with one of the most dynamic audiences in digital entertainment." 🗨️ Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare, stated: "This agreement underscores the strength of FaZe Clan Esports as the world's leading esports brand. By deepening our relationship with Rollbit, we are adding another record-setting partnership." 📈 For GameSquare, it’s the latest in a strong quarter: over $8M in new partnerships, including a $2M agency of record deal with Rekt Brands Inc and a $2.5M partnership with the Animecoin Foundation. 🤝 Rollbit, meanwhile, has continued to strengthen its presence in esports. Most recently, the company partnered with StarLadder, organizer of the upcoming CS2 Major in Budapest. 👉 After a disastrous Nasdaq listing in 2022 – with the share price sinking to $0.15, annual losses in the millions, and over 100 layoffs – GameSquare acquired FaZe Clan in March 2024 for a reported $17M. Since then, the company really seems to have turned things around. Credit where it’s due. --- ⚡ Found this interesting? I regularly share insights on marketing, strategy and the business behind esports and gaming. Follow along for more and subscribe to my newsletter directly here on LinkedIn. 🤝 If you're planning something exciting in esports or gaming and looking for the right partner – feel free to reach out. Always happy to connect!

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🚀 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐞 Made $𝟏𝟕.𝟕𝐌 and 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐞.𝐢𝐨 Got 𝟑𝟎𝐌+ Installs (𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫!) 🤑⁣ ⁣ Two games.⁣ Same mechanic (swallow everything in sight).⁣ Totally different strategies.⁣ ⁣ 𝐈𝐧 𝐐𝟏 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓:⁣ 📍 All in Hole by Homa drove 84% of Eat & Grow revenue, hitting $17.7M in net IAP.⁣ 📍 Hole.io by Voodoo hit 10M+ downloads in March alone.⁣ 📍 The Eat & Grow subgenre grew a staggering +900% YoY, according to AppMagic.⁣ ⁣ 🧩 All in Hole is a masterclass in hybridcasual retention, IAP-first design, and player lifecycle strategy.⁣ 🎯 Hole.io proves that old hits can thrive again with the right UA muscle and cross-platform push.⁣ ⁣ I broke it all down in my full analysis for Gamigion:⁣ ✅How Homa built a sticky, IAP-first system around All in Hole⁣ ✅Why Voodoo’s Hole.io is winning with scale and ads⁣ ✅What this says about the future of “simple” mechanics done right⁣ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 👇 https://lnkd.in/d9wuuZ6s ⁣

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Game devs are lucky if fidelity lasts a year. But art direction? It can last a lifetime. Fidelity is a never-ending chase for innovation. Cutting edge visuals feel dated as resolution sharpens, engines improve and pipelines grow more efficient And the game that everyone called “next-gen” becomes “next-gen” for its time. Art direction lasts. It is creative work that surpasses hardware cycles, trends, even hype. And while I’m mostly thinking about games as this reddit thread referenced one, it extends across games, film, branding, and even product design: There’s a value to fidelity but it’s also a never ending race. When your game ships, it leaves the track but future games remain. Art gets hanged in museums. It persists. So be kind to your art directors, their vision today could lead to sustained success.

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Last year I was part of a panel and I must say I remain optimistic towards the potential of the gaming industry. The talent in our industry is unique and so passionate - and that is where I believe the power of change lies. https://lnkd.in/dkRGGaga

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Esports events don't just happen - they're engineered.   Here's a video & checklist to help select your next esports production partner: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 & 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 ☐ Proven experience producing esports for publishers or brands ☐ Ability to design tournaments aligned w/ game goals, audience, & lifecycle ☐ Creative vision for formats, storylines, & competitive structures ☐ Support for grassroots → pro-level ecosystems ☐ Strong understanding of player, fan, & creator communities 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐩𝐬 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 ☐ End-to-end tournament management (online & LAN) ☐ Ruleset development & competitive governance ☐ Player/team registration & onboarding systems ☐ Scheduling, seeding, brackets, & match administration ☐ Referees, admins, & escalation workflows ☐ Anti-cheat and competitive integrity processes ☐ Regional and global tournament execution experience 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ☐ Full live broadcast production (remote, hybrid, or on-site) ☐ Professional observers, casters, & hosts ☐ Multi-language broadcast support ☐ Broadcast graphics packages (scoreboards, lower thirds, stats) ☐ Replay systems, highlights, & post-match content ☐ Experience producing for Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms ☐ Studio, stage, or venue production capabilities 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 ☐ Scalable production pipelines for events of all sizes ☐ Redundant systems for failover and risk mitigation ☐ Game client integration & spectator tools ☐ Network, server, and latency management ☐ Remote production expertise to optimize costs ☐ Ability to adapt to new or custom game builds 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 ☐ Pre-event promotional assets & trailers ☐ Social-first content strategy (clips, shorts, memes, highlights) ☐ Creator and influencer collaboration ☐ Community tournament engagement (Discord, socials, in-game) ☐ Viewer engagement mechanics (drops, polls, chat integrations) ☐ Post-event recap and evergreen content delivery 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 & 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ☐ Sponsor-safe broadcast environments ☐ Branded segments, overlays, & integrations ☐ Experience activating non-endemic & endemic sponsors ☐ KPI-driven approach to brand visibility & ROI ☐ White-label or co-branded event execution 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ☐ Viewership & engagement analytics ☐ Social performance & content metrics ☐ Player and community feedback reporting ☐ Post-event reports with actionable insights ☐ Clear success metrics tied to publisher objectives 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 & 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 ☐ Track record with recurring leagues or multi-year programs ☐ Ability to scale from single events to global circuits ☐ Transparent budgeting & cost controls ☐ Strong project management & communication ☐ Collaborative, publisher-first mindset ☐ Passion for esports and gaming culture Skillshot Media Nabil Ismail Jon Bukosky

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YouTube just released a new metric called Unique Reach and everyone in the creator space is excited about it. I'm not. The idea is that view counts have always undercounted actual audiences on CTV, because when you watch a video on your TV with three people, YouTube only logs one view. Unique Reach is supposed to fix that by estimating the real number of people present. The important word there is estimating. YouTube doesn't actually know how many people are on your couch. It's modelling based on video genre, time of day, demographics, validated against Nielsen panels. That's not measurement. That's a prediction dressed as analytics. And I keep thinking about what happens when brands start using this number to negotiate deals. Because they will. It's going in creator media kits within 6 months. Probably even less. We already have a massive attribution problem in influencer marketing where people confuse modelled outputs with actual performance. MMPs give you a number and everyone treats it as ground truth when it has attribution windows, view-through assumptions, and incrementality gaps baked in. And now we're adding another modelled metric on top of that... YouTube's motivation here is transparent. They want brands to shift TV budgets onto YouTube and they need a metric that speaks the same language as GRP and reach. Unique Reach makes YouTube look more like a TV buy. That's commercially useful for YouTube. That's not the same thing as being accurate. The creators who get burned won't be the ones who don't understand the metric. They'll be the brands who pay a premium for reach that was never really there.

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Community Request: Analysis to Tease Out Year-over-Year Steam CCU Trends 🎮 What this is For a while now, folks have asked if I could break down Steam data to normalize the huge volume of annual new game releases and identify trends in breakout performance. The question: "Out of the 1,000… 5,000… now 20,000+ new games released each year on Steam, how many actually go big? And is that number increasing?" 📊 What I did • Pulled every game released on Steam by year (excluding 2025 since it's in progress). • For each year, I measured how many new titles hit specific peak CCU thresholds. • Then I calculated: 1. The number of new games by year that hit each threshold 2. The percentage of all games released that year that hit each threshold 3. The normalized rate, i.e., how many games per 10,000 releases hit those marks 📈 Key thresholds analyzed 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000 peak CCU 📌 A few interesting takeaways • Only 683 of the 20,584 new games released on Steam in 2024 even hit 100 peak CCU • Just 52 hit 10,000, only 16 hit 50,000, and a mere 7 reached 100,000 • In 2024, only: - 1% hit 1,000 peak CCU - 0.25% hit 10,000 - 0.03% hit 100,000 → In other words, only 0–3 out of every 10,000 new games hit 100,000 peak CCU in most years • Two of the middle years (2012–2013) are interesting outliers: only ~400 new games released each year and CS:GO and Dota 2 dominated 📊 The last 3 years (2022-2024) are very consistent in terms of % of new games hitting different peak CCU marks • ~3% of new games hit 100 peak CCU • ~1.5% hit 500 • ~1% hit 1,000 • ~0.4% hit 5,000 • ~0.25% hit 10,000 • ~0.075% hit 50,000 • ~0.03% hit 100,000 🧠 Bottom line Don’t stress too much about how many new games are released on Steam. In most years for new titles: • Only 500-600 even hit 100 peak CCU • Only 200–300 hit 500–1,000 peak CCU • Only ~50 hit 10,000 • And just ~5-7 hit 100,000 📝 One last note You might think there are more high-CCU titles, than what I am sharing here, based on the Steam Charts. You're right, but this analysis is only for new games by year of release. Games with ongoing success are only counted once, in the year they launched. Hope you enjoy digging into the data!

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ASGC Games Industry Layoffs Tracker May 7, 2026 Update Full detail: https://lnkd.in/eWHVi-77 The 2026 games industry layoff projection has eased to 10,695 - down 547 (-5%) from our Apr 21, 2026 forecast of 11,242. 4,645 games industry layoffs are confirmed for 2026 Year-To-Date. 2026 Regional Concentration: Of 71 games industry layoff events in 2026, 73% occurred in North America and 94% occurred in North America and Europe. There has been one games industry layoff every 0.8 workdays, on average.

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Did you know the slot business has exploded by over 100% in the last 5 years, leaving every other casino segment in the dust? 🚀 It's not just luck—it's a jackpot of innovation! Picture this: Five years ago, I was at a casino conference in Vegas, watching rows of clunky machines gather dust. Fast forward to today, and slots are the star of the show, blending AI, immersive themes, and mobile magic. 😂 Who knew pulling a lever (or tapping a screen) could evolve into a billion-dollar beast? Why the boom? Simple—players crave quick thrills without the poker face drama. Online slots have democratized access, especially in markets like the US and India, where mobile gaming is king. Revenue from slots hit record highs in 2022 at $47.83 billion in the US alone<grok:render card_id="299a75" card_type="citation_card" type="render_inline_citation"> <argument name="citation_id">9</argument> </grok:render>, and globally, the market's projected to grow from $16.8 billion in 2024 to $28.3 billion by 2034 at a 5.6% CAGR<grok:render card_id="f0221a" card_type="citation_card" type="render_inline_citation"> <argument name="citation_id">1</argument> </grok:render>. As a growth strategist in the gaming world, I've seen freelancers and mid-level pros thrive here. Want to ride this wave? Here are 5 tips to get started: 1. **Learn the tech stack**: Dive into game dev tools like Unity—perfect for freelancers building slot prototypes. 💻 2. **Network smart**: Join LinkedIn groups for casino tech; I landed a collab by sharing a funny slot fail story. 🤝 3. **Spot trends early**: Watch for VR slots—they're the next big spin. Keep an eye on regulations in India for untapped ops. 4. **Build your brand**: Share insights on platforms like this; thought leadership opens doors to sponsorships without the hard sell. 5. **Upskill for jobs**: Certifications in data analytics for player behavior can boost your resume—slots are data goldmines! Humor aside, this growth isn't slowing down. It's creating real careers for job seekers and innovators alike. What's one trend you think will supercharge the slot industry next? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I'd love to hear! 👇 #CasinoIndustry #SlotMachines #GamingTrends #BusinessGrowth #CareerDevelopment #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

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