Issue 62  20th May 2016

The digital apocalypse: how the games industry is rising again

TV isn't the only media industry undergoing massive change, the video game industry in recent years is changing in almost every aspect. Consoles are adopting a faster, 'mobile-like' release cycle. Games are being released in episodes. Publishers are creating broadcast divisions for eSports and for TV & film adaptations of their blockbuster franchises. Studios from mid-size down are transforming into lean, distributed, remote, diverse and fluid teams.

There's innovation in advertising formats too. Players can watch an ad and get a small in-game reward. Not only does it give high completion rates on the ads, the game developers have already seen hugely increased session length and one developer 'Hipster Whale' announced it had made £3m through this model.

“It seems to be changing players perceptions of ads,” says Oscar Clark, a mobile industry veteran, now at Unity. “They’re no longer barriers but instead a way to get playing rewards for the game I’m currently playing. The focus is not grind ... its on the expectation of future value."

Swinging from Vine

A couple of reports this week have claimed to show the beginnings of an exodus from Vine and declining engagement on the platform. One MCN Viral Nation says it has been encouraging its creators to transition their audiences to other networks like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

The reason for this they say is the perceived lack of innovation and analytics by Vine. Noah Mallin, head of social for agency MEC’s North America operations, is optimistic though.

“I think Twitter will more fully integrate Vine into the main Twitter experience much in the way it’s doing with Periscope and will also integrate the ability to monetize on Vine more fully with Twitter’s powerful ad offerings,” he said. “This will give influencers confidence that they should continue to devote resources to Vine.”

The Simpsons went live last night, here's what Homer had to say

In a first for The Simpsons, Homer was live on TV, interacting with viewers who phoned in to ask him questions ranging from his political leanings to his favourite job. The logistical difficulties of live animation—particularly around the syncing of live dialog with animated facial expressions—was evident but the programme makers quite cleverly deflected the viewer’s attention to other characters who popped into frame.

In an era dominated by CGI, motion graphics and VFX, the low-fi feeling of the Q&A with Homer was still a novelty. And while it may look low-fi, a new Abode After Effects tool called Character Animator.