Epic Games Primer (Pt IV): Epic Online Services
Walk through of one of the most important, but least understood companies of the future. Part 4 focuses on Epic Online Services
Epic Games Primer (Pts II+III): Epic Games Store & Epic Games Publishing
Walk through of one of the most important, but least understood companies of the future. Part 2 focuses on Epic Games Store and Epic Games Publishing.
Epic Games Primer (Pt I): Epic's Flywheel & Unreal Engine
An introduction to one of the most important, but little understood companies of the future. Starting with its core business: Unreal Engine
Cloud Gaming: Why It Matters, What It Can’t Yet Be, and the ‘New’ Types of Games It Will Create
Cloud gaming is just one part of the future of games, but just as TV wasn’t a visual form of radio, the games built for cloud will look very different from the games of today. Introducing the MILE.
Content, Cars, and Comparisons in the "Streaming Wars"
Streaming content spend needs to be handicapped based on the ability of a network to create hits and a library of value. As a result, the gap between the biggest and smallest spenders is tighter than the topline numbers suggest.
On Fortnite's Travis Scott Concert
The Travis Scott x Fortnite event is commonly understood in comparison to prior Fortnite events, but instead it needs to be viewed as part of Fortnite’s testing and experimentation process/journey. It is technically less impressive than prior events, but creatively much bigger. Both points matter
Esports and the Dangers of Serving at the Pleasure of a King
We are years and hundreds of millions of dollars into the rise of esports, but most esports teams and start-ups are struggling (if still operational). And bad luck is rarely to blame.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Pay-TV and OTT Video
We’ll see an accelerated end of Pay-TV subscribers and ad revenues, more competition OTT, and several of Netflix’s short-term woes get worse
The Impact of COVID-19 on Video Gaming and Our Virtual Lives
How esports, cross-play, the Metaverse and more will forever be affected by an ‘IRL’ virus
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Movie/Theater Industry
COVID-19 will exacerbate and accelerate all underlying trends and grow the gaps between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
My Blog for 'The Economist': The Rise and Rise of Video Games
Covid-19 has drawn renewed attention to an under-appreciated industry.
Stratechery Podcast [Paywall]: Digital theme parks, Bob Iger & Netflix v Disney
I join Ben Thompson’s Stratechery for a podcast on digital theme parks, Bob Iger and the fallacy of Netflix v Disney and Content v Distribution
Digital Theme Park Platforms: The Most Important Media Businesses of the Future
An essay on theme parks, platforms, and the importance of hugs.
The End of Pay-TV
What’s happening to Pay-TV in 2020 isn’t just more OTT competition and higher prices. It is instead something new and unprecedented in media: the systemic undermining and defunding of a business with years and years of life left
7 Reasons Why Gaming IP Is Finally Taking Off in Film/TV
After decades of fan petitions and dreams, it’s clear that video game publishers, Hollywood, and general audiences are finally ready for gaming IP to be adapted to film and TV. Why now and what does this mean?
Sundance Panel Video on Marketing & Positioning in the "Streaming Wars"
Here, I touch on how each service will initially and then need to position themselves, the flaws of the “race to scale” and the overlooked importance of execution, why Disney+ was so successful, and more.
The Flaws of "Subscription Fatigue", "SVOD Fatigue", and the "Streaming Wars"
The most popular narratives hide the truth of competition, scalability, and monetization.
My OpEd for 'Business Week': “Hollywood Box Office Booms Even as Americans Stay Home and Chill"
Blockbusters like ‘Avengers: Endgame’ are setting new records, while movie tickets sold per person have hit a 92-year low.
The Next Frontier in Storytelling Universes and the Never Ending Desire for More
It’s all been leading to this.
The Metaverse: What It Is, Where to Find it, and Who Will Build It
There’s a reason every Big Tech CEO has a well-worn copy of “Snow Crash” in their office.