@beaulbutton.bsky.social
Krafton talking about decision gates matters more than the 26-project count.
Scale only works when teams are willing to say no early.
Clear validation keeps momentum from turning into risk.
Scale only works when teams are willing to say no early.
Clear validation keeps momentum from turning into risk.
Krafton is trying to find its next PUBG
PUBG is still huge, but Krafton is looking for more hits.
www.theverge.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Krafton talking about decision gates matters more than the 26-project count.
Scale only works when teams are willing to say no early.
Clear validation keeps momentum from turning into risk.
Scale only works when teams are willing to say no early.
Clear validation keeps momentum from turning into risk.
Meta winding down VR for work feels like a course correction.
Immersive tech sticks where it fits existing habits. Social presence travels further than virtual meetings.
Immersive tech sticks where it fits existing habits. Social presence travels further than virtual meetings.
Meta has discontinued its metaverse for work, too
One more piece of bad news for VR.
www.theverge.com
January 26, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Meta winding down VR for work feels like a course correction.
Immersive tech sticks where it fits existing habits. Social presence travels further than virtual meetings.
Immersive tech sticks where it fits existing habits. Social presence travels further than virtual meetings.
Interesting move from Towerborne.
They rebuilt core systems to shift from free-to-play to premium after early access feedback.
Monetization is a design choice. When it doesn’t fit the experience, changing it is hard, but sometimes necessary.
They rebuilt core systems to shift from free-to-play to premium after early access feedback.
Monetization is a design choice. When it doesn’t fit the experience, changing it is hard, but sometimes necessary.
Xbox’s Towerborne is switching from a free-to-play game to a paid one
A new approach for Towerborne.
www.theverge.com
January 22, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Interesting move from Towerborne.
They rebuilt core systems to shift from free-to-play to premium after early access feedback.
Monetization is a design choice. When it doesn’t fit the experience, changing it is hard, but sometimes necessary.
They rebuilt core systems to shift from free-to-play to premium after early access feedback.
Monetization is a design choice. When it doesn’t fit the experience, changing it is hard, but sometimes necessary.
Nearly 150k people rang in the New Year together inside VRChat.
That happens when a space supports shared rituals, feels familiar, and makes being together easy.
The future of immersive tech belongs to places people already trust for meaningful moments.
That happens when a space supports shared rituals, feels familiar, and makes being together easy.
The future of immersive tech belongs to places people already trust for meaningful moments.
VRChat Set A New Concurrent User Record On New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve, VRChat set a new record for concurrent users online.
www.uploadvr.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Nearly 150k people rang in the New Year together inside VRChat.
That happens when a space supports shared rituals, feels familiar, and makes being together easy.
The future of immersive tech belongs to places people already trust for meaningful moments.
That happens when a space supports shared rituals, feels familiar, and makes being together easy.
The future of immersive tech belongs to places people already trust for meaningful moments.
Steam’s 2025 data is blunt.
Price doesn’t drive success. Engagement does.
$20 games only compete with $70 titles when players stick around, come back, and recommend them.
Launch week matters less than session two.
Price doesn’t drive success. Engagement does.
$20 games only compete with $70 titles when players stick around, come back, and recommend them.
Launch week matters less than session two.
Steam Charts
Top selling and top played games across Steam
store.steampowered.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Steam’s 2025 data is blunt.
Price doesn’t drive success. Engagement does.
$20 games only compete with $70 titles when players stick around, come back, and recommend them.
Launch week matters less than session two.
Price doesn’t drive success. Engagement does.
$20 games only compete with $70 titles when players stick around, come back, and recommend them.
Launch week matters less than session two.
We raised $5.4M in seed funding for Tesoro XP.
We’re building a retail-funded rewards platform that lets real-world spend unlock in-game value, without adding pressure inside the game.
Incentives aligned. Systems first. More soon.
We’re building a retail-funded rewards platform that lets real-world spend unlock in-game value, without adding pressure inside the game.
Incentives aligned. Systems first. More soon.
Tesoro XP: $5.4 Million Seed Funding Raised To Build Retail-Funded Rewards Platform For Free-To-Play Games
Tesoro XP, a new rewards platform designed to let retailers fund in-game currency for gamers, has raised $5.4 million in seed financing ahead of a planned 2026 rollout. The round was co-led by Treasury, a New York-based fintech fund, and TK MediaTech Ventures, a venture firm focused on next-generation media technologies.
pulse2.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:31 PM
We raised $5.4M in seed funding for Tesoro XP.
We’re building a retail-funded rewards platform that lets real-world spend unlock in-game value, without adding pressure inside the game.
Incentives aligned. Systems first. More soon.
We’re building a retail-funded rewards platform that lets real-world spend unlock in-game value, without adding pressure inside the game.
Incentives aligned. Systems first. More soon.
Real-world game events only work when they extend the game’s core systems.
Monopoly Go leaned into trading, lowered friction, and let players do more of what they already enjoy doing.
A great example of how to earn engagement instead of just buying it.
Monopoly Go leaned into trading, lowered friction, and let players do more of what they already enjoy doing.
A great example of how to earn engagement instead of just buying it.
Why Scopely hosted real-world event Dough Fest for Monopoly Go
That’s perhaps afforded the developer the opportunity to get more creative with its marketing pushes and community activations. In September, Scopely organised...
www.pocketgamer.biz
January 8, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Real-world game events only work when they extend the game’s core systems.
Monopoly Go leaned into trading, lowered friction, and let players do more of what they already enjoy doing.
A great example of how to earn engagement instead of just buying it.
Monopoly Go leaned into trading, lowered friction, and let players do more of what they already enjoy doing.
A great example of how to earn engagement instead of just buying it.
Potential hot take: I think most AI debates miss the point.
The question is not whether AI is good or bad. It's how it fits into your system.
The challenge is determining where automation fits and where human judgment still matters.
The question is not whether AI is good or bad. It's how it fits into your system.
The challenge is determining where automation fits and where human judgment still matters.
January 5, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Potential hot take: I think most AI debates miss the point.
The question is not whether AI is good or bad. It's how it fits into your system.
The challenge is determining where automation fits and where human judgment still matters.
The question is not whether AI is good or bad. It's how it fits into your system.
The challenge is determining where automation fits and where human judgment still matters.