We see potential in these games that nobody wants to invest in. - Ivan Trancik, CEO, SuperScale

Hey there!

🎉 But we have so much more:

This is a light edition, perfect for the weekend.

Sony Santa Monica has a new narrative director. Halo Infinite has been played by over 30 millions people and, wow, Knights of the Old Republic could be still in development, after all! 

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Welcome to The Power-Up #42

Biz-Up

☠️ A SuperScale study reveals an 83% mortality rate for mobile games within three years, with 43% failing during development. Despite these high failure rates, 78% of mobile game developers persist in creating new titles in a challenging $96.2 billion global market.

📢 Adjust and TikTok's new report highlights the impact of iOS SKAdNetwork 4, revealing decreased acquisition costs and a 220% increase in conversion rates. 

📈 Huuuge Games reported an 80% increase in adjusted net profit to $66.6 million in the first three quarters of 2023, despite an 8.2% decline in Q3 revenues to $71.2 million compared to the same period in 2022.

🏆 GAM3S.gg and Magic Eden have announced the nominees for the $2 million GAM3 Awards, celebrating Web3 gaming excellence. Finalists include My Pet Hooligan, Wildcard, Big Time, Deadrop, and Parallel, with community voting starting November 22. The winners will be revealed on December 14

Industry Level-Up

🤝 Stefan Heikhaus is the new director of Gamescom. With extensive experience from roles at Bullitt, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Sony, Heikhaus will oversee the development of Gamescom and its related events, succeeding Christian Baur. 

🗣️ Bonnie Jean Mah, former franchise narrative director for Gears of War and narrative lead for Age of Empires IV, has joined Sony Santa Monica Studio as the new narrative director.

🤝 Toge Productions has officially acquired Mojiken Studio, the developers behind the game A Space for the Unbound, with Mojiken maintaining its brand identity post-acquisition.

Round-Up

🎮 PlayStation Portal surpassed Xbox Series X/S in sales, with over 5,700 units sold compared to just over 2,000 Xbox units – in Spain. That is probably due to the fact that Portal’s is cheaper and PS5 consoles are very popular in Europe. We also know for sure that at least one Portal was sold in Portugal! (hi there, Bobby! And he has a short video about it!)

🕹️ Also, Circana will track PlayStation Portal as a console, not an accessory, for their next sales report. 

🚓 Former Rockstar North developer Obbe Vermeij, known for his work on Grand Theft Auto games, was recently instructed by Rockstar North to stop sharing development secrets and stories online.

👽 Halo Infinite has reportedly been played by over 30 million people, despite post-launch criticisms and inconsistent updates. The game, available on Game Pass and with free-to-play multiplayer, continues to attract a significant player base.

🎮 Panic's Playdate handheld has surpassed 100 titles on its digital storefront Catalog, a significant achievement a year after its launch.

🪄 Life is Strange reaches 20 million players since its 2015 launch. The game's wide availability across platforms along with price reductions and inclusion in services like PlayStation Plus contributed to its widespread player engagement, putting it in league with major titles like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, and Elden Ring.

Game-Up

🗡️ A New Hope! Remember when we said, a few days ago, that the KotOR Remake is not in active development anymore? Well, it seems it still is! 

🏌️‍♀️ The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's upcoming roguelike mode "No Return" will feature 12 levels, according to a former QA Tester. Naughty Dog has not provided official details about this mode. Yet.  

🚚 American Truck Simulator's newest Kansas expansion, which brings the total number of explorable states to 14, will launch on November 30th. The significant 1.49 update is already available, introducing dynamic night skies with HDR skyboxes, the moon, new weather effects, and enhanced damage and repair systems.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Stay powered-up until next time.

Bobby & Andrei