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☆ 24-year-old's businesses are on track to bring in $1.7 million this year—how he knows an idea is worth pursuing
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Steven Guo launched his first business when he was 12 — "basically by accident," he says. In 2022, Guo sold one of his first businesses, a jewelry brand that brought in over $2 million in revenue within a year. The 24-year-old now owns and runs several e-commerce ventures set to bring in a combined $1.7 million this year. "By combining these two interests and making a really unique car cover, we can appeal to a much more passionate audience." "One thing that I wish I knew earlier about running a business is that the product isn't necessarily everything," he says.

Persons: Steven Guo, Guo, he's, Steven Guo Another, merch, It's Organizations: University of California Locations: Irvine

It all started with a summer project when he was 12 and "super into the game Minecraft," Guo tells CNBC Make It. He recently moved from Southern California to Bali, Indonesia, where he splits a villa with friends and spends his free time surfing. The expense is well worth it for high-quality food, Guo says: "One of the best parts about Bali is how clean and healthy the food is. "Most of my expenses go towards food, but if I do spend money, it's typically towards gifts for family or my girlfriend." As far as what he doesn't spend on, "I absolutely refuse to spend money on things that depreciate in value," like luxury goods, Guo says.

Persons: Steven Guo's, Guo, Steven Guo, Roth, frugally, China who's, We're Organizations: CNBC, University of California, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Transportation Locations: Southern California, Bali, Ruda Putra, Indonesia, Irvine, U.S, Philippines, UK, India, California, Canggu, Portugal, Australia, Hawaii, China, Canada

☆ Netflix gaming exec reveals a new AI role after the shutdown of a buzzy games studio and layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mike Verdu, Netflix's former games chief, is now leading AI-driven game development. Netflix's games division, launched in 2021, has faced shifts and leadership changes. AdvertisementMike Verdu, Netflix's former games chief, has moved into a new role: he's now leading a generative AI gaming division at the streaming giant. Netflix launched a games division in 2021. He wrote that after Netflix games started to scale up, he recognized his strength was in running smaller teams.

Persons: Mike Verdu, —, he's, Verdu, he'd, Alain Tascan, Greg Peters, Netflix's, there's, We've, Verdu didn't Organizations: Service, LinkedIn, Netflix, Epic Games

☆ Nintendo and The Pokémon Co. accuse Palworld game developer of patent infringement in new lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kahlan-Rosenblatt.Jpg | Kalhan Rosenblatt | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Nintendo and The Pokémon Co. are suing the makers of Palworld, claiming the game infringes on the “Pocket Monster” franchise’s patents, according to a statement from Nintendo on Thursday. Representatives for Nintendo, The Pokémon Co. and Pocketpair did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. Some players said they noticed that the characters in the game appear similar to those in the Pokémon franchise. Palworld is not the first indie video game to bear comparisons to other wildly popular games made by a major studio (often called triple-A studios). Steam data shows Palworld is the third-most-played game of all time on the platform.

Persons: Palworld, “, Pocketpair, ”, Sparkit, Fntastic, Takuro Mizobe, Palworld “, ” Palworld, Geoff Keighley Organizations: Nintendo, Court, Defendant, NBC News, “ Nintendo, Steam, “ Locations: Tokyo, TheGamer

☆ An ex-Sony exec said laid-off employees should 'go to the beach for a year' or 'drive an Uber'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Lian Kit Wee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFormer Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president Chris Deering has a blunt message for recently laid-off game developers: They should "go to the beach for a year" or "drive an Uber" until the job market improves. "You're going to have to figure out how to get through it, drive an Uber, or whatever. His remarks come at a time when layoffs have hit the gaming industry hard. AdvertisementOther game developers, including Microsoft and Unity, have similarly downsized their studios this year, cutting over 3,000 jobs at the start of the year, BI reported in February. This series of layoffs in the game industry stemmed from slumping game sales and a shrinking gaming demographic, BI previously reported.

Persons: —, Chris Deering, Deering, Simon Parkin's, Uber, Parkin Organizations: Service, Sony Computer Entertainment, European PlayStation, PlayStation, Business, PlayStation Studios, Microsoft, Unity, Cudo Ventures, Sony Interactive Entertainment, BI Locations: European, Deering

☆ Visual AI startup NEX raises $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-27 | by ( Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lam aims to change that with NEX, which develops AI image tools for entertainment, gaming, and marketing. Founded in late 2023, the company recently raised a $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital, with participation from Point72 Ventures. NEX does this by enabling users to generate images inspired by other images, not just text inputs, in a "real-time canvas." The startup's tech can also tailor the AI models based on a customer's existing data, a process called finetuning, or even develop models from scratch. Lam's vision for NEX is to be the "visual media tool for the AI era."

Persons: —, Darius Lam, Lam, NEX Ikon, NEX, OpenAI's Organizations: Service, Business, Foundation Capital, Point72 Ventures, NEX, Cerebras Systems, Adobe, Autodesk

☆ Iconic AI, a London-based game development startup, just raised $4 million using this 10-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Iconic AI, which aims to change AAA game development, raised $4 million in pre-seed funding. Iconic wants to use AI to expedite development, the cost and scale of which has "ballooned," its CEO said. AdvertisementIconic AI, a London-based video game developer, has raised $4 million in pre-seed funding. Founded in 2023, Iconic wants to change "AAA game" development: major titles produced by larger developers. Iconic CEO John Lusty told Business Insider that developers' business models were under threat as "development has ballooned" in size.

Persons: HodlCo, —, John Lusty Organizations: AAA, FOV Ventures, Service, Business Locations: London

☆ Steve Ballmer's Son Reflects on Growing up in High Net Worth Family
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Jane Zhang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

I mean, I didn't really care about what I was wearing, and my brothers and I were fine with driving our dad's old '98 Lincoln. We didn't really talk about moneyThere were some indications that we were rich. Our family took really nice vacations, but as a kid, there was a disconnect between things and how much they cost. For both my mom and my dad, having a lot of money was a relatively new experience, as was raising children. I don't really see it as dishonest, though, because people are multifaceted and much more complex than the sum of where they grew up.

Persons: Pete Ballmer, Steve Ballmer, we'll, Let's, I'd, I'm, I've, That's, who've, They'll, We've, — Organizations: Microsoft, Ford, I'd, Lincoln, Rover, Clippers Locations: San Francisco, Japan, Bay

☆ The Computer Science Major Leading College Football’s Nerdiest Contender
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Professor Kathleen Kelly knew him as John: an attentive, enthusiastic computer science student in a game development course she was teaching. The kid with the Texas accent and polite manners was another high achiever at the Colorado School of Mines: smart, motivated and serious about learning. It wasn’t until she saw John’s name in a local newspaper headline she discovered his alter ego:

Persons: Kathleen Kelly, John Organizations: Colorado School of Mines Locations: Texas

☆ Meet the Computer Science Major Leading College Football’s Nerdiest Contender
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Kathleen Kelly, John Organizations: Colorado School of Mines Locations: Texas

☆ TikTok owner ByteDance is laying off hundreds of workers in a retreat from gaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind TikTok, is pulling back from video gaming in a shift that will result in hundreds of job cuts. “Mobile gaming revenue is in decline while user acquisition costs are rising,” he told CNN. She suggested ByteDance was simply looking to cut its losses, particularly since gaming still made up just a tiny sliver of its business. “[Even] if ByteDance exits game development and publishing, it will not dramatically impact their own business,” she added. China is the world’s biggest mobile and PC gaming market, according to Niko Partners.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — ByteDance, Nuverse, ”, ByteDance, Niko, we’ve, ” “, “, Lisa Hanson, Niko Partners, Neil Barbour, Tencent, ” Hanson, Hanson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Niko Partners, Big Tech, P Global Market Intelligence, “ Mobile Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Pico, China

☆ Exclusive: China's Bytedance is talking to likely buyers about gaming unit Moonton's sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shanghai-based Moonton, which has developed the popular mobile game “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang”, was acquired by ByteDance in 2021. At the time, it was seen as ByteDance’s biggest commitment to become a major player in the $187 billion global video games market. ByteDance's foray into video games has proven to be rocky so far. Founded in 2014, Moonton found success with multiplayer online battle arena game "Mobile Legends". Last year, ByteDance disbanded its Shanghai-based game development unit 101 Studio.

Persons: Aly, ByteDance, Moonton, Pico, Josh Ye, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, ByteDance, Companies, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, Saudi, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong

☆ ‘Video games are in for quite a trip’: How generative AI could radically reshape gaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“You can tell there is something off about what you’re seeing or hearing.”Enter generative AI. That offers another opportunity for generative AI to reshape the gaming experience. While the developers retain control over procedurally generated content, generative AI has the potential to develop unplayable levels, or deviate in unintended ways from the game’s narrative. An additional toolWhile gamers are excited about the potential for gameplay, generative AI is likely to impact development before it alters the user experience. “I think with generative AI, it’s essentially the same thing – or at least, we’re approaching it with the exact same mindset here at Ubisoft.” However, there are still a lot of unanswered “legal and ethical aspects” to using generative AI, including artists’ copyright, he adds.

Persons: Jitao Zhou, Alexis Rolland, ”, Rolland, Ubisoft's, Zhou, Julian Togelius, “, Togelius, Takehiko Hoshino, It’s, Hoshino, “ Fortnite, Creatives, We’ve, it’s Organizations: Rikkyo University CNN —, La, La Forge, Ubisoft, Rikkyo University, New York University, Rokkyo University, Maxis, EA, UGC, CNN, Forge Locations: La Forge China, Tokyo, La

☆ Netflix aims to 'crawl, walk, run' when it comes to video games. It's still crawling
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former Electronic Arts mobile gaming executive Mike Verdu joined Netflix as vice president of game development in 2021. Getting existing subscribers to download and play mobile games is a challenge, though, Benes noted. As of September 2023, Netflix's games have been downloaded 70.5 million times, globally, according to data obtained from Apptopia. The beta rollout to limited users Canada and the U.K. included Oxenfree from Night School Studio, a Netflix game studio, and Molehew's Mining Adventure, a gem-mining arcade game. But Netflix is not looking to be a console replacement, Netflix gaming executive Verdu previously told Tech Crunch.

Persons: It's, we've, Greg Peters, Ross Benes, Mike Verdu, Joseph Staten, Benes, Netflix's, Playrix, Candy Crush, King, Peters, Sunny Dhillon, Kyber Knight, Dhillon, Verdu Organizations: Netflix, Intelligence, Electronic Arts, AAA, Night School, Street, Tech, CNBC Locations: Canada

☆ Street Fighter, Resident Evil developer says it plans to tap on synergy between gaming and movies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After two years of absence linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, Paris Games Week is making a comeback in Paris. Tsujimoto pointed that Capcom releases new game titles every year to already existing franchises, such as Street Fighter and Resident Evil, "indicates that we have a strong and high quality catalog." watch nowCapcom is no stranger to the film industry, having seen a live action movie Street Fighter made in 1994 and Resident Evil made into seven films since 1997. "We have experienced the synergistic effects of doing so, whereby movies sell well and games sell well, when a game is made into a movie." We have experienced the synergistic effects of doing so, whereby movies sell well and games sell well, when a game is made into a movie.

Persons: Porte de Versailles, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, Tsujimoto, CNBC's Will, Capcom, Haruhiro, Hisashi Koinuma Organizations: Capcom, Paris Games, Paris, Chesnot, Getty, Marvel, Tokyo, CNBC, Capcom Pictures, Koei Tecmo Games Locations: PARIS, FRANCE, Parc, Paris, France, Chiba, Japan, Hollywood

☆ Sega Sammy CEO discusses the potential of AI in gaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSega Sammy CEO discusses the potential of AI in gamingHaruki Satomi, president and group CEO of Sega Sammy Holdings, discusses priorities in its game development process.

Persons: Sega Sammy, Haruki Satomi Organizations: Sega, Sega Sammy Holdings

☆ AI is all the rage now, but the gaming industry may not be ready to adopt it just yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Will Koulouris | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors play the Warriors All-Stars video game in the Koei Tecmo Holdings booth during the Tokyo Game Show 2017 at Makuhari Messe on September 21, 2017 in Chiba, Japan. TOKYO — Video games are in focus with the Tokyo Game Show 2023 underway — but some of the biggest game developers in Japan say hot trends like generative AI and virtual reality/augmented reality headsets for game development may not be ready yet. Game developers like Japan's Koei Tecmo have been using conventional algorithmic AI "for a long time," Hisashi Koinuma, president and chief operating officer of Koei Tecmo Games told CNBC, but challenges still remain when utilizing the latest iteration — generative AI — in game development. "We are not yet at the stage of integrating generative AI into our products, but are in the process of testing various ways to integrate it in the future," Koinuma said Wednesday. The issue with copyright concerns is not one shared by Koei Tecmo alone.

Persons: Koei, Koinuma, Koei Tecmo Organizations: Warriors, Koei Tecmo Holdings, Makuhari Messe, TOKYO —, Tokyo, Koei Tecmo, Koei Tecmo Games, CNBC, Koei Locations: Chiba, Japan, TOKYO, —

☆ This video game developer is poised to ride the innovation wave, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Unity Software stock can ride a mobile gaming wave to huge upside, according to Bank of America. U YTD mountain Unity Software stock. The San Francisco-based company focuses on video game development through its in-house game engine Unity. Analyst Michael Funk says the company will find success in monetizing its mobile game creation tool, and will dually benefit from higher gaming advertising. "Improved monetization of U's industry leading mobile game creation engine paired with a stabilizing mobile game advertising market create a compelling risk-reward profile, in our view," Funk said.

Persons: Michael Funk, Funk, Michael Bloom Organizations: Unity Software, Bank of America Locations: San Francisco

☆ JPMorgan says AI's 'democratization' could put these 2 U.S.-listed Asian stocks at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan warned that rapid growth in artificial intelligence is no guarantee of sustained earnings increase — and could leave many companies at risk. However, this does not guarantee sustained earnings growth and [return on equity] expansion," JPMorgan analysts led by Ranjan Sharma wrote in a note to clients on Aug. 9. According to JPMorgan, AI costs are also expected to continue dropping in light of lower computing costs and the development of more open-source AI models. The company owns the e-commerce platform Shopee, the fintech platform SeaMoney and the game development studio Garena. "In our view, SE's gaming business could face increased competitive risks as GenAI reduces barriers for entry in game development.

Persons: OpenAI's ChatGPT, Ranjan Sharma, TDCX, CNBC's Naman Tandon Organizations: JPMorgan, Sea Ltd, NYSE Locations: New York, Singapore

☆ Video-game experts say 5G is the key to next-level play, from high-definition mobile gaming to VR experiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Chris Stokel-Walker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The tech helps game development and playing, especially in the growing sector of cloud gaming. One of the biggest and longest-standing cloud-gaming platforms is Xbox Cloud Gaming, which was launched by Microsoft in 2019. Whatley said he believed that the success of Xbox Cloud Gaming was dependent on the rollout of 5G technology worldwide. Changes in gaming could trickle down to other industriesWhat happens in the games industry often trickles down to the wider world in time. Given that, Bharkhada said she believed that an increase in the quality of mobile and cloud gaming would also have positive effects on industries that borrowed elements from the gaming industry.

Persons: It's, Bharkhada, James Whatley, Whatley Organizations: AAA, 5G, Research, Ericsson, Cloud Gaming, Microsoft, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Apple Vision Locations: Ukie

☆ A 23-year-old game developer grew her Instagram audience to nearly 100,000 followers after being laid off from Meta. Here's how she makes money, the 1-page media kit she uses, and what she charges bra
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Her passion for making gaming content soon became a business. Working at Meta didn't unlock all of the secrets to success on Instagram, Pitcher noted. On top of brand deals, Pitcher said she makes a little bit of cash through TikTok's ad-revenue program on videos. "I've been hearing from a lot of creators that brand deals are drying up, so knowing that, I want to expand." She said she's also still in the process of developing a new video game, but that is years away.

Persons: Emily Pitcher, Pitcher, Emily, —, she's, Kat Liente, isn't, I've Organizations: Meta, Sondering, YouTube Locations: Meta, Instagram

☆ Unity shares rise 15% after company announces A.I. marketplace
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

AI companies will be able to distribute their software to game makers and charge for it through Unity's Asset Store. The surge in Unity's price comes as company officials have talked about the potential they see in AI in recent weeks. "I think AI will change gaming in a couple of pretty profound ways. Separately, the company was also given an overweight rating and a target price of $48 by Wells Fargo analyst Brian Fitzgerald in a note Tuesday. Before Unity started directing investor attention to AI, it was closely linked to headset efforts, such as Meta 's, because its software can be used to create virtual reality apps.

Persons: John Riccitiello, Wells, Brian Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Riccitiello Organizations: Unity's, Associated Press, Unity, Apple, Vision Pro Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ Inside Netflix's growing M&A machine, who's leading it, and what insiders think the streamer could buy next
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It then delved further into M&A to kickstart its games business. And the streamer hasn't completely abandoned its build-from-within strategy, as it also announced plans last fall to build its own gaming studio in Finland. He recently was elevated to the Lstaff, a group of 25 Netflix business heads who debate its biggest initiatives. (Netflix ended up doing a partnership in 2019 with that company, Studio Dragon, and its parent CJ ENM.) But leadership has been steadfast that Netflix's M&A mantra hasn't changed.

Persons: Here's, Reed Hastings, It's, it's, who's, what's, Roald Dahl, Dahl, Peter Rabbit, Spry, Harry Potter, execs, Spencer Wang, Michael Porter, Spencer Neumann, who'd, Neumann, Wang, Greg Peters, Ted Sarandos, Bela Bajaria, Scott Stuber, Mike Verdu, Jay MacDonald, Digiday, Ana Milicevic, Hastings, Sarandos, CJ ENM, Mario Organizations: Netflix, stoke, Paramount, Night School, Spry Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, DC Comics, Digital Capital Advisors, MLB, Surf League, Street Journal, Microsoft, Sparrow Advisers, MGM, Amazon, Mario Bros, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, UBS Locations: Finland, New Jersey, Hollywood

☆ Tomb Raider games group Embracer to slash spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, June 13 (Reuters) - Swedish games group Embracer (EMBRACb.ST) announced on Tuesday a restructuring programme to slash costs and investments, including in the development of new products, boosting the company's shares. Embracer has been hit by development delays, weaker demand, bad reception for some new games and, last month, the fall-through of a large planned strategic partnership. Shares in the developer, which last year bought several development studios and the intellectual property rights to a new Tomb Raider edition and other games, on Tuesday rose 4% by 0705 GMT. "The figures include capex related to internal and external game development projects and other intangible assets, as well as tangible assets," it said in a statement. The group's earnings could be hit by one-offs such as potential severance payments and writedowns related to game development projects as part of the restructuring, it said.

Persons: Embracer, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM

☆ US FTC asks court to block Microsoft from closing Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asked a U.S. judge to block Microsoft (MSFT.O) from closing on its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O), warning that the companies could move forward after Friday. The FTC sued the companies on Monday in San Francisco and sought a temporary restraining order, warning that if the deal was consummated the combined company could "begin altering Activision’s operations and business plans, accessing Activision’s sensitive business information, eliminating key Activision personnel, changing Activision’s game development efforts, and entering into new contractual relationships on behalf of Activision." Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Shepardson, Mark Porter Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Activision, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

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