Hello GameMakers,

Over the next few weeks, I will experiment with different formats and content. Also, our website is down at gamemakers.com so go to gamemakers.beehiiv.com until we get a new website up.

Today, I’m including a top news segment instead of a game overview. And likely, you’ll see me messing around a lot. Stay tuned, and you may see some cringe moments and content!

Also, let me know what you guys want to see in the future.

Top 10 Charts

• Traffic and Driving Simulator makes a big jump into top 10 downloads.

• We welcome back Genshing Impact to top 10 revenue.

• A couple of weird ones breaking top 10 downloads: My Coloring Book Free and Fruit Merge: Watermelon Puzzle.

• Top 10 revenue in US seems pretty locked up.

• I guess Chinese like sharks?

• Not a single non-Chinese developed top 10 revenue game in China market.

Top 10 Mobile Publishers

• Welcome back to the top 10 miHoYo!

Top 5 Mobile Trending

Top 10 Steam Game Sellers

• Lethal Company is a coop PVE horror game with extraction elements steeped in humor. Developed by former Roblox game developer Zeekerss, the dude is doing well.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• Konvoy released its Q3 2023 Gaming Industry Report, suggesting that revenue per gamer fell to $59 in 2022 from $61 in 2021. Further, that monetization “per hour of entertainment” for gaming still under-monetized relative to other forms of entertainment.

• Bang Bang! While TikTok owner ByteDance has started a game publishing unit NuVerse, it’s ultimate objectives in gaming is still unclear. Reuters reported that ByteDance is considering selling its gaming unit Moonton Technology just two years after acquiring the Shanghai-based studio for $4 billion. Moonton developed the popular MOBA Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Check out my interview with Skyhook the chief designer of Mobile Legends below:

• Fortnite resurgence! Stream Hatchet reports that since returning the original map to Fortnite last week, the game generated 14.4M hours watched across major live-streaming platforms.

• We warned you this was coming. Unity’s new interim CEO Jim Whitehurst, announced likely layoffs and office and product closures amidst a “painful” reset. Also, expect to see announcements - I bet AI-related - to drive a new growth story. Coming in 3… 2… 1… Anyway, for those that missed it, check out the Pixel bros’ coverage of Unity recorded a couple of months back but still relevant:

• AI is everywhere and changing shit all over the place! Well, the conversational AI company Inworld has announced a partnership with Xbox to help developers add AI capabilities to their games. Two tools were announced. First, copilot to help turn creative ideas into scripts with dialogue trees and quests. Second, a character engine to create AI based NPCs. FYI, two podcasts with both Inworld and Conv.ai will be coming up in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

PODCASTS

Don’t miss these podcasts we recently published on GameMakers YouTube channel: