Chris Enock’s Post

I'll be at GDC on Thursday afternoon and Friday - let me know if you want to meet up!

"A record 10,500 game developers, artists, testers, and other gaming employees were laid off in 2023, topping the prior record holder, 2022, which saw 8,500 in job losses. Unfortunately, 2024 has seen 6,050 cuts after only 29 days." It's not all about layoffs - Matthew Ball's State of Gaming in 2024 is a master piece of connecting and synthesizing the current trends in gaming, but that devastating statement really stood out. #gaming #videogameindustry https://lnkd.in/gyHen-AZ

Sorry to hear Riot is letting go of 11% of their people (530 professionals). "Biggest impact outside of core development" also means that Publishing (Marketing, Community, Communications, etc) will be seeing a lot of layoffs. If there is anything I can do: if you want perspective on what post-Riot life is like, resume reading, help with anything, or even just to vent, feel free to hit me up. https://lnkd.in/gpCxU3BR #riotgames

JD's can be tricky, but this one is the real deal: Riot is looking for a Head of League of Legends - the ultimate authority on what happens in the game (development, marketing, monetization, direction, design, etc). That a few Rioters are boosting it means there might not be an internal successor guaranteed to get the job (surprising given the amount of talent at Riot). https://lnkd.in/gnVZ6s_H #gaming #leagueoflegends

Are games still the best value per-hour entertainment? When I was at Activision during the "Great Recession" of 2008 we saw games sales stay high and declared games recession-proof since they were far better value per hour of entertainment than going to the movies, buying a DVD, CD, watching Pay Per View or going to a bar/restaurant. Today gaming is still better value than going out, but Disney+ is $8 a month (Spotify is $11 and Netflix is $7 with Ads). Today you can get 6 months of any of those for less than a (newly released) console game. Are boxed games still a better value? If they aren't, are they going to be recession proof?

I had a great 3 years with Improbable; yet all good things must come to an end. After getting over a million players to have fun in Scavengers, pivoting a company of 1,000 to focus on the Metaverse, and being onboard to see the First Trip of the Bored Apes, it’s been a wild, amazing journey with my fully remote team. I got inspired to working alongside so many people with incredible experience, while tackling a rapidly changing landscape and environment. The experience taught me how industry veterans overcome the most difficult challenges while supporting their colleagues. The timing of the layoff let me and my family have an epic summer vacation that I don’t think we’ll ever forget or regret (which also contributed to me putting off writing this post). I’m excited for whatever comes next, and I am yet again looking to join an ambitious gaming venture that is shooting for the moon.

Investment in gaming dipped below the pre-"frothy" level. We've dropped below "normal." #gaming #gamingindustry

I'm going to be at GamesBeat Next in San Francisco on Monday, October 22nd. Let me know if you're interested in meeting up!

Too bad most of business happens behind closed doors and privately. People idolizing business creators the way we do athletes would have all sorts of motivating impacts for children in education, life decisions, etc. Great video from Deloitte https://lnkd.in/d9CpP_ZU