Karol Severin | MIDiA Research

Gamer penetration: Two findings from end-of-year health check

Blog post by Karol Severin

16 Dec 2021

Gamer penetration is one of those stats that most people are intuitively aware of – mobile is the largest, followed by PC and console gamer bases…However, when we get complacent with existing knowledge...

2022 MIDiA predictions
The year of the creator

Report by Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Srishti Das, Kriss Thakrar and Tatiana Cirisano

16 Dec 2021

£5,000.00 excl. VAT

Media and Marketing

business strategy

2022 predictions

In this report MIDiA Research analysts present their predictions for what will be the big trends in digital media and tech across music, video, brands, marketing, games, and sports in 2022 and beyond. ...

PlayStation Plus overhaul: a defensive catch-up move, or foundation for growth offensive?

Blog post by Karol Severin

9 Dec 2021

Playstation

xbox game pass

games subscriptions

According to Bloomberg citing people familiar with the matter, Sony plans to weave PlayStation Now (its on-demand games streaming offering) into PlayStation Plus (subscription necessary to access multiplayer...

Games worlds
Assessing audience reach, value and relevance

Report by Karol Severin

25 Nov 2021

£3,000.00 excl. VAT

Games

games industry

games worlds

As more online games worlds enter the market, brands and marketers need to focus more on monitoring the nuances of each games world community to identify the most effective partnership opportunities....

Labels could have helped Epic reimagine music – now Harmonix will do it instead

Blog post by Karol Severin

25 Nov 2021

music industry

games industry

Epic Games

Epic Games announced it is acquiring Harmonix, the maker of Rock Band. While this makes sense for the Fortnite maker and its entertainment metaverse, it has the risk of diluting the potential music expertise...

Quick take: Bridging IRL and digital – the next phase of entertainment consumption

Blog post by Karol Severin

19 Nov 2021

IRl

consumption habits

consumer trends

We are entering a new phase in the evolution of consumption. Traditionally, IRL dominated entertainment consumption. With the advent of the internet, smartphones and other technological innovations, companies...

Reality check: NFTs are still niche, but they do have mainstream potential

Blog post by Karol Severin

11 Nov 2021

NFT

Games

audience insight

The rise of NFTs has certainly been one of the talks of 2021. Looking at emerging trends and then separating the hype from the substance is MIDiA’s specialty. This is particularly pertinent as the most...

Quick take: Another blow for Epic Games as Fortnite shuts down in China

Blog post by Karol Severin

4 Nov 2021

Fortnite

Epic Games

regulation

It has not been the best year for Fortnite. Following the fiasco with its Apple lawsuit, as well as year on year consumer penetration having declined , the Fortnite maker announced that it is shutting...

FaZe goes public – what to watch out for

Blog post by Karol Severin

28 Oct 2021

FaZe

esports

culture

FaZe is going public via a SPAC merger. It is positioning itself as the company who can help brands reach Gen Z. Can it succeed? Every generation or so, there is a company that builds its narrative to...

EA’s exclusive FIFA license is under threat as games go cross-entertainment

Blog post by Karol Severin

22 Oct 2021

FIFA

EA

football

Last week it was reported that FIFA and EA are at an impasse regarding the renewal negotiations of an exclusive license deal. EA stated that it is considering renaming its flagship football title, while...

The key winners and losers of the Covid-bounce effect in games

Blog post by Karol Severin

14 Oct 2021

games engagement

Fortnite

Roblox

As we have covered before, games engagement began to experience effects of the Covid-bounce . As usual, however, there are winners and losers within the wider micro-dynamics. The following graph demonstrates...

Why games-related video warrants a specific category on mainstream video services

Blog post by Karol Severin

8 Oct 2021

gamers

SVOD

genre preferences

In Q2 2021, 11% of US consumers stated that they watch games-related videos every month. This is now nearing the same penetration rate as fandom of reality TV shows or the news (both at 12%), and greater...

Opportunity for entertainment companies as the ‘Covid Bounce’ effect is in full swing for games

Blog post by Karol Severin

30 Sep 2021

covid-19 impact

covid bounce

games industry

Following the pandemic breakout in March 2020, MIDiA predicted that Covid-19-induced games engagement growth was temporary and will face a correction as the world starts coming back to life. Indeed,...

Games discovery and conversion
Navigating between generations in the 2020s

Cover image for Games discovery and conversion

Report by Karol Severin

30 Sep 2021

£3,000.00 excl. VAT

games discovery

digital natives

word of mouth

The 2020s population is split between digital natives and older digital migrants, which shapes how consumers discover and convert to new games. Younger consumers are more likely to discover via channels...

Justice is served…Initial thoughts on the Apple vs. Epic ruling

Blog post by Karol Severin

14 Sep 2021

Epic Games

Apple

Fortnite

The court ruling in the Apple vs. Epic Games case has taken media headlines by storm. However, given the diversity of narratives around the outcome, it is clear that the ‘winner’, is not exactly clear...

Quick take: Word of mouth is no longer the single most powerful games discovery tool

Blog post by Karol Severin

3 Sep 2021

games discovery

word of mouth

social media

Do you know the saying ‘ word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool ’? Well, things are changing - or at least evolving. MIDiA’s Q2 2021 consumer survey states that 25% of consumers typically...

Gamers & entertainment merchandise

Report by Karol Severin

31 Aug 2021

£3,000.00 excl. VAT

Games

gaming

games industry

As the digital entertainment worlds grow alongside the traditional IRL entertainment world, the next step in the evolution of the entertainment industry will be to bridge the IRL & digital entertainment...

Chinese limits on gaming are more about the long-term, rather than short-term impacts

Blog post by Karol Severin

31 Aug 2021

China

regulation

audience engagement

A new regulation announced by the National Press and Publication Administration issues new rules around games engagement of under 18s. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the new rules will allow no...

Roblox continues its growth story narrative, but cannot escape the Covid-bounce effect

Blog post by Karol Severin

20 Aug 2021

Roblox

financial results

earnings

Roblox reported on its Q2 2021 results this week. Indeed, a continuation of the company’s growth story with bookings surpassing $665 million, up 35% year-on-year. On paper, the 127% YoY growth of revenue...

A handful of sports dominate fandom among esports viewers, but opportunity still exists for many

Blog post by Karol Severin

11 Aug 2021

esports

Sports

fandom

Sports are increasingly executing on the overlap between gaming and esports. A handful of sports have established a strong foothold and lead among esports viewers. Data shows, however, that the still-emerging...