Camille Thouvenin

🎉 Today is special for me because (i) it's my birthday 🎂, and (ii) we're officially launching Nocturne Games! 🚀 ✨ My friend and co-founder Arnaud Aubry and I embarked on a new chapter a few months ago alongside our fantastic Partners, Bobby Wertheim, and Jason Della Rocca, all driven by our shared passion for gaming and entrepreneurship. And we’ve already had a front-row seat for some seismic shifts reshaping the gaming industry. 🎮 Gaming, a $185B market, outpaces movies, on-demand video, and music combined, engaging nearly half the global population every month. 🎨 Indie gaming, propelled by AI, cheap game engines, digital distribution, and community-led marketing, democratizes success. The potential is immense, with 2023 seeing four indie titles among the top ten earners. ✌️ But there are some big challenges to take on. The studio-publisher relationship often suffers from unbalanced revenue shares, opaque terms, and IP conflicts, stifling creativity. Equity models falter with premium games, lacking clear exits and necessitating tangible publishing support. The gaming landscape needs innovative models that respect the unique dynamics of indie game development. 🎯 At Nocturne, we invest in unique, replayable games through revenue sharing. We provide capital and self-publishing support to indie studios, prioritizing fairness and community-validation strategies. We aim to transform promising concepts into blockbuster hits, offering up to €1.5M per game for a share of the game's revenue. 📝 Since January, we've received around 700 game submissions, in no small part thanks to our amazing Game Scout, Magdalena Buss 🔜 Mad Games Show, reflecting the vibrant creativity in the indie game community. We're in due diligence with 4 of these games and are about to sign our first title. We aim to invest in one new game monthly, quickly bringing fresh titles to gamers worldwide. 💡 In addition to the bright future of indie gaming, I’m also a big believer in building in public, so after this initial quiet period, I’m eager to start showing people what Nocturne is all about. 📘 You can start finding out more in our first article in the comments below (thanks, LinkedIn algorithm!). This piece begins an exciting series where the Nocturne team and I will share our journey, insights, and progress. 🙏 I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Joël Schillio, Caroline Raimbault, and the entire Alasta team for their incredible work on our brand identity and website! A special shoutout to Jean de La Rochebrochard, Nicolas Essayan, and Fabrice Grinda for being early believers, along with over 50 investors, including Yoann Lopez, Paul Guillemin, Alexandre Berriche, Marie Brayer, Pierre Mugnier, Francescu Santoni, Nicolas Steegmann, Virgile Raingeard, and Guillaume Moubeche. And, of course, my deepest gratitude to Francois Masciopinto for his unwavering support, kindness, and dedication since day one. 📸 Team picture by the fabulous Corentin Grange

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[The Secret Sauce of Community Engagement and User Acquisition] Honored by being involved by Blockchain Game Alliance Magazine, TBH whenever someone asks us to share insights from our experience with Intraverse and nearly a decade in Web3 for me and Morteza Shahini, I always come back to this: There isn't a right or wrong way to do things. What truly matters is having the right people who can adapt and evolve with the market. So if you want the Secret Sauce: There is No Secret Sauce lol There's no playbook and beware of who's trying to sell you "The Magic Pill" to solve all your Engagement, Retention and Acquisition problems. What's key essential is the people in your team.

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€10,145,881 ➡️ That's what the French gaming community raised for charity this weekend during the #ZEvent2024! 🎮💚 Gamers and content creators have once again shown their power to positively shake up the entertainment industry. Highlights from this incredible event: 🎥 48 hours of non-stop content and entertainment 🌟 130 French streamers (30 gathered on-site and 100 online) 👥 300,000 average viewers and a peak of 537,627 viewers 📺 Notable figures from French traditional media, including television, joined the event, positioning France as a leader in bridging traditional media and online content creation. 🌍 International creators like Ludwig and Saruei participated, making this year’s event more global than ever. The #ZEvent is a powerful case study for video game companies and brands: it shows that marketing can benefit your brand, your target audience, and society as a whole. Don’t hesitate to contribute or even organize such events that bring gamers together for a good cause! 🌍🎮

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4 main takeaways from today’s ‘The Future of Gaming’ event by Calcalist כלכליסט: • Hybrid Monetization in games proves itself to be the best monetization strategy when combining ads with a good game economy to drive more revenue than with In-App purchases or Ads monetization only. • GenAi is already a key player in game development and will grow even more in 2025. With an early implementation of GenAi in all development aspects (Coding, Art, VFX, SFX) smaller teams could achieve bigger and better results in less time and money than teams that are twice or triple their size. • With 6% and 14% increase in market share for Board and puzzle games (respectively), people want to think more and challenge them selves while Casual and Hyper-Causal games saw a 14% decrease this year in compare to last year performance. • Israeli and western gaming companies are still very focused on US & WE markets and not preforming well enough at Asian markets (Japan, Korea, Singapore) leaving lots of business potential unmatched. Companies that penetrate the Asian market can scale their business and revenue massively. #gaming #insight #F2P #mobile

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#Ubisoft is gearing up to launch games featuring #Web3 technology this year. Nicolas Pouard Vice President of the Ubisoft Strategic Innovation Lab and head of #blockchain initiatives, is spearheading these developments. The company has broadened its blockchain efforts, forging new gaming partnerships and expanding its blockchain team. It's licensing intellectual properties to Web3 gaming firms like VeVe and Cross The Ages and collaborating with blockchain platforms such as Aleph, Flow, XPLA, and Sequence. Ubisoft is also developing Champions Tactics with Oasys, and plans to release two Web3 games to the public by the end of the year. This push into Web3 gaming positions Ubisoft at the forefront of the industry, offering fresh opportunities for growth and innovation. For the blockchain gaming community, Ubisoft’s involvement not only legitimizes the space but also drives technological advancements and broadens the market, promising enhanced gaming experiences and new interactive possibilities. Sources: GamesBeat, Dean Takahashi

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I sat down with Emmanuel de Maistre, CEO of Scenario, to talk about gen AI and web3 gaming—with some UGC for good measure—for Sequence XP. TLDR: we talked about the entire future of gaming. https://lnkd.in/dkzhVct2 We covered a lot of territory but especially: - How will gen AI help developers? - How will gen AI reward gamers? - How will gen AI accelerate creators? We talked about how web3 is vital for reigning in and accelerating this future, in a world in which anyone can create anything based on anything, provenience is crucial (web3 is the only trustable way to track that) and sharing upside is crucial (web3 allows for easy royalty sharing and participation). Dive in!

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🛤️🔗 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝟑 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 🔗🛤️ In the Web3 space, projects with ambitious roadmaps are common and generate a lot of excitement among the community and investors 🚀✨ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽𝘀: - Attract investors 🚀 - Motivate the community 💪 - Create positive expectations 📈 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁: - Disappointment among investors and community 😞 - Loss of trust in the project 😰 - Negative impact on the project's reputation 📉 It's crucial to find a balance between ambition and realism. Projects should be transparent about challenges and regularly update their progress. What do you think? Do you prefer ambitious roadmaps even with the risk of not meeting them, or more realistic and achievable goals? 💬

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Our first Telegram game is officially live! 🚀⁣ ⁣ We've been working hard for the past 4 months to deliver the 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 for the Telegram platform, and it fits perfectly within the OpenGaming ecosystem we're building. The game mechanics are based on the popular social casino/board game genre, similar to Monopoly GO, Dice Dreams, Coin Master, and others. In fact, Monopoly GO is one of the biggest successes in mobile gaming history, becoming the fastest game to 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 $𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞.⁣ ⁣ I believe this genre is the best fit for the Telegram ecosystem because of the following:⁣ ⁣ 🎲 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬: Telegram users behave like farmers, returning to the app every few hours to play. You need to manage the time they can play, and these types of games excel at that.⁣ 🕹️ 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲: These types of games are incredibly simple, often reducing gameplay to a single button press.⁣ 💨 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲: Since Telegram games are mostly built as web apps, similar to websites, the focus must be on gameplay, which also allows for better optimization.⁣ 💰 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: Telegram Mini Apps offer great in-app purchase (IAP) monetization through direct integration with app stores. Currently, the ad monetization potential on Telegram is low.⁣ ⁣ We have big plans for OpenGaming and OG GO, and I'll do my best to keep you updated.⁣ ⁣ Be careful, it can be very addictive. :)⁣ ⁣ You can access the game here:⁣ https://lnkd.in/d4_7YrnQ

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In its financial report for the first half of FY25, Ubisoft has shared some figures for its top-grossing franchises. Ubisoft’s portfolio includes six franchises that have each surpassed €1 billion in player spending over the past decade (from September 30, 2014 to September 30, 2024). The top three can be seen below: 🥇 Assassin’s Creed: ~ €4 billion 🥈 Rainbow Six Siege: €3.5 billion+ 🥉 Far Cry: €2 billion+ The other three video game series with over €1 billion in revenue are: 🏅 The Division 🏅 Ghost Recon 🏅 Just Dance Interstingly, Rainbow Six Siege alone is almost on par with the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise. The multiplayer shooter has been one of the main revenue drivers for Ubisoft since its launch in 2015, which is reflected in its financial reports. For example, R6 Siege saw double-digit growth in playtime and session days in H1 FY25. (source: https://lnkd.in/eedXdp9T)

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👾Here are the Web3 gaming projects on #base I’m observing closely as we head into 2025: G.A.M.E by Virtuals Protocol : AI agents are now deeply integrated into nearly every stage of traditional game development. With Web3, these tools are no longer just about efficiency—they’re paving the way for entirely new gaming experiences. Facade by Farworld Labs : Hyper-casual game mechanics once drove a 20% user increase during the height of the mobile gaming era. Farcade goes beyond simple quest grinding by introducing social networking and a creator-driven platform, where users can easily build and share their games. The potential here is immense. Super Champs by Joyride Games : Game studios should explore diverse ways to integrate Web3 mechanisms, rather than forcing them into their products. Super Champs is an excellent example of a team that successfully expands its user base by building IP-driven series, creating meaningful connections between traditional gaming and Web3. GRAM Ecosystem by GRAMPUS° : GRAMPUS, with over 50M downloads and a seasoned live ops team, is bringing its expertise in casual gaming to Web3. The combination of a strong development pipeline with emerging Web3 trends positions GRAM as a standout project in the space. What other projects do you think are leading the way in Web3 gaming? Let me know! 🚀

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Netflix's new game hire is interesting. Alain understands development, portfolio management, but also cross-over experiences. But it still needs more. I talk about Netflix a lot and where I think they're underutilizing the ability to connect their worlds https://lnkd.in/gwSfYXMu Each Netflix game is a silo unto its own, only unified by a single-sign-on with your Netflix account. Alain comes from traditional games, in which each game is so cordoned off, that requires a lot of effort for publishers to connect them. As the Netflix portfolio grows, not only on mobile but also TV and PC, and the IP itself ends up in non-Netflix owned platforms (like their partnership with Roblox), it will be increasingly vital for Netflix to have a cohesive understanding of its audience, and also commercially beneficial to tie these universes together. Alain also comes from Fortnite, and so he likewise understands the complications of a quickly growing metaverse of games. The issue is that traditional game technology is not easily adaptable to this kind of fragmentation—the kind of fragmentation that Netflix already has and is planning to balloon with its game efforts. Tim Sweeney himself recently said that he feels Fortnite is a full 7 years away from meaningfully connecting its thousands of game worlds. That's pretty bonkers when you consider that web3 games are all connected automatically, out of the box. True, not necessarily with interoperability in the way we'd think of it (this sword shows up identically in all games), but that doesn't mean there aren't many ways to reward players (and developers) with other kinds of interconnected data, benefits, etc. right now. This is where I hope that Alain will bring a keen awareness of the issues facing the games industry overall, and the opportunity that Netflix has to be at the forefront of leveraging new technologies to ensure its users have a seamless and powerfully unified experience. I'll be watching their next steps closely. https://lnkd.in/gfq7P65T

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I'm sorry to hear of 26 redundancies at BeReal. post their acquisition by Voodoo, as reported by BeReal.'s COO Romain Salzman https://lnkd.in/eTtDtagd Romain has already called out each of these individuals in his note by name. To all individuals affected, please make use of the support available across our three platforms. To our community, please help these gamers: Eng Lead: Murph Finnicum (Head of Eng), Raphael Colleau (Mobile Lead) iOS: Oliver Pearmain, Mišo Lubarda, Dimitri Dupuis-Latour, Raluca Toadere, Chris Echanique, Summer J., Fernando Cervantes Android: Gustavo de Santos Garcia, Alejandro Mezcua Back-end, Features: Amritpal Kallu, Joey L., Anthony Z. Back-end, Infra&Platform: MongMong Barbara P., Nicolas TIBI QA: Karl S., Denis G., Vlad G. Product: David Kaufman, Trevor Denton, Brooke White Data: Catherine Zhou Customer Operations, Trust&Safety: Bryan F., Jenny S. Branding, Marketing, Growth: David Pfluger, Martina Mach di Palmstein I won't pretend there are easy solutions but our community's only goal is to make things a little easier for as many people as possible. We have a ton of data showing that, for all candidates, your chances of finding a games role double (from 5 to 10%) over 12 months if you regularly use all our resources versus not. Home 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our main hub provides 18 resources to assist you in finding work, featuring a fully updated design. Home 2 - 🔗 Discord: Join us at discord.gg/amirsatvat, our live extension of community resources. With over 4,300 members, we are currently in an open-join phase. Home 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes over 90,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. How the Broader Community Can Help: - Spread the Word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer Support: Utilize the 16 ways listed on AMIRSATVAT.COM under "How You Can Help" to assist, or simply lend an ear or advice on our Discord server. - Join Our Movement: Volunteer with us at AMIRSATVAT.COM to support our colleagues in the games industry. Our network has facilitated over 2,100 jobs and 39,000 coaching conversations to date, the largest impact of any games organization on earth, and has been visited by millions of gamers lifetime.

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3.6x DPI | Nearly 5x TVPI | In Just 3.5 Years 🚀 During my time as a fund manager, I had the privilege of raising and managing three funds. Today, I’m thrilled to share some results from our very first fund: • DPI : Over 3.6x the invested capital returned to our investors through realized exits. • TVPI : Nearly 5x the initial investment, combining realized distributions and unrealized portfolio value. But what makes this milestone truly special isn’t just the numbers—it’s the incredible companies we’ve had the privilege to back. 2021 was the height of the VC bubble, and navigating such a competitive period to identify true winners amidst the noise is something we are immensely proud of. Companies like Ishendra Agarwal’s GIVA and Ajinkya Kulkarni’s Wint Wealth exemplify the kind of transformative potential we strive to support. None of this would have been possible without the guidance of my mentors, the dedication of my team (Akash Mundhra, Tanish Vyas), and, most importantly, the unwavering faith of our investors who trusted a first-time fund manager. #venturecapital #earlystage #founderbankcapital #VC #seedinvestments

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Big thanks to Train Chiou for the collaboration and support in driving innovation in gaming, it's always a pleasure to work with forward-thinking teammates ! To recap: for game studios, the case for leveraging decentralized cloud gaming is stronger than ever: ✅ Scalability Without Limits – Easily adapt to growing player bases without compromising performance. ✅ Global Low Latency – Aethir’s edge network ensures seamless gameplay, no matter where your players are. ✅ Cost-Efficiency – Cut down on traditional cloud costs while maintaining reliability and security. ✅ Future-Ready Infrastructure – Decentralization is the future; stay ahead of the curve with innovative solutions tailored for gaming. Curious to learn more? Check out Train's article on our latest blog post here: https://lnkd.in/d8NT_QuE Let’s keep building the future of gaming together ! P.s: 👀 If you want a free cloud trial run for one of your games, just DM me, I will have it up in a gist. #GamingIndustry #GameDev #CloudGaming #Innovation #Partnerships

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🚨#IDO alert: => MegaFans Esports IDO will be launched at Enjinstarter on June 13 (13 UTC) and at Spores Network on June 17 (10 UTC). Ticker: $MBUCKS Price: $0.14 Check out our website for a detailed view: https://lnkd.in/gg875MKt #Cryptolenz #Cryptocurrency #Crypto #CryptoIDO #MegaFans #Gaming #Enjinstarter #Sporesnetwork #Arbitrum #Ethereum #Blockchain #Technology #web3‌‌

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NaPOLLeon--a predictive market approach to gathering and providing data. For consumers of data. By data consumers. Digital entrepreneur that wants to justify where to soft launch? We got you. Thesis writing about public awareness of paleontology in developed versus undeveloped states? We got you. Chef looking to expand a deli bar but can't choose between Jamon Iberico or veggie options? We got you. How do we do this? Check out NaPOLLeon.ai for more. (site might need updating at time of writing but keep us on your radar!)

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Last week, in Gaming Insights Digest we found 2 great conversations happening: Bertrand Vernizeau provides a summary of the state of gaming investment. Pressure on founders, equity alternatives, layoffs, and AI-washing in games. Eva Piatrushina observes that the Cozy gaming category is rising and people mentioned their favorite ones in the comments! Check the most popular recommendations. As always, the juice is in the comments! #VCgaming #CozyGames #gamingindustry

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