Karol Severin

Karol is a co-founder and Research Director at MIDiA. With over a decade of experience in consumer research, industry analysis, and consulting, Karol oversees the direction, coverage and quality of all MIDiA’s research output. Prior to co-founding MIDiA, Karol gained experience in TMT market research and consulting, as well as an entertainment industry startup founder. He holds a business management degree from Queen Mary, University of London, with specialisation in strategy, quantitative methods, and entrepreneurship.

Profiling gamers by platform

Cover image for Profiling gamers by platform

Karol Severin

December 2023

Audience Insight

This report presents key metrics and consumer insights regarding mobile gamers, console gamers, and computer gamers. It is targeted to help investors, distributors, developers, and publishers understand the nuances and commonalities between these three segments.

More games will need to grow time spent in 2024 – what type of research can help do it?

Cover image for More games will need to grow time spent in 2024 – what type of research can help do it?

Karol Severin

18 Dec 2023

While the new year is usually a time for hope and new beginnings, 2024 may not necessarily be smoother sailing for the global games industry than 2023. Yes, companies have experienced reduced operational expenditure following thousands of layoffs and are not entering the new year with as much of a cost burden.

min read

MIDiA’s 2024 predictions report
The algorithm is not listening

Cover image for MIDiA’s 2024 predictions report

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Perry Gresham, Kazia Rothwell and Ben Woods

December 2023

Business Strategy

2023 was another year of change and disruption. 2024 will be even more defined by change than the years that preceded it. But much of this change will be defined by reaction more than action. The unintended consequences of years of innovation have resulted in environments where many consumers are getting further away from their wants and needs, not closer.

Games industry returns to growth, but inflationary pressures will make it worse off still

Cover image for Games industry returns to growth, but inflationary pressures will make it worse off still

Karol Severin

7 Nov 2023

Following over a decade of stellar growth (for an industry that is 50-years-old), the growth pace of the global video games industry has arguably peaked. The grand finale of its growth heyday was artificially fuelled by the Covid bounce in 2020 (26.

min read

MIDiA Research 2023-2030 global games industry forecasts
Life post-peak

Cover image for MIDiA Research 2023-2030 global games industry forecasts

Karol Severin and Perry Gresham

October 2023

Business Strategy

This report discusses key drivers, inhibitors, and developments that will affect the games industry throughout the remainder of the decade. It offers investors, rightsholders, and distributors a glimpse into what lies ahead, accompanied by strategic recommendations and a plethora of hard to find, business-critical, modelled metrics.

Are the ongoing layoffs in games indicative of a wider issue in the games industry?

Cover image for Are the ongoing layoffs in games indicative of a wider issue in the games industry?

Karol Severin

6 Oct 2023

The layoffs wildfire that struck the games industry at the start of 2023 does not seem to be stopping - the most recent being Epic Games last week. Firstly, on a personal level, it has been really sad and upsetting to see all these people being laid off in 2023 – especially when the reasons behind these layoffs are really not through any fault of their own.

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How you play matters
Profiling solo, team, and couch players

Cover image for How you play matters

Karol Severin

September 2023

Audience Insight

This report presents MIDiA’s consumer survey data, zooming in on players of specific gamer types. Data includes age, gender, income, time spent across entertainment, money spent on and inside games, as well as games genre preferences. QUESTION ASKED: Which of the following types of gameplay do you like the most? (select up to three) ANSWER OPTIONS INCLUDED: S olo vs computer, solo vs other solo players, small team (max 4) vs other small teams online, large teams (more than 4) vs other large teams online, in a team vs computer (co-op / PvE), with someone physically present in the room, and against someone in the room.

Unity’s pricing is a symptom, not the cause of tougher times ahead for the games industry

Cover image for Unity’s pricing is a symptom, not the cause of tougher times ahead for the games industry

Karol Severin

14 Sep 2023

game developers

Earlier this week, Unity announced that from 2024 it will start charging developers for the number of downloads / installs of their games. Developers unsurprisingly threw their proverbial toys out of the pram following the news.

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For Sony's games division, add-on content is the one to watch

Cover image for For Sony's games division, add-on content is the one to watch

Karol Severin

16 Aug 2023

in-game monetisation

Sony reported its Q1 FY2023 results last week. The Gaming & Network Services (G&NS) segment was up 27.8% on last year. At the same time, however, operating income was down 6.83%. This segment had been selling more while operating slightly less profitably.

min read

Competing in the live service games sector is about to get really difficult

Cover image for Competing in the live service games sector is about to get really difficult

Karol Severin

25 Jul 2023

live service games

saturated landscape

With the advent of in-game purchases, live service games have gradually become an important fuel of the games industry’s growth. Their sheer success and the appeal of the business model have understandably swayed a large part of the games industry to either adopt it or consider doing so.

min read

Tipping point
The coming consolidation of live service games

Cover image for Tipping point

Karol Severin and Perry Gresham

July 2023

ariana grande

Call of Duty

FIFA

The games industry has become addicted to the promise of lower risk and better ROI from live service games. As a result, there has been a flurry of live service titles released over the last 10 years. This is the key reason why the games industry’s core business model has shifted from unit-sales based to engagement based.

Microsoft’s big win against the FTC

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Karol Severin

13 Jul 2023

Activision Blizzard

Microsoft has won its case against the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction to halt or terminate the deal. There is still an ongoing antitrust case by the FTC against Microsoft, but now the acquisition can conclude before the antitrust case does.

min read

Games publishers are gradually losing their mojo

Cover image for Games publishers are gradually losing their mojo

Karol Severin

5 Jul 2023

games publishers

Similarly to music labels, games publishers 20 years ago had a bona fide hit-making capability. For music, this was the combination of funding, marketing, and an exclusive network to ‘make things happen’ (e.

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Quick Take: Are Wizards of the Coast about to unlock the wider collector market?

Cover image for Quick Take: Are Wizards of the Coast about to unlock the wider collector market?

Karol Severin

12 Jun 2023

Wizards of the Coast (Wizards), the creator of the trading card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG ), have recently dropped an MTG card set partnered with The Lord of the Rings . Expanding from players to collectors The current The Lord of the Rings inspired set sees MTG for the first time in history to release a serialised 1/1 card – The One Ring.

min read

NetEase’s expansion to the West is in full swing

Cover image for NetEase’s expansion to the West is in full swing

Karol Severin

2 Jun 2023

Since the beginning of 2023, NetEase has been rapidly announcing new studios, averaging one per month. These have either been established internally, or acquired. - It acquired SkyBox Labs (Canadian games studio) in January - It announced Spliced in February (a global remote-first studio with offices in the UK, but employees in US, Canada, UK, and ‘beyond’) - It took a short break in March but announced two new studios in May - In April, it announced Anchor Point Studios (based in Spain) - In May, it announced Bad Brain Studios (based in Canada) - Most recently announced PinCool Inc (based in Japan) The cadence of these announcements has positioned NetEase as one of the world’s most active companies in terms of 2023 studio expansion.

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What Project Q tells us about Sony’s strategic thinking?

Cover image for What Project Q tells us about Sony’s strategic thinking?

Karol Severin

25 May 2023

During Sony’s Showcase event last night, Sony unveiled Project Q – a handheld gaming device. It will come to the market later this year, though Sony did not specify the exact date or price yet. Project Q will enable the user to stream the games that are installed on their PS5 device over wi-fi.

min read

Amazon bringing physical product shopping into games is a prime example of monetising fandom

Cover image for Amazon bringing physical product shopping into games is a prime example of monetising fandom

Karol Severin

12 May 2023

in-game monetisation

Earlier this week, Amazon announced an initiative called Amazon Anywhere . It enables mobile games to offer consumers the ability to purchase physical products (e.g., toys and merchandise) directly inside the game.

min read

Games purchasing by format
Brick and mortar is not dead

Cover image for Games purchasing by format

Karol Severin

May 2023

Audience Insight

This report presents a Q1 2023 snapshot of US gamers who bought at least one game within a six-month period (between October 2022 and March 2023). This is broken down by physical versus digital format and digital versus physical distribution channel. It covers: % of gamers who purchased a game in a physical format through a physical (brick and mortar) retailer (e.

CMA blocking Microsoft from acquiring Activision raises more questions than answers

Cover image for CMA blocking Microsoft from acquiring Activision raises more questions than answers

Karol Severin

27 Apr 2023

UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) just announced that it “ prevented Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision over concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come .

min read

Quick take: Can Rovio give Sega wings in mobile and live services?

Cover image for Quick take: Can Rovio give Sega wings in mobile and live services?

Karol Severin

20 Apr 2023

Sega is acquiring Rovio, and from my perspective, this deal makes sense for both sides. We are experiencing another step in the games industry’s wider consolidation journey, as cross-platform (i.e., mobile, pc, console, TV, etc.

min read

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