This Month
This video game maker was Australia’s big hope. It’s on life support
Mighty Kingdom has burned through $35 million in two years and has tapped the market for $1 million more to keep the lights on.
- Jessica Sier
PAC Capital forced to liquidate ‘esports’ gaming fund
The decision is a blow to fund owner Clayton Larcombe, who has promoted online gaming as a promising investment opportunity.
- Aaron Patrick
September
Why this Newcastle doctor switched from scrubs to video games
Michael Pomroy made about $140,000 last year playing construction and building games online and posting videos about them after burning out as a doctor.
- Larry Schlesinger
August
How Nvidia became the world’s most important company overnight
Almost every company and government in the world is desperate to invest in AI and the chip maker has ridden that wave to a trillion-dollar valuation.
- James Titcomb and Matthew Field
July
- Analysis
- Japan
Shares in this Japanese gaming group have surged 1200pc in a decade
Tapping underserved and developing markets, such as Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with heavily discounted classic games has paid off for Capcom.
- Takashi Mochizuki and Yuki Furukawa
Court ruling changes game for Microsoft’s $103b Activision deal
US and UK regulators could demand more concessions but investors are betting on an industry-shaping victory.
- Richard Waters and Stefania Palma
May
Property crisis in the Metaverse as virtual land-grab turns sour
Blockchain-based metaverses are suffering their own housing crisis, with virtual land values in Decentraland and Sandbox plummeting.
- Jessica Sier
This author’s bestselling book shows you how to continue after failure
“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” writer Gabrielle Zevin talks about the never-ending cycle of hopes and broken dreams in a creative life.
- Lucy Dean
- Exclusive
- Gaming & wagering
ASX-hopeful Dynasty Gaming & Media inks deal with Let’sPlay.Live
The company, backed by ex-Virgin Group CEO David Baxby and Caledonia’s Mark Nelson, is hoping to scoop up $6.5 billion in spending from Australian gamers.
- Jessica Sier
February
Next hot housing market is out of this world: it’s in the metaverse
Much like real-world real estate, where pricing fluctuates according to the principle of supply and demand, metaverse real estate also operates on a fixed scale.
- Debra Kamin
January
Tech and gaming workers get overtime rights
Employers will have to record the hours of IT staff, game workers and engineers under new penalty rates and overtime rules brought in to regulate “60 hour-plus” weeks.
- Updated
- David Marin-Guzman
December 2022
Microsoft agrees 10-year ‘Call of Duty’ deal with Nintendo
The agreement depends on Microsoft closing its $US69 billion ($100 billion) acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- Vlad Savov
October 2022
- Exclusive
- Hedge funds
Australia’s only esports hedge fund now has $500m under management
Esports hedge fund PAC Capital has acquired Clearwater Portfolio Management in a deal that balloons the gaming and tech investor’s funds under management to $500m.
- Jessica Sier
He quit uni to make a video game; now he’s a Young Rich Lister
Alex Connolly is this year’s youngest member of the Young Rich List after helping create Australia’s third most valuable privately held tech company.
- Julie-anne Sprague
This new Young Rich Lister is turning big-name films into video games
Gerry Sakkas, co-founder of ASX-listed video game developer PlaySide Studios, makes his debut among Australia’s wealthiest people aged 40 and under.
- Michael Bailey
Redundancies and poor pay see unions rise in video gaming
A spate of sackings and poor conditions in the sector is seeing a rush of Australians sign up to a new trade union.
- Tess Bennett and Jessica Sier
- Opinion
Zuckerberg’s metaverse looks like a colossal fail
The tech entrepreneur was so confident about his new social network, he changed Facebook’s name.
- Updated
- Aaron Patrick
September 2022
- Exclusive
- Funding
Aussie start-up taking advertising into video games banks funding
In 16 months Livewire has signed up the likes of Uber Eats and Warner Music to its video game advertising tech services, it has banked VC backing to expand globally.
- Paul Smith
GameStop in partnership with crypto exchange FTX
The market has been sceptical of Ryan Cohen’s push into crypto in an effort to turn around the fortunes of the beleaguered gaming company.
- Cecilia D'Anastasio and Yueqi Yang
- Exclusive
- eSports
Cricket star turns tech entrepreneur with ambitious metaverse plan
One of cricket’s all-time greats is teaming up with Aussie investors and entrepreneurs to take sports into the metaverse.
- Paul Smith
