GDC wrapped
There wasn't really a big theme or singular moment this year, so here are some slightly frazzled thoughts in bullet point form instead, posted from the airport.
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Ideally, there’d be handy, singular theme from GDC 2024 that I could use to cleverly package up this newsletter, but honestly, there really wasn’t one.
In 2022, the chatter was all about blockchain/web3/metaverse, believe it or not – that makes it feel like a very long time ago. In 2023, a couple of terrific Marvel Snap talks, the on-off Rovio sale and some beefy Netflix announcements grabbed the headlines.
But the biggest news for the mobile business kind of happened outside San Francisco’s Moscone Center this week. There was Sensor Tower’s surprise acquisition of Data.ai, for one, and then the beginnings of the US government’s legal action against Apple, which could go on to have huge ramifications for our business – after it all plays out in court, that is.
So after a slightly disjointed week of news, here’s a slightly disjointed grab-bag of thoughts from the tail end of GDC, brought to you by airport wifi:
Epic is working to bring its Games Store to iOS and Android this year. But! It’s not clear if the iOS portion of that is worldwide or EU only, and Epic’s PR team could not clarify that when I asked them. Technically, the Epic Games Store is currently only possible on iOS in the EU, courtesy of those DMA-led policy changes Apple announced in January. My theory here is that Epic just went ahead and announced it, and plans to brute force the iOS part, somehow, at a later date.
People are worried about Sensor Tower’s acquisition of Data.ai. There’s not only the many layoffs we reported on earlier this week, there’s the issue of competition: Sensor Tower now appears to have the whole market sewn up, and those who use those data sources – which is practically everyone – are now expecting price rises once the two companies are combined.
I was hoping to get a nugget or two about the incoming Xbox app store this week but I got nothing. If you have an anonymous tip, let me know here.
Web3 gaming is not back, or really part of the wider conversation. Or it certainly wasn’t part of any conversation I had, anyway. Buying a big GDC stand and making a load of noise online is pointless if no-one outside your own circle is actually listening.
Monopoly Go was the talk of the town, and rightly so. The mood was buoyant, to say the least, at a Scopely party I went to on Wednesday.
Mobilegamer.biz passed its second birthday last week. I have many more grey hairs than in the mugshot at the top of this email now, but it’s going well. There’s a brief update on how it’s going here, for those interested.
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This week on mobilegamer.biz
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Widespread layoffs at Data.ai after Sensor Tower buyout
Rumours suggest up to 200 Data.ai staff have been let go, but Sensor Tower told us it "cannot confirm the number of data.ai staff impacted by the acquisition”.
Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android this year
“Epic is fighting the good fight on behalf of all of us,” said the Games Store’s general manager Steve Allison.
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The “embarrassing mistake” that birthed Monopoly Go
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Sensor Tower has acquired rival Data.ai
The deal has been done for an undisclosed amount and brings two major competitors under one roof.
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