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Investing in the frontier of gaming.
Konvoy Ventures is a thesis driven venture capital firm. We invest in the platforms and technologies at the frontier of gaming.
Our writing and thoughts on the gaming industry.
July 1, 2022
There may be an open door for a super-app to emerge from the gaming ecosystem that works for the West
Gaming
Consumer
Mobile
June 24, 2022
One of game distribution’s key problems over the last 20 years: distribution is not built for the consumer
Steam
Epic Games
Social
June 17, 2022
Despite its current market leadership position, we believe that Discord’s existing product leaves it vulnerable
Discord
June 16, 2022
Our map of the gaming industry
Content
June 15, 2022
An award-winning studio centered around creative, play-based learning experiences for kids
Investments
Education
June 10, 2022
In the future, we expect that the majority of gamers will have a consistent companion that accompanies them across virtual worlds
Metaverse
June 3, 2022
We believe there is a strong case for gaming to be viewed as “recession-resilient”
Market Research
June 2, 2022
The financialOS for games and apps
Fintech
May 27, 2022
What if Nintendo had released a mobile phone and how it might have worked
Nintendo
May 20, 2022
We believe that Southeast Asia has the opportunity to be one of the most innovative markets globally
Emerging Markets
Venture Capital
May 13, 2022
Balancing community-forward strategy with ensuring successful execution of a game’s economy
Blockchain
May 6, 2022
Why we expect Twitch’s position in the gaming industry to shrink dramatically over the next 2-3 years
Twitch
April 29, 2022
Gaming will remain resilient in this VC slowdown
April 22, 2022
Two primary ways for brands to enter games that we believe have a higher rate of success
Marketing
April 15, 2022
Epic’s history is important to understanding its current position and future ambitions
History
April 8, 2022
Game clipping is potentially walking into a perfect storm of consumer trends and accessible technologies
April 1, 2022
How web3 is impacting the role of social interaction in gaming
March 25, 2022
Social experiences across gaming
March 23, 2022
Content creation for the metaverse
March 18, 2022
VR needs intentional social experiences
VR
March 16, 2022
March 11, 2022
The music industry's structural issues will not be fixed by gaming
Music
March 4, 2022
Gaming as a platform for learning
February 25, 2022
NFTs, economies, and innovation
Play to Earn
Monetization
RT @konvoyventures: Our latest #newsletter focused on #superapps and these topics: - @WeChatApp: a brief history of their success in the E…
@snird Do you think social casino should be included and real money wagering (traditional casino games) should be considered in mobile gaming growth?
@kevinlambert That is an interesting thesis, that founder background is largely consistent with what I see come across my desk for those launching gaming cos leveraging the blockchain technology suite.
@kevinlambert One of the biggest concerns I have with teams pursuing incorporating an externally trading token into their game is often a percentage of their time is lost to optimizing for the token price vs building a better product. Not always the case but I see it frequently.
Thrilled to see the team at @_echo3D_ continue to crush it. https://t.co/o7MHfr502g
@MikeDuda @Samirkaji Agreed. Audio only is making a comeback just like high interest rates.
@ThisIsDglove Agreed, virtual worlds centered on fun win. I also don’t think we will ever see one dominate “metaverse”, just like we will never see one game. I think it is likely some games will leverage blockchain but I don’t think it is a requirement to build a successful virtual world.
@patiencehaggin This clearly can be answered by if you chose the red pill or the blue pill https://t.co/jl35BMYSNV
Very cool to see Kenyan game studio @MekanGames put out a chart topping game in the US! Mekan was part of the inaugural Cape Town Crazy Hub accelerator put on by @CrazyLabsGames and @carry1st https://t.co/sWkxpswXfB
Game distribution has been controlled the tech giants for as long as gamers can remember. Steam, Google Play, Apple Store, Xbox Store, and the PlayStation Store have owned this market for essentially two decades.
Due to the strong marketplace network effects of these distribution platforms, we have seen complacency when it comes to consumer-focused innovation. Outside of exclusive content, we see four alternative ways in which we think PC game distribution platforms can differentiate:
1) Social features - external integrations, teammate discovery, etc 2) Creating and sharing game moments (clipping) 3) Discovering and watching content creators 4) Deep recommendation engine (leveraging big data)
The problem with PC game distribution is one worth solving. Incumbents will need to innovate or new entrants will find a way to push this vertical forward within the gaming industry. Subscribe here to see the full write up: https://t.co/Sdkfv5AVSc
Game Distribution: A problem worth solving. Due to the strong marketplace network effects of these distribution platform, we have seen complacency when it comes to consumer-focused innovation. https://t.co/HKeGfrCkgG
We see 4 alternative ways in which we think PC game distribution platforms can differentiate: 1) Social features - external integrations, teammate discovery 2) Creating and sharing game moments (clipping) 3) Discovering and watching content creators 4) Deep recommendation engine
Game distribution has been controlled by a select few tech companies for as long as most gamers can remember. Steam (Valve), Google Play (Alphabet), iOS App Store (Apple), Xbox Store (Microsoft), and PlayStation Store (Sony) have owned this market for essentially two decades.
In short, we believe that the problem with PC game distribution is one worth solving. Incumbents will need to innovate or new entrants will find a way to push this vertical forward within the gaming industry.
@kylebrussell China is still aggressively investing in Africa and LatAM.
RT @konvoyventures: Did you read our gaming industry newsletter last week? We covered one of game distribution’s key problems over the last…
@BrendanFWallace @LinkedIn point of pushback #1- the new guard hasn’t proven themselves in a macro downturn, many of the blue-chip firms have done this and are battle-tested in both bull and bear markets. That experience is valuable in actually securing a strong DPI vs just IRR / TVPI.
@BrendanFWallace @LinkedIn #2 - I think it is important to differentiate on the LP side between institutional responses (e.g. endowments) vs. private capital. I agree, it is harder to get institutions in this market for the new guard; however, my experience is private capital is still very open.
@BrendanFWallace @LinkedIn If I was an LP I would want to see a retroactive study of entry points over 2019-2021 to see how disciplined the gps were when valuations got wonky
@BrendanFWallace @LinkedIn This could also be a difference in AUM size for firms managing sub $500m vs those north of the $1bn mark
@BrendanFWallace @LinkedIn I appreciate your thoughts and agree with a lot of them. I think it is very hard to launch a generalist fund today, the market doesn’t need that and I think it calls for specialization / focused money. I also think this would be a brutal time to launch Fund I.
@ReadyPlayerRich It got out of control
February 18, 2022
5 key issues: ownership, identity, visuals, utility, protocols
February 11, 2022
433m gamers, only 35% mobile adoption, 60% of gamers under 25 years old
February 4, 2022
Meta's grand ambitions for the metaverse
January 28, 2022
Accretive or dilutive to the play-and-earn ecosystem?
January 21, 2022
Microsoft acquires Activision, Take-Two Acquires Zynga
January 14, 2022
Play-to-earn or play-and-earn?
January 7, 2022
Oculus sold more headsets than Xbox, PS, or Nintendo in 2021
December 31, 2021
A summary of the key trends we observed
December 24, 2021
Opportunities and roadblocks for virtual land
December 17, 2021
Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store
December 10, 2021
Solutions for AAA game developers
December 3, 2021
Ability to Earn → Ease of Crypto Adoption → Games-First Mentality → Genre Alignment → Creator Economies
November 19, 2021
Virtual influencers are a scalable way for brands to reach their fans
November 12, 2021
Steam's controversial decision to block NFT games stirs controversy
November 5, 2021
Netflix Games is going to market
October 29, 2021
Digital identities are the new frontier for self-exploration and expression
October 22, 2021
Can cloud gaming fix game subscriptions' adoption problem?
October 15, 2021
A brief history of branding in games and where it's going next
February 16, 2019
Apex Legends' impressive launch, Overwatch League returns
May 3, 2019
Influencer monetization, Call of Duty franchise
May 10, 2019
Our views regarding a federal ban on microtransactions
May 17, 2019
The struggle for esports organizations
May 24, 2019
Fortnite x Air Jordans, Riot Games governing body for collegiate esports
May 31, 2019
Gaming and culture, interesting updates from this week
June 14, 2019
Notes from the E3 conference
June 21, 2019
Investing in gaming, M&A activity, OWL talent flight
July 5, 2019
Gaming vs. Hollywood, Slack's IPO, media deals, "The Official Beer of Esports"
July 12, 2019
Professional gamers and the difference between streamers and esports athletes
July 19, 2019
Why Konvoy invested in EQU8
July 26, 2019
Esports prize pools, points of interest
August 2, 2019
Exclusive deals for streamers
August 9, 2019
Why Konvoy invested in Muxy
August 16, 2019
Gaming and Starbucks, Ninja's Twitch channel, Mixer vs. Twitch, DOTA 2 world championship
August 23, 2019
Newzoo consumer research, Ninja and Fortnite, esports jobs
August 30, 2019
City-based franchising coming to Call of Duty
September 6, 2019
Call of Duty League media rights overview
September 15, 2019
Highlights from the Esports Business Summit
October 4, 2019
Esports highlights, edge computing gains traction, game bundling, CDL vs. OWL
October 11, 2019
Activision vs. Hong Kong, data points on streaming
October 18, 2019
Notes from The Information Summit in San Francisco, Riot Games' new projects
October 25, 2019
COD: Mobile's successful launch, Mixer signs Shroud, Call of Duty franchising, the future of gaming
November 1, 2019
Call of Duty launch, gaming winning battle for consumer attention, esports media rights, questionable IPO
November 8, 2019
Live streaming growth, gamer spending habits, esports org broadcasting deals
November 15, 2019
Console hardware sales, League of Legends viewership
November 22, 2019
Konvoy's Washington Post feature, Google Stadia's tough start, game subscriptions
December 6, 2019
Cloud gaming's competitive landscape, media rights in China
December 20, 2019
The opportunity for game engines, Facebook's opportunity in gaming
December 27, 2019
A look back at 2019 in gaming
January 3, 2020
Streaming hours watched, mobile battle royale, dedicated esports VISA in Germany, Twitch sued
January 10, 2020
Esports experiences in IMAX, Pokemon Go success, ESL broadcast rights
January 17, 2020
Twitter and gaming, fintech in gaming and esports, gaming as a leader in interactive media
January 24, 2020
Epic Games store brings in $680M in first year, game developer survey
January 31, 2020
Consumer spending on mobile, time and spending by genre, ad dollars geared towards gaming
February 7, 2020
A new era for game engines, Steam exhibits impressive growth
February 14, 2020
Game content consolidation, Roblox's focus on safety
February 21, 2020
Benefits of gaming, Facebook Gaming growth, youth and their smartphones
February 28, 2020
COVID-19 closures, leisure time in America, esports jobs growth
March 6, 2020
Live streaming report, Riot launches Valorant, HBO making a show out of game IP, Envy buys into Flashpoint
March 13, 2020
Konvoy's macro view of the market in light of COVID-19
March 20, 2020
Gaming engagement grows as the world turns to digital experiences
March 28, 2020
eRacing takes off, CPI drops for mobile game studios, esports betting legal in Nevada
April 3, 2020
Gaming's resilience, pre-launch game tools, Amazon AAA titles + cloud gaming, ESPN broadcasts 2k League
April 17, 2020
Konvoy's investment in Lootcakes, consumer spending growth, record mobile app revenue, Discord expands user base
April 24, 2020
Video game sales growth, Roblox's favorable position for the future, influencer philanthropy
May 1, 2020
United States GDP falls, mobile engagement rises, Microsoft Gaming revenue drops
May 8, 2020
Gaming market update, plummeting Overwatch viewership
May 15, 2020
Overview of recent M&A transactions in gaming
May 22, 2020
Amazon's first AAA title, TikTok's new CEO
May 29, 2020
Early days of in-game advertising, crossover between traditional sports and gaming
June 12, 2020
Unity's report on how COVID-19 is impacting gaming, OWL spots go to non-endemics, VALORANT launch
June 19, 2020
AT&T selling Warner Interactive for $4B, Epic Games valued at $17B, FDA approves first game
June 26, 2020
Microsoft shuts down Mixer, Apple's mobile advertising changes, Riot Games philanthropic efforts
July 4, 2020
Cloud gaming promises negative latency, India bans 59 Chinese apps, growth of streaming platforms
July 10, 2020
Discord unable to effectively monetize, Caffeine raises a Series D, Sony invests in Epic Games
July 17, 2020
Consumer spending on gaming, console games unable to raise prices
November 6, 2020
Stillfront Group contributing to M&A activity, EA's underperformance
July 24, 2020
Localization of game content, Microsoft console bundling, esports broadcasting rights
July 31, 2020
Learning in a virtual world, gaming as a tool for career development and self-discovery, Netflix using gaming IP for a show
August 7, 2020
Generative content in gaming, acceleration of hypercasual games on mobile
August 14, 2020
Fortnite banned by Apple and Google app stores, tension between Tencent and the US government
August 21, 2020
Growing tension between Apple and Unreal, mobile gaming optimization, flight simulator
December 28, 2021
July 1, 2021
March 24, 2021
May 31, 2021
December 6, 2021
January 10, 2022
November 9, 2021
November 2, 2021
October 26, 2021
November 13, 2019
January 28, 2019
September 4, 2019
February 6, 2019
February 4, 2020
April 9, 2020
August 26, 2020
September 10, 2020
September 28, 2018
November 27, 2018
February 11, 2019
July 11, 2019
October 23, 2018
June 7, 2019
June 28, 2019
December 13, 2019
September 18, 2020
September 20, 2021
May 4, 2021
October 6, 2021
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