Naavik Digest: Unity’s Ad-Driven Turnaround

Naavik Digest: The Microdrama Volume vs. Value Paradox

This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, June 14th. In today’s issue, we discuss the current state of microdramas — a category which rapidly evolved from a niche Chinese entertainment phenomenon into one of the fastest-growing mobile content categories in the world — exploring the widening gap between audience expansion and monetization, a trend which raises important questions about the category’s long-term economics. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ [https://naavik.co/digest/2023-genre-analysis/]the-microdrama-volume-vs-value-paradox [https://www.naavik.co/digest/the-microdrama-volume-vs-value-paradox]  Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note: https://naavik.co/contact-us/ [https://naavik.co/contact-us/]  Let us know what you think by sending us a note at podcast@naavik.co [podcast@naavik.co]. Watch our episodes: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_Eoa7bNooD2w2FNQpVqog] For more episodes and details: Podcast Website [https://naavik.co/podcast] Free newsletter: Naavik Digest [https://naavik.co/digest] Follow us: Twitter [https://twitter.com/naavik_co] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/naavik-co/] | Website [https://naavik.co/] Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe [http://www.gavinsound.net/].

Lessons from Real M&A Transactions: Getting Studios Bought

Gaming M&A is no longer just a story about strategics buying obvious hits. In this episode, Alexandra Takei [https://www.linkedin.com/in/takeit-eazy/], VP of Platform Revenue at Medal [https://medal.tv/], sits down with Brogan Keane [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brogankeane/], Managing Partner at Double Black Capital [https://doubleblackcap.com/], to unpack what actually happens when a game studio reaches the end of its company lifecycle: sale, exit, or recapitalization. The conversation breaks down who is buying game companies today, from private equity firms and Korean strategics to non-gaming entertainment companies looking for transmedia exposure. Brogan explains why PE buyers care most about profitability and risk mitigation, while strategics may pay more aggressively for IP, portfolio gaps, genre expertise, or future revenue replacement. The episode also gets practical for founders. Alexandra and Brogan discuss what makes a studio acquirable, why the “million units sold” threshold matters, and why founders should focus on one valuable IP rather than distracting side projects. They also walk through deal structure, including upfront cash, retention-based earnouts, performance earnouts, and why headline deal values are often misleading. We’d also like to thank Medal.tv [https://medal.tv/] for making this episode possible. If you're a PC gamer and want to clip your moments or a studio, publisher, or marketer looking to reach a high-quality gaming audience and get your game in front of the right players, check out all Medal has to offer at https://grow.medal.tv [https://grow.medal.tv/]. If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.   Watch the episode: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_Eoa7bNooD2w2FNQpVqog] For more episodes and details: Podcast Website [https://naavik.co/podcast] Free newsletter: Naavik Digest [https://naavik.co/digest] Follow us: Twitter [https://twitter.com/naavik_co] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/naavik-co/] | Website [https://naavik.co/] Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe [http://www.gavinsound.net/].

Naavik Digest: Embracer Splits Again

This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, June 7th. In today’s issue, we shine a light on Embracer after the company recently announced it is splitting up again. We look back at the key strategic decisions the company has made and what they might mean for its future. You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ [https://naavik.co/digest/2023-genre-analysis/]embracer-splits-again [https://www.naavik.co/digest/embracer-splits-again]  Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note: https://naavik.co/contact-us/ [https://naavik.co/contact-us/]  Let us know what you think by sending us a note at podcast@naavik.co [podcast@naavik.co]. Watch our episodes: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_Eoa7bNooD2w2FNQpVqog] For more episodes and details: Podcast Website [https://naavik.co/podcast] Free newsletter: Naavik Digest [https://naavik.co/digest] Follow us: Twitter [https://twitter.com/naavik_co] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/naavik-co/] | Website [https://naavik.co/] Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe [http://www.gavinsound.net/].

How to Reduce Churn and Keep Players Playing

Keeping players playing is getting harder as player attention fragments and expectations rise, so understanding churn has become a core live-ops competency. Host Devin Becker sits down with Elad Levy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/levyelad/], Founder & CTO of Dive [https://www.dive.games/], to break down how churn is defined (and when it’s actually “permanent”), the behavioral signals that players are drifting toward the exit, and the underlying causes teams can often address before it’s too late. They dig into practical interventions from in-session nudges, to win-back campaigns as well as what reacquisition can realistically accomplish. The conversation wraps with the dumbest reason players quit, the single most important retention move, and a game Elad thinks nails it. We’d like to thank Overwolf for making this episode possible! Whether you're a gamer, creator, or game studio, Overwolf is the ultimate destination for integrating UGC in games! You can check out all Overwolf has to offer at https://www.overwolf.com/ [https://www.overwolf.com/]. If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.   Watch the episode: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_Eoa7bNooD2w2FNQpVqog] For more episodes and details: Podcast Website [https://naavik.co/podcast] Free newsletter: Naavik Digest [https://naavik.co/digest] Follow us: Twitter [https://twitter.com/naavik_co] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/naavik-co/] | Website [https://naavik.co/]

Naavik Digest: Dissecting Scopely's Mobile Empire

This episode covers the Naavik Digest newsletter published on Sunday, May 31st. In today’s issue, we dive deep into Scopely and the three titles which generate close to 95% of the company’s monthly in-app revenue, examining their current states and future prospects.  You can read the newsletter (with even more sections and visual detail) here: https://www.naavik.co/digest/ [https://naavik.co/digest/2023-genre-analysis/]dissecting-scopelys-mobile-empire [https://www.naavik.co/digest/dissecting-scopelys-mobile-empire]  Want to explore working with Naavik? Shoot us a note: https://naavik.co/contact-us/ [https://naavik.co/contact-us/]  Let us know what you think by sending us a note at podcast@naavik.co [podcast@naavik.co]. Watch our episodes: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_Eoa7bNooD2w2FNQpVqog] For more episodes and details: Podcast Website [https://naavik.co/podcast] Free newsletter: Naavik Digest [https://naavik.co/digest] Follow us: Twitter [https://twitter.com/naavik_co] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/naavik-co/] | Website [https://naavik.co/] Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe [http://www.gavinsound.net/].