gaming

Cover image for Leveraging anime

Leveraging anime
A nuanced scene not a genre

Ben Woods

30 Apr 2025

Netflix Content Entertainment

Engaging younger audiences remains the entertainment industry’s biggest challenge. However, Japanese anime is achieving this by growing penetration with each new generation of consumers. Key to this success is its ability to dovetail with the fragmented nature of modern entertainment consumption to reach consumers in their scenes.

Cover image for The future of creator hardware

The future of creator hardware
AI’s new creative lane

Ben Woods

30 Oct 2024

Twitch Sony Microsoft

AI tools pose a risk to the hardware funnel by becoming the go-to toolkit for beginners and a substitute for recorded footage. With AI providing solutions at every stage of the video creator workflow, hardware must fight to justify its need. Especially because AI makes it easier for all creators to produce professional-grade content.

Why HYBE expanding into China is a bigger deal than you think

Olivia Jones

17 Jun 2025

Business Strategy Music streaming Fandom

Korean and Chinese labels have been a hot topic in the news lately. First, HYBE sold its entire 9.38% stake in fellow South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment to Chinese music streaming giant Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) for approximately $177 million USD (per Music Business Worldwid...

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Burning out and fading away: the exhausting job of marketing new music

Keith Jopling

31 May 2022

Streaming Marketing Online video

The recent protests by music artists about the pressures of keeping up a constant presence on social media are disconcerting in an age when many artists are struggling with mental health issues and wellbeing.

Cover image for Burning out and fading away: the exhausting job of marketing new music

In-game cosmetics remain a huge opportunity for brands

Rhys Elliott

19 Sep 2024

Fortnite brands in-game monetisation

While the games market is facing growth challenges, in-game spending will remain a key pillar for revenue growth. In-game spending generated revenues of $125.7 billion in 2023. In the coming years, that number will grow with a CAGR of +5% to hit $176.

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Australia bans social media for under-16s: the first domino towards a new digital world?

Hanna Kahlert

3 Dec 2024

regulation age restriction australia social media ban

Australia has just approved groundbreaking social media regulation that bans users under 16 from accessing platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, and X. This under-16 social media ban is the first of its kind that does not allow exceptions for existing users or those with parental permission.

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Cover image for The case for in-game video platforms

The case for in-game video platforms
Closing the direct-to-consumer gap

Karol Severin

29 Nov 2024

Product Strategy

Game publishers have long used third-party video platforms like Twitch and YouTube as a springboard to promote their games. Meanwhile, Twitch and YouTube get advertising and creator-driven revenues in return. The relationship has largely been reciprocal and beneficial for both parties.

Cover image for Golden years, golden opportunity

Golden years, golden opportunity
Older gamers are a key growth opportunity in a challenging games market

Rhys Elliott

28 May 2024

Audience Insight

Unlike in the past, gamers are now sticking with games through adulthood and into old age, leading to a growing segment of older gamers. Older gamers are a valuable segment posing a key growth opportunity for games companies in a stagnant market. Yet, most game makers do not currently cater to older gamers.

Take-Two acquires Gearbox as cross entertainment synergies ramp up

Karol Severin

28 Mar 2024

take two interactive gearbox embracer

We have barely made it to the end of the first calendar quarter of 2024 and MIDiA’s prediction about a $100 million+ acquisition in the games industry has panned out. Take-Two Interactive (Take-Two) is acquiring The Gearbox Entertainment Company from Embracer for $460 million, paid with common sto...

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MIDiA’s analysts answer questions on their 2025 predictions

Karol Severin

5 Feb 2025

Business Strategy Music Games

We are delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response and discussions sparked during our 2025 predictions webinar. We are grateful for all the engaging questions you asked during the session. Though we were unable to get through all of the excellent questions in the one-hour window, we certainly ...

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Game Pass’ updates mark a new era for Xbox

Rhys Elliott

19 Jul 2024

Xbox Microsoft Games

Xbox recently announced significant changes to its subscription offering ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 hitting the service. In September 2024, Xbox is: Increasing prices for Game Pass Ultimate from $16.

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The streaming wars will be won with technology, not content

Ben Woods

31 Jan 2023

Video SVOD Gaming

The modern entertainment industry is a tale of re-invention. The need for vast amounts of content to justify the value of a subscription video on-demand (SVOD) service has made the artists, series, and franchises of yesteryear just as valuable to platforms as the next blockbuster hit.

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Collector’s editions are becoming a backdoor for monetising early access

Rhys Elliott

17 Apr 2024

Xbox Xbox Game Pass Ubisoft

Since publishers first increased AAA game prices from $60 to $70 in 2020, many people have asked MIDiA if publishers will raise that price further. Our answer: they already have – sort of, anyway. Via collector’s editions – more expensive versions of games with extra content – publishers are...

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Cover image for All eyes, no ears

All eyes, no ears
Why virality is not building fandom

Mark Mulligan, Hanna Kahlert, Kriss Thakrar, Tatiana Cirisano and Olivia Jones

16 Sep 2025

Free Report

Music discovery Business Strategy

Over the last five years, labels and artists have invested in social media, betting that a steady stream of artist content and influencer campaigns will engineer virality. The theory is simple: virality leads to streams, streams lead to fandom, and fandom leads to long-term, sustainable artist careers.

Cover image for The State of the Video Creator Economy

The State of the Video Creator Economy
The road to one billion creators

Ben Woods and Mark Qi

21 Oct 2025

Creators Content advertising

The video creator economy is entering a new stage of its development. Time spent creating content has plateaued, and key drivers behind the pandemic’s content creation boom are weakening. Growth now depends on AI tools to bring more first-time creators into the funnel and alleviate pain points blocking video creator progression.

Cover image for India market focus

India market focus
A fandom and AI-forward online population

Hanna Kahlert

12 Jun 2025

YouTube Facebook Fandom

Online Indian consumers are expected to be early movers. They are high entertainment consumers, AI enthusiasts, and high spenders – especially on fandom. This report explores a population that is an early adopter, format-agnostic, mobile-first audience, with huge growth potential.

The audio listener is too valuable for the music industry to ignore

Rutger Rosenborg

13 Feb 2025

Fandom Spotify US

On the heels of positive Q4 2024 financials for Spotify , the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has not lost a step in holding the company accountable for what it sees as unauthorised music usage.

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Quick take: The games industry health check

Karol Severin

27 Feb 2024

games forecasts games revenue Games industry

In recent weeks and months, a growing number of people have been asking: “What is going on with the games industry?”, “Is the games industry doomed now?”, “Is it done growing?”, “If neither a new Switch or GTA 6 are getting released this year, is the games industry going to have a weak...

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Cover image for Bridging the creator gap

Bridging the creator gap
Monetising social video’s micro-communities

Samuel Griffin and Ben Woods

3 Apr 2023

Subscriptions YouTube Twitch

The pandemic-induced boom in content creation has saturated social video platforms at a time when creators are battling a downturn in digital advertising revenues. These dual pressures of less exposure and dwindling financial returns have put pressure on mid-tier creators; the community that derives all their creator income from advertising, subscr...

Cover image for Songwriters take the stage

Songwriters take the stage
A new playbook for a new era

Tatiana Cirisano and Fernanda Balzaretti

31 Jul 2024

Streaming Spotify music industry

The streaming era upended the already-fraught business of being a songwriter, pushing songwriters to secure new revenue streams and better deal terms. While the recorded music industry has responded to similar shifts with a flourishing artist services market, the same is not true for songwriters.

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