Gaming
Mobile gaming needs more talent to power the UK’s tech revival, claims industry expert
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Fatih-Haltas-1-scaled.jpg)
Fatih Haltas, founder of mobile game developer Matchingham Games, believes the UK could lose its European tech crown if action isn’t taken by industry and government to attract more investment and talent to the mobile gaming sector.
Haltas set up Matchingham Games in the UK in 2020 to tap into its established tech ecosystem. Since then, the company has grown to over 120 staff members and achieved nearly 500 million installs, but Haltas says mobile gaming developers still struggle to attract the best talent and institutional investment, which is stunting growth opportunities in the sector.
Haltas said: “The UK has done a fantastic job in cultivating a dynamic gaming sector, and we have the infrastructure to truly become a world leader in mobile gaming. We already have the biggest gaming market in Europe, but we must attract more talent and investment from the global giants like the US, Japan, and South Korea.”
Currently, firms can apply for employee sponsorship licences, but these require upfront payment and often come with long administrative processes. Haltas believes removing these financial barriers and offering targeted, streamlined gaming visas would attract crucial investment and talent to drive growth in mobile gaming and the wider UK tech sector.
He continued: “There has been commendable government action for the gaming sector as a whole, like the UK Games Fund and Video Games Tax Relief. Unfortunately, these aren’t targeted for the specific talent challenges in mobile gaming. Young developers are still drawn to the more high-profile console studios and titles.
“The UK’s gaming industry has established foundations and proven growth potential. With some surgical support in talent acquisition, like easing visa requirements for tech graduates from overseas, the industry can be left alone to do what it does best – developing market-leading games. This would lead to a surge of investment into the sector.”
Haltas believes another option available is increasing the Business Asset Disposal Relief (previously Entrepreneurs’ Relief) lifetime allowance from £1 million to its previous ceiling of £10 million, and argues this would encourage companies to relocate to the UK to develop their games and stimulate M&A activity in the sector.
Haltas’ intervention comes in the wake of Drake Star’s latest Global Gaming Report, which shows the UK lagging behind an uptick of M&A activity in the industry (full report).
Q3 saw the biggest strategics, like Tencent and Playtika, consolidating, and Q4 has seen the Activision/Microsoft merger finally close. While many commentators have questioned what the Microsoft deal means for the industry, Haltas insists the lack of M&A activity in the UK highlights how institutional investors don’t take mobile gaming as seriously as other markets.
Haltas continued: “The UK mobile gaming sector often presents more lucrative commercial opportunities than the console and the PC sector, yet investors consider it a second-rate form of gaming. This mindset needs to change.”
In 2022, the global market revenue for mobile games was $91.8 billion dollars; for console games it was only $52.2 billion (statista). Mobile also makes up a larger percentage of total gamers; in the US it’s estimated that 48.3% of the total population are mobile gamers (Insider Intelligence).
The Drake Star Q3 report details 42 deals in the mobile gaming sector, with a value totalling $316 million. Total gaming deals across both console and mobile are concentrated in North America, with 11, and Asia, with 13.
The increase in gaming deal flow in these markets follows the introduction of talent incentives. India’s AVCG incentives provide cash for companies developing content in India, and further support for those employing a 15% Indian workforce (Confederation of Indian Industry). Turkey provides cashback incentives for UA expenditure (Turkish Ministry of Commerce) and the UAE’s AD Gaming initiative provides support for locally developed games (AD Gaming). In a European context, some EU countries offer corporate tax relief.
HSBC Innovation Banking’s ‘Data Commons’ initiative with Dealroom outlines the state of the UK tech industry (full report). Whilst the UK leads the European market, with its startups having raised $8.9 billion so far this year, its European competitors are catching up as investment lags behind the European average.
Haltas believes the UK is now at a disadvantage to other markets and while the government’s recent autumn statement included measures to support British business, he’s calling for sector-specific support targeted at high-growth industries.
Haltas continued: “The UK’s mobile gaming sector now risks lagging behind other markets and while the impetus is on the industry to drive growth, a little push from the government could have knock-on effects that go beyond gaming.
“Bringing in the best talent in one tech sector inevitably attracts the best developers and designers in other areas, and this will be a massive draw for investment into UK tech. The UK’s mobile gaming industry could become a lightning rod of investment and capital, revitalising the wider UK tech ecosystem.”
Gaming
More players, more revenue: mobile games are very popular among Germans
![More players, more revenue – mobile games are very popular among Germans](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/image002.jpg)
- Revenues from games apps grow in Germany by 4 per cent to over 2.9 billion euros
- Smartphones and tablets attract 300,000 additional players in twelve months
- ‘Mobile games often attract people with little or no experience of playing video games’
Games apps for smartphones and tablets continue to do well in Germany: revenues from mobile games grew by another 4 per cent to 2.9 billion euros within a year. This part of the games market has almost doubled since 2018, when revenues amounted to 1.49 billion euros. These are the figures released today by game – The German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research company data.ai. Not only were games app revenues up, but the number of mobile game players also grew by 300,000 to 24.6 million in the space of a year. The average age of people who play video games on their smartphone in Germany is 40. Women tend to play more on smartphones and tablets (52%) compared to men (48%).
‘Games apps for smartphones and tablets are very popular among Germans,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Although we’ve been witnessing the unstoppable rise of the smartphone for almost a decade and a half, this is still an area of the game market that continues to grow. Mobile games often attract people with little or no experience of playing video games. The mobile gaming market has grown hugely over recent years: alongside classic casual games for spare moments, complex games and even esports titles are now also firmly established. This variety is unique and one of the strengths of games apps.’
A closer look at the mobile gaming market in Germany highlights the distinctive features of the sector: around 5 million euros – significantly below 1 per cent of total revenues – is generated by the sale of individual mobile games. Revenues from online gaming services on smartphones and tablets are significantly higher, amounting to 43 million euros or around 1 per cent. 98 per cent and therefore almost the entire revenue from games apps – 2.9 billion euros – is generated with in-app purchases. These include cosmetic enhancements for players’ own avatars along with virtual currencies and loot boxes or large story expansions.
Strong development of the German game market in 2023
The German games market showed significant overall growth again in 2023, with revenues from games, gaming hardware and online gaming services increasing by 6 per cent, to some 9.97 billion euros. This considerable rise follows a revenue increase of just 1 per cent in the preceding year. The largest drivers of this growth include game consoles and related accessories, as well as in-game and in-app purchases. At the same time, sales of gaming PCs and laptops saw clear declines in some areas.
Gaming
Games Lift 2024: These five developer teams will receive the Hamburg incubator funding
![Games Lift 2024: These five developer teams will receive the Hamburg incubator funding](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/240723_Games_Lift_Funded_Projects_PM_EN.png)
Five teams have won over the Games Lift awarding committee with their game projects. On September 9, the Games Lift Incubator will start for them as a unique support program in Germany. Included is a one-year workshop and mentoring program with international industry experts and 15,000 euros in financial support, as well as room for collaboration and exchange with the other participating teams. More than 30 experts in game design, product development, pitching, business development, press relations and marketing from the Games Lift network will share their experience with the teams to give their projects a professional start. Starting this year, the program also offers participating teams a joint trip to an international industry event. The Games Lift Incubator is organized and implemented by Gamecity Hamburg on behalf of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
A total of 21 teams and solo developers applied for the fourth Games Lift Incubator. The decision for the five participating teams was made by the awarding committee, consisting of Kristin von der Wense (Publishing Producer Daedalic Entertainment), Ole Schaper (Managing Director The Sandbox Hamburg (Sviper GmbH)), Heiko Gogolin (Managing Director Rocket Beans Entertainment) and Tobias Graff (Co-Founder, Programmer and CEO Mooneye Studios).
Margarete Schneider, Project Manager at Gamecity Hamburg, on the award committee’s decision: “We are delighted with the large number of applications for our incubator and the high standard of the pitch decks submitted once again. It is particularly pleasing that we are receiving more applications from outside Hamburg, who see the city as an attractive location for starting a new business. The Games Lift Incubator provides gaming start-ups with comprehensive starting support and enables them to forge connections in Hamburg’s diverse games scene.
The five winner projects and teams for Games Lift Incubator 2024:
- ForeFeathers by Team Honeybeak
- Frisia – Cozy Villages by Rouven Cabanis
- Light of Atlantis by Duck ‘n’ Run Games
- Pubcrawler by Triflgard
- Tiny Garden by Tales from the Garden
ForeFeathers by Team Honeybeak is a 3D Puzzle-Platformer where players slip into the role of a penguin, who explores the sky-high ruins of an ancient civilization of birds. Traversing the flying islands with the ancient powers of flight, solving tricky puzzles and keeping the penguin’s friends away from trouble are some main aspects of the game.
In Frisia – Cozy Villages by Rouven Cabanis the player gains control over an uninhabited Northsea island and is tasked with building a functional, yet cozy and beautiful little town. Inspired by the frisian architecture of the Dutch and German Northsea coast, Frisia aims to create a cozy gameplay experience in harmony with simple town-building and strategy game mechanics.
Light of Atlantis by Duck ‘n’ Run Games is a 2D puzzle metroidvania in which players take on the roles of various robots with individual abilities to explore the sunken ruins of Atlantis. By draining and releasing water into the various rooms, the robots shape their environment and improve their chances against different enemies. Light of Atlantis was part of the Gamecity Hamburg prototype funding in 2023 and received in the same year the German Computer Game Award (Deutscher Computerspielpreis) in the category “Best Prototype”.
Pubcrawler by Triflgard is a co-op PC game in which up to four players need to work as a team, to navigate a giant, mechanic, wandering pub through an apocalyptic wasteland. In the process, they must complete a variety of challenging tasks that can only be mastered as a team. Working together efficiently, pleasing the different guests and keeping a cool head even when the giant pubcrawler faces technical issues are the key to a successful journey.
In Tiny Garden by Tales from the Garden players slip into the role of a deity who fills a deserted planet with life. Together with their servants, a group of cute leaf creatures that must be protected from evil spirits, they plant a constantly growing garden. As soon as the garden is fully grown, the evil spirits can be soothed and the player can move on to the next planet in help.
Gaming
MainStreaming Announces Appointment of Nicola Micali as Chief Customer Officer
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/9-8.jpg)
MainStreaming, an iMDP INTELLIGENT MEDIA DELIVERY COMPANY, which is redefining the CDN market with its innovative Edge Network services, announced the appointment of Nicola Micali as its new Chief Customer Officer (CCO).
With a track record of improving processes and efficiency and creating go-to-market strategies, Harvard alumnus and former Akamaite, Nicola Micali joins MainStreaming with the goal of solidifying a customer-centric organisation that prioritises long-term relationships, customer experience (CX) and satisfaction, ensuring MainStreaming’s continued business growth and market leadership.
Nicola brings a wide range of professional experience as a Leader of Customer Success & Professional Services at Akamai for over 10 years, where he was responsible for services and overall revenue. He developed the services strategy for the Americas’ media & entertainment, gaming and partners verticals exceeding all revenue targets year after year. Nicola’s expertise in leading technical customer-facing teams has resulted in higher customer satisfaction and successful worldwide streaming events.
With a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Harvard, Micali’s educational background further enhances his capability to lead and innovate in the Edge video technology sector. As Nicola steps in as CCO, he will play a pivotal role in guiding the entire customer lifecycle journey. His expertise in customer success positions him perfectly to lead MainStreaming’s efforts in providing world-class service to a global clientele.
MainStreaming’s CEO, Antonio G. Corrado, said: “QoS for our customers and QoE for end users are at the core of our streaming business. It is the best proxy for customer satisfaction for us. We are happy to welcome Nicola Micali, who demonstrates his expertise in customer success. Together, we are set to strengthen our commitment to being a customer satisfaction-oriented company, leveraging our world-class services directed to broadcast-quality standards that are requested by industry players.”
MainStreaming’s video delivery technology is meticulously developed in-house, offered as managed private Edge Network to help broadcasters, OTT TVs and content owners overcome the toughest challenges of live streaming at scale, addressing the limitations of classic CDN and enabling new application solutions on the Edge.
“I am honored to join a team that is on a mission to write a new chapter in video streaming delivery, setting new standards, and paving the way for the future of TV. I am ready to contribute to MainStreaming’s innovative approach and customer-centric philosophy. Together, we are set to revolutionize how the streaming industry approaches Edge Network architecture for live streaming, emphasizing a more distributed, ultra-low-latency, energy-efficient, and globally scalable design,” Nicola Micali said.
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