EA $55B 🎮, Epic-Google ⚖️, Brazil loot boxes 🚫
Deals & Disputes ⚖️
EA Sells for $55B: PIF, Silver Lake Lead Record Buyout
Electronic Arts will be taken private in a $55 billion all-cash deal led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, valuing shares at $210. EA will remain in Redwood City under CEO Andrew Wilson, with closing expected in Q1 FY27 pending approvals. The move expands PIF’s aggressive gaming footprint, but draws sharp criticism from human rights groups—setting up intense public and regulatory scrutiny over the future of EA’s studios and franchises.
Epic vs. Google: Supreme Court Showdown Over Android App Stores
Google has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a ruling that would force Google Play to allow third‑party app stores for three years, potentially letting the Epic Games Store appear on Play. Google cites “irreparable harm” and security risks if developers can bypass its fees; Epic calls those claims flawed and pro‑competition. If the stay is denied, the order takes effect October 22—poised to reshape Android game distribution, pricing, and monetization.
Marketing & Reach đź“Ł
IGN’s Imagine: Real-Time AI Audience Maps for Game Marketing
IGN Entertainment unveiled Imagine, an analytics platform that fuses cultural intelligence with cognitive AI to help marketers precisely target players in real time. Imagine+ builds “culture maps” from IGN/Ziff Davis’ 500M-strong audience, revealing overlaps across games and entertainment. Imagine Audience then validates and sizes segments for campaign activation. With live signals—like spikes in “game help” traffic—the platform helps teams launch campaigns exactly when player interest peaks.
Playable Ads Go Cross-Industry: Big Engagement, Bigger Opportunity
Playable ads are breaking out of gaming, delivering 15–30% engagement across retail, finance, and entertainment. Case studies show standout results—like New Balance’s 20+ seconds average engagement and 5% CTR—powered by HTML5, IAB standards, and ML-driven personalization. GeeMee positions its SDK and analytics for fast, cross-vertical deployment. If you monetize with ads, playables may be your next high-ROI lever.
Community, Creators & Policy đź‘Ą
93% Are Indie: How to Pitch and Pay Gaming Creators in 2025
Yrs Truly’s 2025 report shows most gaming creators are independent and part-time, making clear, audience-aligned pitches essential. While 68% focus on YouTube/Twitch, 89% also push short-form to TikTok/IG/Shorts for easy reach. Community trust drives decisions, so sponsors should prioritize fit and transparency—100% of creators will negotiate, and many offer indie rates. Events motivate coverage too, with 36% expecting travel/lodging support.
Brazil Bans Loot Boxes for Minors, Effective March 2026
Brazil’s new ECA Digital law bans selling loot boxes to under-18s starting March 2026, defining them as paid randomized rewards with undisclosed contents. The rules apply to games “aimed at” or “likely to be accessed” by minors, widening compliance scope. Titles with chat or UGC must add abuse reporting and publish transparency stats. Following Belgium’s 2018 stance, this raises urgent monetization and safety compliance needs for studios.
Dev Tools & Performance 🛠️
UE5 Startup Hack: 6x Faster Launch With Smarter Content Scans
Unreal Engine 5’s editor was quietly opening 5,500 Starter/Template files on every launch, adding 1.5–3.0 seconds. Senior Gameplay Programmer Lars Thiessen deferred that work to the Add Content Pack dialog, then refined it into a 6x speedup. His pull request is available to Epic-linked GitHub users. Thiessen also previously cut startup time by stopping 38,000 tooltips from spawning.
Unity UI vs UI Toolkit: What to Use in 2025
Confused by Unity’s multiple UI options? Code Monkey breaks down UI Toolkit, Unity UI (uGUI), and IMGUI—what Unity recommends, where each excels, and when you should switch (or not). You’ll get clear guidance for runtime games versus editor tools, plus mobile and team considerations. He also shares a straightforward path to start learning UI Toolkit fast.