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Video podcast · Gaming · Tech · AI

Behind every pixel, a business decision.

A podcast on the video game industry: the deals, the strategy and the people shaping gaming, tech and AI.

Hosted by Jimmy Baratta & William Collis

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The Business of Pixels cover art: a 3D pixel P in purple and cyan cubes breaking into game controllers and headphones, on a brushed-metal plate with circuit traces, a chrome title and a microphone
Season 1Video podcast
Latest

Gaming News

The business stories worth your time, in plain English, with a link to the original reporting.

Mobile · Indie

A 48-hour game jam idea passed 400 million downloads

· By The Business of Pixels

Team Terrible, an 11-person independent studio in Dundee, says its horror game The Baby in Yellow has reached about 400 million downloads: 320 million on Android, 80 million on iOS and 100,000 on Steam. The game started as a 48-hour entry in the GMTK Game Jam. Co-founder Greg Lee told Mobilegamer.biz on November 3 that the studio had no advertising budget at launch, so streamers carried it, and the free-to-play mobile versions turned that attention into installs.

TakeThis is the indie playbook in one game. Build something streamers love on PC, keep it free on phones and let creators do the marketing. No doubt more small studios will copy this path.

Read the source (Mobilegamer.biz) →
Platforms · Funding

Google Play backs 10 African studios with a $1 million fund

· By The Business of Pixels

On October 28, Google Play named the first 10 studios in its Indie Games Fund in Africa: four from Nigeria, four from South Africa, one from Ghana and one from Kenya. The $1 million pool is non-dilutive, so the studios keep their equity, and it comes with mentorship from Google Play. Google says the goal is to help these teams grow and bring African stories to players worldwide.

TakeLove this. Equity-free money plus mentorship is exactly what early studios need. Let's see which of these ten ships the next breakout hit.

Read the source (Google) →
Business · Growth

Unity and PvX team up to fund game marketing without giving up equity

· By The Business of Pixels

On October 27, Unity and PvX Partners announced a program that gives eligible game studios and app developers access to PvX's user acquisition financing. The funding is sized to each game's marketing performance, so studios can scale campaigns without selling equity. PvX says it has committed more than $1.3 billion in UA financing across 17 markets, and the program pairs that capital with Unity Vector's ad targeting.

TakeThis is really smart. Marketing money is where many good mobile games stall, and this puts the capital right next to the ad tools. Expect more platforms to offer financing like this.

Read the source (PocketGamer.biz) →
Season 1

Episodes

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Coming soon
Season 1 · Episode 1

Episode 1: Coming soon

The first conversation is in the works. New episodes on the way: subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss the premiere.

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The hosts

About the hosts

Jimmy Baratta Co-host

Jimmy Baratta

Americas Lead, Gaming Product and Strategy at FIFA

Jimmy serves as FIFA's Americas Lead for Gaming Product and Strategy, where he helped bring the World Cup into Fortnite and Rocket League. He previously led partnerships at Riot Games, founded the advisory firm FT Empire, and has served on UC Irvine's esports advisory board.

LinkedIn jimmybaratta.com
William Collis Co-host

William Collis

Head of Games at SAS

William is Head of Games at SAS, the data and AI company. An Amherst graduate and Harvard MBA, he co-founded Gamer Sensei (acquired by Corsair), Genji (acquired by EEG) and GEC (acquired by SAS), and co-founded OXG, owners of the Boston Breach. He wrote The Book of Esports and the novel Eternity's Blade, and gave the TED talk How video game skills can get you ahead in life.

LinkedIn williamcollis.com
From the hosts

Storefront

Books by the hosts of The Business of Pixels.

The Book of Esports: The Definitive Guide to Competitive Video Games

by William Collis

Hardcover · RosettaBooks · 2020

Co-host William Collis's guide to competitive video games and the business around them.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)