Palworld continues to soar and Microsoft sees a big revenue boost – partly due to the impact of the Activision Blizzard acquisition, but the games industry continues to see layoffs. Meanwhile, the Apple vs. Epic saga adds a new twist over Apple’s new app store policy. Plus, there are rumors of Hasbro selling the Dungeons and Dragons brand to Tencent. Learn what all of this means for game developers and marketers in our Games Growth podcast.

Takeaways

• Palworld has seen significant growth with 19 million players, 12 million on Steam, and 7 million on Xbox.
• The game industry continues to experience layoffs, with Sega of America and Microsoft Activision Blizzard being the latest companies affected.
• Microsoft’s gaming segment is now the third most lucrative product for the company, but the acquisition of Activision Blizzard has resulted in an operating loss.
• Apple’s new app store policy, meant to be compliant with the Digital Markets Act, offers a lower commission structure but imposes additional fees on larger app companies.
• Epic has filed a notice of non-compliance against Apple, seeking to hold them in contempt of court for their implementation of the new app store policy.
• There are rumors that Hasbro is in talks with Tencent to sell the Dungeons and Dragons brand, potentially due to Hasbro’s struggles in monetizing the brand.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Palworld by the numbers
• 01:12 – Games industry layoffs
• 06:02 – Microsoft earnings and Activision Blizzard acquisition
• 09:20 – Apple’s new app store policy and Epic’s ongoing fight
• 14:36 – Rumor: Hasbro selling D&D brand to Tencent

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